The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.
Psalm 37:23-24
Traveling through the Psalms with David is like riding a roller coaster. Some highs are extremely high, only to come crashing down to ultimate lows. Other times we feel like we are in a loop and find ourselves asking, “Haven’t we been here before?” Unlike many musicians who are merely temperamental – 50% temper, 50% mental – David’s life truly experienced these extremes. His victories as well as his woes are not an exaggeration.
Today things are not much different than they were in David’s time. Some people ride defiantly through life with their hands in the air, trying to prove to those around them that they are afraid of nothing. They work at showing no fear in the most difficult of times. They are determined that they do this in their own strength and never consider the bar across their laps that hold them in place. Remove the bar and then see how far their abilities will take them. There are times David prayed God would remove their safety bar and let them experience the consequences of their haughtiness and sin.
David was a white-knuckle rider. He hung on to God for dear life! When David was on the mountaintop, he shouted out praises; when he was in the valleys, he cried out in despair. But one thing remained constant no matter which part of his journey he was encountering; he trusted YHWH his God! This constant confidence filled him with constant hope. When life was dark and difficult, he believed God could change his situation. When he was down, he believed that, with God, there was a way up.
One thing that is for sure, David was not a quiet rider! He didn’t hold his breath in the frightening times, nor remain expressionless in the easier times. If God weren’t all-knowing (which thankfully He is!) God would never have had to question what David was thinking. He was a screamer, a shouter, a laugher, a declarer. Sometimes he was shouting “Amen,” and others he was screaming “Oh me!” David realized that God was concerned with EVERYTHING in his life and knew how to share each moment with his God. Good times and bad times alike were expressed through his relationship with God.
David was one of those people whose voice could be heard on every hill. He didn’t scream on the first hill and then remain silent on the rest of the rises. If he found himself in the same situation, or if he didn’t feel his prayer was answered, David had no problem pouring out his heart again. He may have been singing a different tune, but often the words were the same. His constant pleas remind me of a time in my life when I wondered if God would ever touch my circumstances. Daily I cried out for His intervention. One day I said to Him, “You must get weary of hearing me say the same thing every day.” God’s response was, “I never get tired of your prayers. My compassions are new every morning. Your cry comes to me today as though it is the first time I’ve heard it.” David knew what Jeremiah knew, “The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23) We would do well to learn to ride this roller coaster of life the same way. It doesn’t matter that the hill we have just descended from is the same as the one we are ascending. We don’t need to say, “Oh, I screamed to God on the last one and therefore it would be a lack of faith to scream again.” Open your mouth and your heart and call out to the One whose compassions are new every morning. You are not going to exhaust Him with your constant pleas.
I would encourage you to pay attention to the variety of reasons for David’s prayers and praises. Make a list if it would help. There is nothing in your life that God does not want to be a part of. And everything He is and does deserves our praise. You’re already on this roller coaster called “life,” so pull down the security bar, hang on to God for dear life, and let your voice be heard!
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