Psalm 69:1-36

There will be times that we will become overwhelmed with the circumstances of our lives and the trials that we may have to face because of the sinfulness of men.  When this happens, we really only have one thing that we can do; which is to call out to the Lord to save us.  He is our only true source of hope.  There are those who are evil and hate the Lord as well as the servants of the Lord.  The suffering that they cause to those who love and fear the Lord may be very great, but we must not despair.  Instead, we must learn to call out to the Lord, wait for the Lord, trust Him to do what is right and then praise Him for His gracious provision.

WE MUST CALL ON THE LORD: It is of utmost importance that we remember and recognize that we are not sufficient in and of ourselves to live our lives on the earth.  We do not have what is necessary to overcome the trials that we may be called to face in life.  However, we do have a great and gracious God who is more than capable of handling whatever life may throw our way.  We must learn to call out to Him and admit that we are in desperate need of His help.  David describes his situation as having water up to his neck and his feet sinking in the mud.  He felt as if he had more enemies than hairs on his head.  He had no other hope than to call out to the Lord.  David’s troubles came from his dedication and service to the Lord and his zeal for the things of God.  He also recognized that God was well aware of his own failures, but none of this would prevent Him from calling out to the Lord.  We must be willing to recognize our need and then seek for the Lord to meet those needs.

WE MUST WAIT FOR THE LORD: We must not presume that when we call on the Lord He will answer us immediately in just the way we want Him too.  He knows much more than we do about our circumstances and the circumstances of those who are around us.  God always has a plan that may be very different from what we imagine that it might be.  He can see the whole picture and knows just what is best and when it will be best.  We must learn to say with David: “At an acceptable time, O God … deliver me.”  He knows when that acceptable time is and we must learn to wait for that time to come.  While we wait we can continue to pray to the Lord and ask Him to deliver us and ask Him to strengthen us in order that we might be able to bare our burdens.  It may seem like all hope is gone and things are going from bad to worse but we must continue to wait on the Lord.

WE MUST TRUST IN THE LORD: God is absolutely worthy of our trust.  He is completely able to deliver us and He is completely able to bring down punishment on those who stand against the Lord and His children.  We can ask God to judge them and to bring down His wrath upon them but in the end we simply must trust Him to do what is right.  He will judge some men immediately, others He will allow to proper for a very long time.  Some, God will be granted repentance and forgiveness as they are transformed by God’s grace.  These are not our decisions to make.  These things are in the hands of God and we must learn to trust Him and leave those things to Him.


WE MUST GIVE PRAISE TO THE LORD: No matter how bad things get or desperate we may feel, we must always be committed to praising the Lord in all of these circumstances.  He is more pleased with our praise than He is with our sacrifices or offerings.  Once we are able to see what God sees we will stand in awe of Him and fall down before Him in humble adoration.  The things that we did not understand will become great incentives in our lives for praise to His holy name.  God always does what is right and He is always worthy of our praise even when the circumstances of our lives are beyond our ability to cope and understand.  No matter what our circumstance we must faithfully praise the Lord.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Isaiah 54:1-17

Hope is a wonderful blessing from God, without which we would be vulnerable to all kinds of destructive tendencies in our lives.  Today’s society is marked by depression, anger, fear, anxiety and self-righteousness, in large part, because of the sense of hopelessness that prevails in our culture.  Isaiah writes to a people who are about to be taken into captivity because of their sin.  God knows that they will feel rejected, threatened and hopeless so He reveals His future plans for the nation in order to give them hope in the midst of the coming trial.  Hope is the expectation of good based upon the promises of God.  Many times when our lives are marked by the sins mentioned above it is because we have forgotten or failed to focus upon the promises of God’s Word. THE PROMISE OF GOD: From the very first day that God revealed His plan for the nation of Israel, He promised numerous descendants.  God chose Abraham, not because he was more righteous than a...
Read more

2 Timothy 1:3-7

I thank God   whom I serve, as did my ancestors,   with a clear conscience, as I remember you   constantly in my prayers night and day.    As I remember your tears,   I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy.    I am reminded of   your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and   your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.    For this reason I remind you   to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us   a spirit not of fear but   of power and love and self-control. It is easy for us to forget many important things especially in the face of difficulty or danger.  Paul is in prison and Timothy is facing difficult times in ministry so there are important reminders that Paul wants to make sure that Timothy understands.  God has given us everything we need to face the difficulties He allows i...
Read more

2 Timothy 1:8-14

Therefore   do not be ashamed of   the testimony about our Lord, nor of   me his prisoner, but   share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God,   who saved us and   called us to a holy calling,   not because of our works but because of   his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus   before the ages began, and which now has   been manifested through   the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus,   who abolished death and   brought life and   immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, which is why I suffer as I do. But   I am not ashamed, for   I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until   that day   what has been entrusted to me.  Follow   the pattern of   the sound words   that you have heard from me, in   the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. ...
Read more