Thursday
I want to focus today on Psalm 61 since it seems highly likely that David wrote this during the time when Absalom was trying to take over the Kingdom. David is in a very difficult situation, again he has someone trying to kill him, someone whom he loves and cares about. It is hard to battle against those we love the pain is so much more personal and goes so much deeper. I personally have never had this kind of struggle within my family. We all get along very well. Brothers, children, grandchildren, husband, etc. So I can’t imagine the sadness that would surround such upheaval within a family. Sides being taken, mean things said and done. I know that there are families that function this way, but I think that this is a tactic of satan to tear apart our homes. God created families to help us, to make us stronger, but the evil one would love to see that fall apart. And here at the very head of God’s chosen people, we find such a dysfunctional family. So, rather than kill his son Absalom, David goes into hiding. David is far from home and he is very sad. This psalm helps David to express his feels. He says “my heart is weak”. This is because he feels there is really nothing he can do about the situation he is in. He can’t fight back against his own son. David wants to die, but he knows that is wrong, so he just wants to bury himself under a rock. Ever felt like that? So David turns to the one source that can help him, the Lord God. He looked at the things around him that made him think of God. “A strong tower, a rock that is higher than I, the shelter of a wing”. These are all things that offer protection, and David is looking for that protection from the one place he can get it – from God Almighty.
David goes from feeling like he can’t do anything to realizing that God can do everything and in the end – David offers his praise to God. When you are feeling sad and depressed, Psalm 61 is a great passage of scripture to call upon for strength.
Singing God’s praises.
Pastor Kathy