Living Lessons

To the choirmaster: according to Lilies. Of David.

1 Save me, O God!
    For the waters have come up to my neck.
2 I sink in deep mire,
    where there is no foothold;
I have come into deep waters,
    and the flood sweeps over me.
3 I am weary with my crying out;
    my throat is parched.
My eyes grow dim
    with waiting for my God.

4 More in number than the hairs of my head
    are those who hate me without cause;
mighty are those who would destroy me,
    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 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 for your sake that I have borne reproach,
    that dishonor has covered my face.
8 I have become a stranger to my brothers,
    an alien to my mother's sons.

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

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

16 Answer me, O LORD, for your steadfast love is good;
    according to your abundant mercy, turn to me.
17 Hide not your face from your servant,
    for I am in distress; make haste to answer me.
18 Draw near to my soul, redeem me;
    ransom me because of my enemies!

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

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

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

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

34 Let heaven and earth praise him,
    the seas and everything that moves in them.
35 For God will save Zion
    and build up the cities of Judah,
and people shall dwell there and possess it;
36     the offspring of his servants shall inherit it,
    and those who love his name shall dwell in it. – Psalm 69:1-36 ESV

Do you ever wonder why difficulty comes into your life? As a Christian, do you ever question why God would allow you to suffer at all? The presence of pain, persecution, and trials is difficult for us to understand, even as Christ-followers. As humans, we seem innately wired to run from trouble or to confront it head-on. Either way, we intend to escape it or remove it from our lives. Yet the reality of pain and suffering is one of the things we human beings all have in common. It comes in varying degrees of difficulty; some seem to suffer more than others. But no one gets to go through life completely untouched by sorrow, hurt, difficulty, trials, and the feelings of despair they bring.

Even as God’s anointed king of Israel, David was not immune to difficulty. In fact, long before his kingdom began, he found himself in dire straits, running for his life and spending his days living in the wilderness instead of a palace. Psalm 69 reflects the words of a man in deep trouble and up to his neck in difficulty. We don’t know the circumstances surrounding his situation, but it is clear that David is having a hard time. He says, “I am in deep water,” “I sink into the mire,” I am exhausted,” “I weep and fast,” and “I am in despair.”

Things are not going well for David, so he calls out to His God for help. He asks Yahweh to save him, rescue him, show him favor, and answer his prayer. He appeals to God’s unfailing love and mercy. David knows that God is his only hope. He fully understands that God alone can rescue him from everything happening to him. While David doesn’t enjoy what is taking place, he sees it as an opportunity to watch God work.

Don’t hide from your servant;
    answer me quickly, for I am in deep trouble!
Come and redeem me;
    free me from my enemies. – Psalm 69:17-18 NLT

I am suffering and in pain.
    Rescue me, O God, by your saving power. – Psalm 69:29 NLT

He knows this is a chance to witness the power of God displayed in and around his life. His pain and suffering provide a platform for God to display His power. And when God does rescue, David will have plenty of reasons for praise and thanksgiving. Not only that, all those who love and honor God will also have ample reason to be encouraged and emboldened to trust God.

The humble will see their God at work and be glad.
    Let all who seek God’s help be encouraged. – Psalm 69:32 NLT

David knew his difficulties were simply temporal occasions for God to display His eternal power. Our trials are no trouble for God. He is not worried, dismayed, panicked, or fearful about the outcome. He simply wants to reveal His strength through our weakness. He wants to display His power through our impotence.

God loves to save. He longs to rescue. And when His children praise and thank Him for doing so, He is glorified and honored. When God rescues us, others are encouraged. When God intervenes on our behalf and we sing His praises to those around us, they are prompted to trust in God the next time they go through trials and difficulties. Our troubles become opportunities to witness God’s saving power. They provide us with real-life examples of God’s presence and power, and remind us of God’s love and mercy. When we thank Him for His salvation from trouble and tell others what He has done for us, He is glorified. And all who seek God’s help get encouraged.

Father, You long to intervene in our lives and You long to show Your power. You have chosen to do so through our weaknesses. You have determined to display Your glory through those events in our lives that reveal our own weaknesses. May we see those times as opportunities to see You work. And when You do, may we give You the glory and praise You deserve. So that others will be encouraged to trust You more. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

God Has Seen. He Will Redeem.

You have taken up my cause, O Lord; you have redeemed my life. You have seen the wrong done to me, O Lord; judge my cause. You have seen all their vengeance, all their plots against me. – Lamentations 3:56-58 ESV

Jeremiah had been through a lot. He had been a prophet for God, delivering a message of repentance and warning of future judgment if that message was ignored. Not only was his message unaccepted, his own people persecuted, rejected and even physically attacked him for his efforts. And eventually, Jeremiah had to stand by and watch as the city of Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians. He had to witness the destruction of the temple of God. He had a front row seat to the deportation of the people as they were shipped out as captives of the Babylonian king and his conquering army. And while Jeremiah was allowed to remain in the land of Judah along with a remnant of the people, he fared no better than before. He was still despised. He was blamed for all that had happened. He had no friends, only enemies. There were even times when he felt alienated and abandoned by God. “He has walled me about so that I cannot escape; he has made my chains heavy;  though I call and cry for help, he shuts out my prayer; he has blocked my ways with blocks of stones; he has made my paths crooked” (Lamentations 3:7-9 ESV). Jeremiah found himself in a dark place emotionally and spiritually. He confessed, “my soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is; so I say, ‘My endurance has perished; so has my hope from the Lord’” (Lamentations 3:17-18 ESV). But as we saw in yesterday's post, Jeremiah had one thing he continued to hang on to during his dark days of despair. “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:21-23 ESV).

The love and faithfulness of God. That is what kept Jeremiah going. And for Jeremiah, it was not some nebulous, bible-verse-on-a-plaque concept. It was real and he had experienced it in his own life. God had been loving and faithful to him in the past, so he knew that it was possible for God to be that way even under his current circumstances. God had taken up Jeremiah's cause before. He had redeemed Jeremiah's life on more than one occasion over the years. So why couldn't He and why wouldn't He do so now? Jeremiah knew that God was fully aware of what was going on. He had seen it all. He wasn't not blind or oblivious to Jeremiah's difficulties. Jeremiah's God was compassionate and fully cognizant of his circumstances. After all, God had been the one to orchestrate all that had happened. There was nothing Jeremiah said in chapter three that God was not aware of already or for which He had a failed to prepare a plan of action. The question wasn't whether God would redeem, but simply when and how. Jeremiah had no way of knowing just what God would do. He had no idea when God would do it. But he had hope based on past experience that God WOULD do something. Jeremiah believed, “The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord” (Lamentations 3:25-26 ESV). 

The temptation we face when going through a difficult time like Jeremiah is to lash out, if not at God, at others. We especially want to verbally attach those who are harming us. We want to take revenge and enact vengeance on those who persecuting us. But Jeremiah says it is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. It's hard to keep our mouths shut when those around us are casting dispersions on our character or attacking us with their words. Yet Jeremiah said, “You have heard their taunts, O Lord, all their plots against me. The lips and thoughts of my assailants are against me all the day long. Behold their sitting and their rising; I am the object of their taunts” (Lamentations 3:61-63 ESV). I am sure there was a part of Jeremiah that wanted to lash out and light up his opponents. He wanted to give them a piece of his mind. He would have loved to have been able to defend himself and expose the lies of his enemies. But instead, he was willing to trust God. He sees. He will redeem. In the last three verses of his prayer, Jeremiah states, “You will repay them…”, “you will give them…, “your curse will be on them…”, “you will pursue them….” In other words, God had this handled. He would do what needed to be done. He would redeem. And Jeremiah was content to let God do it His way and according to His timeline. In the meantime, he would quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.

We sometimes have a hard time believing that God sees what is going on. We either believe He is indifferent and doesn't care or is too busy and preoccupied with more significant issues. And because we don't think God sees, we doubt that He will redeem. That's when we are tempted to take matters into our own hands. We seem our own vengeance. We attempt to act as our own savior. Rather than quietly wait on God's salvation, we step in and, sadly, we screw things up. Waiting on God can be difficult. Remaining quiet can be practically impossible. But when we have a long history of having seen God work in our lives, it is far easier to trust Him. His past acts of redemption make future waiting on Him less difficult. That is why Jeremiah said, “You have taken up my cause, O Lord; you have redeemed my life.” God had proven Himself faithful in the past. He would prove himself faithful in the future. He has seen. He will redeem.  

I Have Seen Your Salvation.

Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel. – Luke 2:29-32 ESV

Simeon was a Jew who is described as “righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel” (Luke 2:25 NLT). The Holy Spirit “had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah” (Luke 2:26 NLT) and so had led him to the temple that day. It had been 40 days since Jesus' birth and, according to Levitical law, it was time for Mary to offer a sacrifice in the temple to atone for her ritual uncleanness (Leviticus 12:6-7). So God was arranging a divine appointment between Simeon, Mary, Joseph and the infant named Jesus. Like many Jews in his day. Simeon longed to see the Messiah. But while many of his fellow Jews had long given up, Simeon lived with a high degree of expectation and anticipation. The Spirit of God had told him that he would live long enough to see the coming of the Messiah. Evidently, Simeon was advanced in years and knew that his time was running out. But he also believed that God would be faithful to fulfill what He had promised. So on that particular day in the temple, Simeon came face to face with the long awaited Messiah. Jesus, the baby born to Mary, did not have a particularly unique name. In fact, it was common among Jews. But in His case, it carried particular significance, because it meant “Yahweh saves.” When the angel Gabriel had told Mary that she was to bear a child, he told her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” (Luke 1:30-33 NLT). This was to be no ordinary baby. This child was going to grow up to be the Son of God, the Messiah of the Jews and the Savior of the world. The very one for whom Simeon had been waiting.

Mary and Joseph, having offered their sacrifice, also offered Jesus to the Lord. This was in keeping with God's instruction regarding the dedication of the firstborn (Exodus 13:2, 12, 15). Jesus, as the firstborn male son, belonged to God. And it was as Mary and Joseph entered the temple to dedicate Him to God, that Simeon got his first glimpse of the Messiah. His response came in the form of a prayer or praise to God. He is blown away by the experience. He basically says, “I can die a happy man now because I have seen Your salvation.”  Keep in mind, all Simeon saw was a baby and His relatively poor Jewish parents. For all intense and purposes, they were just another Jewish couple coming to the temple to dedicate their firstborn. There was no grandeur, no pomp and ceremony. They were not greeted at the doors of the temple by dignitaries. There was no parade. There weren't even any angels singing praises like there had been with the shepherds. But Simeon knew. He understood that he was looking at God's salvation. Yahweh saves.

What strikes me is that this was probably not what Simeon expected. Like most Jews, he was probably anticipating a more robust, impressive, warrior-like Messiah. After all, even if Jesus grew up to be a king like David, Simeon would not live to see it happen. He would never get to watch Israel's salvation take place. But he was okay with that. He expressed no disappointment. He revealed no hint of dissatisfaction. It was enough for him that he saw God's salvation. He described Jesus as “light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” Jesus was to be a light shining in the darkness of Simeon's day. John wrote in his gospel, “John (the Baptist) himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world” (John 1:8-9 NLT). Paul would later write,  “the Messiah would suffer and be the first to rise from the dead, and in this way announce God’s light to Jews and Gentiles alike” (Acts 26:23 NLT). Simeon was seeing a glimmer of the light to come. This innocent, helpless baby would grow up to be the light of the world. He would shine in the midst of the darkness and bring the salvation of God to all of mankind, not just the Jews. Simeon would go on to bless Mary and Joseph and to tell them, “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, but he will be a joy to many others. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him” (Luke 2:34 NLT). God's salvation would not be accepted by all. Many would reject Jesus as the Messiah. He would even suffer death at the hands of His own people. But this was all part of God's divine plan. It was all part of God's remedy for man's sin and rebellion. As Isaiah the prophet had written many years earlier, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6 ESV). Simeon lived to see the salvation of God and was satisfied. Many of us who have experienced the salvation of God through Jesus have received eternal life, but are still unsatisfied. It is as if, God's salvation is not enough. Yes, we cannot see what is to come, but isn't God's Word enough. Isn't His promise of abundant life now and life eternal enough? Oh, that we could say along with Simeon, “I have seen Your salvation!”