Going It Alone
by Charles R. Swindoll
Psalm 13:1-2 begins where the despondent person spends most of
his or her time: flat on the ground, crushed under the weight of sorrow. In the
first section of the song, we see . . .
David on His Face....
How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me?
How long shall I take counsel in my soul,
Having sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long will my enemy be exalted over me? (Psalm 13:1-2)
Swamped by the overwhelming trials of life, David resorts to
four common and human ways to handle despondency. In these two verses, he
reminds us of ourselves and four mental escape routes we often take under
pressure.
1. God has forgotten me---forever. Remember the last time
you felt abandoned? "How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever?"
Since the testing had continued so long without hope of relief, David finally
became emotionally crushed beneath the load. He wondered if God had abandoned
him.
2. God doesn't care about me. This is nothing short of gross
self-pity. "How long will You hide Your face from me?" This
inevitably accompanies feelings of abandonment, which whisper lies: "God
has simply lost interest. He said He would take care of me and bear my burdens
and lift my load, but that isn't the case!" (Sound a little familiar?)
God's Word is painfully honest. How often we see ourselves reflected on the
pages of the Bible.
3. I'm going to have to work things out for myself. This is
doubting God's promises, suggesting He is not trustworthy. "How long shall
I take counsel in my soul?" The Hebrew term translated "take
counsel" means to "plan." David had begun to plan a way out,
adjust matters himself. "After all," he might have said, "God
gave me a mind and He expects me to use it. God helps those who help
themselves!"
Hold it! Is that true? You may be surprised to know that
statement never appears in Scripture! Let's pause and remind ourselves of
several of Solomon's sayings:
- Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
- Commit your works to the LORD, And your plans will be established. (16:3)
- When a man's ways are pleasing to the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. (16:7)
- The lot is cast into the lap, But its every decision is from the LORD. (16:33)
What happens when we try to work things out in our own
flesh? Exactly what happened to David. And what was that? Look at the next part
of Psalm 13:2, "Having sorrow in my heart all the day." Sorrow, strain, frustration, and worry became his constant
companions. Such are the by-products of do-it-yourself activities. When will we
ever learn to leave our burdens with the Lord and let Him work out the details?
4. I resent this trial! It's humiliating to endure being
stepped on. Pride has now been wounded, so it retaliates. "How long will
my enemy be exalted over me?"
Isn't this a typical complaint? Again, I remind you, it
comes from pride. It says, in effect, that I have the right to defend the
truth, especially when it comes to some enemy taking advantage of me. How we
fight to maintain our pride! How we long to be appreciated and well thought of!
David was having to learn that the truth will defend itself. It will emerge as
the champion in God's own time.
No comments:
Post a Comment