Abandoned. Alone. Nothing left to live for. Hardly sounds like words one might expect from the mouth of a king. And yet, David pours out his wretchedness before God. The darkness is a real and living thing, threatening to overtake David’s very existence, to cause him to “fall into the sleep of death.” The depth of such depression knows no economic boundaries, distinguishing little between prince and pauper.
Read More trust, hope, dépression, despairI curled in a fetal position, dark eddies of despair threatening to overtake me. My world was crashing down around me. I gasped out to God for help, for a small measure of peace. Over time, he pulled me from that dark place. But it didn’t come easy. I had to believe God could – and would – take those burdens I carried; I had to believe he was listening.
Read More despair, prayer, hope, rest, dépressionBetrayal. From the time Cain lured Abel into the fields, only to turn on his brother in a jealous rage, (Genesis 4:1-16) betrayal at the hands of a loved one has been a recurrent theme through the ages. It was no different for King David. While there is no exact date attached to this psalm, it could very well have been David’s troubled cry when Absalom, a favourite son, attempted to overthrow his father’s kingdom, along with one of David’s once-trusted advisors (2 Samuel 15-17).
Read More trust, betrayal, friendshipJesus, always the consummate storyteller, once told a tale about two builders, one wise and one foolish. The first chose to construct his home on a solid base; when a violent storm came, the house was not shaken. The second built on shifting sand. The foundation crumbled and the storm decimated his home.
Integrity is key when it comes to construction, even more so when it comes to one’s life.
Read More integrity, strength, character“Testimony” can be one of those “Christian words” that gets bandied about, as in “I shared my testimony with my friend.” Sounds holy, right? Or intimidating; after all, “testimony” is also what one gives in a courtroom. But put simply, a testimony is a story, a telling of what happened during a particular instance in your life.
For those who follow Jesus, it’s a chance to share how God is working in your life.
Read More hope, testimony, story, followAt first the psalms may bring to mind gentle brooks and rolling meadows, beautiful poetry extolling God’s magnificence and care. Some of them, however, are anything but. A number seethe with anger. There are bad people out there, doing horrendous, evil things, and the psalmist is fed up. He rails against them, getting downright explicit with the sort of punishment he hopes God doles out. In the end, he declares, good people will be glad to see the evildoers get their own.
Read More suffering, justice, persecution, retributionEveryone experiences hopeless times, feeling cut off from the world, trapped far away from the comforts of home, family and friends. Life’s storms rage, all hell breaks loose, and it seems the proverbial ship is going down.
David was no stranger to this sort of bone crushing weariness.
Read More shelter, protection, hope, helpI like to read obituaries. It may seem morbid, but it’s a rather fascinating glimpse into lives so recently vibrant, now gone silent. Just a few hundred words to sum up lifetimes of love and loss and heartache and hope.
“We humans are only a breath,” the psalmist intones, “none of us are truly great.
Read More life, safety, peace, meaning“Lord have mercy! Christ have mercy! Lord, have mercy on us!”
I uttered those words as I read the horrendous details of the September 2013 shopping mall massacre in Nairobi, Kenya. One bright, sunny day terrorists stormed the mall, shooting and throwing grenades. Over four days they tortured and killed more than 70 people and injured more than 200 men, women and children. So many innocent lives destroyed.
Read More suffering, death, hope, tragedyAlthough he was a king, David was no stranger to trouble. From the time he defeated the giant Goliath as a young man, his list of enemies grew. Many had it in mind to destroy David, to force their own ill-gotten agendas into play. He was a man after God’s own heart, but many were after his life.
The first words of this Psalm invoke an image of David on his face before God, begging him to pay attention, to hear his desperate pleas
Read More protection, trouble, assurance