Pure in Heart #5

Seeing The God That Sustains

We come to the end of our journey to find a heart like David with a somber Psalm (69).  While some of the other Psalms we have examined have been joyous and full of praise and excitement, this week we will look for God in the most trying of times. 

Beset But Not Defeated

Throughout this Psalm, David faces great challenges.  Everywhere he turns, his enemies are plotting and scheming against him.  Trials seem to crop up in every area of his life and overwhelm him.  Even his past mocks and haunts him as he reaches out to God, but there seems to be no answer.  It is a dire time for David and his predicament speaks to us.

We face enemies, situations and past failures that seem to crop back up with new consequences each time.  We can easily get lost in focusing on the situations and attacks that we face from life and the enemy. We can get locked into dwelling on the past, especially when it seems to linger in our present.  However, much like David in this Psalm, we need to remember that Christ delivers and fights for us. We don't have to fear the trials and temptations for Christ is with us.  We don't have to dwell on our past because Jesus' blood covers it.

When God's Not Visible, Don't Panic!

The worst part for David in this Psalm isn't the situations, enemies and past that he faces.   It is the feeling that he can't find God.  All of the troubles and misery that this life beset David with paled in comparison to not knowing where God was.  There are times when we look for God with our whole heart and we can't see Him.  This doesn't mean that we've lost revelation of God or that our relationship with Him has been severed.  If we are following after Him and in His covenant, God is still with us.  His perceived absence may just mean He is at work in another area of our lives.  He may be working in areas we can't see because it is not time for us to see. When we are in relationship with God and following His plan and can't seem to find Him, we simply need to trust that He is still there and working on our behalf.  He'll reveal himself in the fullness of time.

David stuck to his commitments to God.  He fasted and prayed and sought God's wisdom through the word.  He didn't abandon the way just because times were tough and God wasn't answering him right then and there.  This shows us a vision of God that is special.  It's the vision of trusting God; of having absolute faith in God and seeing beyond the physical circumstances of life.  It's this kind of vision that brings deliverance.

Changing Your Perspective

By the end of the Psalm, David reveals his vision of God in the way his language changes.  He no longer is focused on his enemies, his trials or the perceived disconnect from God.  In the last seven verses (v. 30-36), David praises God, exhorts others to praise God, trusts God for his deliverance, and affirms his love of God.  David has gone beyond temporal vision to spiritual vision.  He sees things now through the eyes of a true follower and his heart is set at ease. 

We can have that same comfort.  If we will refocus our vision away from the problems we face and to praising God, even when he doesn't seem to be there, we will begin to see God anew.  We will see the signs of His work in our life.  The supernatural plan God has for us will become plain and easy to understand.  Our worries and stress will fall by the wayside as we begin to pass through our problems with confidence and comfort.  Our problems won't always disappear, but we will be okay knowing that God is working on our behalf.  Because even when we can't find Him, we can know God's power, mercy and grace are working on our behalf. 

Memorial

Write out the last seven verses of Psalm 69. When you begin to feel attacked by the enemy, overwhelmed by situations, or separated from God even though you continually follow Him; bring these scriptures out and do them:

Praise God because of His greatness
Get others to praise with you (there is strength in numbers)
Trust in God and no other means of understanding other than where He leads you
Affirm your love for Him and the inheritance that it brings.

See how this mindset opens up your vision to see what God is doing in your life.  Let these scriptures always be a memorial to the ever present God that is looking out for you.