A friend of mine joked this morning in an email about this being day 5000 of social distancing, thanks to the Coronavirus pandemic. Gave me a chuckle, but it’s really not a laughing matter, is it? Besides all the folks getting seriously sick, there are fears of the economic fallout for countries virtually shutting down for weeks. I think of my nephew who opened his own restaurant a year or so ago, who had to shut down and let all his employees go, and my hairdresser who is self-employed. I know they and many others are wondering how they’re going to make it if things don’t go back to normal soon.
I was reading from Psalm 57 this morning in my Bible. It was written by a young warrior named David, of David and Goliath fame, who would later become king over Israel. (I Samuel, chapter 17)
David, just a shepherd boy at the time, keeping his father’s flock, was sent with food for his brothers who were serving with the army of Israel. Every morning Goliath, a fierce giant of a man, would shout across the valley of Elah, taunting the men of Israel to fight, or at least send a representative to take on Goliath.
When David heard, he was incensed, and replied to those standing near:
What shall be done for the man who
kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine,
that he should defy the armies of the living God?
While King Saul and the rest of Israel’s armies “were dismayed and greatly afraid”, David went out to fight Goliath, armed with just a slingshot and five stones, and defeated him in the strength, power and confidence of his God.
David continued to serve under King Saul. When David began to earn a reputation in the eyes of the people, King Saul began to be afraid of him. For years then, David had to flee from Saul’s murderous intentions.
Psalm 57 was written during this time when he fled into a cave to escape Saul. In verse 1 of the psalm, David describes this time as one of “calamities”.
In verse 4 he speaks of his soul lying among lions whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword, causing his soul to be bowed down.
David was running from a human enemy out to destroy him, like a lion ready to tear him apart. Every day was filled with uncertainty. Would this be the day Saul would find him? I’m thinking a lot of us can relate as we shelter in place to avoid COVID-19.
David had had the promise of God, and the anointing of Samuel, the priest, that he would be the next king of Israel, but that didn’t make the running and uncertainty any less anxiety producing!
Or did it?
One of the things I love most about the psalms, and especially those written by David, is that in the same psalm in which David speaks of his enemies and his troubles, he also expresses his faith in the God who is sovereign over all.
In verse 1 David says:
Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful
to me!
For my soul trusts in You;
And in the shadow of Your wings I will
make my refuge.
Until these calamities have passed
by.
I love the word picture of God shadowing His own under His wings. It reminds me of a photo I saw once of a mother bird who was caught in a wildfire. She was completely burned, but under her wings her chicks had been kept safe. She was their refuge, as God was David’s, because David trusted in God with his whole soul!
Who or what is your refuge now that things are calamitous? We’re finding out it’s not in health and job security, right? It’s not always in government – they’re often as clueless about how to resolve an issue as we are. It isn’t always in a home, or the security of full grocery shelves.
David was experiencing calamitous circumstances that could change at any moment, but he chose to trust God who never changes, in whom he could shelter and find refuge IN the circumstances.
And even though David had enemies out to get him, he was confident that God’s truth would prevail. He says that in verse 3:
God shall send forth His mercy and
His truth.
David would be vindicated by God Himself when the truth was known.
I have decided to only check on the virus updates once a day, you probably are checking yourself. Have you noticed how much conflicting information there is out there? Well, only God knows the whole truth about anything. If we seek Him, He promises to give us wisdom for how we are to live day to day according to His truth, even in the midst of calamity and uncertainty. He wants us to seek Him, that we might know Him and His wisdom Proverbs 2:1-6:
If you receive my words, and treasure
my commands within you, so that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your
heart to understanding, Yes, if you cry out for discernment and lift up your
voice for understanding. If you seek her
as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will understand
the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom, from His mouth
come knowledge and understanding.
Maybe you feel like you’re living in a calamitous time. Ours isn’t a human enemy, but a viral one, that keeps changing the course of our lives every day, keeping us on edge and uncertain. That’s how David felt too, but he didn’t stay there!
The end of psalm 57 is such a wonderful expression of David’s confident faith in the Lord, a faith that cannot be shaken, even in difficult times. Verse 7:
My heart is steadfast, O God, my
heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise.
Would you describe the state of your heart these days as “steadfast”? How did David have a steadfast heart in his circumstances?
He poured out his troubles to God, and then he shifted his focus to God Himself – the God who he describes as merciful (v. 1), trustworthy (v. 1), a refuge (v. 1), God Most High (v. 2), Savior (v. 3), source of truth (v. 3), exalted (v. 5), and glorious (v. 5).
Wow! When we look at GOD instead of our circumstances, it inspires trust and peace and not fear. David knew that and so he sang and gave God praise. What a great remedy for fear and a lack of steadfastness!
Feeling fearful. Turn off the news, turn on Christian radio and SING God’s praises!
If you’re not usually a church person, now’s your chance to visit without pressure. So many churches are broadcasting live on Sunday mornings. Tune into one.
(My church is Celebration Community
Church, Celebration, FL. You can find
live services at 6 PM Sat and 9 and 11 AM on Sunday on YouTube)
In verse 9-11 David says:
I will praise You, O Lord among the
peoples; I will sing to You among the nations.
For Your mercy reaches unto the heavens and Your truth unto the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; Let
your glory be above the earth.
I’m finding that there are so many opportunities in this calamitous time to sing God’s praises among the people around us. Use Facebook and texts and emails to share with others just how good the Lord is, so that His glory might be known in all the earth. Suggest they catch your church’s live service on Sunday morning.
Feeling shaky instead of steadfast?
God is:
Merciful
Trustworthy
A refuge
God Most High
Truth
Glorious
Praiseworthy
Exalted
Tomorrow, let’s begin our day by praising God for all He has revealed Himself to be, and then let’s seek Him in prayer because it’s only in Him that we will the strength and peace we need to face an uncertain future.
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