Psalm 55 - Hope for the hopeless

* picture credit to creatingfutures.net

 King David sang this song when his best friend and counselor Ahithophel. At this time Absalom, David's son had already turned against his father and was planning to overthrow David's rule. So when Ahithophel joined forces with Absalom, it was the last straw for David, too hurtful and painful. Betrayed by his own son and also best friend. So David sang this out loud to God.

Listen to my prayer, O God, do not ignore my plea;

hear me and answer me.

My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught

at the voice of the enemy, at the stares of the wicked; 

for they bring down suffering upon me and revile me in their anger.

My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death assail me.

Fear and trembling have beset me; horror has overwhelmed me.

* picture credit to mccallcolors.com

 I said, "Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest

I would flee far away and stay in the desert;

I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm."

Confuse the wicked, O Lord, confound their speech,

for I see violence and strife in the city.

Day and night they prowl about on its walls; malice and abuse are within it.

Destructive forces are at work in the city; threats and lies never leave its streets.

If an enemy were insulting me, I would endure it; if a foe were raising himself against me, I could hide from him.

But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend, 

with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship as we walked with the throng at the house of God.

Let death take my enemies by surprise; let them go down alive to the grave, for evil finds lodging among them.

But I call to God, and the Lord saves me. 

Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice.

He ransoms me unharmed from the battle waged against me, even though many oppose me.

God who is enthroned forever, will hear them and afflict them- men who never change their ways and have no fear of God.

My companion attacks his friends; he violates his covenant.

His speech is smooth as butter, yet war is in his heart; his words are more soothing than oil, yet they are drawn swords.

* picture credit to beautifulbible.blogspot.com

Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.

But you, O God, will bring down the wicked into the pit of corruption;

bloodthirsty and deceitful men will not live out half their days.

But as for me, I trust in you.

* picture credit to diserio.com

Lord Jesus, if David could trust in you when his whole reign was as stake then we all can too. 

When David's counselor and most trusted friend jumped ship to David's enemy, he took with him much, He took away the wisdom that counseled David's rule, he took away David's peace and joy, he took away David's sleep and David's trust. David was not only hurt emotionally but also, he must have been sick with worry that Ahithophel would reveal some governmental secrets to Absalom and how will that effect David and the people. Lord, I can't even begin to comprehend what kind of stress David was going through at this point. 

But one thing I know is that my issues seem small in comparison with King David's. If You could sustain King David and give him peace at such a turbulent time of his life, you can do the same for me. As I write this  I feel as if You're looking down at me and smiling and I know what You may be thinking, "Good, she finally got it." 

Yes Lord Jesus, I got it, just help me remember it. May your peace, joy and happiness stay in my heart and all our hearts. In Jesus name, Amen.

I thought this was worth sharing with you'll. Hope you are blessed and as I embark on this journey to get to know Him more and more, I hope you will join me too. All of us go through hard times, some more than others, at a different magnitude. However, He doesn't allow us more that we can bear. Sometimes, just as Paul had a thorn in his flesh to remind him of his weakness as a man, so we might have certain thorns in our lives to remind us that we are but men only. So just as Paul said, I thank the Lord for the thorns in my flesh too, because it reminds me that I am a weak human being with nothing but a great big God who loves me. Life seems sunnier when we realize this fact.

Stay blessed,

Esther