May 16: Psalm 3-4, 12-13, 28, 55

May 16, Psalm 3-4, 12-13, 28, 55

Psalm 3 This is what David was experiencing as he was fleeing from Absalom. This is a treasure for us, as David was revealing his true faith in God as his life was in turmoil. There are times in our lives when it seems as though our enemies are countless and the accusations are endless. But God is the one who protects, supports, hears, answers, gives peace, sustains us, and is merciful throughout. We, like David, are to call on God and plead for Him and continue to Glorify Him throughout our trial. It is God who saves.

Psalm 4 is a reminder that we are to have humble confidence in Yahweh. Where do you turn for answers? We are to turn to Yahweh, our God of Righteousness. Ask God to be gracious to you and answer your prayers. God, in his Sovereign leadership, sets apart His people for Himself. We also learn that is ok to be angry, but we are not to sin while we are angry. There is a difference. We are to think about things and put our trust in the Lord alone. God grants us the peace we need when we trust Him. 

Psalm 12 Where have all the godly people gone? David was asking that, as we do sometimes as well. There are times when it seems like those in authority and leadership offer only lip service and are full of deceit. They will be held accountable for that by God Himself. Whereas God’s words are pure and trustworthy. Don’t be swayed by the trends - stay true to God’s words and you will find truth. 

Psalm 13 Hopeless. Have you ever really felt hopeless and distraught about your situation? Where it feels as though God has forgotten you? Well, you are not alone - even David felt that. But what did he do? He trusted in the Lord to deliver Him and draw near to him. We need to dig deep and find reasons to rejoice in God regardless, even when we don't ‘feel’ like it. 

Psalm 28 The theme of todays readings are simple: Turn to God, especially when it’s tough. These are not just pretty words in our Bibles, but life changing words if applied. Call on God, he will hear your voice as you cry for mercy. When you are threatened, call on God! He is our strength and Savior. 

Psalm 55 This is about betrayal by a close friend. David could have handled it easier if it was an enemy that came against him, but this is about a close friend betraying him. His heart was in anguish and he was scrambling to find solid ground. This friend was obviously close, which hurts all the more. But what does David do? He turns and calls to God to be saved, in continual prayer. God will humble them and deal with them because they truly don’t fear God. Cast your burdens to God, and let it go. I know, easier said than done… but it is what we are to do to experience God’s peace. God will bring them down and we are to trust God for that.

To sum it all up:

• Where do you turn for answers? Horoscopes? Dr Phil? Chat rooms? Pop Culture? Friends?We are to turn to Yahweh, our God of Righteousness for our answers.
• The real question: Do you trust God at your core? If you do, you will know it. If you do not, ask God to remove all doubt and trust that He will help you surrender everything to Him.
• I have been betrayed by close friends and it is absolutely horrible. It takes you by surprise and is often overwhelming. That being said, we still need to trust that God will deal with them - vengeance is not ours.