Monday we meditated
and mused on verse 6, the last verse in Psalm 13. Today, we’re going to look at
the entire Psalm written by David. It came from a dark time in his life.
and mused on verse 6, the last verse in Psalm 13. Today, we’re going to look at
the entire Psalm written by David. It came from a dark time in his life.
I think in the dark
times, we write some of the most brilliant lyrics and compose the most
thrilling melodies.
times, we write some of the most brilliant lyrics and compose the most
thrilling melodies.
Here is the Psalm in
the NKJV:
the NKJV:
“How
long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?
long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?
How long
will You hide Your face from me?
will You hide Your face from me?
How long shall I take counsel in my soul,
Having sorrow in my heart daily?
How long
will my enemy be exalted over me?
will my enemy be exalted over me?
Consider and hear me, O Lord my God;
Enlighten
my eyes,
my eyes,
Lest I
sleep the sleep of death;
sleep the sleep of death;
Lest my enemy say,
“I have
prevailed against him”;
prevailed against him”;
Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I
am moved.
am moved.
But I have trusted in Your mercy;
My heart
shall rejoice in Your salvation.
shall rejoice in Your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord,
Because
He has dealt bountifully with me.”
He has dealt bountifully with me.”
Someone
very dear to me said almost verbatim the words expressed in verse 1: “I
ask God to show me He’s real. But I get nothing. It’s like He’s hiding…or maybe
He doesn’t care at all.”
very dear to me said almost verbatim the words expressed in verse 1: “I
ask God to show me He’s real. But I get nothing. It’s like He’s hiding…or maybe
He doesn’t care at all.”
Have you ever felt that way? Wondering where God is, as if He’s
hiding from you, as if you’ve been forgotten.
hiding from you, as if you’ve been forgotten.
David
says, “How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart
daily?”
says, “How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart
daily?”
I know
from personal experience that when my heart is failing, giving myself solid
counsel–trying to find something based on scripture is difficult.
from personal experience that when my heart is failing, giving myself solid
counsel–trying to find something based on scripture is difficult.
Emotions
become a tangled mess. Much like my loved one, who knows deep down that God is
near. He never leaves nor forsakes us. Nothing separates us from His love. His
thoughts toward us are so many–more than the sands of the sea. All good.
become a tangled mess. Much like my loved one, who knows deep down that God is
near. He never leaves nor forsakes us. Nothing separates us from His love. His
thoughts toward us are so many–more than the sands of the sea. All good.
But when our hearts fail, when our soul feels alone and
drowning, our thoughts stray. What we believe can become clouded if we
let it.
drowning, our thoughts stray. What we believe can become clouded if we
let it.
The
enemy dogs us, like David’s enemy. Surrounding us. Taunting us. Vicious.
Merciless. He uses anything and everything to tear us apart. Health,
relationships, loved ones, finances…you name it.
enemy dogs us, like David’s enemy. Surrounding us. Taunting us. Vicious.
Merciless. He uses anything and everything to tear us apart. Health,
relationships, loved ones, finances…you name it.
David
cries out and is in essence saying, How long? I don’t know how much more I can
take of this. Please hear me. Answer me. I need a word from you…I’m going to
die if I don’t. How much more can I handle? My heart says none.
cries out and is in essence saying, How long? I don’t know how much more I can
take of this. Please hear me. Answer me. I need a word from you…I’m going to
die if I don’t. How much more can I handle? My heart says none.
But we can’t give up.
David
knew this. He needed to hear from God. The silence was enough to drive him to
his grave. He didn’t want his enemies to get the victory, but he was wearing
thin.
knew this. He needed to hear from God. The silence was enough to drive him to
his grave. He didn’t want his enemies to get the victory, but he was wearing
thin.
And then
we make it to the last verse. David remembers times past.
we make it to the last verse. David remembers times past.
He has
trusted in God’s love, his mercy. He has been saved before, rescued, loved,
taken care of, blessed. And he knows that God, even though He seems hidden and
quiet, even though his enemy is all around, even though his emotions are messed
up and his soul tortured…
trusted in God’s love, his mercy. He has been saved before, rescued, loved,
taken care of, blessed. And he knows that God, even though He seems hidden and
quiet, even though his enemy is all around, even though his emotions are messed
up and his soul tortured…
God will
come through.
come through.
God will
rescue.
rescue.
God will
protect.
protect.
God will
never leave.
never leave.
God will
never give up.
never give up.
God is….
NEAR.
And that
is reason to sing.
is reason to sing.
Even in
the dark times.
the dark times.
Especially
in the dark times.
in the dark times.
What
will you sing today? Favorite hymn/chorus?
will you sing today? Favorite hymn/chorus?
I
will be singing this today:
will be singing this today:
Great song choice! It is so hard for me to remember He's near when He's so silent. That's when my faith truly gets tested b/c I'm believing without any sight OR feeling…just the utter belief that He's there. It becomes almost a desperate faith, and often I do find myself crying out to him in song or praise, just to remind us both that He's there:) One of my favorites right now is Great I am by PCD.
My husband always says and teaches, when your emotions are a mess, when your faith is shaky, you always have the facts. The facts are right there in the Word and they will carry you through those times. 🙂 I love that. And so true.
Great post, Jessica! My favorite hymn is It is Well (with my soul). It just speaks of life and trust in God. No matter what happens in life…it is well with me soul. Forever and always.
That is one of my favorite hymns too. I love it sung by Kutless. Have you heard that one? So great.
I love "Never Let Go" by DCB! Usually when I'm feeling down, I'll turn on Pandora, go to my worship music channel, and just soak it in. One of the songs that really ministers to me is "Your Love Never Fails"–that may not be the title. 🙂
I do know that song. By Jesus Culture and it is the title! That's an amazing CD! If you love them, you'll love Kim Walker-Smith's newest album.
Still singing "It Is Well" days after I heard it.
Beautiful message today, Jessica!
I've found when I just bust out in a hymn, it's always It is Well. I especially love the story behind the hymn.
Beautiful post, friend. So good to remember He is faithful, even when we don't FEEL it.
I'm with others: "It Is Well" is such a great hymn, as is "Great is Thy Faithfulness" and "What a Friend We Have in Jesus."
What soul-refreshing words today, Jess! In that time God was testing David, He was silent because that's what teachers do during tests. The same with us. God is always near! My song today is "Everything" by Hillsong. LOVE!
"I am not forgotten, I am not forgotten, I am not forgotten, God knows my name!"
It's been cycling through my head all morning. Beautiful reminder today, Jess!
This is beautiful. Just what I needed to hear during a tough week. I visited my grandfather in the ICU yesterday. He was still on a lot of morphine and not making much sense, but he kept saying, "I release everything to the Lord. I release everything to the Lord." So that's my song today. "I release everything to the Lord."
Jessica, SO much truth and encouragement in this. Simply magnifying Him and who He is, WHERE he is (near!)… brings me to a place of worship. Thank you! It makes me think of one of my favorite song lines– from the bridge of this song at about the 2:26 mark…. "teach my song to rise to you, when temptation comes my way." I love that thought. That He can remind us, teach us, to direct our songs– the very songs He gave us– to Him. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-043_AMUcA
Wonderfully encouraging post today, Jess — so honest.
And yes, there are times when it seems like God has abandoned us, or at the very least, turned his back on us.
We know it's not true, but it sure feels that way.
When I can't sing or pray or talk my way out of my doubt … that's when I turn on praise and worship music. I have CDs that are loaded with my favorites. One is Revelation Song by Kari Jobe. A new one is Worn by Tenth Avenue North — and Susan Crawford introduced me to this song via her blog on Monday.
How Firm a Foundation is one of my favorites. "Fear not I am with you, O be not dismayed!"
Great post!! I listened to Everlasting God on my run today. It always fills me with JOY!!
Praise God He is faithful even we are not. 🙂
I'm lucky – I never had a 'personal relationship' with God, and therefore don't have a profound feeling of loss when that's absent. But I do know that He exists.
In those moments of absence I can fall back on logic – that there is enough prima facie evidence of His existence and love that I can rest assured that the problem is in my own perception, not in His 'performance'.
As for a song – "This Is War" by Thirty Seconds to Mars. The chorus is bracing:
"From the right, to the left,
we will fight to the death,
to the ends of the earth,
it's a brave new world
from the last to the first…"