The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 55:4-8,
"My [David's] heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death have fallen on me. Fear and trembling have beset me; horror has overwhelmed me. I said, 'Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. I would flee far away and stay in the desert; I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm.'"
David was a man of great faith. Paul observes God's comment of David, "I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do ." Acts 13:22b. To be held in God's esteem in such a way would be rare company to be found in.
And, yet, look at the issues David struggled with in this psalm:
His thoughts troubled him, verse 2.
He was distraught, verse 2.
David suffered, verse 3.
He was in anguish, verse 4.
He felt terror and fear, verses 4-5.
He trembled, verse 5.
He was overwhelmed by horror, verse 5.
David just wanted to "get out of Dodge", to take off, to run away, verses 6-8.
David felt distressed, verse 17.
Look at what David experienced, what he felt even though he claimed his faith in God at the end of this psalm, "But as for me, I trust in you." Verse 23.
In Hebrews 11:32 we find David listed among the "heroes of faith" along with Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, Samuel and the prophets. We are told the world was not worthy of them, Hebrews 11:38 and that they were all commended for their faith, Hebrews 11:39.
If David struggled with those things we find in Psalm 55 as one of God's "heroes of faith", then it appears to me that when we struggle it may not be due at all to a lack of faith. It might even be the norm for people of faith to struggle at times! I know I do.
The occasion for Psalm 55 and the feelings David struggled with were due to an enemy he had and the "threats of the wicked", verse 3. He cried out to the Lord and laid bare his thoughts and feelings listed above. David found his solace in the Lord, "Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken. But you, God, will bring down the wicked into the pit of decay; the bloodthirsty and deceitful will not live out half their days." Verses 22-23. Perhaps arriving at such a conclusion in our own lives is the purpose God has for allowing us to struggle at times just as David did.
A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know..
"My [David's] heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death have fallen on me. Fear and trembling have beset me; horror has overwhelmed me. I said, 'Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. I would flee far away and stay in the desert; I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm.'"
David was a man of great faith. Paul observes God's comment of David, "I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do ." Acts 13:22b. To be held in God's esteem in such a way would be rare company to be found in.
And, yet, look at the issues David struggled with in this psalm:
His thoughts troubled him, verse 2.
He was distraught, verse 2.
David suffered, verse 3.
He was in anguish, verse 4.
He felt terror and fear, verses 4-5.
He trembled, verse 5.
He was overwhelmed by horror, verse 5.
David just wanted to "get out of Dodge", to take off, to run away, verses 6-8.
David felt distressed, verse 17.
Look at what David experienced, what he felt even though he claimed his faith in God at the end of this psalm, "But as for me, I trust in you." Verse 23.
In Hebrews 11:32 we find David listed among the "heroes of faith" along with Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, Samuel and the prophets. We are told the world was not worthy of them, Hebrews 11:38 and that they were all commended for their faith, Hebrews 11:39.
If David struggled with those things we find in Psalm 55 as one of God's "heroes of faith", then it appears to me that when we struggle it may not be due at all to a lack of faith. It might even be the norm for people of faith to struggle at times! I know I do.
The occasion for Psalm 55 and the feelings David struggled with were due to an enemy he had and the "threats of the wicked", verse 3. He cried out to the Lord and laid bare his thoughts and feelings listed above. David found his solace in the Lord, "Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken. But you, God, will bring down the wicked into the pit of decay; the bloodthirsty and deceitful will not live out half their days." Verses 22-23. Perhaps arriving at such a conclusion in our own lives is the purpose God has for allowing us to struggle at times just as David did.
A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know..
No comments:
Post a Comment