Frustration and Discontent

Psalm 69

English Standard Version (ESV)

To the choirmaster: according to ^(A)Lilies. Of David.

69 Save me, O God!
    For ^(B)the waters have come up to my neck.^[a]
2 I sink in deep ^(C)mire,
    where there is no foothold;
I have come into deep waters,
    and the flood ^(D)sweeps over me.
^3 (E)I am weary with my crying out;
    ^(F)my throat is parched.
^(G)My eyes grow dim
    with ^(H)waiting for my God.

^4 (I)More in number than the hairs of my head
    are ^(J)those who hate me ^(K)without cause;
mighty are those who would destroy me,
    ^(L)those who attack me with lies.
What I did not steal
    must I now restore?
⁵ O God, you know my folly;
    the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you.

⁶ Let not those who hope in you ^(M)be put to shame through me,
    O Lord God of hosts;
let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me,
    O God of Israel.
⁷ For it is ^(N)for your sake that I have borne reproach,
    that dishonor has covered my face.
⁸ I have become ^(O)a stranger to my brothers,
    an alien to my mother's sons.

⁹ For ^(P)zeal for your house has consumed me,
    and ^(Q)the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.
¹⁰ When I wept and humbled^[b] my soul with fasting,
    it became my reproach.
¹¹ When I made ^(R)sackcloth my clothing,
    I became ^(S)a byword to them.
¹² I am the talk of those who ^(T)sit in the gate,
    and the drunkards make ^(U)songs about me.

¹³ But as for me, my ^(V)prayer is to you, O Lord.
    At ^(W)an acceptable time, O God,
    in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness.
¹⁴ Deliver me
    from sinking in ^(X)the mire;
^(Y)let me be delivered from my enemies
    and from ^(Z)the deep waters.
¹⁵ Let not the flood sweep over me,
    or the deep swallow me up,
    or ^(AA)the pit close ^(AB)its mouth over me.

¹⁶ Answer me, O Lord, for your ^(AC)steadfast love is good;
    according to your abundant ^(AD)mercy,^(AE)turn to me.
^17 (AF)Hide not your face from your servant;
    ^(AG)for I am in distress; ^(AH)make haste to answer me.
¹⁸ Draw near to my soul, redeem me;
    ransom me because of my enemies!

¹⁹ You know my ^(AI)reproach,
    and my shame and my dishonor;
    my foes are all known to you.
^20 (AJ)Reproaches have broken my heart,
    so that I am in ^(AK)despair.
I ^(AL)looked for ^(AM)pity, but there was none,
    and for ^(AN)comforters, but I found none.
²¹ They gave me ^(AO)poison for food,
    and for my thirst they gave me ^(AP)sour wine to drink.

^22 (AQ)Let their own ^(AR)table before them become a snare;
    ^(AS)and when they are at peace, let it become a trap.^[c]
23 (AT)Let their eyes be darkened, so that they cannot see,
    ^(AU)and make their loins tremble continually.
²⁴ Pour out your indignation upon them,
    and let your burning anger overtake them.
^25 (AV)May their camp be a desolation;
    let no one dwell in their tents.
²⁶ For they ^(AW)persecute him whom ^(AX)you have struck down,
    and they recount the pain of ^(AY)those you have wounded.
^27 (AZ)Add to them punishment upon punishment;
    may they have no acquittal from you.^[d]
28 Let them be ^(BA)blotted out of the book of the living;
    let them not be ^(BB)enrolled among the righteous.

²⁹ But I am afflicted and in pain;
    let your salvation, O God, ^(BC)set me on high!

³⁰ I will ^(BD)praise the name of God with a song;
    I will ^(BE)magnify him with ^(BF)thanksgiving.
³¹ This will ^(BG)please the Lord more than an ox
    or a bull ^(BH)with horns and hoofs.
³² When ^(BI)the humble see it they will be glad;
    you who seek God, ^(BJ)let your hearts revive.
³³ For the Lord hears the needy
    and ^(BK)does not despise his own people who are prisoners.

³⁴ Let ^(BL)heaven and earth praise him,
    the seas and everything that moves in them.
³⁵ For ^(BM)God will save Zion
    and build up the cities of Judah,
and people shall dwell there and possess it;
^{36     (BN)}the offspring of his servants shall inherit it,
    and those who love his name shall dwell in it.

(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+69&version=ESV)

I decided to go ahead and copy the entire chapter of Psalm 69 even though it is a little long but could not see breaking this up.  Frankly, this is how I feel today.  I am struggling, ready to give up, frustrated more than ever and this is the Scripture that the Lord gives me today. 

I don’t know if my readers have ever been to the point that they feel like giving up, like they are sinking and there is not fight left in them to continue but I have.  This blog is about seeking God in all circumstances and knowing that He is there and is in control.  His ways are not our ways and sometimes I feel like they are never the same as mine.  I get frustrated, confused and discouraged way too easily because the Word tells us that He is watching, He hears our cries and He will redeem us.  As long as we live in this world life will have times of frustration and weakness but we must hold on to our faith that He will sustain us and give us hope.

Then like David we begin to want bad things to happen to those that oppose us.  As I read David’s cry I thought, I would never wish bad like that on anyone but in my own ways I do.  I want God to make it difficult on those who hurt me.  I want them to have to suffer a little if I am going to have to, not to the point of blindness or homelessness just to the point that they see they have made a bad decision.  Just like David, I trust in Him to deliver but I also want to tell Him how to do it.  When we know that He is in control, why do we still have to tell Him how to take action?  Why do I doubt?  Why do I fret?  Why do I feel discouraged? 

My prayer today is that God would give to me a sense of peace that only comes from Him.  That He would make it very clear to me the path that I should take.  If I am to be content in my current situation, then I need peace in that and if I am to push forward I need a drive and a clear vision.  Today this blog is about me, so sorry for that but I hope my struggles will encourage and not discourage you.   I want the Lord to use me in such a way that I am an inspiration to seek Him and know Him, I don’t want to be the one that turns others away from the Lord.  He is great and mighty in power, there is no one like Him now or forevermore.  Know that He is God and that He and His ways are good.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila 

The Power of God

Psalm 68:19-35

English Standard Version (ESV)

¹⁹ Blessed be the Lord,
    who daily ^(A)bears us up;
    God is our salvation. Selah
²⁰ Our God is a God of salvation,
    ^(B)and to God, the Lord, belong deliverances from death.
^21 (C)But God will strike the heads of his enemies,
    the hairy crown of him who walks in his guilty ways.
²² The Lord said,
    “I will bring them back ^(D)from Bashan,
^(E)I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,
²³ that you may ^(F)strike your feet in their blood,
    that ^(G)the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from the foe.”

²⁴ Your procession is^[a] seen, O God,
    the procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary—
^25 (H)the singers in front, ^(I)the musicians last,
    between them ^(J)virgins playing tambourines:
^26 (K)“Bless God in the great congregation,
    the Lord, O you^[b] who are of ^(L)Israel's fountain!”
²⁷ There is ^(M)Benjamin, the least of them, in the lead,
    the princes of Judah in their throng,
    the princes of ^(N)Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali.

^28 (O)Summon your power, O God,^[c]
    the power, O God, by which you have worked for us.
²⁹ Because of your temple at Jerusalem
    kings shall ^(P)bear gifts to you.
³⁰ Rebuke ^(Q)the beasts that dwell among the reeds,
    the herd of ^(R)bulls with the calves of the peoples.
^(S)Trample underfoot those who lust after tribute;
    scatter the peoples who delight in war.^[d]
31 Nobles shall come from ^(T)Egypt;
    ^(U)Cush shall hasten to ^(V)stretch out her hands to God.

^32 (W)O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God;
    sing praises to the Lord, Selah
³³ to him ^(X)who rides in ^(Y)the heavens, the ancient heavens;
    behold, he ^(Z)sends out his voice, his mighty voice.
^34 (AA)Ascribe power to God,
    whose majesty is over Israel,
    and whose ^(AB)power is in ^(AC)the skies.
^35 (AD)Awesome is God from his^[e] (AE)sanctuary;
    the God of Israel—he is the one who gives^(AF)power and strength to his people.
Blessed be God!

(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+68%3A19-35&version=ESV)

God is mighty in power and we know when He is ready to act He will.  As I read through this passage I was once again reassured that God is in control and that He cares for us.  His ways are not our ways because He sees the whole picture and we only see a portion of it.  We can be assured that He is working for us and not against us even when we are going through trials and tribulations.

I was especially drawn to verse 27 where it speaks of Benjamin’s tribe being the least and it being in the lead.  This reminded me of Jesus’ words in Matthew 19:20 and 20:16 where He says that the last will be first and the first will be last.  I find it interesting how God takes the least of us and uses us for His glory.  Allowing His power to shine through us is the greatest privilege that any of us can have.  When we think that people are against us because we are Christians and that we will never make it up the corporate ladder or will get irritated at the fact that people are always criticizing the Christian but Christians are not allowed to give their opinion without being considered intolerant, we need to remember that one day, God will reveal the truth to everyone.  We will no longer be the least because we will be on the side of truth.

These verses are speaking about Israel but God’s power is not limited to the Israelites thanks be to Jesus our Lord and Savior.  He is the One that brought Salvation to ALL that BELIEVE and CALL upon HIS NAME.  We who have a relationship with Jesus Christ are included in God’s people.  So today, if you are going through struggles, remember that God has the power to save and He will let His power be known at the perfect time.  In the meantime, cling to Him, praise Him, and draw on His strength to see you through.

By seeking Him more you will know that He is powerful and He cares for you.  Daily He bears us up!  How amazing is that?!?!?!?!?!

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila

The Mountain of God

Psalm 68:15-18

English Standard Version (ESV)

¹⁵ O mountain of God, mountain of Bashan;
    O many-peaked^[a] mountain, mountain of Bashan!
¹⁶ Why do you look with hatred, O many-peaked mountain,
    at the mount that God ^(A)desired for his abode,
    yes, where the Lord will dwell forever?
^17 (B)The chariots of God are twice ten thousand,
    thousands upon thousands;
    the Lord is among them; Sinai is now in the sanctuary.
^18 (C)You ascended on high,
    ^(D)leading a host of captives in your train
    and ^(E)receiving gifts among men,
even among ^(F)the rebellious, ^(G)that the Lord God may dwell there.

(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+68%3A15+-+18&version=ESV)

In a few days I am planning on a trip to Denver, Colorado.  While there I will get to gaze upon the mountains and admire their beauty. They are so beautiful  but when you are on the mountain it is a difficult road to climb.  As I thought about the two mountains in this passage I began to visualize the road on both of those mountains.  Neither promises to be an easy road when you are traveling to the top but one leads to reward and one leads to destruction.

If I am going to climb a mountain I certainly want there to be a reward at the top.  In this passage we find a contrast between two mountains.  There is a mountain with one direction and one peak, the peak is God.  The mountain with many peaks may include, money, success, notoriety, and the worldly list goes on.  When someone is climbing the mountain of God they know that they only have one destination to get to, there are not multiple highs but only one high, the very top of that peak.  Now, when one climbs the mountain with many peaks they may find satisfaction in each one of those successes but they never find satisfaction and in the end, when they have reached the very highest peak, they will find emptiness and discontent because what they have been searching for, working for, will not be there.

As we climb the mountain of this life, are we seeking God and gaining strength in Him or are we trying to do it on our own strength?  Are we climbing the right mountain or are we simply searching in the wrong place?  As you seek Him, you will know but if you find yourself on the wrong mountain with the wrong guide, simply stop, turn around and run to God who will guide you gently to the top.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila