Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Psalm 69 is one all Christians should be able to identify with, one in which David is vexed by many things that trouble us today in our earthly experience. Besides being a prophetic message which foresaw the sufferings of Christ at the hands of men, it is also replete with life lessons for His followers today. There are two particular verses in it which caught my attention.
The first one (verse 6) is a prayer we would do well in adopting for our lives. It reads: “Don't let those who trust in you stumble because of me, O Sovereign LORD Almighty. Don't let me cause them to be humiliated, O God of Israel.” Even though on this occasion David was suffering shame because of false accusations, he was nevertheless troubled to think that others who also trusted in God, would stumble and likewise be humiliated because of him. It really bothers me to hear folks who let it be known, sometimes almost bragging, that they don’t give a hoot if others don’t like what they are saying or doing, that they will keep on doing whatever they please. It is especially sad when the one taking that position claims to be a follower of Christ. If we really love people as we should, we must do our best to stay away from trouble, if not for ourselves at least for the sake of others.
The second verse that caught my eye was verse 20 which reads: “Their insults have broken my heart, and I am in despair. If only one person would show some pity; if only one would turn and comfort me.” Here again, when any professing Christian declares that the criticisms, insults, and slander of others, especially when they come by way of friends or family members, don’t bother them in the slightest, they are not dealing with the truth or else they are out of fellowship with God. If we are honest, we will confess that, at one time or another, we’ve all had days when we felt no one cared, and we can understand why David lamented “If only one person would show some pity; if only one would turn and comfort me.”It is not the proverbial “pity party”, it is a genuine feeling that everyone forgot about us when we needed them the most. For that reason we must ask the Lord to help us be a true friend to those who may be going through difficult and painful times. Do you know anybody like that today, someone who could really use a word of comfort or encouragement? Even if you were to just go cry with someone who is crying, you would be doing them a world of good. The truth is, you would be doing yourself a big favor in the process.
Memory verse for the week: (1 Thessalonians 5:18) “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
