Psalms Hassles Do Come to an End! Psalm 13 Y ou ever have one of those days, weeks, months, years, when it seems as if nothing can go right? You get up in the morning and spill your coffee on your freshly cleaned shirt. You go into the garage and find someone left the car door open all night and your battery is dead. After finally getting out on the road, some turkey in a dirt truck cuts you off and a piece of gravel flies off and dings the windshield on your new car. Then there s the real stuff. Your job doesn t pay enough to support your family adequately. You look at the bills and the medical expenses are higher than anything other than your house payment. Every time your turn around the money goes out faster than it comes in. You finally get an increase in your income and a whole bunch of new expenses turn up on your desk. Or as they say: two steps forward and three steps back. Finally, we look around us at a fallen world and it seems that circumstances go from bad to worse. And yes, there is some truth in this perspective, but if this is all we see, then we don t see the complete picture. If we constantly focus on the problems of life, then we miss out the reality of the joy, the hope, and the confidence available to all who claim the name of Christ. Our hope should not be in a change in circumstances. It is a hope grounded in the depth of our relationship with a loving Father, and the confidence that comes from knowing who He is and that He loves us. Then again, if things are going smoothly and life seems quiet at the moment, we will realize this also in enhanced by an on going focus on the Lord. Then in the midst of the calm we won t forget it was Jesus who stilled the storm. I Introduction II Looking at People Verses 1-4 III Looking at God Verses 5-6 IV Conclusion It was in this context Psalm 13 was written. So first let s take a few minutes to examine the context of the piece. Next we will touch on the text itself. But most importantly we will see the real truth of Psalm 13 is one which we can appropriate for ourselves. This is the promise that we can find the joy and confidence which comes from the fact we can have total trust in our God. We can know that He is in control. The message of God is that while we may feel like saying, enough already, He is in control, and Hassles do come to an End. ) 1 (
Introduction: As with a number of the Psalms, we have no reason to doubt David is the author as the superscription informs us. Now, while we can t say for sure under what circumstances this psalm was written, it seems to tie in well with the period in which David was fleeing the paranoiac Saul and being chased by him through the wilderness of Judea. (see I Samuel 27). But as Leupold notes: fortunately the manner of referring to the experience is such that any individual may pray this prayer after the original sufferer. It is to be classified as the lament of an individual. 1 The psalm is interesting in that it appears to be broken down into two sections of unequal length. The first 4 verses deal with David s frustrations. The second part, only 2 verses, express the true focus of a man of God, trust and joy in, and praise of the Lord. Verses 1-4: These verses express the frustration which David was feeling. For the sake of discussion, let s assume that this was written in the context of his fleeing from Saul. David had been named by God to replace Saul as king. In spite of this he had remained loyal to Saul, had striven to serve him, and be the best servant he could be. What had been his reward? He had become the object of Saul s paranoia. All through the latter chapters of I Samuel we see Saul s ever growing hatred of David and Saul s ongoing efforts to take his life. It s no wonder David was feeling burned. It was as if God had forgotten Him. It appeared God had hidden His face from David. He was in that state when it feels like your prayers are bouncing off the ceiling. David had been reviewing his circumstances and endeavoring to find away out. He wanted direction from the Lord, but all he got was grief and apparent defeat. How long could he go on striving to do what was right, seeking the Lord s will and still having nothing go right. How Long, O Lord! It appears David was suffering from serious depression. He demanded a response from God. He expresses concern over the likelihood of his continued survival. Was he considering suicide, or was he afraid that Saul would succeed in his efforts to kill him? We don t know from the context. David knew one thing for sure, he didn t want his enemies to have the victory over him. He didn t want his end to go to the credit of those that persecute him. All he wanted was an answer from God. He seemed to be expressing some anger here. Nevertheless, he d tried to be obedient. He d sought God s will. But, no matter how much he called out there was no answer from God, or at least so it seemed. Once again it is worth noting as David was persecuted, his enemies would also have been attacking God. It was God who had chosen David to be king. So, if David died then God s will would have been defeated. So he (Samuel) asked Jesse, Are these all the sons you have? There is still the youngest, Jesse answered, but he is tending the sheep. Samuel said, Send for 1 H. C. Leupold, Exposition of Psalms, Baker Book House, 1974, pg. 134. ) 2 (
him; we will not sit down until he arrives. So he sent and had him brought in. He was ruddy, with a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the Lord said, Rise and anoint him; he is the one. So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power (1 Samuel 16:11-13). Verse 5: Now, as we have frequently see with David, first he focused on his frustration. Then as a response to that frustration, he took his pain to the Lord. As a result his attention shifted from himself to God. When his perspective changed, his attitude also changed. It was as if God bent down and pulled him out of the water, allowing him to once again walk on the waves. The problems were still there, but David saw the joy and hope that comes from trust and confidence in the Lord. Verse 6: What was the basis of David s confidence? It was the unfailing love of God. David could trust because God was the source of his salvation. It was God s salvation that was the source of his joy. Consequently, he was lifted from his depression. His heart rose into the heavenlies. From it poured the songs of praise to the Lord, for God was good to him. Conclusion: How often, like David, do we expend tremendous energy trying to devise plans to change circumstances. We beat down the doors of heaven with our complaints and requests for a rubber stamp. We pace the floor and toss and turn on our beds and nothing changes, but it doesn t need to matter that nothing changes. Oh sure we can have pain, life can be difficult, but praise the Lord, we can also have times of fun and enjoyment. But we must remember the real focus of life isn t changed circumstance. As we follow David s heart we can see all that has occurred is simply a change in spirit. This change comes from seeing the Lord, not his problems, not his enemies, not even his life, as the center of that life. The other point that we should note here is: David wasn t concerned with how others viewed life in general or even his situation specifically. He said, But as for me, I have trusted We aren t responsible for how others respond to life. We are responsible to trust the Lord for ourselves. No matter how difficult things are we are to trust. What is even harder we must remember to trust in God when things go well. No matter how much we feel we are in control, for it is as things are going well that oft times we act as if we are the ones who are responsible for the positive situation, we aren t. God is in control. We don t even have the faith to depend on God. The Holy Spirit is the one who empowers us to be faithful. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being. (Ephesians 3:16). As we look over our days we can see the faithfulness of God. It is His faithfulness we are to trust, for He loves us and He is the only one who can truly see what is best for us. ) 3 (
We sometimes note how it appears some Christians seem to stroll through life with nothing going wrong. At times we wish we could have it that way. But we know at least for us, our growth comes out of struggle. Understanding this, let s be careful not to judge those who seem to be having an easy time of it. First, this doesn t automatically mean they aren t growing. Something we d like to believe this to justify our own difficulties. Second, we really don t know what is going on in someone else s life. What may appear to be storm free and placid on the outside, may be torn by major storms just below the surface. One of the greatest falsehoods of this day and age, is we should live based on how we feel about things. The love has gone out of our marriage, so it should end. This actually means, I don t feel the old excitement, and I want to find it again. I can t stand that person, so why should I do anything for her, which means, I don t feel comfortable and my comfort is more important than obedience. I m burned out so I m dropping out. This means, My emotional condition is the basis for my willingness to be obedient to the Lord. Our feelings are from the Lord. He certainly is well aware of our needs and grants us times of rest because of our emotional state. But, too often this kind of self-absorption is simply a socially acceptable way for excusing our unwillingness to work in the Christian faith. When used as an excuse it has no more validity than the Twinkie Defense or using PMS to excuse murdering one s husband. We must be willing to say with David, But as for me, for we are finally only responsible for our own walk, our own witness before the Lord. Sometimes we have to keep working even when it s tough. We force ourselves when it s for a pay check, but when it s for the Lord it s less tangible. We can not change ourselves or for that matter anyone else. Only God can do this. While He may choose to do it in or through us, the Holy Spirit is still the one Who changes the hearts of fallen men, male and female. We also see the real basis for being able to live above circumstances is not just to hold on to the trust worthiness of God but also the fact He has given us the greatest gift of all, the gift of our salvation. If He chose to never do anything else for us, we still don t have enough time to praise Him for His love and mercy. We can spend the rest of eternity praising and worshiping Him for this one act. The fact He may chose to leave us in a difficult situation, or He may choose to allow us comfort isn t the issue. The only issue is are we responding to the ultimate gift, being at peace with Him? So our lives should be one of song, of joy, of praise for we have a faithful God who has chosen us for salvation. Beyond this has chosen to watch over us as a loving Father, caring for us and meeting our needs, as He in His infinite wisdom sees them. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28). What a joy then, that all God expects in return is that we love Him and love our neighbor. What more should we want from life than to be able to love Him and love others with His love. And as we allow the Holy Spirit to work in us, He will manifest that love. Then we will ) 4 (
have the joy and excitement of seeing Him work the miracles, the unexpected changes in lives that we in our own strength could never have any hope for. As we allow the Spirit to live in us then we will truly see victory. The real victory of the Christian life which comes, not from success as the world sees it. It comes from experiencing the joy of the Lord in good times and bad. It comes from truly being able to allow God s agapé to flow through us. Victory comes from being freed from circumstances, be they good or bad, and being able to rest in God. It comes from being able to thank Him for the good times. to thank Him for Himself and the gift of our salvation in the midst of the bad. It means we can live in peace, joy, and confidence no matter what may be going on in our circumstances. Then we can say with true joy and praise of the Lord Nothing Has Changed Everything Has Changed! What a wonderful change in my life had been wrought I have light in my soul for which long I have south, I have ceased from my wand ring and going astray, And my sins, which were many, are all washed away, I shall go there to dwell in that City, I know, And I m happy, so happy, as onward I go, Since Jesus came into my heart. Since Jesus came into my heart, Floods of joy o er my soul like the sea billows role, Since Jesus came into my heart. 2 2 McDaniel, Rufus, H. and Charles H. Gabriel, The New Church Hymnal, Since Jesus Came Into My Heart, Lexicon Music Inc., Newbury Park, CA, 1976, # 430. ) 5 (