Where The Tough Go When Things Get Tough

Today’s Bible readings are Leviticus 20:22-22:16, Mark 9:1-29, Psalm 43:1-5, & Proverbs 10:18

Psalm 43:1-3

¹ Declare me innocent, O God! Defend me against these ungodly people. Rescue me from these unjust liars. ² For you are God, my only safe haven. Why have you tossed me aside? Why must I wander around in grief, oppressed by my enemies? ³ Send out your light and your truth; let them guide me. Let them lead me to your holy mountain, to the place where you live.

Has there ever been a time in your life when your enemies were coming down on you on all sides? Have you ever had a time were people that you thought were your friends began to talk about you & say things that weren’t true in an attempt to destroy you?

I have. There have been times in my life where people turned on me. I remember one time there was this fellow; who I thought was a friend of mine, who turned on me in a moment’s time. He started to run around & tell other people all sorts of things trying to gather as many to his side as he possibly could. He was very upset because I didn’t agree with him on some issues. He wanted me to do things his way, & of course I couldn’t do that. The moment that he realized he wasn’t going to get his way, he turned into a different person. He started to call people up in an attempt to get them mad too. It was a difficult season for a minute. I remember crying out to God for His help & justice. I felt isolated at times. I was hurt. I couldn’t figure out why it was happening.

Times like this can really be a challenge for us. This is really a pretty mild example compared to what some people go through. There have been some who have suffered great injustice. When these things are happening it can leave us feeling:

1.      Confused

2.      Alone

3.      Angry

4.      What did I do to deserve this?

5.      Why isn’t God defending me?

This is what the David was going through in his life when he penned this psalm. He was running for his life from his son, Absalom. His son was leading a political coupe against him. He was hiding for his life in the caves & the wilderness once again, only this time it was his own son who was hunting him.

His heart must have been filled with pain. He must have been very confused. There had to be many questions flying through his mind at that time. We see many of those thoughts come out as he writes these psalms. Yet, we also see that he is always brought back to the same place:

 

Psalm 43:3-4

³ Send out your light and your truth; let them guide me. Let them lead me to your holy mountain,
    to the place where you live. ⁴ There I will go to the altar of God, to God—the source of all my joy. I will praise you with my harp, O God, my God!

David knew that what he really needed was a moment with God. He knew that if he could get away from all of the emotion & be led by God’s Spirit that he would find rest. That is why he called out for light & truth to lead him. He knew that his emotions would only get him into more trouble. They would not lead him in the right direction. He also knew that light & truth would lead him into God’s presence where he would find joy, strength, & peace.

Notice how David’s attitude changed once light & truth came to guide him:

 

Psalm 43:5

⁵ Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God!

What a shift in attitude. All of this came because David chose to run into the presence of God. I want to encourage you today to spend some time in God’s presence. I want to remind that when the going gets tough, THE TOUGH RUN INTO HIS PRESENCE!!!

Pastor Richard Schlotter