Psalm 59
Verse 16 But I will sing of Your strength, in the morning I will sing of Your love; for You are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.
David was a musician and that wasn’t just limited to his being gifted on the lyre, David was a song writer, the hymn writer of his day. David was having a bad night, not an ordinary bad night but a run for your life kind of night. Like many people given to poetry and writing, he turned to the friend that was always near, words.
The psalm that we are looking at today was written about that night and may have been penned that very night as the wording would suggest. His talk about being pursued was given in present tense and then later in the psalm he asks that the Lord will work on his behalf meaning that he was still awaiting the answer to this prayer.
David was used to turning to God with his troubles and sometimes he wrote them down so that others could also use his prayer for their particular troubles. Just like Horatio Spafford did when he wrote the beloved hymn, It Is Well with My Soul. Horatio had experienced some of the more horrific tragedies that any one person could endure and when he was in his lowest place he cried out to God with a song written to soothe his own soul but that would also help us remember that it is important to trust God during the hard times.
We know from the many psalms that David wrote that he wrote for the same reasons as Horatio. He was crying out to God in his fear and frustration just as much as he was trying to remind himself that God is the only one who can help him in the situation he finds himself. David has no idea what his immediate future is going to look like. He has left his wife at her urging so that she can be safe from her father. But he is on the run and this is just the beginning of his running.
When we are facing trials we need to remember that only God can be the strength and wisdom that we need. We need to turn to God in those moments and allow Him to soothe our hearts as only He can.
Making It Personal
How do you handle tough situations that come up in your life? How do you pour out your heart to God? Do you feel He listens?
Making It Personal Kids
What do you do when you are having a rough day? How do you talk to Jesus about your problems? Do you feel like Jesus listens to and cares about you?
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for this reminder that we can cast our cares on You and that You will listen and guide us through the hard times. We know that You grow us through the hard times of life and ask that You help us grow closer to You as we lean into You during those times when we feel we will collapse. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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