Let Me Not Wander

I will sing to the Lord, for He has been good to me. (NIV) Here David ends his Psalm as we should all end the thoughts and prayers that we have. He ends with recognition of truth. The reality, though it seemed so bad, though it seemed that God wasn't listening, is that God has been good to him. And this goodness deserves praise, so David will sing to the Lord. Take a step back and look at your reality. How has God been good to you? Maybe list some ways, and turn that to a prayer of praise.

But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. (NIV) So many times in scripture I love to find the "but..." Things are looking bad, life is getting tough, but God is always there, reminding us of His amazing grace in all things. When I first read this Psalm, I almost felt the uplift of these words. Notice though, the circumstances haven't changed. It is David who changes in this moment. It is David who is uplifted in Spirit. His trust in God leads to a heart that is rejoicing. Have you ever had a time that you were surrounded by life's trials? Maybe that time is right now. Turn your eyes toward God and trust in Him.

my enemy will say, "I have overcome him," and my foes will rejoice when I fall. (NIV) Sometimes that is the absolute worst point. It doesn't seem to get any lower than when those around you, who are not on God's side, seem to say, "see. That God stuff didn't get you anywhere." We always want to point it out to God. We want to say, "God I trusted in you, and you let Your name be dragged down!" Our enemies seem to have triumphed over us. The thought that I would tack onto this passage today is this: Why are you so distraught over the triumph of the enemy? Is it really because you are so concerned about God, or is it because of the cost it has had on you?

Look on me and answer, O LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death; (NIV) I believe that this is the verse of transition. He still wants God to see him, but he also wants to hear from God. It is turning from looking at that small bubble of personal circumstances, to looking outside the bubble. Notice the phrase, "give light to my eyes..." The question that I have for you today is this: When was the last time that you felt like you would die if you didn't hear from God?

How long must I wrestle with my thoughts        and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? (NIV) Sometimes I think that the answer to this question is till the day you die. At least that is what it feels like most of the time. David is really struggling here. He feels as if God has abandoned him and won't answer him. His enemies are victorious over him. He can't even get control over his thoughts. It is no wonder that he is in sorrow every day. Notice though, he is still turning toward God. Even when he feels that God is distant. The evidence that he is turning toward God is this Psalm. We are reading what he wrote. Whether he penned this when he was in the midst of these feelings or not, he is describing a situation, and the person he is speaking to is God. You can't read through the Psalms without noticing that David believes that God is the source of all hope.

How long, O Lord?       Will You forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? (NIV) Have you ever felt this way? Felt like God had forgotten you, that He was never going to pay any attention to the details of your life again? I know that I have. I think that nearly every Christian goes through different periods of life where they feel this way. Sometimes it is because of sin, but many times it has nothing to do with sin at all. If you read historical Christian biographies at all, you will know that you are not alone. If you read through the Psalms, you will know that there was at least one other man of God who has experienced this same thing... David. It seems that there are so many times that David goes through this exact thing. But he isn't afraid to say it. He cries it out, "O God! Where are you?!?" I have learned to be more open with God about how I am feeling because of David. He knows if we are feeling abandoned already. There ...