2/20/24 Lent Psalm 57
Poor old King David. His middle name could be Whiplash. He is as up and down as anybody I know. All you have to do is read the Psalms to see that. One minute he is despairing he ever lived. “Nobody likes me. Everybody hates me. I think I’ll go eat worms.” And the very next verse he is on top of the world. God has him in His back pocket. “I am the greatest.” Today’s psalm is no exception.
“Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me, for in You I take refuge.” That sounds okay until you remember David is writing from a cave where he is hiding, running for his life from Saul. “I will take refuge in the shadow of Your wings UNTIL THIS DISASTER PASSES.” Now we start to see he is shivering and shaking and down in the dumps. And then it starts getting bad.
“…midst of lions, …ravenous beasts, …men with sharp teeth and tongues”
I don’t know if I’m reading the Bible or a Spiderman comic book.
Okay, enough picking on David. We’ve all been there. Our doubts turn into real fears. Our fears turn into phobias. Our phobias turn into obsessions. And the next thing you know, all we can think about is that the doctor’s report will be catastrophic, or our social security will run out before we hit 70. We have allowed the struggles of life to become horrific creatures with lives of their own, intentionally seeking to destroy us. I have become the little kid, afraid to go to bed because of the monsters in the closet.
Listen, bad stuff is going to happen to you. There, aren’t you glad you tuned in today? It will. That’s just the way of life. We are up and down. We are on top of the world and then the transmission goes out of the car, and somebody kicks the slats out from under us. Because we are not in Heaven yet, the world is flawed, and negative things still come our way. But they are not monsters. They are not personally trying to destroy us. Sickness, financial reversal, and hurt feelings happen to everyone.
Here are two crucial things to remember:
- Life changes. Good times or bad times will pass, and, in a while, things will be different.
- God doesn’t change. He is still large and in charge. He loves you more than you can imagine. And He has a wonderful plan for you. (Can you say Jeremiah 29:11?)
So do what David did, LIFT GOD UP. “Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let Your glory be over the earth.” The lower that life tries to take me, the higher I am going to lift God up. I will make up my mind to have praise come out of my mouth. I will rehearse all the good stuff He has done. I will declare His goodness to everybody I see. And before I know it, the monsters are gone. I’m out of the cave. And on to the next great adventure. Go, David! Go, you. You will be king one day. 😊