 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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 Chastening. It is a term we don’t use much in modern Christianity. Some would view the teaching of God chastening us as a negative teaching - one that is thrown out with things like legalism and law. But the fact of God’s chastening is something that is not just an Old Testament truth that went away with the Gospel and the New Testament. God chastens those He loves and He scourges every son He accepts. Those words come straight out of the twelfth chapter of Hebrews, where we are warned not to despise when God comes to us in this way. It is proof that He loves us. David writes for us a chastening song - to help us grasp how we are to walk through these times of God’s discipline and displeasure with us.
DAVID’S PITIFUL CRY “O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger, Nor chasten me in Your wrath. Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am pining away; Heal me, O LORD, for my bones are dismayed. And my soul is greatly dismayed; But You, O LORD—how long?” Psalm 6:1-3 First we should probably identify when this most likely happened. This is one of seven “penitential psalms” that David wrote during the time when he was dealing with his sin of adultery with Bathsheba, and the subsequent cover-up where he sent her husband Uriah to his death in battle. David was dealing with a horrific sin he had committed - and was struggling to come to grips with repentance and receiving God’s forgiveness. His first cry is for God’s mercy - that the Lord would not rebuke him and chasten him in anger and wrath. This is something we just don’t grasp as well as we should in this current day. God is angry with sin - every day. God’s wrath is not something that comes when He supposedly loses it over our sin. It is a settled disposition that He has always had toward our choice to disobey and embrace sin in our lives. David feels the displeasure of God very consciously in his heart and spirit. He cries out for God’s grace as he is “pining away.” This word speaks of a weakness and despair that seizes us when we grasp when God’s powerful hand begins the process of chastening us. David also complained of problems he felt physically. Not all sin leads to or causes sickness - but in this case David here and in other places speaks of how his health was affected by his sin. His bones were dismayed. That word means to disturb or to terrify - and speaks of something that comes upon a person suddenly. Possibly for David an illness he could feel in his bones came upon him with a suddenness that terrified him. But the malady in his physical body was nothing compared to what was going on in his soul. David used the same word again to speak of how his soul was greatly disturbed. His soul was filled with an even greater sense of being terrified and sick. He was a mess both spiritually and physically. The cry of his heart at the thought of all that was rightfully coming upon him was this - But You, O Lord — how long? David finishes this first section with a literary device called aposiopesis, “sudden stop.” It is a dramatic stop in something said - and it reveals just how devastated David is as he faces God’s chastening and realizes his sin which brought it to pass. DAVID’S 3-FOLD PLEA Return, O LORD, rescue my soul; Save me because of Your lovingkindness. For there is no mention of You in death; In Sheol who will give You thanks? I am weary with my sighing; Every night I make my bed swim, I dissolve my couch with my tears. My eye has wasted away with grief; It has become old because of all my adversaries. Psalm 6:4-7 David, after initially reacting to the chastening of God, makes a three-fold request of God. He first makes a plea based on God’s grace. He calls for God to rescue and save him because of God’s covenant love. The word “lovingkindness” speaks of God’s grace and the covenant He made with His people. David appeals to this covenant and cries out for God’s grace in light of it. When we deal with chastening it is wise for us to follow David’s example and cry for mercy on the basis of God’s grace in Jesus Christ. The second plea of David was that God would rescue him and give him a second chance to serve God and honor Him. David speaks of death, which would be his eventual end if God refused to heal him. David’s life and voice would be silenced by death - and in the place of the dead (Sheol) there would be no opportunity to serve and honor God. We too should plead with God for a gracious second chance (or third or fourth, etc.) so we can honor and glorify Him as He deserves. David’s third plea was one based out of grief over sin. We could call it the deep repentance plea. David speaks of how his sin has made him grieve - sighing and weeping over his godless behavior. He used a strong figure of speech in stating this - saying that he has so many tears that they dissolve the couch upon which he sheds them. Here is where I want to take a moment to ask us to consider David’s example. Too often I hear preachers and teachers say that crying, tears, and weeping are not necessary for us to experience repentance. In principle I agree with this - because becoming upset does not necessarily mean that we’ve come to repentance. But - with that being said - I am concerned that we are encouraging a tearless repentance and confession as the norm. What I see in Scripture seems to disagree with that premise. When I read of those experiencing confession and repentance in the Word - I see people weeping and experiencing tears of sadness and grief. Could it be that we are setting ourselves up for failure by not embracing the grief that should be attending our realization and confession of sin? I fear the answer to this is seen in the current spiritual condition of the church. DAVID’S BREAKTHROUGH Depart from me, all you who do iniquity, For the LORD has heard the voice of my weeping.The LORD has heard my supplication, The LORD receives my prayer. All my enemies will be ashamed and greatly dismayed; They shall turn back, they will suddenly be ashamed. Psalm 6:8-10 One of the dangers of sinning is that rather than repenting and responding to God’s chastening, a person would turn away from God further and begin to embrace the lifestyle of those who live their lives in sin and iniquity. David responded to the chastening of God in a way where he saw the folly of this kind of choice. There is a radical change in this psalm where David experiences a breakthrough with God. He turns and finds mercy, grace, and forgiveness. He begins by telling those who want him to come over to a sinful lifestyle to depart from him. He has broken through the to LORD and knows that God has heard his voice, heard his weeping, heard his request. Rather than be rejected by God - David knows that God has accepted him and receives his prayer! What a glorious thing to remember in times of chastening! God hears us as we pray and weep before Him. We don’t need to heed the siren call of the devil and the world when we find ourselves far from the Lord due to sin. That call tells us there is no hope - and that we might as well hang it up and quit. Nothing could be further from the truth. God disciplines and chastens those He LOVES! The very chastening the devil says means God hates us is actually proof that He loves us. He is using it to lead us to repentance and bring about a return to Him. God receives our prayer! He accepts us! He welcomes us back in our repentance! That is a truly glorious truth we need to embrace! David also knows that his enemies, who saw his sin and spiritual demise as an opportunity to bring him down, will be turned back by his restoration to God. They saw this as a chance to not only bring David down a few notches - but also to bring his God down as well. But when God restores us and revives our hearts our enemies take a huge shot that will dismay them. The world’s thought is this - you mess up - you are done. A mess like David’s must surely mean his is history - washed up - over. But God’s grace and forgiveness changes everything. We are restored - and our enemies are ruined. They see God’s work and are dismayed that He receives us again. They turn back from their attack - and are dismayed at grace. Chastening seems bad at first to all who receive it. Even Hebrews 12 acknowledges that. It is not pleasant to be chastened - it hurts. Oh, but what wonderful fruit it brings to us. What a marvelous harvest of forgiveness and grace is ours as God’s chastening plows our hearts, plants the seeds of repentance, and waters them with our tears. Knowing this should make us far more receptive to God’s love in the future when, due to our sin, our spiritual welfare requires that we sing the chastening song.  When the world and the evil one tells you that there is no hope for you - not even in God - sleep tends to escape you. This is especially the case when you are being chased by your own son and the vast majority of the army of Israel. Yet that is exactly what David says here. He lay down and slept. What is it that allowed David to do this - and how can we access the same kind of peace and tranquility that he did - even in the midst of our storms and trials?
The main reason for David's peace is a fresh vision of God in the midst of his trials. We previously learned of how David saw God as His shield, glory, and head-lifter - all aspects of God's grace and protection. In addition to this David also cried out to God and God answered from the place of His habitation. This allowed David to lay down and sleep. We would be wise to follow this same path if we want peace in the midst of trouble and trial. David understood God's sustaining hand as well. David most likely had sentries and guards standing around him in this situation. But before we put too much stock in this we must remember that David's entire army at this point was somewhere around 600-1000 men. They were facing an army of well over 1.5 million soldiers - led by a son who hated his father vehemently. A guard or even a 1000 guards are no guarantee of safety. David know God was going to sustain him. The word for sustain means to hold up or to bear up. Is God currently holding you up in life? Is it a trust and reliance upon God that is undergirding your life in the midst of trials and suffering? David chose to know God in the midst of his great difficulty - to know His grace and mercy - to know His sustaining. That is what allowed him to sleep. But for David there was far more than just sleep involved in knowing God in the midst of his trial. David also had a confidence that God would protect him against his enemies. Some might speak of being afraid of thousands and ten thousands and it is nothing more than hyperbole. But for David this statement was literally. He was surrounded by thousands and even ten thousands. Yet he says here that he was not afraid of them. What was it that gave David such strong confidence? This was not David's first rodeo on the matter of having a godless man chase him through the wilderness trying to kill him. This situation had to have an altogether strange feel to it. David had been here before - with Saul - and with God. So many times his life had been bound up with God even as his enemy was all around him. What I believe sustained David was God's Word - His promise that He would build an enduring legacy through David. Little did David know that this legacy would be fulfilled through a suffering Savior Who would come on the scene hundreds of years later. God was committed to David - even when David had blown it and blown it badly. God was up to something in history - and nothing or no one was going to derail it. David knew, after he had been in God's presence that he was once again in the stream of God's will. That stream cannot be stopped. The truly wise man makes sure that he is in the current of that stream - no matter what it takes. That was the difference between verse 1 of this Psalm and verse 6. David turned to the Lord and in a wonderful return to the heart and purposes of God, David was once again caught up in that glorious, comforting, sustaining flow of the will of God. Oh the confidence gained in that stream! David again calls upon the name of the Lord. This time he calls for God's protection in battle, for he knows that a battle looms in his future. Absalom IS coming, and he is coming with all tens and hundreds of thousands of Israel. But note how David speaks here. It is amazing that he prays, not in the future tense - as in one who is asking for God to do something out in the future. He prays as if things are already done. First David prays for God to arise and save him. There is a total reliance on God for the victory in this situation. One study of Scripture that will blow your mind is a study of what happens when God does arise and fight for His people and His purposes. It is at both a terrifying thing for His enemies as well as a wonderful comfort to those defended by His actions. We see things like a single angel slaying 185,000 of the enemy in one night. We watch as God fights for His people by having large rocks from heaven crush them as they flee. We hear His marching in the tree tops and find when we emerge from t he forest that He has already gone before us to win the day. Here the picture given to us is that of God swinging with a mighty blow and landing a right hook to the check of His enemy. The force of the blow is so strong that it crushes and shatters the teeth of the opposition. David prays not that this will happen - but knows that is has already happened. One of the pictures given to us in the Scriptures of the attacks of the devil is that of a lion crouching and awaiting the kill. We read in 1 Peter that Satan is prowling about like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. But we are not to fear - for the Lord has already gone before us and struck our enemy to where all his teeth have been shattered and crushed in his mouth. We face a toothless lion because of God's victory - and it is one that is already won. The teeth of that conflict is the Law and our sin. Because of our sin we are doomed to be consumed by the justice of God Himself as the Law points out our rebellion and wickedness. But take great hope saints - even as the wicked one accuses us (for he is the accuser of the brethren) and calls for us to be consumed - God has already won the victory. He won it through Jesus Christ - Who through all eternity has been the lamb slain from the foundation of the world. He was slain for our sin - and raised for our justification. He now stands as our victory in all things. This is why there IS HOPE for you in God. There is hope because of the gospel of Jesus Christ. You see, your enemy has already been rendered toothless because of God's powerful and eternal deliverance. David ends this particular Psalm stating this as he says, "Salvation belongs to the Lord; Your blessing be upon Your people! Selah." It is because of Christ that we are saved from all our failures and all the sins that we envision taking away our hope in God. It is because of Him that we can have confidence and peace - even as we fully understand what messed up people we are. It is grace and God's salvation that will allow us to stand. David says, Salvation belongs to the Lord! What an interesting way to put it. What he is saying is that there is no salvation apart from Him. It belongs to Him - and He grants it to whomever He chooses. AND - as if we can handle much else - His salvation also comes with His blessing. David also writes, "Your blessing be upon your people," as well. It is astounding to imagine it, but not only is our salvation provided by God, but it comes with His blessing as well. David closes with one last "Selah." Stop and think about that. Meditate on this blessing - this salvation, this Defender, this Hearer of prayer, this One Who saves to the uttermost. Stop and meditate on the victory of this Dread Champion who shatters the teeth of those stupid enough to oppose Him and His purposes in the gospel. Stop and think about His salvation. The enemy may whisper or even shout that there is no hope for you in God. Remember this thought when he does. He is a liar and the father of lies. The only place where there is ever a sure hope is in God, His gospel, His sure defense, and His blood-bought blessing.  David is once again running for his life. This time it is his son who is chasing him around the wilderness. As he climbs the far side of Jerusalem heading for the wilderness (and the climb is a long one), he hears whispers in his heart. There is no hope for you in God, David. Your failures have come home to roost. Yet, as we saw in part one of this study of Psalm 3, David took time to consider what was being whispered in his spirit. What a wise thing to do - to stop and meditate - think about - consider - what is being said.
Selah. David takes a moment and thinks seriously about what he has started this song saying. He is singing a type of the blues - at least a country song that commiserates with his audience about how bad it is for him. But he stops singing the words though for an instrumental portion in the song. Selah means to stop and consider what you've just heard. It was usually done with an instrumental moment in the music. Ever stop in the midst of your miserable self-monologues and think about what you've just said? It is something we should do - especially when our misery wants to lead us to helplessness and despair. "Wait a minute!" we should say to ourselves. Stop and think a moment about what you've just said. "But You, Jehovah, are a shield about me. My glory, and the One Who lift my head." What a radical change from, "no help for you in God" to God being his shield, glory, and head-lifter. Amazing what comes to us when we exercise our right to shut up and listen for a few moments. Astounding what we can learn when we stop and consider the words spoken to us - and even those which we are speaking to ourselves in a rough moment. Are we listening to God - or just focusing on our inner-Eyeore? David, much more than most, had reason to be depressed. He was facing, after all, exile because his son was leading a successful rebellion and overthrow of his kingdom. Yet, stopping and thinking in the presence of God is NEVER a bad idea. Why did I just use the phrase, "stopping and thinking in the presence of God?" It is because that is what is evident in David's words. He stopped and considered things from the stand point of God. He stopped and considered what was being said about God. Is God no longer his deliverer? Is there no hope of salvation for David? Once he stops and considers these words - he doesn't turn only to what God said - but more importantly - Who God is! That is the answer to His dilemma. Who is God right now? What a great question to ask.YOU - Jehovah! That is the answer to every problem we face and every issue that comes up in our lives. YOU - Jehovah! That is ultimately where we need to turn when the world, the flesh, the devil tell us that all hope is lost. Turning to ourselves in such moments is like turning to a defaulted bank for funds. The bank is bankrupt - and has nothing. We ourselves, in ourselves, are bankrupt as well. So - our first thought should be this . . . Who are You in all this, God? That is what will help us in this and every other situation that we face. David is reminded of Who God says that He is. You are a shield about me! You are my glory! You are the lifter of my head! You answer prayer! Let's take a quick look at these answers to David's problem. You, Jehovah are a shield about me. God is a shield and refuge to us. David thinks and remembers the way that God dealt with these situations in the past. Time and time again God surrounded David in times of difficulty and trial like a giant shield. David was protected against the enemy - against Saul when he was crazy - against Goliath - against every foe he had ever faced. This dawned upon him the same way that Elisha's servant was awakened to the protection of God evidenced to him when God opened his eyes to the mountains filled with angels of fire all around him. But then again, that is one of our fundamental problems isn't it. We cannot see Him - so we tend to wonder if He is there. This is not a problem usually for us until the physical problems in our lives get in our face - and we are blinded to the unseen because of the overwhelming presence and demand of the seen. Jehovah was and is a shield to His people and His anointed. But - there are times when though seeing, we are blind to His presence. Regardless of our circumstances though - He is with us - and He is here. You, Jehovah, are my glory! Though this may seem not a huge issue at first, it is the first issue David sees in refocusing on God - and it is a primary issue for him, and for us as well. Honestly, we probably have not thought about "glory" and how important it is to have the right glory in your life. Often we freak out in life because someone is messing with our "glory." Let me explain a little more what I mean by this. Our glory is what is of utmost importance in our lives. For many people that is themselves, their stuff, their position, their power, their happiness . . . in short - they glory in themselves. When someone messes with their glory it is serious. But consider for a moment David and this issue of "glory." As a young man he walked into a situation that involved glory. Goliath stood for 40 days and defied Israel to send out anyone to fight him. Everyone except David missed that glory was being addressed. Saul and his entire army were scared and depressed about this situation - but only saw it in reference to their own glory. This looked bad on them - their fighting ability - their standing and position - and honestly - their own selves - because to go out and fight this monster of a man surely meant death to whoever tried it! Stupid Goliath! He's messing with our glory! Then along came David. He heard the taunts, heard the challenge, heard the same insults and came away with a radically different view of things. How dare this uncircumcised Philistine say these things about God! Stupid Goliath! He's messing with God's glory! That is why he knew he could take Goliath. He KNEW he could take out this doofus who was messing with God's glory! He knew it because he was far more concerned with God's glory than his own. Out David waltzes on the battlefield - no armor - no sword - just a sling and five stones (one for Goliath and each of his ugly brothers too - if they dare to act against God's glory!) WOW - what an amazing faith this young man had! You, Jehovah, are my glory! That is what got David through all this. It is what will get you through your mess too! Your problems and distresses are ultimately NOT ABOUT YOU! God is working through everything He allows so that as you trust Him - look to Him - rely on Him - pray to Him - and fight by His power - you will be to the praise of His glory! Oh God! You are my glory - it is all about You! All this that I am facing - is so that men may see Your glory and what You can do! How did David radically change in these moments? He radically changed the center of this controversy from himself to God. Just a few thoughts. Who did God say that He would build an enduring kingdom through? Who had God said that He forgave when David repented of his sin of adultery, murder by proxy, and deceit? Who did God say that he would protect and keep through all his troubles? And ultimately - Whose glory was MOST affected by Absalom's rebellion, open immorality, and dishonoring of his father and his father's God? Yeah - it wasn't David's glory - it was God's glory. You, Jehovah, are the lifter of my head! The last of these three statements about God may be the most glorious. "Wait a minute," you may think. "What does 'head-lifting' have to do with being chased through the wilderness by another madman?" The answer to that question is found in the whispers that filled David's head - not by his situation in general. David heard that there was no hope for him in God. That meant that God was through with him - done - finished! He wanted nothing more to do with David. But David, in meditating on that thought, realized that this did not fit Who God had been in his life. You see, David was a mess (much like we all are as well). This was not his first rodeo, so to speak. He had failed multiple times before. His failures at times seemed to go above his head so that he feared drowning in the sea of his own transgressions and sin. As David considered his bleak past, he also considered just Who it was that he met at every turn. It was God - Who often was working even through David's sin. He met God at every failure - even though as he came upon the Lord his head was hanging low in shame and disgrace. But God was not there to cast him to the side, offering him judgment and condemnation void of any hope. God met him with grace and forgiveness - as if someone had paid the ultimate price for his sin. (Little did David know - Someone had paid it as the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.) This was not a God who banished him. This was The God who "lifted his head" out of disgrace into renewed favor and grace. The golden scepter of grace in Jesus Christ had been extended, removing the death sentence he deserved in the presence of the King Who would never welcome such a sinful man. This is Who Jehovah is - the One Who lifts my head - giving me grace - giving me mercy - offering compassion. No hope for you in God? Far from it saints - but only as you remember Who God is. The answer to your dilemma - indeed to ALL your dilemmas - is found in Who God is. This God, Who maybe even unknown to you allowed these circumstances to come into your life, is not Who you think Him to be. He has not cast you off - thrown you away - or left you behind because of your sins. If He reacted to you apart from mercy - He would have consumed you at the occasion of your first sin! Your God is your shield of protection - only allowing in your life what is needed for your sanctification to be accomplished. Your God is your glory - reminding you to lay down the ridiculous thought that it is or ever was about you and what you want. Your God lifts your head - rather than crushes it due to your sin. He has laid His hand of judgment on His Son at Calvary - and now by faith you receive grace upon grace. Even in the most dire of difficulties this is Who He is. So stop making yourself the center of this situation - your comfort the center of your pursuits - and your glory the purpose of your life. This will lead only to misery in the end. Stop! Consider what you are thinking! And realize the answer is this - Who is God? The sooner we come to this conclusion - the sooner that we can experience the transformation - the same transformation David experienced in Psalm 3.  There are times in life when we feel that the entire world is coming apart at the seams. There are times when those who were close to us may betray us and walk away - times when nothing seems stable. David experienced those times when his son led a rebellion against Him and even sought to hunt him down and kill him.
Absalom had declared himself king and the majority of Israel had been led astray to follow after him. He had fomented discontent in the hearts of the people making them think David was no longer accessible to them. David had to flee the palace and leave Jerusalem. It is interesting to note that songs come to us not just in the "good" moments of our lives, but also in times of distress. Country music and the blues do not have a corner on music written in times of trouble, difficulty, sadness, and even depression. David sang to the Lord - in good times and in bad. So what did David do when faced with very distressing times? That is what we learn in Psalm 3 as we listen to him sing this song in the midst of betrayal and dire trouble. David was facing a very real problem. Thus as he begins this troublesome song he begins by facing the problem. He did not seek to hide from it or deny that it existed. "O Lord how my adversaries have increased! Many are rising up against me! Many are saying of my soul, 'There is no deliverance for Him in God!'" The statement among these three that troubled David most was the third. No deliverance for me - not even from God? Could it be true? Could it be that this was a sign that God was finished with David? Could it be that the sins of David's past had come home to visit him for the last time? Was God saying through His providence in all this that He was casting David off - that he need not even call out to God - that the last of his deliverances was used up - and now all that remained was his pitiful demise? This is one of the most deadly things we face in times like David faced. God is through with you! There is no more deliverance for you from Him. Your sins have risen too high and this stroke of bad fortune is proof of it! There is nothing left for you - you are beyond His mercies or His grace! Oh what a pitiful and horrible place to think you have come to in life. That was the talk that surrounded David in these hours that seemed like days. The truly troubling thing to David in these moments was that he might have believed them. He had failed in the Bathsheba incident. He had blown it when he did not deal with the rape of his own relative, who happened to be Absalom's daughter. He failed to act with strength when Absalom took matters into his own hands and killed his brother, the crown prince, for his actions. Then David flip-flopped in his dealings with Absalom, banishing him - then having him return - then not seeing him - then receiving him after Joab interceded for him. It was quite a mess - and maybe that mess is what led God to allow this. Maybe there wasn't any grace or mercy left for David's failures. Those are hard moments for us too. Moments when all our failures are before us - and we begin to wonder if the whispers in our spirit are accurate. There is no deliverance for us in God. He is sick to death of us and all our multitudinous mistakes, blown moments, and failures. We know we would be sick - and indeed are sick of ourselves. Our number of Romans 7 moments mounting up even as we consider praying in our current mess. These are very dangerous moments for us. They can be moments of incredible despair - and moments when we give up hope - giving up the one thing we truly need, which is the ability to turn to God, crying out to Him for mercy and grace in our time of need. What should we do in moments like this? Where can we turn and how do we get to the point of turning? Moses was told by none other than God Himself what Jehovah's true character is. In Exodus 34 after one of Israel's greatest sins, the making and worshipping of the golden calf, God revealed Himself to Moses as He re-wrote the 10 commandments on new stone tablets. This is what God said to him. "Jehovah, Jehovah God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression, and sin . . . " What a glorious revelation of Himself God made. I must also state that in the rest of that verse God also promises to not leave the guilty unpunished. But remember this - He had not consumed Israel in His wrath and judgment. If ever there was a moment to let His wrath fly, that was it! Consume all of them in a moment! There would be no deliverance for them in God - they had sinned - they had blown it again and again through the wilderness! You have got to be kidding to even ask for mercy and grace! Yet - there it is - again - and again - and again . . . mercy . . . compassion . . . forgiveness of iniquity, transgression, sin. Moses turned to God in the worst of situations . . . and in the worst of situations God revealed Himself merciful and compassionate and forgiving. The day would come when the wrath and judgment for sin would fall. But not today. Not on David, even in this moment that reminded him of every failure and every blown opportunity. That judgment would fall . . . on a different One. God Himself - in the person of the Son - would pay the price - WOULD take the fall - the ultimate fall. But today . . . the failures of today . . . the problems, difficulties, horrors of sin's past . . . they would receive mercy - compassion - forgiveness. What a God - indeed - what an amazing God! Where are you - troubled saint of God? Has the rising tide of your past failures come to the point of attempting to drown you today? Have you struggled to keep your head above them, all the while hearing whispers in your spiritual ears that there is no deliverance for you in God this time? Oh, precious saint of God - know that even in this moment your wisest choice is to turn to God - crying out to Him in the midst of your troubles. The One Who showed that His lovingkindnesses indeed never cease is near to the broken-hearted. The One Who revealed that His marvelous compassions never fail will hear your call. Amidst the deafening whispers of the wicked one David still heard the still, small blowing of the Holy Spirit. It was that voice that reminded him that even in Israel's horrific moment of "golden calf" sinfulness and failure that God showed His glory to a broken-hearted Moses who cried out to Him. It was in that most horrible of spiritual devastations that God revealed Himself by His endless mercy and grace. Don't listen to the wicked whispers, most precious ones of God. Listen to the glorious roar of God's gentle breeze - to the precious blowing of the Holy Spirit as He speaks of the "praise of the glory of His grace" to you. It is the song that has comforted the spiritual failures of every generation since the fall of man. It is the song that continues to emanate from the very throne of God - through the blood-stained cross of Calvary. Listen, saints, listen! Can you hear it? |
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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