The Heart of Encouragement

Our last look at the characteristics of David is possible because David was an avid writer. That's probably one reason why I enjoy learning about him so much. He may have written for his own personal reasons, but his writing became a ministry as he was inspired by God. He wrote prophetically, poetically and inspirationally. At the time he wrote, writing wasn't his main ministry. He ruled the Jewish nation, after all. But his writing is his legacy, and it ministers today.

So, back to this last characteristic. I've hit on it before. He encouraged himself in God. He wrote many of the Psalms, and fortunately for us, we know what was going on his life when he wrote some of them, because the Bible tells us.

He wrote some of his best Psalms when he was going through very hard times, as when he was running from Saul and when he was running from his son Absolum. David wrote his prayers to God, and we get to read them and see just how he encouraged himself in God.  

In one instance, as David was on the run from Saul, David learned that someone had told Saul where he was. In that desparate situation, he wrote Psa 52:7-9:  Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness.  (8)  But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.  (9)  I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy name; for it is good before thy saints.

See how his mind and his prayer went from rehearsing his plight to choosing to trust in God's mercy, wait on his name and promising to praise God forever? We can choose to encourage ourselves in God, too. Just remember anything about God.

There was another time when David found out that someone had told Saul where he was hiding. Look at Psa. 54:1-7  To the chief Musician on Neginoth, Maschil, A Psalm of David, when the Ziphims came and said to Saul, Doth not David hide himself with us? Save me, O God, by thy name, and judge me by thy strength.  (2)  Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth.  (3)  For strangers are risen up against me, and oppressors seek after my soul: they have not set God before them. Selah.  (4)  Behold, God is mine helper: the Lord is with them that uphold my soul.  (5)  He shall reward evil unto mine enemies: cut them off in thy truth.  (6)  I will freely sacrifice unto thee: I will praise thy name, O LORD; for it is good.  (7)  For he hath delivered me out of all trouble: and mine eye hath seen his desire upon mine enemies.

David was obviously inspired to write this. I find it interesting that in the same sentence he promised to freely sacrifice to God, he said he would praise God's good name. That must have been his sacrifice. And that's a lesson in how to encourage ourselves in God. Offer a sacrifice of praise.

Here's a Psalm he wrote when hiding from Saul in the cave: Psa. 142:1-7  Maschil of David; A Prayer when he was in the cave. I cried unto the LORD with my voice; with my voice unto the LORD did I make my supplication.  (2)  I poured out my complaint before him; I shewed before him my trouble.  (3)  When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path. In the way wherein I walked have they privily laid a snare for me.  (4)  I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul.  (5)  I cried unto thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living.  (6)  Attend unto my cry; for I am brought very low: deliver me from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I.  (7)  Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name: the righteous shall compass me about; for thou shalt deal bountifully with me.

Think on that one all day. One reason we know David wrote Ps. 119 is because some of the very words and ideas mentioned there come through in places like this. David acknowledged his persecutors here, as he often did in Ps. 119. David asked for deliverance from his persecutors so he could praise God's name. It was for God's glory he prayed for deliverance. We looked at that before.

We could look at so many examples of how David encouraged himself in God. Another great one is Ps. 63. He was running from Absolum here. Take the time to read it. It's full of perspective we need to absorb.

While we're done looking at David's life, we aren't done reading his writings. We will begin looking at prophetic Psalms next.

Not Another Manic Monday

It’s Monday. How are we going to make it through this week? Hopefully better than we made it through last week if we resolve to stay close to the Lord. We learn how to do that in the four verses below from Ps. 119.

No doubt, challenges will come. But they don’t have to derail us if we’ve determined to hang on to God’s word. All I can say is David was able to hang on to God much of the time (we never forget Bathsheba) and we see how he did it from the verses below.

Psa 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.	Who doesn’t need life direction? Who couldn’t use a little discernment—a little light shed on the matter, or on all matters? God’s word brings that direction, discernment and light. Get in the habit of reading and meditating on it every day. Be accountable to someone if it’s tough for you to be faithful each day. Ask God to show you who that person should be. I did one time and that person called me within 2 minutes of just thinking of her name, and she asked me first if she could be accountable to me!
(106)  I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments.	Next, determine that you will obey that light you get from God’s word. David swore he would keep it. That’s pretty serious. “Whatever you want, God, that’s what I promise I’ll do.” When thou shalt vow a vow unto the LORD thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the LORD thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee. (Deut. 23:21) I hope it’s still possible, in our day and age, to be as serious about obeying God as David was in his day.
(107)  I am afflicted very much: quicken me, O LORD, according unto thy word.	If you have a lifestyle of reading, meditating on and obeying God’s word every day, then when you face challenges or afflictions, you have an arsenal of instructions, promises and comforts that God can use to quicken or enliven you. You can ask God to use the salve of his word to touch your soul. That is how you encourage yourself in God, without the need to run to others.
(108)  Accept, I beseech thee, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O LORD, and teach me thy judgments.	Let praise be ever present in your communications with God as you read his word expecting him to teach and enlighten you. By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. (Heb.13:15)

Others May Fail. God Won’t. Bank on it.

David is one of my favorite Bible characters. I’ve kept a close eye on him lately because I plan to teach ladies in India a character study on David shortly. Why don’t I teach them a character study on a woman from the Bible? Because we don’t know as much about any character as we do David, and it doesn’t matter—man or woman—we can all learn how to navigate life from looking at David’s testimony. In our study today, we see more of what David endured and how he did it. He couldn’t have done it without God. He knew that.

Ps. 119:85  The proud have digged pits for me, which are not after thy law.	David continues on with the grief his enemies caused. In his day, they often captured man or beast by digging a pit and covering it with twigs, hoping the intended would fall in. Wicked men use wicked schemes. But we know that God often uses their schemes to catch them. (Think of Haman in Esther.) David knew this fact well. Elsewhere he wrote He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made. Psa 7:15
(86)  All thy commandments are faithful: they persecute me wrongfully; help thou me.	David could have focused entirely on the plight his enemies caused, but he was a master at encouraging himself in God, so he coupled thoughts of his unjust treatment with thoughts of God’s faithful commandments. Maybe another way of looking at his prayer in this verse is “Your commandments are faithful, my enemies are not. Help me.” As long as he had this godly focus, he could expect an answer. 1Jn 5:14-15  And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:  (15)  And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
(87)  They had almost consumed me upon earth; but I forsook not thy precepts.	This is the sentiment of true godly people. It reminds me of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in Dan 3:17-18  If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.  (18)  But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Like David, they also determined not to forsake God’s precepts, no matter what happened to them.
(88)  Quicken me after thy lovingkindness; so shall I keep the testimony of thy mouth.	It’s a breath of fresh air when we, like David, realize we can appeal to God’s lovingkindness. David did it often. That is a whole study in itself. But God commits himself to showing us lovingkindness, which is better than life (Ps. 63:3). Here he appealed to God’s lovingkindness with the promise that it would benefit God, because David would keep God’s testimonies. It’s OK to say, “God, if you don’t come through for me in a special way, I’m going to fall in every way there is to fall.” Watch what God does.