April 28, 2013
SCRIPTURE: Psalm 31
OBSERVATIONS
David is describing a time of deep struggle, how he was facing extreme hardship and reached out to God, and for a time didn’t find the support he needed. He prayed and prayed and prayed for God to help, and finally God did.
David writes this song to encourage others to hang on, to keep on praying and not give up.
Be strong, all of you who put your hope in the Lord. Never give up. (v.24)
I am reminded of Buzz Lightyear’s motto, ‘Never give up, never surrender!’
Although I am not struggling right now myself, I can think of someone who is going through a situation like David’s and who are questioning why God is taking so long to help them. They keep on praying and praying and praying, but they do wonder.
I cling to this Psalm for them, and I pray too that they will continue to be strong, to never give up!
I especially like the line, Let your face smile on me with favor. (v.16)”
David is asking for God’s blessing, based on the priestly blessing (Numbers 6:24-26). The blessing is not ‘things’, but the sense of God beaming over us, smiling at us, noticing us, encouraging us. Like running a marathon, and along the way seeing a loved one smiling, encouraging and cheering us on.
What do you notice in this passage?
APPLICATION
Do I look for God’s beaming face, His smile, when I am in a bad spot?
Do I pray and pray and pray?
Am I strong, or do I quickly give up?
God is smiling at me, God is on my side, cheering me on and supporting me. I need to look for it, and bask in it.
The question is not whether God is smiling at me, but whether I am feeling it, whether I am looking for it.
What if I made it my daily mantra, ‘Never give up, never surrender!’ What if that is what people heard from me, what people began to identify as my motto (as it was for Buzz)?
What do people hear mostly from me: whining, grumbling, complaining, woe is me? Or do they see me looking up in hope, glowing with the smile of God reflecting on my face?
What do you sense the Lord saying to you?
PRAYER
I trust in you, Lord. I say, “You are my God. My whole life is in your hands. I will not give up, I will not surrender!