Today’s Reading: Psalms 35; 41; 43; 46; 55

Psalm 35 begins with a plea for God’s help. Especially as David goes on to suggest possible things God could do to solve his problems and so he suggests ‘May this or that’ happen to those causing me pain. Some of the situations ring a bell for me as I consider how complex things can become in life sometimes. Did you notice any situations in the Psalm which duplicate your life situations?

Another pattern begins to emerge. After three or four verses, his faith describes how he will respond when God is his salvation – obviously anticipated joy is another key response.

But again his cry raises because of being falsely understood, or falsely accused and the pain of such a situation! Part of HONEST prayer is suggesting to God, what He could do about the situation, and thinking about that, David again breaks into praise.

In Psalm 41, I sense his longing for God’s compassion and forgiveness from the Lord, and the loneliness of being betrayed by someone very close to him (ever happened to you?). But what rescues him from this sadness, is the sense that God has not forsaken him because his enemy can’t triumph over him, despite the pain of the situation and that leads to another burst of praise!

Psalm 43 perhaps is the self-searching that goes on. When in pain, the wistful question which rises to the surface, “Why are you downcast, O my soul? And why so disturbed within me? – and telling oneself to hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Saviour and my God.

Psalm 46 is a favourite of mine, and the image of a mountain falling into the sea! Something that I thought would never change, being swept away, and chaos results. But I love the reminder twice in the Psalm, that the Lord Almighty is with us and the God of Jacob is our fortress! Poor old erratic Jacob, who could waver all over the place (like me!), has a FORTRESS! Is that what God, our loving Father is to us?

And last of all for today, Psalm 55, the anguish of apparently (at any present moment) listening and buying into Satan’s lie that God is not listening to us in trouble! If you have found yourself there, or are there now, isn’t the imagery graphitic of a dove flying away to a restful place, or a person fleeing far away to a shelter from the situation! And again what hurts is that the “enemy” is someone who was closest to David! Ever been there? In faith he rises in his prayer to God, imagining what it will be like, when rescued by the God Who is enthroned forever… Have you the experience like David, telling yourself God’s quiet comforting words when wrestling with difficult life situations, “Cast your cares on ME, and I will sustain you… And it ends with a lovely little phrase, “But as for me, I will trust in you (my loving Lord Jesus). Will you and I look up today despite the problems of daily living, and state David’s quiet assurance-filled prayer of faith?