Psalm 59:1-4 ESV
Psalm 59:16-17 ESV
Philippians 4:4-7 ESV
New Series: Thoughts on Scripture and Life
If I’ve learned one thing from scripture and life it’s that every day we are given choices. That doesn’t mean that we wake up each day with a clean slate that doesn’t have memories or problems. It simple means that every day we can choose how to handle what life throws at us.
Even in our most difficult moments, we still have choices.
I didn’t get to be in my late sixties unscathed by life. Just like you, we have all had difficult moments, days, and years. It means that when those moments came, God helped me find a way to cope.
During one of my trials in my younger days I asked God to teach me how to find His Joy in the midst of difficult moments. The change didn’t happen instantly, but gradually as I continued to pray and ask God to teach me how to find the good even in the midst of very bad times, God did teach me.
One thing God taught me is how to rely on scripture.
At one point in my life I was so immersed in the psalms of David that I wondered if I would ever read any other part of scripture again.
I did eventually move beyond reading the sad laments of David’s psalms. That didn’t happen until I figured out WHY David wrote so many psalms about being pursued. I learned that before David became King of Israel, he was pursued by King Saul’s men. Some scholars believe David was a pursued by Saul as a teenager. Others believe David was 20 years old when Saul started chasing him. (https://christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/52930/how-long-was-david-on-the-run-from-saul)
Either way, more than likely David lived in the wilderness and ran from King Saul’s men for ten to fifteen years of his life. Any way you look at it, that’s a long time to run from an army of men.
During those years, David suffered.
In Psalm 59:1-4 we read, “Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; protect me from those who rise up against me; deliver me from those who work evil, and save me from bloodthirsty men. For behold, they lie in wait for my life; fierce men stir up strife against me. For no transgression or sin of mine, O Lord, for no fault of mine, they run and make ready. Awake, come to meet me, and see!”
David the boy or young man wrote about “fierce men” who pursued him even though he had not sinned. They pursued him because Saul sent them to kill David. That’s because Saul’s obsession of losing his throne to David got the best of him.
It’s almost as if Saul instinctively knew David would succeed him as King of Israel.
That’s exactly what happened.
Because David was being pursued, he wrote psalms (songs) to God.
They were a plea.
They were a prayer.
In Psalm 59 notice David asked for protection and deliverance from the men who were pursue if him.
By the end of David’s psalm and prayer, he wrote in Psalm 59:16-17,
“But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning
For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress.
O my Strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress,
the God who shows me steadfast love.”
As David wrote to God, he was given strength and steadfast love from God. David realized God was his fortress and refuge. David promised to sing praises to God, his strength.
Just like David, I learned when times get tough, my best defense was to turn to God to pray and plea for God’s strength.
When I turned to God, I asked for help.
I asked God to direct me.
I asked for answers.
I think in my younger years what I wanted was for God to change my circumstances.
That didn’t happen.
Gradually, what God did change was how I viewed my circumstances.
I learned how to find answers in scripture. The Spirit directed me to specific scriptures that would help me rejoice and receive peace IN my circumstances.
In Philippians 4:4-7, the Apostle Paul wrote, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say,
rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
I learned to look for joy in the Spirit of God.
I sought the Lord in prayer.
I thanked God for listening to my plea for help.
I asked Jesus to give me peace and to guard my heart and mind in Him.
In my desperation, I was given joy and peace. I didn’t find it because I deserved it. It was given to me because I asked for it.
Today’s Spiritual Practice is: Ask
Spend time with Philippians 4:4-7. If you can, memorize it so you will KNOW it. Receive God’s joy and peace.
In God, Deborah
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