SEEKING STRENGTH IN DELUSION?!

Text: Ps. 61-62, 64-67
Life can often be characterized by difficulty and frustration. Things do not go our way, trials fall across our path, the culture is antagonistic to the message we base our life on and we can become disillusioned and jaded. Yet, today’s reading encourages perseverance through these trials and directs us to call on the only Creator and Sovereign of this Universe. The psalmist writes, “Hear my cry O God” (61:1), “My soul waits in silence for God only” (62:1) and, “Hear my complaint, O God” (64:1). When we ought to turn to the Lord because of being tired of the fight, we so easily turn to other comforters: food, the PlayStation, work, friends, the internet/TV, a hobby and more.

Yet, none of these ‘comforters’ are able to actually effect any change in our circumstance or even provide comfort….they simply distract for a time. The reason the Lord encourages His children to turn to Him is because total power belongs to Him (62:11) and He is the only Ruler Who will forever reign supreme (66:7). He alone is able to sovereignly answer our prayers and our cries for help so that our difficulties and frustrations are appropriately addressed. Simply ‘kicking the can down the road’ is never a solution because delay is delusion.

The psalmist rejoices in that God “has given heed to the voice of my prayer” (66:19). He knows that God cares and is able to deal effectively with whatever he brings before Him. And it is even more than that because as the psalmist glorifies God because of His hearing and answering his prayer – the world will sit up and take notice! The writer states that he ‘shares instinctively’ so that “all the ends of the earth may know and fear Him” (67:2, 7). So praise the Lord…out loud!