Daily Meditations

Psalm 32:1   Intro There are two things that God requires of us and both of them are addressed in this Psalm.      ·        Firstly, that we acknowledge our sins and that we have broken God’s commands. Until we do this we cannot receive His forgiveness and so we remain at odds with Him, there can be no relationship.  ·        The second condition is that we subject ourselves to His rule and reign, we acknowledge our dependence and admit that He is God and we are nothing without Him.  It is rare that all of this happens in a “Damascus” moment, it usually takes a lifetime and thank God that He is patient and gracious with us. But we will never make progress in our relationship with Him unless we admit our need and humble ourselves – that is the key to maturity and growth as a Christian. This is how David sees it and Psalm 32 is his account of a growing friendship and dependency in the Lord.  ...

Psalm 31:24   Be strong and take heart      And so we come to the end of yet another Psalm that has been full of potent truth. If you remember, it was written at a time when King David feared conspiracies and plots and the tactics of his enemies. The first 13 verses give us an insight into his mental and spiritual torment and then everything changes in verse 14.  “But I trust in You, Lord; I say, “You are my God.”  From that moment, it seems as if the weakened king rises from his bed of despair and starts to rally against his enemies, only he doesn’t fight back! Instead he puts his trust in the Lord God, he hides in the Lord’s presence and leaves retribution to his God. The secret of his strength and hope in this last verse is not in his military might, or his wealth and influence or even in his office as king; it is his hope in the Lord. I take note here, and so must you. How often we try to resolve the insurmountable problems that face us and how often we...

Psalm 31:23   Faithful ones      It’s a drum that I have been banging for some time now! That God knows our sin and weaknesses but He does not judge us on the basis of how good we are.  “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  Romans 3:23. Our sins are washed away by the blood of Jesus Christ His Son. How then can they be the cause of His judgements? No, it is our faith that He is interested in, our dependency, our willingness to trust Him and obey Him, not out of fear of retribution, but out of love. Such people are the faithful ones and hence David’s injunction her,  “Love the Lord, all His faithful people!”  There is an amazing reward for the faithful; “ The Lord preserves those who are true to Him.”  If we walk in His ways and keep His commands and love Him and His word, we are faithful ones. The faithful are never out of God’s sight or out of His mind; He watches over them, He sees and hears and knows everything about them ...

Psalm 31:22  You heard my cry      I guess we are all a bit like David, we are human! We feel much more secure if we can see something tangible rather than hope for it! Our warrior / songwriter is away from his home and the familiar places. The sites of Jerusalem and the familiar Tabernacle are far away and the Lord God seems far away too. David fears that he is cut off from God’s sight, he feels alone and vulnerable and very afraid. We have noted before, in verse 16, that there was a deep significance in being able to see God’s face; if it was hidden it suggested that God had turned away, that His people were in isolation. Oh, what dreadful anguish that brings, to seek the Lord believing that He is not there, that He has turned away, that He no longer cares; that is so awful. “ And yet…. And yet…. And yet You heard my cry for mercy when I called to You for help!”   Can you imagine being trapped under rubble or underground? A scene that we see sometimes on ...

Psalm 31:21   A city under siege      1 Samuel 23:7-13 recounts the story of David’s refuge in a city called Keilah. He was on the run from King Saul with 600 of his men. The situation was desperate and Keilah was a good place to hole up, it had gates and bars and, in those days would be described as well- fortified. However, when David consulted the Lord he was told that Saul would still come after him and the citizens of Keilah would hand him, and his men, over to the king. So much for cities of refuge! Where do we flee to when everything and everyone is against us? Is there some place where we can feel safe and secure? I cannot think of anywhere on earth where we cannot be found and in this verse of the Psalm notice that the city of refuge was under siege. The enemy surrounded them, the people were suffering and afraid, there was no way out. However, in this perilous place David discovered something amazing; the Lord showed him the wonders of His love!  Somet...

Psalm 31:20 In the shelter of Your presence      Two wonderful promises emerge from this verse of the Psalm. The first is that the Lord shelters us and hides us from human intrigues. So many people today have lost innocence; I don’t mean in a sexual context, I mean that they have lost purity and wholesomeness. Our ancestors lived very different lives from us; news travelled slowly, there was no media, information was hard to attain, life was much simpler and, in that sense, more innocent. However, people did like to know each other’s business, and gossip and hearsay were just as bad as they are today. I believe that God nurtures innocence, He literally protects His people from the rumourmongers and the chinwaggers, He puts a protective wall around us so that much of what is said behind our backs is never heard. His presence is a secret place where the gossipers cannot enter and their evil tongues can do no harm.  Isn’t that amazing?  Secondly, the presence ...

Psalm 31:19   A lot of good things!      The immediate question that comes to mind as we begin to look at this verse is, what are the good things that the Lord God has stored up so abundantly? Here’s a statement of the obvious – “Good things are the opposite of bad things!”  ·        If God has saved us and rescued us and delivered us. That is a good thing surely?  ·        If God has provided for our needs and kept us through His provision. That too is a good thing. ·        If there is food on the table, and we have heat, water and a roof over our heads. That is a good thing. ·        If we have family and friends who love us and care for us. That is a good thing. ·        If the land we live in is at peace and we are free people. That too is good. ·        If we have experience...

Psalm 31:18 The ways of the arrogant      I’ve recently started looking at prophecy in the Bible. (It could be a long look!) In Genesis 1 we read again and again,  “And God said.”  In Genesis 3:1 the serpent comes along and asks,  “Did God really say?”  In his arrogance the devil constantly questions the words of God and casts them into doubt. Often his approach is beguiling and couched in enticing language,  “You won’t die, God knows that your eyes will be opened and you will be like God.”  Genesis 3:4-5. The enemy has not changed his ways, he still causes people to question all that God has said, from God’s laws, to His prophets, to His Son – the Word, to His church. Whatever truth is uttered, the enemy has an enticing alternative and the majority of the human race fall for it. He is the father of lies and all who serve him are liars and as ever, sadly, many are so brainwashed that they do not know they are lying. That is why people who spe...

Psalm 31:17 Do not be ashamed      We talked, in verse 1, about what it means to be put to shame. How Jesus was put to shame and how He took our shame. It follows that if shame has been taken from us, we have no reason to be ashamed! Like David we can cry, “ Do not let me be ashamed, Lord, for I have cried out to You.”  I know that there are things in our lives that fill us with shame; events that happened many years ago, bad habits that have never really been conquered, longings that are sinful and that occupy our minds too easily – the lists are long and perplexing. We may thank God that no one knows about us, until we realise that He knows! But it is because He knows that Jesus came to die for us and to take our sins from us. God does not accept you and I on the basis of our goodness, He knows our sin and He is merciful however bad we might feel. The foundation of our relationship with Him is not our works, or else none of us would be accepted, it is our faith. So...

Psalm 31:16 May His face shine on you      The face of God is a common feature in the writings of the psalmists. If God hides His face it seems that He has forgotten His people, and that is cause for despair.  If God’s face shines, then there will be times of blessing and deliverance. This outlook is surely rooted in the Priestly Blessing in Numbers 6:22-27. The Lord said to Moses,    “Tell Aaron and his sons, This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: -   ”The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”   Whatever may be happening in your life right now, it is time to pray this prayer for your family, for your friends, for your church and for the nation; time to put the Lord’s name on them! As the secon...

Psalm 31:15   My time is in Your hands      When I first wrote this it was the middle of March 2020 and the UK, along with the rest of the world, had been forced into shutdown to counter the spread of the coronavirus. From midnight today those of us who live in Essex, and many others, are being restricted once again after a few months of relative freedom. Who knows what the future may hold? What we do know is that,  “My times are in Your hands.”  In other words, these “times” that the world is going through, these times that our nation is enduring, my times and your times, they are in His hands. Everything that happens to us, everything that happens around us, every event, every circumstance of life is in God’s hands. For the believer this is a source of immense comfort but what about the rest? How sad that they do not believe it! Where is their hope? Thank God that we do not know what tomorrow might bring or what will happen to us, nationally or individual...

Psalm 31:13-14   You are my God      It is noticeable that as we study the Psalms there is little reference to military warfare. David and his contemporaries were soldiers, and in his lifetime there were numerous military battles to be won and enemies to be overcome. However, the enemies mentioned in these songs are of a more subtle type. The onslaught is not from spears, swords and arrows but from the tongue. The tongue is just as deadly as any weaponry made from wood or metals. Most manufactured weapons have a singular purpose and trajectory, but the tongue is like a wildfire and can cause immense damage. At this moment in his life David sensed that the danger was all around him and he did not know which way to turn. Literally,  “terror on every side.”  These insidious foes were plotting and scheming and conspiring to take his life and he did not have a clue where the next threat was coming from. Our spiritual enemy is no different. He does not use man-ma...

Psalm 31:12   Broken pieces      There’s nothing more useless than the shards of a broken pot or piece of china. Even the rubbish at a Waste Disposal Site or the vehicles in a scrapyard have some value but broken pots? Worthless. Sadly, to gaze at a broken pot is to know regret. A pot is made for a purpose, it has a life function, it may well have survived for a long time and now? Now it is nothing, no one can put it back together, it’s time to start again or to use a substitute.  Is that how you feel at times? King David certainly did. He does not think he has a purpose anymore. He believes that life as he knew it has ended. Someone else will take his place, all that he accomplished is forgotten. It is as if he were dead. No one comes calling. No one is interested. Life is pointless.  Thank God that such experiences do not last forever. There is One who sees and hears and knows our pain, as we shall see. He created us in the first place, so He is more than...

Psalm 31:11 An object of dread      The way this verse is translated it reads as if David is blaming his enemies for the state that he finds himself in. I think though, it should read, “ I am a reproach to my enemies, I am held in utter contempt by my neighbours, and I am an object of dread to my closest friends – those who see me outside on the streets, flee away from me.” We have tried to imagine what it was that had brought our great warrior king to this dreadful state – it sounds as if he were treated like a leper! Perhaps that was it? These words resonate with the cries of Job in his darkest despair, when his physical health had broken, his wealth had been taken from him, his family was dead, his character stained forever. When a man falls that low, it is normal for even the closest to him to wonder what he did to bring such disaster upon himself. As we have seen, the suffering of the Lord Jesus is mirrored in this Psalm and one can only imagine how He must have felt...

Psalm 31:10   He will deliver      At first sight, this verse seems to suggest that David is suffering from some kind of illness or physical disability. He talks of an affliction and of bones that grow weak. Then again, he could be oppressed by a mental illness as suggested by the previous verse, hence the anguish and the years of groaning. Or, it could be that his suffering is rooted in sin and the other symptoms, be they physical or mental, are a direct consequence. I have a dear friend who is imprisoned in a psychiatric unit who is suffering both physically and mentally but who has hinted at some event / secret in his life that is the underlying cause of his distress. This is true of so many and the point that needs to be made is that if we are not right with God then we are sick! Our spiritual well-being is the root of mental well-being and that can have a direct affect on our physical state. Something is terribly wrong if our life is consumed by anguish and we h...

Psalm 31:9   My weakness - His strength      What an emotional roller coaster David rode! For such a mighty king he was an extremely vulnerable man. And maybe that is part of his greatness. You see, rulers and leaders who know it all, who trust in their own strength and who never admit weakness are not going to cast themselves on the Lord by faith. They are too busy doing it their way, solving their problems, making their decisions, planning their strategies. David was not like that; he was so vulnerable that He had to throw himself on God’s mercy. At times it seems as if he is on the brink of a nervous breakdown, at other times he rides on the mountain tops, full of wonder and excitement at all God has done. We would probably diagnose him with some kind of mental disorder!  It is this willingness to reveal emotions, to accept weakness, to become absolutely dependant on the Lord that makes David the man that he was. He is so different to 21 st  Century man ...

Psalm 31:8 Protected from the enemy      Being given into the hands of the enemy means either, torture and abuse, prison and loss of freedom or death! David’s enemies were not bound by the UN Charter of Human Rights and neither is the Satan. There are no rules, no indulgences, no appeasements or allowances made by our enemies, they are out to crush and destroy us. They would succeed if it were not for the heavenly armies that protect God’s people, if were not for the power of God’s presence by His Holy Spirit within. There is special protection for the children of God and He guarantees our safety even when we do not realise we are in danger!  If that were not enough the Psalm promises that the Lord will  “set my feet in a spacious place.”  The dangers and threats that are intended to hem us in are groundless for we have complete freedom in Christ to live our lives beyond the confines of the enemy. Be free this day to live as God ordains, to obey and follow ...

Psalm 31:7 I will be glad      Our “persona”, our being, the essential “me” is comprised of body and soul. The outer person or body is tangible and visible and recognisable. Within that body is my soul, my personality, my character, my identity as a human being. We also have a spirit, but that is dead unless it has been made alive by the Lord Jesus, in which case our spirit reflects and allows Him to become part of us, to dwell within us. God made us this way and all human beings reflect their inner nature or soul by the way they live and act and think and speak. It is only those who have the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ within them who can begin to act and think and speak differently – like Him. The more we allow Him to permeate our inner being, the less we are influenced by our own souls and the more we come under the control of the Holy Spirit. That is the war within us, described by the Apostle Paul in Romans 7.  In this verse David talks of his soul being in angu...

Psalm 31:6   I trust in the Lord       This world is a very fragile place. At this time in our history, the Corona virus is sweeping across the world instilling fear and panic wherever it goes. Men are fearful and helpless at the savage destruction of our planet. We totter on the brink of financial disaster and somewhere, hidden away, are 16,000 nuclear warheads waiting for the master of terror to unleash their evil devastation. The list of potential horrors is very long and some of them will come to pass and yet mankind clings to its false gods and refuses the one, true God who can help them, our Father in heaven. Instead, people chase after the latest sensation or put their faith in human endeavour and scientific knowhow. All of these things from the crudest, pagan idol to the sophisticated inventions of man are nothing but vapours, they are worthless, vain things. There is only one answer to our desperate need and He is, in the main, ignored. Can we not therefore,...

Psalm 31:5 His Spirit lives!      Anyone who knows about the suffering and crucifixion of the Lord Jesus will know this phrase,  “Into your hands I commit my spirit.”  Luke 23:46. These were His last words on the cross and Luke follows up by saying,  “When He had said this, He breathed His last.”  What is so incredible is that in the final seconds of His life, having suffered more than any man, with His senses dulled by pain and His body wracked by the torture of the preceding hours, the Lord finds it in Himself to quote David’s words from Psalm 31! Not only so, but He shouts the words with a loud voice! This was not the whimpering last wish of a defeated criminal; this was the triumphant surrender of the Son of God who knew that He had accomplished all that His Father had sent Him to do. The suffering was ended, the sacrifice was complete, all that was left was to hand over His Spirit to God and let His body cease its struggle. The mind of King David ...

Psalm 31:4   Watch out!      A snare, a noose, a camouflaged pit, an ambush, a verbal goad – the list goes on when we consider the ways that traps are laid. The worst kind are the snide, sneaky innuendos of our enemies, the people who sow seeds of discontent and doubt, knowing full well that the innocent will bite the bait. The thing about traps is that they are laid by cowards, the kind of people who won’t meet us face to face, they let others do their dirty work or they hide and wait for our downfall. Traps are for the unwary and David obviously knew that someone was out to get him. The spiritual journey of the Christian soldier is no different. The Satan excels at traps and at getting others to do his dirty work. It would be easy for us to walk into danger so this prayer must be one that we embrace. Our God sees all things, He knows the way ahead and if there are obstacles set for us, then He will see them even when we cannot. So, pray this prayer with me and with...

Psalm 31:3 The honour of His name      This appears to be David at his demanding best! It reads like many prayers that I have heard over the years. Here the king almost seems to twist God’s arm and we could interpret his pleas to mean,  “Since You are my rock and my fortress and promise to look after me. Since Your name is the most powerful in the universe and You wouldn’t want anyone to demean You. And since You are my God and since I am constantly singing Your praises You had better lead and guide me!”  How dare David speak of the Lord God in such a way? How dare He …..? Hang on a moment, the divinely appointed king is under attack, he is vulnerable and alone and surrounded by enemies and things are pretty desperate. God appointed Him to this position and David does not want God’s name to be devalued. This is not the cry of a manipulator but a cry of desperation.  “Please lead me and guide me so that everyone knows how great Your name really is.”  Th...

Psalm 31:2 Emergency Services      Four short statements that read almost like demands! Dare we be this insistent with God?  1.       Turn Your ear to me. 2.       Come quickly to my rescue. 3.       Be my rock of refuge. 4.       Be a strong fortress to save me. There is a sequence in this verse, it’s a bit like calling for a lifeguard or ambulance or some other kind of emergency response unit. 1.       Firstly, we call for assistance.  2.       Secondly, we ask for rapid response.  3.       Thirdly, we ask to be taken out of immediate danger.  4.       Fourthly, we look for longer term safety and protection. Our God seems so big and mighty and majestic, can we be this persistent? If you are in danger right now, remember that He is your Father, of course ...