Psalms
54 – 56
Verse 54:1 starts a Psalm of lamenting his betrayal to Saul:
Liberate me, O
God, by the authority of Your name.
Vindicate
me through Your legendary power.
Most read this and consider the pressures
of this world to be what David was lamenting. In reality his life was in danger
and he had people hunting him and trying to kill him. We on the other hand, for
the most part, only have a slight possibility to be in this position for a
moment (robbery namely). So we need to remember that this is not lamenting not
getting the promotion, but his running for literally his life. So when trying
to apply these Psalms of David to your life remember the circumstances were
often times different.
Verse 55:4 shows David’s angst:
My heart seizes
within my chest; I am in anguish!
I
am terrified my life could end on any breath.
If
you think about it our next breath could be our last. Even being healthy and
lying in bed, a rock from the cosmos could land on us and extinguish us
instantly. We never know! Now does that mean live in fear of death? Or does that mean enjoy life and “do as thou
wilt” (the Satanic Law)? Granted again this is from a man who is being hunted
and later will be king over a nation where everyone wants them off the map. The
one thing we can learn from this is lean into David and believe in God’s divine
plan for your life. That does not mean be reckless, but don’t worry about
things you cannot control.
Before
we leave this your health and heart is something YOU CAN control! Don’t think
for a minute that God has a plan and it will happen. If we do not follow God in
our eating, finances and general moralistic lives our plan may not be fulfilled
if we are fat, broke and suffering some STD!
Verse
56:1 is something I pray often:
Show mercy to me,
O God, because people are crushing me—
grinding
me down like dirt underfoot—all day long.
No
matter what I do, I can’t get myself out from under them.
I personally need to pray this in earnest
at least once a week. Fortunately mostly it’s “mental attitude” sins which if
not arrested quickly can lead the body into some dark places. It freaks me out
that “thoughts” can equal the same physical sin. My biggest “mental” sin is
looking at other women. I have learned over the years to keep my eyes glued on
Katy but simple things like an attractive host of a news show that interests me
starts to make that show off limits. Advertisements are the most dangerous
since they just show up and I need to be quick on the refresh. I would not
dishonor my wife in a physical act and try my hardest not to do so in a mental
act as well.
Jesus said looking at another woman with
lust is no different than sleeping with her for a reason.