Written by: Prince Laryea - 29th Chapter
Psalm 30 v 6-7
When I felt safe, I said, "I will never fear."
LORD, in your kindness you made my mountain safe.
But when you turned away, I was frightened.
Notes
In today's reading we see the words of a man who knew what it meant to have
plenty. In the super-modern western world, there is a big emphasis on what
one has, the school or college that you attend, the label on your clothes,
the car you drive, the size and location of your home, and of course the
amount of money you earn. These are the things that the world uses to classify
us, the mouldings around which the world would have us form our identity
and establish our value and self-worth. Once we have succumbed to this trap,
we will inevitably put our trust in these things and find ourselves battling
to keep up appearances in a bid to maintain our "self-worth".
King David, in verse 7, recognises that it is God's favour that brought him wealth and security, yet it is the disposition of our human nature to take our eyes off the Creator and look to the created. In Deuteronomy 8 v 18, God tells us that it is He who gives us the ability to make wealth; in Psalm 50 v 10, God tells us that the cattle on a thousand hills and everything on the earth belong to Him. God wants us to be able to acquire wealth and to have the benefit of everything that He has put on the earth, but never to the extent that it causes us to take our eyes or hope off Him.
What things in your life have caused you to take your gaze off God? Finance, friendships, possessions, lifestyle? As King David found at great expense, taking your eyes off the Lord is a dangerous thing.
Prayer point
Commit yourself today to stripping down those things that remove your gaze
from Jesus, and turn your full attention back to Him. He is waiting to meet
with you!
Psalm 30 v 8-10
I called to you, LORD, and asked you to have mercy on me.
I said, "What good will it do if I die or if I go down to the grave?
Dust cannot praise you; it cannot speak about your truth.
LORD, hear me and have mercy on me.
LORD, help me."
Notes
Last year I got married. The experience has been an incredible and awe-inspiring
one, as my wife and I have left the homes and covering of our parents to
build a new life together with Jesus at the centre. As we have developed
our new culture together, we have each adopted various roles - one of my
least favourite of these is my new role as Chief Spider Catcher. On many
occasions my heart has skipped a beat as I have sped to my wife's aid, beckoned
by her panic-stricken shrieks for help, only to find that she has been cornered
or worse still evicted from a room by a tiny passing house spider. After
a number of such occasions you would think I would have learnt my lesson
not to exert too much effort rushing to her aid, but the fact of the matter
is that I love to be her "knight in shining armour". I love to
be the one who battles the big bad spider and carries her to safety. This
is the same way God feels when He hears the cry of His children for help!
The three-word prayer that King David utters in today's passage is a prayer that God has heard an infinite number of times throughout the millennia, yet His response today to those who love Him and call upon Him earnestly remains the same as it always has been: "Whoever loves me, I will save. I will protect those who know me" (Psalm 91 v 14).
Prayer point
We have a loving God who is for ever ready to help. Call on Him today and let
Him meet you at your point of need!
Psalm 30 v 11-12
You changed my sorrow into dancing.
You took away my clothes of sadness, and clothed me in happiness.
I will sing to you and not be silent.
LORD, my God, I will praise you for ever.
Notes
Nothing brings more joy into a tough situation than the knowledge that God
is on your side. Now, we are not just talking about any god, we are talking
about the God of heaven and earth, the Creator of all that is seen and unseen,
the Ancient of Days, the Creator of all knowledge, wisdom and understanding.
When we get this picture of God in our mind's eye and align it with our problem
or situation, it should bring us to one simple conclusion: the odds against
us don’t count!
Deuteronomy 31 v 7-8 says: "Be strong and brave…The LORD himself will go before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forget you. Don’t be afraid and don’t worry."
Sometimes when faced with difficult situations and circumstances, we forget the things that God has done in our lives in the past. Abandoning all logical reason, we allow fear to creep in and undermine the potential of the power of God in our lives. It is at times like this when God calls us to remember who He is and to call to mind what He has done in the past. A recent Bible study that I was reading encouraged me to take a moment to recall the miracles and blessings that God had brought to my life; an hour later I was still going through the list.
Prayer exercise
Maybe you could start a journal of the blessings and answered prayers in your
life. In difficult times it will help you raise your faith so that you can
put on your dancing shoes and give the glory to God!
Psalm 31 v 1-5
LORD, I trust in you; let me never be disgraced.
Save me because you do what is right.
Listen to me and save me quickly.
Be my rock of protection, a strong city to save me.
You are my rock and my protection.
For the good of your name, lead me and guide me.
Set me free from the trap they set for me, because you are my protection.
I give you my life.
Save me, LORD, God of truth.
Notes
Have you ever been to a castle? Living in the UK, we have the luxury of many
castles to visit - historical monuments that bear witness to the grandeur
of the kings of old. Some castles stand strong, and by looking you can instantly
make out all the features and get a clear idea of what they would have looked
like in their day. Some castles, however, stand desolated and require you
to stretch your imagination to rebuild the walls and illustrate in your mind
the glory that maybe once stood.
In King David's day, a castle or the wall around a city was essential to the city's protection. When planning to go to war, a major consideration for kings would be the strength of the walls of their enemy's city. They would look for weaknesses, unmanned areas, any openings for waste or areas such as gates or doors that that would be easier to breach.
The walls of the City of David, when originally built by King Hezekiah at the end of the 8th century BC, were seven metres wide. They were constructed of large boulders. When under siege, a nation often knew that so long as the walls held, all inside would be safe.
King David, a valiant and noble king and a man who understood war, knew that the Lord His God was such a wall, an impregnable fortress in which all who abided would find refuge and need not fear any attack. In his distress, David called upon the Lord to be his fortress, a rock of protection.
Prayer point
If you are under siege by the trials and hardships of life, maybe it's time
that you called upon the Lord also!
Psalm 31 v 6-8
I hate those who worship false gods.
I trust only in the LORD.
I will be glad and rejoice in your love, because you saw my suffering; you
knew my troubles.
You have not handed me over to my enemies but have set me in a safe place.
Notes
In today's scripture, King David shows his contempt for those who trust in
false gods and idols, and he boldly proclaims that he trusts only in the
Lord. Today I want to bring you a challenge that is simple but so crucial
to your everyday walk with Christ: who do you trust? Have you truly put your
faith in Christ and in Him alone? When you face a difficult situation, who
is your first point of call? Do you call on the Lord or call on your friends?
In today's society it is difficult to know who or what to put your trust in. We live in a world that is full of political and social unrest, a world of crooked governments, in which the law, truth and justice do not always seem to walk hand in hand; a world in which the stock markets are ever-changing and where, as we have seen, disaster can strike at any moment. Yet in the midst of all this, God is calling us, His people, to put our trust in Him and Him alone.
In Exodus 20 v 4-5, God says: "You must not make for yourselves an idol that looks like anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the water below the land. You must not worship or serve any idol, because I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God."
Anything that we trust or give a higher station than God is an idol. Our God cannot abide idols; idols in our lives incite God's fury and hinder His blessing and His hand in our lives. Our God is a jealous God and will not share us with any other. So put aside every idol and trust in the Lord and Him alone!
Prayer
Dear God, will You show me if I have any idols in my life. Please forgive me
if I do, and help me to turn to You rather than my idols. Amen
Psalm 31 v 9-13
LORD, have mercy, because I am in misery.
My eyes are weak from so much crying, and my whole being is tired from grief.
My life is ending in sadness, and my years are spent in crying.
My troubles are using up my strength, and my bones are getting weaker.
Because of all my troubles, my enemies hate me, and even my neighbours look
down on me.
When my friends see me, they are afraid and run.
I am like a piece of a broken pot.
I am forgotten as if I were dead.
I have heard many insults.
Terror is all around me.
They make plans against me and want to kill me.
Notes
Sometimes life seems to deal us blows that we can't manage, unexpected occurrences
that leave us breathless and anxious - the loss of a loved one, the loss
of a job or unexpected arguments with close and trusted friends or family.
Maybe we become subject to some form of mental, physical or emotional abuse.
Any one of these things can leave us feeling broken, questioning what the
next steps are, and if and how we can go on.
When we face situations like these, we need, like David, to learn to cry to God, not in a complaining or moaning way, but in a heartfelt communication, recognising that we are talking to our heavenly Father who loves us and cares about our lives.
God says in Jeremiah 29 v 11-12: "'I say this because I know what I am planning for you,' says the Lord. 'I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future. Then you will call my name. You will come to me and pray to me, and I will listen to you.'"
And also in Psalm 91 v 14-16: "The Lord says, 'Whoever loves me, I will save. I will protect those who know me. They will call to me, and I will answer them. I will be with them in trouble; I will rescue them and honour them. I will give them a long, full life, and they will see how I can save.'"
Prayer exercise
Let God know how you feel today; let Him know where it hurts and what your
fears and concerns are. As you do this you will find that the comforting
touch of His hand through His Holy Spirit will not be far off. Your heavenly
Father is waiting for you to turn to Him, and His arms are open wide waiting
to hold and comfort you. So do not be afraid; lift your voice and cry to
Him today.
Psalm 31 v 14-18
LORD, I trust you.
I have said, "You are my God."
My life is in your hands.
Save me from my enemies and from those who are chasing me.
Show your kindness to me, your servant.
Save me because of your love.
LORD, I called to you, so do not let me be disgraced.
Let the wicked be disgraced and lie silent in the grave.
With pride and hatred they speak against those who do right.
So silence their lying lips.
Notes
As a believer, there is no doubt that you will face difficulties, hardships
and trials in life. From time to time conflicts will arise in the workplace,
at school or in college, in the household, sometimes from expected parties,
and sometimes from unexpected corners. It may even seem sometimes that the
people closest to us are the ones that hurt us most. When under pressure
or facing prolonged periods of difficulty and conflict it is not unusual
to begin to question where God is in our struggles and difficulties.
The promise of Christ to us as believers is not a bed of roses; in stark contrast, Christ warned His disciples in John 15 v 20: "Remember what I told you: a servant is not greater than his master. If people did wrong to me, they will do wrong to you, too."
However, like King David in today's reading, we can be assured that as we call out to God and put our trust firmly in Him, we have nothing to fear; we are indeed in good hands.
God through His Word is constantly reminding us that we are His children (see Romans 8 v 14-17), affirming us in His love and telling us that we are precious and the apple of His eye (see Zechariah 2 v 8). Our heavenly Father is ultimately calling us to look beyond the troubles and conflicts that we face in this world, to see that He is altogether sufficient, a safe refuge and a strong tower. He is a God who in every situation is able to meet our needs and deliver us out of any trouble, even after the point of death. His deliverance may not always come as we expect; however, His timing is always perfect and for our best interests.
Prayer exercise
Take a moment today to think on God's greatness; think on the ultimate love
that He displayed for you through the death of His Son Jesus on the cross.
Remember that you are precious to God. As you do this, take a breath, remind
yourself and declare to God your recognition of His love and power. Give
over to Him, through prayer, every worry, fear and anxiety. Now relax and
know that you are in good hands!
word-on-the-web uses the Scripture text taken from the Youth Bible, New Century Version (Anglicised Edition) copyright 1993 by Word Publishing Milton Keynes