GOD IS PLEASED WITH OUR DEPENDENCE ON HIM

GOD WILL USE DIFFICULTIES TO BRING US CLOSER TO HIM

Psalm 70

Make haste, O God, to deliver me!
O Lord, make haste to help me!

Let them be put to shame and confusion
who seek my life!
Let them be turned back and brought to dishonor
who delight in my hurt!

Let them turn back because of their shame
who say, “Aha, Aha!”

David’s requests for help from God is certainly a recurring theme in the psalms. As you know, these verses are inspired by God, and they were sung by the people of Israel. As I reflect on this, all I can conclude is that life is continually difficult, that we need to cry out to God, and that He is pleased by our dependence on Him.

Although we go to God over and over, presenting our difficulties, He is not disturbed or displeased with us, for the Lord desires for us to understand our total dependence on Him to provide for our needs.

Here, David is approaching God with urgency. Isn’t it encouraging to know that we can cry out to the Lord in our need, openly admitting our discouragement or weariness?

God is honored for us to trust in Him completely.

May all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you!
May those who love your salvation
say evermore, “God is great!”

But I am poor and needy;
hasten to me, O God!

You are my help and my deliverer;
O Lord, do not delay!

These words of David show us the attitude and demeanor that should accompany those who cry out to God with their burdens.

As one seeks God, there should be a sense of rejoicing and gladness. What are these reactions based on? Surely not an expectation that all the problems and difficulties will be solved immediately, but because we know that our God hears us and cares for us.

We certainly have a great privilege to be able to go to the God of the universe, the One who holds everything in His hands, and place our burdens on Him. We know His character and are certain that it is perfect; we know His wisdom and know it cannot be surpassed, we know His power and we know it’s unmatched, and we know His love that cannot be lost. How could we forget the undeserved privilege we have in our relationship with Him?

His children know the reality of being redeemed. We love the assurance and peace it gives us to be right with God and know that His Son was given for us: our eternal peace at Christ’s great expense. It will be our joy to forever proclaim that “God is great”!

David continues, reflecting on his present state: he is poor and needy. He is certainly poor in his character, for he is a sinner. He is poor in his wisdom, for he does not know all things; he is poor in his power, for his enemies are overwhelming him. He is certainly needy! What a contrast with Who God is!

The more we reflect on our lowly human state, the more we should be overwhelmed by the immense privilege we have in knowing the Most High God!

David ends with an earnest plea. He needs God’s deliverance, and desires His intervention soon!

Dear friends, as we go to our great God, may we not forget the privilege we have, to freely ask Him for help; may our demeanor and words reflect this understanding, and may our dependence upon Him be complete! 

YOUR LIFE SCREAMS WHAT YOU BELIEVE ABOUT GOD!

WE LIVE WITH TROUBLES, BUT ARE CARED FOR BY OUR LOVING GOD

Psalm 69:16

Answer me, O LORD, for your steadfast love is good;

according to your abundant mercy, turn to me.

David goes to God without a demanding spirit, for he knows that God’s dealing with him is always good. God has shown His love and mercy over and over. God’s love is so wonderful because it is based on His faithfulness. His love is eternally perfect. He chose to love us when we were His enemies; He knew exactly how much it would cost Him and how unfaithful we would be.

His mercy is abundant! He has shown us mercy from the beginning and will continue to prove Himself merciful; we will never exhaust His provision.

 At times, it is useful to reflect on the kinds of behaviors that expose a demanding attitude.

When we complain, when we are bitter, and when we are angry, we are showing our prideful opinion that we deserve something different from what we have received, that in some ways we are being treated unjustly.

David had looked at men for reprieve and had found none. His concern, at this point, is that God’s reputation would be honored. All men knew that he was dependent on God and that his life brought attention to his God.

David’s pain is real and he is looking for a solution.

Psalm 69:29

But I am afflicted and in pain;

let your salvation, O God, set me on high!

Pain is real! People know how to wound our hearts and souls. This world is so full of sin and hatred that it is impossible to live here without suffering. We should not be surprised.

Some people with unbiblical thinking have equated God’s blessing with a life without any problems. Biblically, however, a blessed life is one lived with faith in God’s eternal purposes in the midst of temporary trials. All of our difficulties and trials will certainly end when we meet our Savior face to face.

Psalm 69:30-33

I will praise the name of God with a song;

I will magnify him with thanksgiving.

This will please the LORD more than an ox

or a bull with horns and hoofs.

When the humble see it they will be glad;

you who seek God, let your hearts revive.

For the LORD hears the needy

and does not despise his own people who are prisoners.

God is not looking for rituals, but He desires the sincere praise of those who recognize who He is and are satisfied with His provision. Thankfulness is the result of a heart that recognizes the providence of God. When one knows the character of God and has experienced His love, then he will truly be grateful. And the praise of God’s children will be an encouragement toward thankfulness for those who observe it.

Dear friend, have you stopped to reflect on how your attitudes and demeanor affect those who observe you?  We should be more aware of what people are learning about God by watching our lives.

• Is our God worthy to be praised?
• Is our God wise in what He does?
• Is our God really in control?
• Is our God showing mercy to us?
• Does our God have eternal purposes that we care about?
• Is God protecting us?
• Is God providing what we need?

These questions are clearly answered in all the conversations we have, in the attitudes we portray, in our responses…

If the Word of God is not feeding us, then we will not be able to respond correctly to the difficulties and pains of this world. If we are not in the fellowship of godly men and women, it will be difficult to stay correctly focused.

Psalm 69:34

Let heaven and earth praise him,

the seas and everything that moves in them.

May we faithfully please and praise our God! 

THE WAY YOU ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS WILL CHANGE YOUR DAY

AM I WITHOUT HOPE?

Psalm 69:1-3

Save me, O God!

For the waters have come up to my neck.

I sink in deep mire,

where there is no foothold;

I have come into deep waters,

and the flood sweeps over me.

I am weary with my crying out;

my throat is parched.

My eyes grow dim

with waiting for my God.

Have you ever felt this way? Have you ever come to a place where you felt that problems were assailing you and there was no way to stop them? When every step made you feel like you were going to fall and there was no place to grab on? When the waters were still advancing with no hope of stopping them? When your tears were dried up and your voice was gone from crying out? When even your hope in God was growing dim?

David begins with a simple plea: Save me, O God!

Maybe he did not even know what that salvation would look like. Have you come to a place where you did not even know what to hope for because your enemies were too many and too powerful?

Psalm 69:4

More in number than the hairs of my head

are those who hate me without cause;

mighty are those who would destroy me,

those who attack me with lies.

What I did not steal

must I now restore?

David is not even sure of what he did to deserve their attacks, though he admits that he is a sinful man.

Psalm 69:5

O God, you know my folly;

the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you.

Reading this reminds me that I should never forget my sinful state. As I look back on my sins, even I am surprised at my foolishness. God has seen all my actions, He knows my motives; in fact, He knew what I would do even before I entertained the ideas that led to actions.

David’s concern is for the reputation of his God and for those who observe, as he goes through this time of heavy trial.

Psalm 69:6

Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me,

O Lord GOD of hosts;

let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me,

O God of Israel.

Oh, I know that my actions would be different, if I were only more conscious that my actions bring consequences not only on myself, but also on others.

David knows that many are speaking evil against him. He knows that he has been concerned for God and His house. Now he desires God to intervene.

Psalm 69:13

But as for me, my prayer is to you, O LORD.

At an acceptable time, O God,

in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness.

Why would David come to God?

His prayer is to the LORD, the creator and sustainer of all. The One who has everything in His hands. Nothing escapes Him, all is ordained by His perfect and eternal will. He knows that God is loving; His love is steadfast, unchanging and abundant. The LORD dispenses His love faithfully. He loves to save. He is faithful to His promises. His timing is always perfect.

How utterly different we are from God! Our love is imperfect and changes easily. Our love is measured and limited. We are unfaithful. Our power is limited. Our awareness of situations is limited to our personal point of reference.

Are you going through a difficult time? Then here are some questions you should ask yourself:

• Am I looking to God alone for help? Is He the one I depend on?
• Am I willing to trust the LORD’s timing?
• Do I really believe He is loving?
• Am I aware of the abundance of His love?
• Do I trust God’s purposes?
• Do I believe that God is faithful?
• Am I concerned about how my behavior effects what people think about God?
• Am I concerned with how I am affecting the faith of those who watch me?

Dear friends, our answers to these questions will affect the way we behave today! They will affect our thoughts and our attitudes.

Our prayer must be centered on God, Himself. We are so blessed, if we know Christ and have been transformed by His love and by His death and resurrection. May our lives be visibly different because of our salvation! 

I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU!

HOW CAN WE LIVE WITHOUT BLESSING OUR GOD?

Psalm 68:19
Blessed be the Lord,
who daily bears us up;
God is our salvation. Selah

David continues this psalm, reminiscing about the ways that God has taken care of Israel. God was working in their lives daily; He was the one who saved them from every foe and every danger.

Dear friends, has God changed? Does He still care for His own? Is He the one who saves? Is there a day when He does not meticulously care for us? Is there a day when we are left to fend for ourselves? Is there a moment when our enemies have the upper hand? The answers are obvious. So, do our minds rule our emotions, or are our feelings feeding our fears?

• Can anyone of us ever lengthen our days? Who holds our health in His hands?
• Can anyone provide for his needs apart from God’s loving and careful provision?
• Can we control the behavior of our enemies, or even our friends?
• Are we able to thwart any attack from those around us?
• Can we control the weather or the dangers that come because of natural events?
• Can we protect our loved ones, as they deal with the difficulties of life?
• Can we be shields against their hurts?Can we order the direction of our countries or governments? Or the use of our money, when we are taxed?
• Can we prolong the life of our loved ones?
• Can we control our neighbors?
• Can we control the behavior of our spouse or the future of our children?

These are the things we worry about, although we know the answer to these questions is, “WE CANNOT”!

If we can’t, then who can? Even that answer is not complicated: only God can!

• Does He have a perfect character that we can trust? 
• Does He have the wisdom to make perfect decisions? 
• Does He have the power to do what He wills? 
• Does He love us enough to do what is best for us?

The answer is emphatically “YES!”

Psalm 68:32-35

O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God;

sing praises to the Lord, Selah

to him who rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens;

behold, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice.

Ascribe power to God,

whose majesty is over Israel,

and whose power is in the skies.

Awesome is God from his sanctuary;

the God of Israel—he is the one who gives power and strength to his people.

Blessed be God!

David took the time to remember, and God inspired him to write this psalm so that, as the children of Israel sang it together, they, too, would remember!

Dear friends, are you like me?
Do you tend to forget who your God is?

Did you trust Him for your eternal destiny and now fail to trust Him daily?

There are many questions today that have easy answers, but they expose difficult realities. We struggle in our lives. God is not surprised; He is so aware of it that He had David write this psalm for our benefit. Don’t gloss over it. Meditate upon the truth of His wonderful care for you! God cares for each of you individually, and He is totally aware of all you need.

God is awesome! If you take the time to meditate on God, you will be overwhelmed by His love and care. And if you are not, then you probably don’t know Him.

I want you to know that if God has blessed you, He wants you to be a testimony for Him. If someone has been used to encourage you, it would be great if you let him know that. We need to learn to show gratitude to God and to those whom He uses in our lives. It might help them deal with the difficulties of life and turn their attention to their God, too.

Our hearts should be actively expressing what David wrote as he ended this psalm…Blessed be God!

GOD CARES FOR THE DEFENSELESS

GOD USES US TO TOUCH LIVES FOR HIS SAKE

Psalm 68:1-3

God shall arise, his enemies shall be scattered;

and those who hate him shall flee before him!

As smoke is driven away, so you shall drive them away;

as wax melts before fire,

so the wicked shall perish before God!

But the righteous shall be glad;

they shall exult before God;

they shall be jubilant with joy!

As David begins this psalm of praise and remembrance of God’s goodness to His people, he is expectant of the mighty works that He will continue to perform, according to His character and promises.

God has always triumphed, has never lost His majestic control, and will always bring about His eternal purposes. The wicked will always be eventually defeated! Wax will always melt when in contact with fire. The wicked have no chance of resisting the unsurpassable power of God. The righteous will rejoice in due time.

Dear friends, even though you may be facing some extremely difficult situations, or have some enemies who are oppressing you, God would never want you to forget that His power is overwhelming. When God chooses to display His power, they will melt away like wax. Our pain and troubles are very temporary. God shall arise.

Psalm 68:4-6

Sing to God, sing praises to his name;

lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts;

his name is the LORD;

exult before him!

Father of the fatherless and protector of widows

is God in his holy habitation.

God settles the solitary in a home;

he leads out the prisoners to prosperity,

but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.

The children of Israel are invited to praise the Lord. He is totally aware of what is going on in the most difficult of places. His eyes are upon those who are suffering. The orphans, the widows, those who are defenseless, are not forgotten by the LORD. Yes, the God who created heaven and earth by His word, who sustains life by His will, is aware of their needs and cares deeply for them. God provides for those who are alone and He frees the prisoners.

God lives in a holy place, His holiness is offended by all sin, and so the wickedness of man will not go unjudged. God had proven Himself providential with the children of Israel many times, and would continue to do it. His love for the abandoned is still true today. In fact, James reminds us of our responsibilities in this area.

James 1:27

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

God expects His own to be pure, to live a life that is pleasing to Him morally, and to care for those He cares for. There is no special merit gained by these actions; they need to be the normal consequence of genuine faith. Faith that comes from hearing the Word of God needs to transform the way we live. This is exactly what James states in the preceding verses.

James 1:22-25

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

Our care for the needy should begin in our local churches, where we can easily be attentive to the needs of our fellow believers.

Galatians 6:9-10

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Dear friends, today divorce has multiplied the number of those who do not experience the reality of a normal, God-planned family. Their needs might not be always physical, but children are growing up without the care of a mom and a dad. Women, many times, are left to carry a burden that is very great.

God cares for those who are alone, living through this kind of pain. Would you take the time today to pray for those you know are struggling through this kind of difficulty? Would you ask God to use you to encourage them?

Maybe there is a widow or a widower who would be greatly encouraged by an invitation to a meal, or a card reminding them that you are praying for them… The list could go on, but I know that as we pray, God will bring particular people to mind and ways to help them see His care, through us.

This psalm invites us to praise and rejoice in the God who cares deeply. May we be more like our God and may our lives portray the attitudes and produce the works that are pleasing to Him.