June 1 - Psalms 55-58
Isn't it terrible how badly people can hurt each other? Sometimes, it is intentional and sometimes, it is not, but the hurt is still very real. In these four psalms David is distraught over the fact that many people have risen against him. Some are his friends, and some are his enemies. He is hurting, and he is crying out to God for relief. I know that all of us can relate to what David is saying, because life is a series of relationships. Our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ is the most important relationship. Then, we form many other relationships with other people. These relationships bring us joy and pain. One of the most important lessons in life is how to keep these relationships in the proper perspective.
In Psalm 55 David expresses his desire to just fly away and leave all of these problems behind. This temptation to escape is very real sometimes, but is it really feasible? No, it is not feasible for a human being to go off and live completely alone with no human relationships. Therefore, if you escape from the present troubles, you will just trade them in for new troubles wherever you go. David realizes this, so he turns to the Lord to sustain him. (v.22) That is the answer. God is our sustainer. We can always come to Him and cast our burdens on Him. He will give us the strength and wisdom to know how to live in our relationships.
In Psalm 56 David simply asks, "What can flesh do to me?" This questions shows that he had come to realize that people will always let us down and be a source of hurt as well as happiness, but our relationship with the Lord is the one that will overcome all of those troubles. Therefore, nothing that is done by a man can destroy our relationship with Christ and its benefits. This is one of the most important lessons of life. As long as we get our self esteem from human relationships, our lives will be a roller coaster of highs and lows. Once we focus on the Lord and get our self esteem from Him, we can have a stable life, based on the Rock.
David continues this theme in Psalms 57 and 58. His conclusion is that God will hide him under His wings until the troubles have passed, and that God will punish those who set out to hurt him. This is a comfort to David, and it should be for us. We will never live without trouble. However, as believers we know the one who can overcome every trouble and give us joy. This should cause us to stay close to the Lord and to depend on Him as our closest friend. It should also cause us to desire to be the kind of person who would not hurt other people by being unloving or unkind. It should lead us to live by the Golden rule of the New Testament. When others hurt us, instead of hurting them back, we should treat them as we would like to be treated.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalms 59-62.
In Psalm 55 David expresses his desire to just fly away and leave all of these problems behind. This temptation to escape is very real sometimes, but is it really feasible? No, it is not feasible for a human being to go off and live completely alone with no human relationships. Therefore, if you escape from the present troubles, you will just trade them in for new troubles wherever you go. David realizes this, so he turns to the Lord to sustain him. (v.22) That is the answer. God is our sustainer. We can always come to Him and cast our burdens on Him. He will give us the strength and wisdom to know how to live in our relationships.
In Psalm 56 David simply asks, "What can flesh do to me?" This questions shows that he had come to realize that people will always let us down and be a source of hurt as well as happiness, but our relationship with the Lord is the one that will overcome all of those troubles. Therefore, nothing that is done by a man can destroy our relationship with Christ and its benefits. This is one of the most important lessons of life. As long as we get our self esteem from human relationships, our lives will be a roller coaster of highs and lows. Once we focus on the Lord and get our self esteem from Him, we can have a stable life, based on the Rock.
David continues this theme in Psalms 57 and 58. His conclusion is that God will hide him under His wings until the troubles have passed, and that God will punish those who set out to hurt him. This is a comfort to David, and it should be for us. We will never live without trouble. However, as believers we know the one who can overcome every trouble and give us joy. This should cause us to stay close to the Lord and to depend on Him as our closest friend. It should also cause us to desire to be the kind of person who would not hurt other people by being unloving or unkind. It should lead us to live by the Golden rule of the New Testament. When others hurt us, instead of hurting them back, we should treat them as we would like to be treated.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalms 59-62.