Day 319
Psalm 69:30-33
"I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving. This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs. The humble shall see this and be glad: and your heart shall live that seek God. For the Lord heareth the poor, and despiseth not his prisoners. Let the heaven and earth praise him, the seas, and everything that moveth therein."
Most of Psalm 69 records David expressing his distress over the treatment he was receiving from his enemies. Some of this writing seems to be prophetic concerning Jesus Christ. However, it is interesting to note that, although the psalmist spends a lot of time expressing his distress and making his request for help, the psalm ends on a very positive note. He praises God, who he says hears the poor.
We can learn an important lesson from this psalm. When we are suffering in any way, it is all right to cry and express our frustration, as long as we do not do it in the form of complaining. When we need to cry, we must cry to the Lord with the attitude that He is our answer. When we do, we will always end up with praise. The end of our session will leave us with a spirit of hope, a spirit of expectancy, as we look for the hand of God to move on our behalf
When we know that God is great, good to all and ready to help His own, our cry to Him can bring relief As we pour out our hearts to Him, we will experience a time of comfort and reinforcement, instead of a pity party that will make us bitter. When we go to God with the right attitudes, at the conclusion of our cry will come our confessions of confidence that He will come through for us. We will remind ourselves of our commitment to serve Him unconditionally and His commitment to respond to us because of His love and His Word.
There are times when we do not need to just make positive confessions. There are times when we need to cry and release the pain in our souls first. Jesus cried out to his Father in Gethsemane, because He did not want to face what was ahead. He did not pretend He had no struggle. His cry was not to complain. He cried to God with the right attitude, expecting help. At the conclusion of His prayer time, He was encouraged and strengthened for the challenge ahead, knowing that victory was assured.
Let us realize that we have a soul, and the emotions we feel are important to our existence as humans. Even God has feelings, and He is not always happy. God expressed anger, as well as pleasure. The Bible tells us not to grieve the Holy Spirit. Our feelings should not control us, but we need not pretend they do not exist or do not need to be ministered to. Psalm 107:9 says, "For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.
I will cry to the Lord, whom I love, when my soul is overwhelmed. I will come to Him as the source of my help. I know He loves me and when I cry to Him, He will hear me and help me. God will comfort me and encourage me. He cares for me affectionately.