October 19 - Psalm 70

October 19 - Psalm 70:1-5

I imagine that being a King of Israel had its high points, but goodness David had to deal with a lot of naysayers. I've been in churches where it felt like every time I offered up a good suggestion, there were 25 people running to ensure that it would fail. They would say terrible things about me personally, insult my family and even my little dog (that might be an exaggeration). Sometimes it felt as if nothing good would ever happen because of the negative attitudes that seemed to be predominant within those churches.

If I extrapolate that to an entire kingdom, I would find myself in David's position. Every time he turned around there was someone ready to kill him so as to steal the throne. Even his sons were against him!

Now, while David wanted his enemies to be shamed, those who honestly sought God would be glad and rejoice! While David spent a lot of time worrying over the stresses he faced, he never allowed them to completely overwhelm him. He always remembered that God was his help and deliverer.

What does it take to get you to the point where you finally remember that God is your help and your deliverer? Do you praise God in all circumstances?

There is no way that my interactions with small churches in Iowa and Nebraska approximates the assaults that David faced as the King of Israel. He found the strength to face all of those things through his relationship with God. And even though he complained, he always came back to the realization that God was with him through it all and that gave him reason enough to praise and exalt the Lord.