![]() What are you supposed to do when you feel you are a million miles from God? There is no sense of His presence and your situation is one where you are hurting badly. Where do you turn? The answer from Psalm 61 may surprise you when you read it today. David wrote the 61st Psalm at the inspiration of God – even though he felt like he was at the end of the earth – and God was thousands of miles away. Actually, David was not more than 50 miles from Jerusalem. The problem was that he felt like he was at the ends of the earth from God Himself. He was running from his son Absalom, who wanted to kill him and be king in his place. So the “ends of the earth” statement is more a spiritual description – or maybe an emotional one. Regardless of this David felt a world amount of distance from God. Who did David turn to at this point? He turned to God. One of the first things we need to remember when we “feel” a million miles from God is that this is how we “feel” – it is not a hard, cold fact. So the best thing to do is to tell God in prayer how we feel. That is what David did. He cried out to God and called to him – even though he felt like he was calling from the ends of the earth. If we allow emotional reasoning to keep us from God, we are going to wind up feeling even more hopeless. But, on the other hand, if we don’t own up to how we feel, I seriously doubt we will get much of anywhere with God. Let’s be honest. God is omniscient. It is not like He is clueless as to our thinking. So what we need to start with is to cry out to Him, letting Him know honestly where we are at the moment. That is what David did. “Hear my cry, O God; Give heed to my prayer. From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint . . . “ He said he felt like this when his heart was “faint.” The Hebrew word here refers to something that is covered over and around and under. David’s heart was so covered with his situation that he could not see. But even if he was at the end of the earth – he was going to call on God. His next statement is the source of many Christian songs. “Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” What a beautiful prayer. He knew at the “ends of the earth” he was not going to get to God on his own. So he cries out for God to lead him. God is the rock that is higher. God was stability and strength. He was higher and infinitely more stable than David. So David asked for God to bring him to where the Rock was located. In the next several verses of Psalm 61 David begins remembering Who God is. This is not the first time he’s been in a difficult situation – and God has come through every time. He remembers that God is his refuge – his tower of strength – his shelter. So David asks for God to bring him to His “tent.” This is a reference to the tabernacle – the place in Jerusalem where God dwelt between the Cherubim on top of the Ark. God was not limited to there – but in the history of Israel – God was more than able to take care of Himself and His stuff from there. When men rebelled against God and Moses – God wiped the entire group out as fire went out from His presence and killed every one of them. When a couple of drunken priests wanted to defile the worship place of God with their drunken stupor – God struck both of them dead with fire that consumed them. The lesson learned for all time – do not mess with God in the tent! David asked to be brought there – forever! This was also the place where God’s presence dwelt – and so what David was truly asking for was to be in God’s presence forever – for he knew that was the safest place on earth – or honestly – anywhere! As David prayed . . . as David meditated on Who God is . . . his heart was no longer smothered over by his circumstances. He was no longer a slave to his feelings and emotional reasoning. This was replaced by Biblical reasoning. David stops and writes, “selah” which means basically – stop and consider what I’ve said. From this point – the entire psalm changes in perspective and in attitude. David speaks for the rest of the psalm about how God has heard him and what God is going to do. God has heard me! God has given me the inheritance of those who fear Him! These are David’s first cries of joy! What a delight to know God has heard us – especially when we formerly thought God was a million miles away. And – since we have feared God and turned to Him in the midst of wanting to give up – God is going to bless us with a wealth of blessing. At this point David begins to speak boldly of what God IS going to do! David says, “I’m going to live!” But then David begins speaking in ways that are beyond what a mere man could receive. David is speaking by the Holy Spirit’s inspiration – and at this point the Holy Spirit begins speaking of the Messiah. He will live forever. He will remain before God forever. Grace and truth will be preserved through Him. These are all blessings that will come through Jesus Christ. John said in his gospel that grace and truth would be realized through Jesus! David closes the psalm by saying he wants to praise God forever – and to live before God in obedience day by day. That is where God brings us when we turn to Him. He brings us to Himself – and to His grace. He brings us to promises that have been made in the Word of God. He brings us to His ultimate promise which is the Messiah – Jesus Himself. What a blessing. Some may wonder why God would allow us to be in such a place. But I have a bigger statement to make. God leads us to such a place! He has purposed for us to come to the point where we feel a million miles away. His purpose in it is not to damage our faith or our spiritual walk – but to enhance it. Read these words God led Paul to write about God’s work in him and his associates. ”For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead; who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us, you also joining in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many.” 2 Corinthians 1:7-11 What is God’s purpose in allowing us to get to where David was? It is so that we will despair in our own living where we trust in ourselves and instead trust in God who raises the dead. It is so we will look to God to be the One who delivered us – who will deliver us – and who yet will deliver us! His other purpose is to not only engage in prayer the one who is dealing with the problem – but so that many persons will be engaged in prayer as well. Then as we watch God do what only God can do – we will praise God Who alone should be the One to be praised. Feeling a million miles from God? Yeah – God has you right where He wants you. Its where He had David – and look what He did in him?
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![]() Have you ever been concerned that godly men seem to be disappearing from our landscape? Ever get discouraged because the crassness and craven words that seem to be dominating the airwaves and print media? Do you ever begin to lose heart because it seems the only ones who are getting ahead are those who use their mouths and words in such a way as to crush those who are in their path? Well, if you’ve ever felt this way – there is good news. A man who was going through the same thing wrote psalm 12. David was discouraged. He cried out to God in the midst of his circumstances saying the following: “Help, LORD, for the godly man ceases to be, for the faithful disappear from among the sons of men. 2 They speak falsehood to one another; with flattering lips and with a double heart they speak. 3 May the LORD cut off all flattering lips, The tongue that speaks great things; 4 Who have said, "With our tongue we will prevail; our lips are our own; who is lord over us?" David watched as godly men were disappearing from the scene. The word he uses to describe these men has the idea of being like the Lord in his character – but it emphasizes the idea of kindness. These men were fading from the scene, as were faithful men. Where were the men of character and kindness who inspired confidence and gave stability to the society around them. They may not even have been popular for their godly, holy views and yet, the depth of their character and the way they lived stabilized things. The problem was – Saul was the leader – and he encouraged ungodliness in the people. He was only interested in his own power and was willing even to murder the priests of God if he thought for a moment that they were against him. David also watched as leaders arose who ruled with their words. First of all they spoke falsehood and flattery. They said one thing that would flatter you publically, but privately they were weaving a deceptive web to destroy you. Saul confessed sin in chasing David and trying to kill him. He even wept when David confronted him with it. Yet within a very short time Saul was hunting David again. The literal Hebrew in David’s cry to God was that these men “spoke with a heart and another heart.” This was the habit of Saul to speak with one heart – and yet would have another heart that was completely different from his public statements. He was double-hearted, hypocritical man. The men David watched who were in power – boasted that they would prevail with their tongues. Just their speaking would produce heroic things. They thought themselves invincible with their mouths and their speeches. They would say whatever they wanted. No one would be able to take them down. If someone were foolish enough to try, they would lash him or her with their words and tongue like someone whipping a man until he was crushed and destroyed. David’s cries for help did not fall on deaf ears. God heard David and spoke. He assured David that He was the protector of the afflicted and needy when He said this, “Because of the devastation of the afflicted, because of the groaning of the needy, Now I will arise," says the LORD; "I will set him in the safety for which he longs.” It is a sweet thing it when God speaks and comforts our souls this way. The first comfort to us is that He has seen what is going on in the world. God speaks of the devastation of the afflicted – the words here describe a violent devastation. He not only hears our prayers – he even hears our groans under such violent oppression. David then reminds himself that God’s words are pure. In fact they are purer than anything imaginable. He speaks of silver refined seven times in a furnace. The beauty in that picture is that no smelter of silver would go through that process more than 3 or 4 times. At that point, one could not get the silver purer because the height of purity would have been reached. Yet David speaks of something smelted 7 times, the number of perfection in the Scriptures. That is because God’s Word is more pure that the purest substance on earth. There is absolutely no impurity in the promises of God – they are true and faithful to the end. This is why David praises God, knowing that when God makes a promise, He will keep His Word. Such a promise to David speaks not just to his generation – but also to all succeeding generations forever. They all can rely on God’s Word as their help in time of trouble and their hope in the most hopeless of moments. Even as David finishes this song to God with confidence he ends it with another reality. We live in a Genesis 3 world where the fallen state of man and the devastation it brought to this earth will remain until this world passes away. Those who look merely to human rulers will be disappointed. The world around us is devolving in sin through every generation. The reason for the devolution of man and every political system by which he seeks to govern himself – sin. There is vileness in this world that began with Adam and will not end until the last trumpet is sounded. Jesus put it in these words, “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. (John 3:19, NASB) Evil is not static. We are reminded in Romans 1:32, “. . . although men know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but give hearty approval to those who practice them.” Is it interesting that hundreds of years after David wrote this Psalm, Paul says pretty much the same thing in the New Testament? There is a vileness that is exalted among the sons of men. The Hebrew word David uses is expansive in its meaning. It speaks of that which is worthless and sinful. It speaks of something contemptible to God both morally and socially, and it usually involves both shameful excesses of ungodliness as well as a complete and total worthlessness to all those around. Vile indeed expresses what God sees as godless men think they reign unrestrained with their mouths and their words. When these wicked men rule – they strut. They boast of their wickedness and say that no one rules over them. Such is the world until Christ returns. An unfortunate reality is that as the years hasten to the day He does return – the wickedness of such vile strutting leaders will increase. Right will be called wrong – evil will be embraced as good. It will pave the way for the “man of sin,” the antichrist. He will be the ultimate vile, strutting ruler – boasting in himself, and even one day taking his seat in the midst of the temple of God – boasting that he is god. But he will be the last of the vile, sin-advancing rulers of this present world. He will be overcome and devastated by the sword that comes out of the mouth of Christ. That phrase simply means that the Word of God (called the sword of the Spirit in Ephesians 6) is what will win the day. The victory will be enjoyed by those who put their trust in a silver sword forged 7 times in the fire – free from impurity – powerful in its every statement – and more than strong enough to deal with “the” wicked ruler – and every one of his imitators down through the ages. Trust in that word, children of the King. He spoke it – and He will arise and lift you to the safety for which you long. |
Pastor John LawrencePsalms for Life . . . God moved on several people to write the Psalms. This is a book of songs and poems written by people who were seeking to be devoted to God as they walked though their lives. This is a collection of songs and poems that express the true, wonderful, and often raw emotions that we have as we journey through life with God. I hope you will be blessed and encouraged as you read. But more than that I hope that these expositions and writings will help you to seek Him in the midst of the life you live in this world. It will be at times comforting and encouraging, while at others it will be challenging and awkward. Regardless of where you find yourself on this spectrum as you read, it will be a reminder that God invites us into His presence to truly walk with Him, know Him, and at times, pour out emotions of joy, sorrow, frustration, anger, and everything else you can imagine. He not only invites you to do this - He delights in it too! Hope you enjoy your journey! Archives
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