Focus on God

Psalm 43:1-5

English Standard Version (ESV)

43 ^(A)Vindicate me, O God, and ^(B)defend my cause
    against an ungodly people,
from ^(C)the deceitful and unjust man
    deliver me!
² For you are ^(D)the God in whom I take refuge;
    why have you ^(E)rejected me?
Why do I ^(F)go about mourning
    because of the oppression of the enemy?

^3 (G)Send out your light and your truth;
    let them lead me;
let them bring me to your ^(H)holy hill
    and to your ^(I)dwelling!
⁴ Then I will go to the altar of God,
    to God my exceeding joy,
and I will praise you with the lyre,
    O God, my God.

^5 (J)Why are you cast down, O my soul,
    and why are you in turmoil within me?
^(K)Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
    my salvation and my God.

(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2043:%201%20-5&version=ESV)

There is no doubt that people can be mean, they can bully and they can try to lead us astray.  The sinful part of man is ugly, without a doubt.  Sometimes this ugliness can cause us to go into a downward spiral because we also have a desire to be liked by everyone.   We like to feel wanted and needed and without it we have a sense of loneliness because we don’t “fit in”.  This can lead to a sense of worthlessness and depression.  How we respond to the taunting is up to us.  Or is it?  Sometimes the taunting can be so bad that we actually believe it as truth and at that time it is most difficult to pull ourselves up and to ignore it. 

There is One though that can pull us up out of the murk and mire and put our feet on solid ground and that is our Lord and Savior.  In those deepest darkest hours even though we may think that He has rejected us too, we can be assured that He is there.  Sometimes we have to get to our lowest point in order to call upon Him.  Yet, He is there.  If we have not totally rejected Him (if you don’t accept Him you have rejected Him) then He is there with you throughout all the ridicules. 

I have to think of Christ before and during the crucifixion when He was ridiculed and tormented.  Even through all the bad things that happened, His focus was on God the Father. Through His pain and suffering we are able to have freedom in Christ.  We need to take that example and then relook at our situation.  Just think, if we focus on God rather than our situation, we could tolerate even more than we have ever done in the past.  We know the outcome; Christ was raised, as can we when we put our hope in Him and not in man.

Seek Him and find your strength in His power.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila