Psalm 58

How many of us ever heard of others saying "life's not fair"?

Psalm 58 is David's prayer for God's justice. David firmly understood God's heart of complete fairness and justice upon His creations. Be like David and know that even when the world is not fair to us, God is!

It's interesting that David had likened the wicked's lies as that of venom of a cobra, which would not even respond to the tune of the most skillful snake charmer (Psalm 58:4-5). It seems that their hardened hearts would not be able to listen to God's call for repentence.

We are all mortals and sinners. Every of us is capable of becoming the venom to some one, whether deliberately or unknowingly, no matter how innocent our words may appear to be. We may be facing injustice in our workplace or other circumstances that almost cause us to seek vengence against some one who wronged us, but God's advice is to wait upon Him and not seek devices to warrant "pay back time" for those wrong-doers. It takes great humility to do that. And the source of strength comes from knowing that we will be vindicated by God in due time.

Nothing beats a good prayer guide to commit our circumstances to the Lord:

You Are Our Help in Times of Trouble
(Stormie Omartian, "My Book of Prayer", 2004, Christian Art Publishers, p 53)

"Lord, help us to not be afraid when bad things happen,
knowing You are our refuge and our strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Even if the world falls apart,
even though the mountains are carried into the midst of the sea,
we don't have to fear.
Raise us up to be Your powerful praying church."

A story of courage from Afghanistan

Many of us living in our comfortable lifestyle in a cosmopolitan city like Singapore, would have thought little of the anguish and sufferings from refugees of many third-world countries.

I was reading an article from Reader's Digest (November 2007 Edition), "The Other Side of the Sky", and was truly touched by the true-life story related by the author Farah Ahmedi. She told of a heart-rending story of how she lost one of her legs in a land-mine accident in Afghanistan when she is only seven, and how she came to America with her mother as a refugee after losing her father, sisters and brothers. This was in the 1990s and the country had been devasted by wars with the then Soviet Union and the mujahideen.

My tears swelled when I read of her encounter with a kind German lady, Christina, while she was being fitted with a prosthetic leg at a German hospital, courtesy of a German humanitarian organisation. Christina had been consoling her, encouraging her every day by her bedside, visiting and bringing her toys, flowers, cards and candy --- something which Farah had never imagined to possess. Christina even brought her home for dinner when she was stronger. This lady was an angel to Farah. Such acts of kindness gave some one the strength to live on.

This is a great lesson of God's grace for me. Despite the odds against Farah, surely God was watching over her. The Greek orginal meaning of "grace" is "to help on one's way" (Jedidiah Tham, "The Apple of His Eye", 2004, Living Lillies, p. 63). When the going gets touch, we need to pause and listen to God's comforting words, even when the waiting for God's intervention seems years away. I guess the application for me is believing in God's favour and be reminded that He is always by my side despite the odds against me. By knowing that "help is on the way", I can seek to become a champion in the battles of life with God as my guide.

By the way, in case you are wondering Farah's fate, it was a happy ending for both Farah and her mother. They now live in Chicago in a comfortable apartment. Farah is now studying in a local university and contemplating a design course on prostheses --- giving life back to those affected by the loss of a limb.

Psalm 57

Psalm 57 depicts David's plight of fleeing from Saul into the cave of Adullam (2 Samuel 22:1) with about 400 men. I would imagine that in the darkness surrounding David's army in the cave, they would have refrained from building camp fires so as not to arouse the attention of Saul's pursuing army. It could be just a flicker of light from a burning torch that lent sight to the people. The light probably illuminated the fear in their hearts instead!

However, David's trust in God's protection was unwavering despite the looming danger and distress among his people, when he sung of him taking refuge in the shadow of God's wings (Psalm 57:1). David chose to focus on the source of help and not the seemingly hopeless situation before him.

What is our response when we are faced with life's difficult situations, or even threats on our lives? We can choose to live in fear or look unto Jesus, who is our redeemer and hope, for His divine intervention. In God we trust!

Psalm 56

Despite being persecuted by Saul, David was declaring God's protection unto his life. David firmly stood tall and calm in the raging tempest, walking in the light of the Lord despite the darkness surrounding him.

I am impressed by David's steadfast trust in the Lord. As Romans 8:31 says "... if God is for us, who can be against us?". This is echoed by David in Psalm 56:9 -- "Then my enemies will turn back when I call for help. By this I will know that God is for me".

We all have a purpose in life. Whether we view it through God's perspective of eternity in mind, or the world's short-term values which offer instant gratification, that depends on our foundation in God's Word. I like the following quotation:

"Let temporal things serve your use,

but the eternal be the object of your desire."

-- Thomas à Kempis

Our motivation in staying on God's path of light, and not be sidetracked by life's intimidations, comes from the understanding of our eternity destiny. So, amidst the din around us, listen to our Shepherd's call so that we will not be lured away from God's embrace. And when our eyes are fixed upon Christ, we will not fear men but God alone.

Psalm 55

Psalm 55 is saturated with David's anguish and fear from the betrayal of his own son (Absalom) and his counsellor (Ahithophel). David was once again on the run for his life. Note that this is the same David who fought Goliath without any protective armour or weapon, except now, he was in his old age.

Nevertheless, David demonstrated his faith and reliance on his Saviour to rescue him. Aptly said: "The fear of the Lord produces confidence and boldness" (John Bevere, "Breaking Intimidation: How to Overcome Fear and Release the Gifts of God in Your Life", 1995, Creation House). Indeed, David's reverence and trust in the Lord is captivating.

John Bevere in his book, expounded the scene with Jesus coming to Gethsemane to pray before He was betrayed. Gethsemane literally means "oil press", where oil is extracted from the olive. The olive will only yield oil when pressure is applied. John compared the pressure source at Gethsemane with the conditions of our hearts. Only during trials will men expose their motives and their true selves. When we are faced with the true revelation of the motives of those whom we trusted, that's when we face great pain and anguish. But thanks to Christ's everlasting grace of bearing of our sins that we can truly count on our Lord to deliver us from every trying circumstance of our lives.

What a great way to end the psalm with a firm declaration such as this: "... But as for me, I trust in you" (Psalm 55:23).

Psalm 54

David was fleeing from Saul and landed in the wilderness of Ziph. The Ziphites belonged to the same tribe as David but the Ziphites negotiated with Saul and betrayed David. Imagine Jesus Christ's own encounter with the betrayal of His close disciple Judas! Reading Psalm 54 is never the same again when we read it with Christ as the centrepiece of the event unfolded before us.

As we face similar situations of betrayal and persecution, or situations where we are being wrongly accused by others, may we remember Psalm 54:7: "For he (God) has delivered me from all my troubles, and my eyes have looked in triumph on my foes".