November 4, 2012
SCRIPTURE: Psalm 6
OBSERVATIONS
1. David is wrestling in prayer with God and with his adversaries. He pleads with God for relief, explains how warn out he is from groaning, then he yells at his adversaries, warning them that God is going to intervene. Publicly he is bold and standing firm, but privately he is honest before God. Makes me think of a song by Twila Paris called “The Warrior is a Child”.
2. David connects his struggle with God’s anger. “Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath.” If this is in the bible, does that mean it is true, or is this just how he feels. My sense is that this is how David feels, not that God is necessarily angry or disciplining him… the Spirit inspired him to share his heart, his feelings, his fears and doubts. Sometimes hard times are God’s discipline (Psalm 32, Psalm 51), but not all of the time.
3. This is spiritual warfare. David is under attack, not only by real people, but spiritually too. His weeping, groaning, doubting, struggling shows that the battle is as much within him as they are around him. He handles it by standing firm, reaffirming God’s power and love, rebuking the lies and the adversaries. I have done this very same thing when I have gone through tough times, even yelling at them like David does. Refusing to surrender to discouragement, defeat, despair.
What do you notice in this passage?
APPLICATION
1. The Lord is showing me how to fight my own battles. Be honest and open with Him about how I feel, what I fear. And stand up to the thoughts and feelings by reaffirming the truth, declaring my hope in God (whether I feel it or not). This is more than positive self talk, this is a public declaration of faith to the forces of evil that are attempting to knock me down. It is extinguishing the fiery darts of the evil one with the shield of faith (Ephesians 6:16). I need to take up my sword and fight my adversaries more aggressively.
2. I realize as I write this that I do not wrestle with the Lord enough. I wrestle in my mind on my own, but I do not verbalize the struggle, the doubt, the temptation out loud with Him. “How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart?” (Psalm 13:2). This is what I do too, I anxiously wrestle with my thoughts in my head, instead of bringing my thoughts to the Lord. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7).”
3. Today’s reading is challenging me to stop drifting through life – like a ship on the sea, beaten and directed by the wind and waves – and instead firmly set my rudder and sails to get where I want to go. Fight, resist, never give up, never surrender! Don’t bury the struggles and feelings, but neither wrestle with them by myself. Share them openly with God, then take a stand. Resist, be bold! Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:10-12)
What do you sense the Lord saying to you?
PRAYER
Lord, I have been AWOL, I have not been fighting. Nor have I been checking in with You to repair, renew and rearm. Thank you for the pep talk, for reminding me of the battle, and for showing me how to stand firm.