Psalm
64 reminds me of the customer service many of us have experienced
when calling for technical assistance. We call the number on our
bill and are routed to someone in India that reads us scripted
answers in broken English. We conclude that this company does not
really care about my problem. This psalm of David begins, “Hear
me, O God, as I voice my complaint“.
Some will react by chiding, we should never complain to God. The
Bible has multiple examples and God’s anger being stoked because of
His people complaining. As always, I believe it comes down to our
attitude. Understand, God is near and He already knows your
situation. God has perfect knowledge. Our complaints are not for
God’s benefit, but for our own. Notice David desires God’s
intervention as he describes his situation. “Hide
me from the
conspiracy
of the wicked“.
Maybe
you have felt this way, “They
sharpen their tongues like swords… ambush at the innocent man…
They encourage each other in evil plans“.
Every one of us has felt the sting of being a target. Sometimes we
earn scorn because of our own behavior. Listen to David’s desire,
“turn
their own tongues against them… bring them to ruin… mankind will
fear; they will proclaim the works of God and ponder what He has
done“.
David desires that God would be exalted through his trials. The
psalm ends with this prayer, “Let
the righteous rejoice in the Lord… the upright in heart praise
him!”
Friend, in your complaint, are you making a prank call to God, or
expressing a true desire for God to change lives?
Psalm
65 reminds me of our reaction after we allow God to become Lord in
our life. Not only does God increase our faith, but He gives us the
boldness to tell others. He begins, “O
God…
to
You our vows will be fulfilled. You who hear prayer… to You
all
men will come“.
Listen to the joy that David has personally experienced, “When
we
were overwhelmed by sins, You forgave… Blessed are those You choose
and bring near“.
I desire that my life would be one that draws people to God’s
Saving grace!
The
rest of the psalm is David’s public praise for God. I believe
anyone that met David knew of his reliance on God’s unending mercy.
It is amazingly refreshing when someone in a position of
responsibility lives out their faith for all to see. “You
answer us with awesome deeds… God our Savior, the hope of all the
ends of the earth“.
I think David stopped to notice the works of God all around him.
“Formed
the mountains by Your power… stilled the roaring of the seas…
where morning dawns and evening fades
you
call forth songs of joy… You care for the land and water it… You
enrich it abundantly“.
As each new season brings change, David sees the hand of God, “for
so You have ordained it“.
“You
soften it with showers and bless its crops… You crown the year
with
your bounty… abundance… the hills are clothed with gladness“.
We are all faced with pressures and difficult decisions in our day.
David was king and carried the burden for the entire nation. It
seems that even in the most stressful times, he knew he could turn to
the beauty of God’s creation and be reminded of God’s goodness in
His design. He concludes, “The
meadows… the valleys… they shout for joy and sing“.
How about you? Do you have a song on your lips or nothing but
complaints? Maybe you need to call out to God.