SIGNIFICANCE (Psalm 90)

(A continuing series on the 48 psalms commended for study during times of feeling down, from counselor/pastor David Seamands’ book, Healing for Damaged Emotions.)

Above my kitchen sink is a framed calligraphy of Psalm 90:12, 14, in a refreshing version, prepared and gifted to me by a friend. In his retirement, this smart engineer-type guy took up calligraphy! I knew his wife better, as she was co-leader (with my mother) of a pre-teen girl’s “Horizons Club” (a version of long-ago Camp Fire Girls). Her daughter and I were classmates from grade school through high school, though we went our separate ways after graduation and lost touch. He died in 2004 at age 85, she at the same age two years later. Still, I will never forget their investment in me as one of their “girls” during the awkward adolescent years. I love the simple but beautiful script he chose for these verses:
Our lives are over in a breath.
Teach us to count how few days we have and so gain wisdom of heart.
Let us wake in the morning filled with Your love, and sing and be happy all our days.

LIFE LESSON

“Teach us to number our days aright,” wrote Moses, the psalm’s author, “that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Living to 120, Moses outlived his predictions of typical life span of 70 to 80 years (v. 10). Those years “quickly pass,” he declared. Bible teachers observe that Moses spent the first forty years of his life thinking he was “somebody” (favored adopted royal son). For another forty years, he was a nobody (a criminal refugee in the wilderness). In the third forty, he found out God can do with a nobody (leading thousands upon thousands of former slaves from Egypt to the Promised Land). If we were to review our biographies, how we’d position those age numbers for ourselves would be telling!

Did Moses ever get depressed?  No doubt! Think of his fall from royalty to obscurity when his anger and resulting choice of murder sent him to obscurity amidst baa-ing sheep. Then came a God-task that needed God-enabling-power: the Exodus. Leadership is a lonely place, and mistakes are costly. Moses’ anger cost him the privilege of stepping foot in the Promised Land . The story is in Numbers 20; in reading it, notice the “we” of verse 10.The Israelites were grumbling about no water. God told Moses to speak to a certain rock and He—God—would cause it to burst forth water. Instead, Moses yelled, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water our of this rock?” With that little pronoun, he put himself on the same level as God in bringing about a miracle Then he angrily struck it instead of speaking to it.

LIFE PURPOSE

At life’s end, Moses had to just look across the horizon to Canaan, realizing that for all his labor in leading the unruly refugees, he would not enter it. Sometimes we don’t know why certain things we feel we deserved are kept from us, but we need to trust the wisdom and love of God for what we lack in this life. As sinful humans, we pack a lot of “entitlements.” Our consumer culture doesn’t help. We want more, and more. Moses’ attitude adjustment comes in verses 14-15:

Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.  Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, for as many years as we have seen trouble.

Many mornings my “quiet time” is tear-soaked as I pray for difficult situations and people in my life. I want things solved, not to drag on and on. But my husband keeps reminding me that I can’t fix the world.  Only Jesus can. I’m just to do the best I can with the abilities and opportunities God has put before me. My “significance” is measured in a different way when life is done. Thus I pray with Moses:

May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us—yes, establish the work of our hands. (v. 17)

MERCY (Psalm 86)

One of the miniature railroad enthusiasts at our local 

county fair had this "perfect" winter display for our

enjoyment. Fun to look at--but not our real world.

(A continuing series on the 48 psalms recommended for reading and study during times of depression by counselor/pastor David Seamands, author of Healing for Damaged Emotions.)

Like a pep rally of almost galactic proportions, the frenzied shopping and hoopla that now seem to define the Christmas season will soon end. I’m probably in the minority but I vote for simplicity: less stuff, more of Jesus. Millions do not have what our culture considers the “normative” holiday. Disaster and discouragement dog each day. King David, who lived centuries before Christ, had his share of those days even after rightfully ascending the throne. When I began to study Psalm 86, realizing I’d unwrap its message right before Christmas, I thought how inappropriate. I was wrong.

This is the only psalm by David in the entire “Book III” of Psalms, the majority written by Asaph or other Levites who led worship. I can’t answer why except this is the way the ancients organized psalms. But as only God could arrange things, there is a Christmas message here:

All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, O Lord. They will bring glory to your name.  For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God.  (vv. 9-10)

GLORY TO HIS NAME

On a bitter night in Bethlehem, a marvelous thing happened: God become flesh. Rough-and-tumble shepherds were the first visitors of a Baby who, though born into poverty, was an earthly descendant of King David. The infant’s birth was announced by angels, heralding that this was now (as Bible translator J.B. Phillips famously said) the visited planet. Later, a curious star led royal seers from far away. Some day, as David wrote, all nations will worship God alone.

David had no idea this was in the works when he wrote this psalm. Much of it reflects the message from the prophet Nathan to newly-enthroned King David, found in 2 Samuel 7 and often called the “Davidic Covenant.” It’s full of good and hopeful things, including this prophecy about Jesus:

Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.(2 Samuel 7:16)

This is a psalm about mercy. “Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I call to you all day long” (v. 3). “Hear my prayer, O LORD, listen to my cry for mercy” (v. 6). David appealed to God to help him on the basis of God’s character. Consider circling verse 15:

But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. 

GOD-GIFTS

It’s easy to let lists like this fly over our heads, like kids fling wrapping paper on Christmas morning as they tear into their gift piles. But each of these qualities is a precious gift. When I am discouraged from negative circumstances or critical people, I find help in simply focusing on these qualities of God.  Even this morning, as I prayed for the person who has verbally abused me, God visited in simply bringing to mind the chorus of an old hymn written by George Young, a preacher and carpenter. One time when he was away preaching, some thugs who didn’t like his message burned down his humble home. Out of that experience he wrote the hymn “God Leads Us Along.” Its chorus reached across a century to cloak me with a sense of God’s care in my “cares”:

Some thro’ the water, some thro’ the flood,

Some thro’ the fire, but all thro’ the blood;

Some thro’ great sorrow, but God gives a song,

In the night season and all the day long.

It's not in the “Christmas” section of my hymnal, but it reminds me of God’s incomprehensible love for me—that He would send His Son to this messed-up planet to show us up-close what “mercy” really looks like. Glory to His Name. Blessed Christmas!

LONGING (Psalm 84)

Grain elevators--symbols of God's abundance

(An ongoing series on psalms to study during times of depression, as recommended in pastor-counselor David Seamands' book, Healing for Damaged Emotions.)

She was physically blind, but spiritually she saw much. One day in 1874, prolific hymn-lyricist Fanny Crosby was visiting with a New York hat-maker who also composed music. He played his newest tune and asked if it suggested any words to her. She exclaimed, “Close to Thee,” and soon dictated the poem that came to her. It began, “Thou my everlasting portion.”  This phrase, used often in the psalms, referred to how the Levites (who took care of the tabernacle, and later the temple) didn’t get land allotments in Canaan like other tribes because God was to be their “portion.”

Whenever I re-read Psalm 84, composed by a Levite whose job description was “temple doorkeeper,” I think of that phrase. “Blessed are those who dwell in your house,” he wrote (v. 4), “they are ever praising you.” Even though they weren’t out farming or doing other jobs, God provided for them. His supply (as symbolized by these grain elevators) and His presence were enough.

PRESENCE

This sweet psalm is one I’ve marked up a lot in my Bible. Even this morning, as I prepared to write about it, I found myself moved to tears in thinking about the writer’s enjoyment of God’s presence. Through the day, the Levites who protected the tabernacle’s physical location (as did this writer as “doorkeeper,” v. 10) or carried on tasks connected to sacrifices, had a constant awareness of God’s holy presence. Steps away was the secluded gold-covered chest or “ark,” crafted after the exodus from Egypt, and holding the stone tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments. 

But ordinary earth life still took place: the sparrows (considered worthless birds, selling for the least valuable coin) and the swallows (symbols of restlessness) flitted around, their nests in nooks and crannies.

PROTECTION

Verses 5-7, which speak about “pilgrimage,” bring images of ragged, tired Jews making the long, dangerous pilgrimage to this sacred worship center. The author speaks of them passing through the “Valley of Baca.”  “Baca” implies “weeping.” Depression has a way of keeping tears close to the surface. Even this morning as I prayed for someone in spiritual need who has maligned me, I wept. I knew God saw those tears, and true to Fanny Crosby’s hymn, the Lord Almighty seemed close to me.

For such times, I have this psalm’s promise: 

The Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.” (84:11).

PURPOSE

From the heart of this nameless doorkeeper come these reminders:

*Dwell on the loveliness of Jesus (v. 1)

*Praise (v. 4)

*Trust (v. 12)

As we continue our pilgrimages (v. 7) our weaknesses will grow to strengths, our low times to joy and ecstasy when we pass through eternity’s doors to see Him in all His glory. From time to time, I need to be reminded of this truth, and Psalm 84 does that for me.

REMEMBER! (Psalm 77)

One of my uncles lived through a similar attack in World War 2

(An ongoing series on the 48 psalms recommended for study during times of depression, as listed in David Seamands’ book, Healing for Damaged Emotions. This week marks the half-way point in this study begun in June. It's helped me to sense God's purposes in the challenges I've faced. Hope you've found encouragement in this journey, too.)

Our home’s wall calendar has “Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day” noted on this day, Dec. 7.  My older sister was barely a month old in 1941 when Honolulu’s Pearl Harbor was attacked and filled with death. Several of my mother’s six brothers served in the military, and one, Norman, was a Marine aboard the Enterprise,  supporting battles in the Pacific. In 1945, two years before I was born, his ship and crew endured a Kamikaze (suicide pilot) attack that killed 12 and wounded 72. Later, his duty over, Norman returned to civilian life, but did little more than entry-level jobs. He never married. But bring up the subject of war, and he would remember its death, despair and distress.

DESPAIR AND DISTRUST

When I realized that my weekly study of the “depression psalms” would land this one on Dec. 7, I thought, how appropriate. Like the author, Asaph, we can get dragged down by memories of the past. The first part of the psalm is full of personal pronouns: I, my, me. I identified with his response when sleep eluded him at night:

When I was in distress, I sought the Lord; at night I stretched out my untiring hands and my soul refused to be comforted. I remembered you, O God, and I groaned; I mused and my spirit grew faint.(vv. 2-3)

In those dark-night and emotionally-dark times, Asaph remembered better times long ago before it seemed that God had turned His back and gone away. His hurting heart spewed out six angry questions about the very character of God:

1. Will God reject us forever?

2. Will He never show favor again?

3. Has His unfailing love vanished forever?

4. Has His promise failed for all time?

5. Has God forgotten to be merciful?

6. Has He in anger withheld his compassion?

DELIVERANCE!

The answer to all those questions is “no!” Even when life is dismal and distressing, God’s love never goes away. Asaph realized that, as well, in remembering. In his case, it was recounting the astonishing history of the Hebrews leaving slavery in Egypt. The miraculous plagues were followed by the miraculous parting of the sea, described in powerful poetry in verses 16-20 of this psalm.

At first reading, the last verse of his psalm seemed out of character with the strong language earlier:

You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron. (v. 20)

Sheep have poor memories. They need their shepherd. When times are tough, when life is an ocean filled with mines and battleships, and a sky with kamikaze suicide pilots (Satan seems to enjoy that type of warfare), I need a wise commander. When I remember the other times He has helped me in life’s battles, I am encouraged to keep going.

WHOM...BUT YOU? (Psalm 73)

Ever feel as empty as an old crock?  This is the psalm for you!

(A continuing series on the 48 psalms listed as “recommended reading” for times of depression, from pastor/counselor David Seamands, author of Healing for Damaged Emotions.)

Some psalms are like good friends who just get better and closer, the longer you’re around them. That’s how I feel about Psalm 73. It’s attributed to “Asaph,” one of the worship leaders in David’s time. He’s also credited with Psalm 50 and most of the psalms (#73-83) in the third division of the book of Psalms. While thinking about the message of this psalm before writing about it, I felt led to read the entire book of Job because both wrestle with the age-old problem of why the righteous suffer.

LOOKING AROUND, DOUBTING GOD (1-14)

Depression deals with such questions as Asaph poses in comparing his life to that of the ungodly who seem to have health, riches, fame, and more:

Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence. All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning. (vv. 13-14)

In reading this, I think of Job, slumped in a dump in utter physical misery and personal devastation after his fall from riches and respect. The friends who dared to come around spilled their advice, but none of it reflected the mind of God.

LOOKING INWARD, ACKNOWLEDGING GOD (15-22)

I’ve been around people who know one song, “Woe is me, woe is me.” Sung in a minor chord, of course. Asaph’s song was set on that course until verse 17:

…I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.

To borrow a cliché, the end of the book hasn’t been written yet, but God knows what will go there. People who don’t follow God live on slippery ground (v. 18) and will be swept away when eternity commences (v. 19). Here’s where Asaph changes his tune from “woe is me” to “I was wrong”:

When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you.(v. 22)

That’s one way to describe “entitlement,” the selfish mental state that demands special treatment—whether it be social situations, education or jobs, housing, or other areas. Instead of thanking God for what one has, “entitlement” wants more and more, without the sweat equity that might be involved in bettering oneself.

LOOKING UPWARD, PRAISING GOD (23-28)

Oh, here are the verses that repeatedly have encouraged me, adjusting my heavenly focus:

Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.Whom have I in heaven but you? And being with you, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. (vv.25-26)

You can be certain that they are underlined in red in my Bible! The phrase “take me into glory” gets more precious by the year. I almost went there 21 years ago when a drinking driver totaled our car as we returned home from a vacation—but we lived. And now, dealing with physical issues of aging, I know my time on earth is shortening. If my family wants to use these verses at my funeral, that would be fine!

In the meantime, this psalm reminds me that I can’t do “life” in my own strength. Lately I have felt worn down from criticism and bullying from someone. But every morning, as I get out of bed and put my achy legs on the floor to start the day, I remember my Creator and Savior:

Whom have I in heaven but God? He is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

As Asaph concluded, “But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds” (v. 28).

PORTENT (Psalm 71)

Smile--an illustration of "ripe old age"! This is an 

"heirloom" tomato.

(A continuing series on the 48 psalms listed as "recommended reading" for times of depression, from pastor/counselor David Seamands in his book Healing for Damaged Emotions.)

This is often called the “old peoples’ psalm,” but one little one in verse 7 kept gnawing at me as I read the psalm in several translations.  It’s from this verse, rendered in the New International Version (also the English Standard Version) this way:

I have become a portent to many, but you are my strong refuge.

My notes next to it---perhaps from a long-ago sermon or other study—said this: "a barometer or sign; others took faith cues from him.” In other translations it’s rendered “example” (New Living), “wonder” (1611 and New King James), “marvel” (New American Standard), and “mystery” (Today’s English Version).

WHAT'S THAT WORD?

Sometimes it’s important (not related to portent) to understand specific words, and I think this is the case here. The enormous Thorndike Barnhart dictionary defines it as “a warning, usually of coming evil; sign, omen.” The original Hebrew, mopheth, denotes something conspicuous, a sign or a perhaps ominous event. Think of Moses and his “signs” or miracles before Pharaoh. So how, in old age, can we be a “portent” to many?

 I think the answer is in reconsidering the new attitude toward aging. Long ago, the aged were respected and looked up to. Today, we dread turning 55, when the mailbox begins to bulge with AARP and cremation options literature. Our culture has shifted to worshiping the youth culture. I think of that when I see a mature woman with beautiful silver hair—and an orange or purple stripe through it.

So what can the psalmist teach us about growing old well?

First, some housekeeping business.  Who wrote it?  This psalm and Psalm 43, which commentators believe was really the second half of Psalm 42, are the only ones without an author credit. As such, it’s anonymous, though some think it was written by a Levite about to retire from temple service.  In those days, such service was so aging and exhausting (think: constant slaughtering and heaving of carcasses up onto the altar) that Levites could only serve between the ages of 25 and 50. Others attribute it to an aging David, and that might be closer to the truth if it is attached to the five verses of Psalm 70, which pleads for God to help him.  It reads naturally into the beginning of Psalm 71. From the “help!” of Psalm 70 we go right to images of how God is our help in Psalm 71. From the first three verses, He:

*Is a refuge and rock of refuge.

*Never lets us be put to shame.

*Rescues us.

*Delivers us.

*Turns his ear toward us and saves us.

*Is our fortress

His enemies have no such perspective. They claim that God has forsaken him (v. 11) so it’s time to pursue and seize him.  To this, the psalmist counters that he will have hope and praise God more, declaring His mighty acts (vv. 14-16).

The psalm, I think, turns on verses 17-18:

Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.  Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O Lord, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come.

That’s the “portent,” the example of steadfast faith even to old age. Yes, the psalmist has his godless enemies and distracters. So do we, and sometimes our “distracters” are people who claim to know God but don’t behave like it. I heard it said that “Hurting people hurt people.” I’ve experienced that. But God is bigger than their mean words and actions, which nibble at me, pushing me into the blues or even depression. To be a “portent,” a warning against such things, I need to turn back to praise.

My tongue will tell of your righteous acts all day long,

For those who wanted to harm me have been put to shame and confusion. (v. 24)

Someone once said that when we get to Heaven, God’s not going to check us out for beauty but for battle scars. Troubles and trials are inevitable. Praise turns us into “portents”—older people to lead the way in loving and honoring Jesus Christ.

SINKING DOWN (Psalm 69)

This culvert near our home takes an irrigation ditch under the street for

about 100 feet. Not something I'd want to crawl through, which

makes me think all the more of what happened in Thailand

(A series on the 48 psalms recommended for times when depression comes, from the book Healing for Damaged Emotions by pastor/counselor David Seamands.)

All the scandals and attacks of our troubled planet took a back news page in July when twelve Thai boys and their soccer coach went missing. Their excursion into a complicated cave system turned into a two-week nightmare of darkness as rains poured, the cave flooded, and hope for their survival waned. But they were rescued!

The opening sections of Psalm 69 reminded me of this tense, despairing situation. Attributed to David, it begins:

Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me. (vv. 1-2)

Similar to Psalm 40, David likens his emotional state to a drowning or being sucked down in quicksand. If he’d gone to a counselor, his “get to know you” session might have sounded like this:

“I’m hoarse from screaming for help.” (v. 3)

“Everybody hates me for no reason.” (v. 4)

“Even my family has given up on me.” (v. 8)

“I’m scorned, disgraced, and shamed.” (v. 20)

Now, attach those descriptions to Jesus, for Psalm 69 is more than one man’s take on his dive from popularity. The One who perfectly showed us God’s love was hated for no reason.  Except for His mother, many doubted that He was who He claimed to be. He was scorned, disgraced, and shamed all the way to the cross where his executioners gave Him vinegar for his thirst.”  Yes, verse 21 and many other snippets of Psalm 69 are prophetic of what the Lord Jesus went through in dying for our sins. Seven of this psalm’s 36 verses are quoted in the New Testament.

This is one of twelve “imprecatory” psalms, and the only one chosen for Dr. Seamands’ list of “study” psalms for people battling depression. These psalms are full of revenge, even bitterness, toward people around them. This bothered me because Romans 12:19 says to leave vengeance to God. But here’s the basis for the psalms’ harshness. The people being called “enemies” in these psalms have rebelled against God, His chosen people, or His anointed king. 

Go ahead and skim through Psalm 69 and pause at verse 20:

I am in pain and distress; may your salvation, O God, protect me.

Then head into the last seven verses that start, “I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.” Draw a line from “name” in that verse to “name” in verse 36. When life is the pits (or we feel like we're drowning in one), one remedy is to deflect our attention to what is “praiseworthy.”  It is good medicine for “down times” to simply focus on God and His attributes. 

This is the other end of the under-the-street culvert,

so narrow that it would be impossible for a person to 

crawl under it. Maybe that's an analogy for the saying

that our impossibilities are God's possibilities.

I keep a little prayer notebook that fits into the outside pocket of my Bible. One of its tabbed sections is titled “God’s names,” and in there, in A-Z order, are the names of God as I have encountered them in my scripture reading. When I am feeling down, it is helpful for me to go there and just read those names and praise God for Who He is and All that He is. Sometimes at night when I can’t sleep, I lay in the darkness and go through the alphabet, speaking those names to God as worship. The negative circumstances and people who  contribute to my feeling “down” may not go away. But focusing on the One who is Light and Hope reminds me that there’s a way out of my temporary “miry depths.”

I can only imagine the astonishment of those Thai lads when a rescuer popped into their chamber. They weren’t entirely rescued yet, but the hope was there. Maybe that’s why there are psalms like this one, to remind us that when we feel lost and hopeless, as Christians we’re not really alone.

SATISFIED (Psalm 63)

Where I live is considered "high desert" but we're blessed by 

life-sustaining rivers. What David would have done for this!

Part of an ongoing series on the 48 psalms recommended for "down times" by counselor/pastor David Seamands (author of Healing of Damaged Emotions).

When I’m feeling down, I tend to go to certain psalms for comfort and instruction.  This is one.  In my Bible, it’s full of circles, connecting lines, and notes as I’ve thought about it, prayed through it, and feasted on it, as verse 5 suggests:

My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; 

With singing lips my mouth will praise you.

However, in returning with study aids to this psalm, I realized what I thought was “feasting” was just nibbling at the corners. I’d ignored the “plate” on which its truths were served, described in the inscription:

A psalm of David. When he was in the desert of Judah.

This time he wasn’t fleeing mad King Saul, but his own son, Absalom, usurping his father’s crown.  Now David was in the most obscure place he could find.  He’d gone from the palace to the pits—the hot, scruffy, dirty, dry desert. No wonder the psalm opens with images of thirst:

O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you;

My soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you,

In a dry and dreary land where there is no water.

Both his body and soul cried out in desperation. But more than real water, he wanted spiritual refreshment.

THROUGH THE NIGHT

I find that incredible.  Here he hides—filthy, physically spent, emotionally on edge.  The night comes and the darkness disguises his whereabouts.  But instead of the enemy, he thinks about his God. Verse 6 says that while on his bed (likely little more than a heavy cloak) he thinks about God through the “watches of the night.” In Jewish culture, those were the hours of sunset to 10 p.m., then 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., and then 2 a.m. to sunrise. The implication is that whenever he woke—whatever “watch”—he used that dark, lonely time to think about God as his helper and upholder.

I “get” that.  As much as I crave a good night’s sleep, there have been many nights when I’m awakened at what would be the second or third watch. My first thoughts are of an individual who has caused me much grief.  Rather than toss and turn, I get up and go to my rocker where I keep my Bible and devotional materials.  Often a verse cited in a devotional will take me to scriptures that speak encouragement to me.  Or, God will give me a nudge to read a certain psalm or chapter of Proverbs.  Then, in the darkness, I pray for this troubled person.

This psalm also challenges me to go beyond petitioning God on behalf of this person. David also simply worships God for who He is.

Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you,

I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.

My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. (vv. 3-5)

At times I reach down for the hymnal I keep by that chair and read through some lyrics.  Singing aloud would wake my spouse, so I sing in my soul, imagining myself as singing “in the shadow of [God’s] wings” (v. 7).

The psalm ends on a harsh note of retribution against David’s enemies.  I understand that in the historical context of a royal revolt.  But my heart goes back to the first verse and its declaration, “You are my God, earnestly I seek you, my soul thirsts for you.”  Those words help me invite into my heart the One who declared Himself to be the Living water (John 4:13-14), ready to refresh and encourage me.

GOD ALONE (Psalm 62)

This pumpkin exhibited at our local fair weighed a whopping 611 pounds.

But it wasn't close to the world pumpkin record of 2,424.6 pounds,

grown by a man in Germany in 2016.

Part of an ongoing series on the 48 psalms recommended for "down times" by counselor/pastor David Seamands (author of Healing of Damaged Emotions).

By just a few days, this posting misses the date important to the Peanuts cartoons about the “Great Pumpkin.” In them, Linus hangs out in darkness in the garden on Oct. 31, certain that the Great Pumpkin will appear. Meanwhile, his little friends scoff at his misguided belief system.

It’s funny, but sad for the deeper message: that God is not some “Great Pumpkin” spirit. You can't put Him in a box (or even in a pumpkin shell!). In this psalm, David affirms his faith in a God who is infinitely strong and constantly available in difficult times. Bible scholars say the psalm was probably written early in his reign (when Saul’s supporters were still around) or later, when David’s son Absalom was trying to usurp his father’s throne. David was feeling weak and vulnerable, a “leaning wall” or a “tottering fence” (v. 3) as his enemies try to topple him (v. 4).

FEELING DOWN

“Feeling down” and a sense of helplessness often coexist. But the strengthening truth of this psalm is that we need to look up when we’re feeling down. In almost identical refrains in verses 1 and 5, David declares his trust in God to bring victory over his enemies:

My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.

He alone is my rock and my salvation;

He is my fortress, I will never be shaken. (vv. 1-2, boldface added)

Verses 5-6 are similar except for a significant word change:

He is my fortress, I will not be shaken (v. 6)

David’s confidence grew from the weaker “never” to the stronger “not” as he affirmed God’s protection and help in his life. He went from verbalizing how he’d find faith in God, to actually “owning” God’s promise to hold him up. Three times he refers to God as his rock (vv. 2, 6, 7). God is the unshakeable ground on which David stands, and a refuge above and away from petty trouble.

LOOKING UP

So, how does that translate to today? We’re not trying to keep one rock mound away from blood-thirsty enemies. But our enemies can attack us with abusive words and actions that might make us question whether God sees it all and will bring us through it. David has an answer for that:

Lowborn men are but a breath, the highborn are but a lie;

If weighed on a balance, they are nothing; together they are only a breath.(v. 9)

The answer to feeling outnumbered and unappreciated is this: look at it from God’s perspective.  From the One who alone is your rock, salvation, and fortress.  He is strong. loving, and fair. Thus David’s conclusion:

Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done. (v. 12)

Feel like you’ve heard that before?  Go to Romans 2:6-7, which gives a preview of the final judgment when earth-history ends:

God will give to each person according to what he has done.  To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.  But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.

Feeling oppressed? Shut out by mean and abusive people? Put these words somewhere you’ll see them throughout the day, to help you focus on God’s strength and help: Rock, fortress, salvation.

LOOK ABOVE (Psalm 57)

Part of a continuing series on the 48 psalms that speak to getting through depression, recommended by pastor and author David Seamands (Healing for Damaged Emotions).

There’s an old humorous ditty that goes like this: “To dwell above with the saints we love, that will be glory. But to dwell below with the saints we know, well, that is a different story.” I think David would have half-laughed upon hearing that, then remarking, “I’m dwelling below with folks who aren’t exactly saints.” In reviewing our work, church, and social networks, we’d probably say the same.  With Psalm 57 comes yet another “they’re after me” complaint.  The preface says David had fled to a cave to try to elude King Saul’s “murder David” campaign.  David likened his pursuers to ravenous beasts (v. 4), and the dangers he faces to net traps and pits. That reminded me of the jungle warfare, especially during the Vietnam era.  Scary.

THE UPWARD LOOK

But Psalm 57 isn’t just a battlefield report. It’s interlaced with remarkable praise, making it a good model for looking “above” when things below are scary, troublesome, and depressing.  Twice David writes this chorus:

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth. (vv. 5, 11)

In other words, look above. I wonder if at times David crept out to the entrance of his cave and then, seeing no enemy about, dared to stand and drink in the skyscape. Perhaps he remembered the poetry of Job, who declared:

He wraps up the waters in his clouds, yet the clouds do not burst under their weight. (Job 26:8)

Or as Job’s “comforter” Elihu observed:

Who can understand how he spreads out the clouds, how he thunders from his pavilion? (36:29)

Do you know how the clouds hang poised, those wonders of him who is perfect in knowledge? (37:16)

Then God breaks into the conversation, reminding Job and his friends that He, the Creator, made the clouds as a garment for the newly-born earth.

I’m not saying that looking at the clouds is a quick and cheap way to chase depression. But God can use the skyscape to remind us of His power and authority from all time, and how the threats we face from fellow humans are not beyond His notice.

SHADOW OF SAFETY

Psalm 57 contains another powerful verse:

I take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed. (v. 1b)

“Shadow of your wings,” also a key image of Psalm 17:8, brings forth two possible scenarios.  One is of chicks being gathered to safety under the mother hen.  Jesus used this imagery when He mourned the state of spiritual affairs in Jerusalem:

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing (Luke 13:34) 

But in another interpretation, those “wings” are of the golden cherubim on each end of the sacred Ark of the Covenant, the golden chest containing the Ten Commandments and the most holy piece of furniture in the Jewish worship system. They believed that the presence of God somehow resided under the golden wings stretched out over the chest.  I’ll have to wait until Q&A time in heaven to understand what really went on there. But David, who wasn’t a priest and therefore couldn’t go behind the curtain where the chest was secluded, still considered that a special “God-place.”

Stuck in hiding in a cave, there was no way for him to even get close to that sacred place. But he could fix his heart on God and worship even there.  William Cushing, a 19^th century pastor who turned to hymn-writing after losing his voice, gave us a musical reminder of “looking above” our difficult circumstances when he wrote this hymn:

Under His wings I am safely abiding, Though the night deepens and tempests are wild;

Still I can trust Him, I know He will keep me, He has redeemed me and I am His child.

Chorus: Under His wings, under His wings, Who from His love can sever?

Under His wings my soul shall abide, Safely abide forever.

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For another very "sing-able," encouraging reminder of this psalm, find a copy of Brent Chamber's scripture-based "Be Exalted, O God," copyright 1977 by Maranatha! Music. 

BETRAYED (Psalm 55)

At left, what my hydrangea should have looked like. At right, what was left

of it after two years. It reflects how I felt when I let go of a difficult relationship. 

Part of a continuing series on the 48 psalms that speak to getting through depression, recommended by pastor and author David Seamands (Healing for Damaged Emotions).

It really hurts when somebody you tried to befriend becomes your adversary. You grieve both for the lost relationship and the mental and spiritual brokenness contributing to the other person’s choice of bitterness and anger. Been there, experienced that. Please note: I am not identifying this person in any way—neither gender, age, nor relationship. I pray daily for this person and for their spiritual and emotional healing. But this difficult relationship has personalized Psalm 55 for me.

The psalm expresses David’s profound grief and depression over a friend who turned against him. That friend is presumed to be Ahithophel, his close government counselor who betrayed David by backing his son Absalom’s rebellion.

David was so stranger to betrayal. He started his God-anointed journey to the throne by running away from increasingly-crazed King Saul. At first David was utterly alone, then joined by what I once heard described as the 3-D guys: the “distressed, or in debt, or discontented” (1 Samuel 22:2). David’s chagrin over being viciously betrayed and hunted is also revealed in Psalms 52 and 54 (also “psalms of lament”).  But this psalm comes years later, when  David is king, and experiences anguish over one person who had been his intimate friend.

Learning how David depended on God for staying-power, through hard and depressing situations, modeled for today's believer how to respond when negative people and circumstances leave us despairing of the future.

WHAT LIFE FINDS IN US

I appreciate the wisdom of Bible teacher Warren Wiersbe in his book Be Worshipful (Cook, 2004, p. 196). In discussing this psalm, he observed that David’s difficult pre-king years in the wilderness were excellent preparation for trusting God when he became king. In contrast, David’s son Absalom, who tried to usurp the throne, had grown up in luxury and without a true fear of God. Wiersbe added:

A prosperous life is an easy life until you find yourself in the midst of the storm, and then you discover how ill-prepared you are; for what life does to us depends on what life finds in us.

Blunt and transparent, David began the psalm with descriptions of the negatives he faced. He wished he could fly away from it all and not have to go through it (vv. 6-7). But it is in the “going-through” that we learn how to draw on the strength of the Lord. When all was said and done, David concluded with this verse, echoed in 1 Peter 5:7:

Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.

David ends with a kick, asking God to drag his enemies into the pit of corruption. Strong language! But today, because of Christ's death for all (including the "hurters" and the "hurt"), we're to pray that those who hurt us will be convicted of their sin and wrongdoing and be reconciled to God. Then, in the next step, that they'll seek reconciliation with those they have wronged. These may be the hardest words they ever say:  “God has shown me how wrong my behavior toward you has been. I want to make a fresh start and turn away from acting like that. Could you find it in your heart to forgive me?” The apologies should conveyed in person, if possible. If the sin was on social media, there needs to be a public retraction.

I grieve my "difficult" relationship. Painful memories of their wrongs against me still resurface. Over and over I give them to Jesus, who understands my hurt and their deep need for Him. I continue to pray for the miracle of reconciliation and transformation.

ENTRAPPED (Psalm 51)

Critters dining on our tomatoes and strawberries turned

out to be RATS! Strands of thread wrapped around peanut

butter on the trap caught several. Sin is like that--it

may feel or taste good at first, but watch out!

(A series on 48 psalms recommended by pastor/counselor David Seamands for getting through depression.)

If somebody ever did a Bible version called “The Happy Scriptures,” this is one psalm they’d omit. Ditto the other seven “penitential” psalms (6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143) in which the writer admits his shortcomings. They almost groan with agony over spiritual realities pulled out of the sludge of life. To be honest, I’ve resisted writing about Psalm 51.  Maybe it’s a déjà vu, all the muck today’s media is reporting about sexual sin in high places. My church recently offered a meeting for men willing to admit they had problems with sexual issues. I thought of the courage it would take for someone just to walk in the door for that….

NO SECRETS

But here, David is walking through the door to a public confession of what was whispered about throughout his nation. He lusted after a woman, got her pregnant, then had her husband killed to cover up his act. It didn’t work. Sin is a termite in the foundations of our lives. It’s a rat trap laced with peanut butter. We can’t ignore it forever. If we try to overlook it or explain it away, its stench grows. Alongside, depression festers.

It’s not just sexual issues. We’re entrapped whenever we dare cross boundaries of morality or propriety, someone is hurt, and no confession or restitution is made. It covers the range from adultery and murder (David’s traps) to physical or emotional abuse. Get mad, call someone a wretched name in anger, and never apologize?  Abuse. Sin.

Bible teachers point out that David covered the bases when he described his sins with three different Hebrew words that English translates this way (vv. 1-2):.
“Transgressions”—crossing the law’s boundaries.
“Iniquity”—yielding to the twisted sin nature.
“Sin”—missing the mark God set for him.
 “Purge me with hyssop,” he says (v. 7), referring to a bushy plant used to sprinkle blood on sacrifices for sin.  “Wash me,” he adds. He felt plain old dirty in his heart. “Create in me a clean heart…renew a right spirit” (v. 10). “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation” (v. 12)..

PEACE OFFERINGS DON'T SUFFICE

To feel better about ourselves, we don’t have to go to some religious shrine and perform rites over and over, hoping some god will show favor and get us out of the hole. Depression may be symptomatic of a need for spiritual heart surgery: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (v. 10). It’s not about peace offerings.  David was wealthy enough to keep the temple slaughter house busy for years with offerings! It’s about a broken spirit that says, “I was wrong. You, God are right.”

"Avoid every kind of evil," says 1 Thessalonians 5:22. That includes sexual sin, relational discord, anger and bitterness, laziness and selfish entitlement. Deliberate disobedience leads to a muddied testimony and ministry, and opens a back door for depression to sneak in. 

David knew only the Old Testament sacrificial system, but he also knew that only God could take him out of his angst and depression. On this side of the cross, we look to a Hill where the Son of God was murdered, weighted by every sin in the book, paving the way for us to say, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” He who sees into the darkest corners of a rebellious heart is also the One ready to transform it. “Cleanse me,” David pleaded (vv. 1-7). “Restore me” (vv. 8-12). “Use me” (vv. 13-19).