David's solution to his dilemma

January 1, 2017

Worship:

You spoke and made the sunrise, to light up the very first day

You breathed across the water, and started the very first wave

It was You

You introduced Your glory, to every living creature on earth

And they started singing, the first song to ever be heard

They sang for You

You make all things new

You make all things new

Then the world was broken, fallen and battered and scarred

You took the hopeless, the life, wasted, ruined and marred

And made it new

You make all things new

You make all things new

You redeem and You transform

You renew and You restore

You make all things new

You make all things new

And forever we will watch and worship You

You turn winter into spring

You take every living thing

And You breathe Your breath of life into it over and over again

You make the sunrise, day after day after day

But there's a morning coming, when old things will all pass away

And everyone will see

You make all things new

You make all things new

Come redeem and come transform

Come renew and come restore

You make all things new

You make all things new

And forever we will watch and worship You

Now and forever You are making all things new

You're making all things new

Hallelujah

Written by Steven Curtis Chapman • Copyright © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc, Capitol Christian Music Group

Lyrics:https://play.google.com/music/preview/Tle3gi7jeozrpbyg7jsvxi6xkre?lyrics=1&utm_source=google&utm_medium=search&utm_campaign=lyrics&pcampaignid=kp-lyrics

Video: https://youtu.be/oKx_hx5itIM?list=RDoKx_hx5itIM

Witness:

It’s 11:36 PM right now. Almost 24 hours ago, the clock struck 12 midnight, the ball dropped, and a new year was ushered in. Millions celebrated. This was repeated over a 24 hour period as each new time zone crossed over the timeline. Resolutions were made, and some are already broken. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” so it has been said. People who suffered trials in 2016 look forward in hope to better days in 2017. And those who declare it was a great year hope that 2017 will only be better than the last. In all actuality, we never know what will come. “The future is not ours to see,” says the song. So, many turn a fatalistic eye towards the future – “Que será, será, what will be will be” is their mantra. Now there is some truth in the saying but devoid of the Divine hand that controls it we slip into a frantic fear of the future or an Invictus attitude of self-control. The former will tend to pull in, to hide, to bury the gifts and talents they have. They may know they are God-given, but the fear of uncertainty and the fear of failure keeps them from accomplishing anything (cf. Matthew 25:14-40). The other neither fears the future nor trusts in a sovereign God who is in control of everything. This is the belief of the Atheist. This is a belief prevalent in the Church today as well. God doesn’t know the future, and we must live our lives in such a way that God’s desired goal can be accomplished. The future is wide open, and hopefully, God’s plans will be achieved, but it all depends on us in the end. Their god is not the God of the Bible.

So, without a negative view of the future nor a positive view devoid of God or a diminished God, I enter this new year.

I am committed to focusing on what God desires me to focus on:

            -  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be                  given to you as well Matt 6:33 NIV

This is a daily exercise:

            Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.             Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matt 6:34 NIV

For one purpose:

            So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

            1 Cor 10:31 NIV

With one attitude:

            Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding

            Prov 3:5 NIV

To one end:

I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. Phil 3:10-14Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved. 

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/5c/de/c0/5cdec03aaaa6ac2b87986edceb71b350.jpg

WORD: 

Ps 25:16-21 16 Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. 17 The troubles of my heart have multiplied; free me from my anguish. 18 Look upon my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins. 19 See how my enemies have increased and how fiercely they hate me! 20 Guard my life and rescue me; let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. 21 May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you. NIV

Ps 25:16-21 16 Turn to me and have mercy, for I am alone and in deep distress. 17 My problems go from bad to worse. Oh, save me from them all! 18 Feel my pain and see my trouble. Forgive all my sins. 19 See how many enemies I have and how viciously they hate me! 20 Protect me! Rescue my life from them! Do not let me be disgraced, for in you I take refuge. 21 May integrity and honesty protect me, for I put my hope in you. Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved..

Ps 25:16-21 16 Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me; for I am desolate and afflicted. 17 The troubles of my heart are enlarged: O bring thou me out of my distresses. 18 Look upon mine affliction and my pain; and forgive all my sins. 19 Consider mine enemies; for they are many; and they hate me with cruel hatred. 20 O keep my soul, and deliver me: let me not be ashamed; for I put my trust in thee. 21 Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait on thee. KJV

Ps 25:16-21 16  Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. 17 The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me out of my distresses. 18  Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins. 19 Consider how many are my foes, and with what violent hatred they hate me. 20 Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me!  Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. 21 May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you. ESV

Corresponding to the sense of a lack of God’s presence is the feeling of being alone. But it goes further than this. As the internal strife arises in my life, I can start to feel alone in my own little world. I may have friends, family, and coworkers I see on a daily basis. I may attend a worship service or a LifeGroup each week. However, these only serve to heighten my sense of loneliness, especially when friend or family have left or when the service or fellowship comes to an end and I am by myself again. The stillness and quietness which others may yearn for become a source of anxiety rather than an asylum.

Out of this sense of lack and loneliness, our inner turmoil may increase. When we meditate on our misery the tension within is exacerbated. The Psalmist says, “The troubles of my heart have multiplied” (v. 17 NIV) The temptation is to escape through a bottle or a drug or sexual immorality. Some will turn legitimate things into excesses. Work will turn into workaholism, Leisure time into laziness and neglect, and some wanting to get out among people may turn from shopper to shopaholic. Some will want to toon out and just sleep. After all, when you sleep the pain and misery go away as you slip into unconsciousness.  All these things are just futile efforts to medicate ourselves and escape the pain and anxiety that accompany lack and loneliness.

David resorts to none of these solutions to his dilemma. He does not turn to potion or program but to prayer. He begins his prayer with a general plea, “O bring thou me out of my distresses”

(v 17b KJV). However, he does not keep it general but digs down to the root causes of his pain and affliction. As touched on before (see Dec. 27, 2016 WORD entry), one comes from within and one from without. He starts with himself and cries out for forgiveness for his sins. How often do we look for the cause of our problems first in some other person, place or thing? The problem, more often than not, is homegrown and David recognizes this as a significant source and the primary reason for his pain and affliction.

But David’s problems externally are real and not imagined. He feared for his life.

See how my enemies have increased

and how fiercely they hate me! (v. 19 NIV)

So, he prayed for protection and deliverance from his enemies.

Guard my life and rescue me;

let me not be put to shame,

for I take refuge in you. (v. 20 NIV)

And here we come full circle in this Psalm. Compare these verses with the beginning of this Psalm.

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul;

in you I trust, O my God.

Do not let me be put to shame,

nor let my enemies triumph over me.

No one whose hope is in you

will ever be put to shame,

but they will be put to shame

who are treacherous without excuse.

Ps 25:1-3 NIV

Commenting on these verses, I said,

When I pray, I often cry out and pray for something I know God has promised to do or not to do. It is a human thing to do, but in the back of my mind is always the trust I have in God that He will act according to His nature and promises. That is what David does, by grounding his petition in verse 2 with his reliance on the promise in verse 3. Essentially, we are asking God to keep our hope alive and that we will not be disappointed nor lose our hope, which is an unbearable thought to us. We also are expressing our concern that God’s name may not be put to derision. (from March 15, 2016)

I will stop here and pick up with verse 21 later today, Lord willing. It is an astounding verse because it does not ask for the usual things one asks when facing an enemy.