Psalm 43-45
You can tell that Psalm 43 is one of David’s. He starts out by bemoaning the fact that deceitful and unjust men are oppressing him. He is really whining as he pours out his heart to God. (Have you been there? I have).
Yet suddenly, he “comes to himself” and talks to himself again. “Why are you in despair, O my soul? Hope in God for I shall again praise Him. The help of my countenance and my God.”(43:5) He loves to talk to himself, doesn’t he? And it works.
We could certainly take a cue from David and talk to ourselves. There are times in every life when the negative circumstances seem insurmountable. When we walk with God, there will be those who falsely accuse us, deceive us, and try to overthrow our ministries. When these things happen, we have two choices. We can whine, as David did at first. Or we can praise Him and remind ourselves to trust Him, regardless of the circumstances.
This second choice is what will bring our deliverance. We must have faith in Him for our lives to be blessed abundantly. David is such a great example!
The next two psalms are not written by David himself, but by the sons of Korah. You can see a difference in their style, but they still speak the truth.
Psalm 44 remembers days of old, but goes with the “God, where are you?” theme. It even ends with the concept that “our souls are cleaving to the dust.”(44:25)
Yet the next psalm begins to recognize the faithfulness of God. “My heart overflows; my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.” As the psalm proceeds, it actually speaks of the coming of the Messiah. Verse 7 is quoted in Hebrews 1:9 as a scripture speaking of God’s Son. You can see that verse 6 goes right along in prophesying about the coming King.
As you read psalms, let the words speak to you. Sometimes, as with any poetry, they seem to be a hodge-podge of thoughts. However, if you think about the words and ask the Father to speak to you, there will be verses that leap off of the page and bring you faith, hope, – or sometimes correction.
Anytime you are going through a tough time, the psalms can make the difference for you. They have for me, many times.
Acts 27:27-44
Right in the middle of the storm, Paul has the answer for the sailors. The angel had appeared and spoken to Paul, so he knew exactly which actions to prescribe. As the sailors are attempting to slip away into the boats, Paul knows to warn them not to do so.
He goes on to advise them all to take some food, as they have gone 14 days without. They need the nourishment, because they are going to be saved and they will need the energy. “Not a hair from the head of any of you shall perish.”(V.34)
It happens just as Paul says it will. All 276 persons on board the ship live through the coming shipwreck, and they are all brought safely to land.
The Holy Spirit has been sent to lead us and guide us. It’s easy in our busy day to run here and there, making our own decisions, without counting on His leading. Yet if we stop and pay attention to what we are being led to do, we will avoid many pitfalls.
The Holy Spirit is our best friend, if we let Him be. Each day, if we can spend some time just listening to Him, letting Him lead us to just the right Word to read, letting Him give us counsel, and letting Him correct us, we will be amazed at the difference in our lives.
As we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, we will not only avoid many pitfalls, but we will also follow productive paths for our lives.
Remember, our Comforter, the Holy Spirit, “will lead us and guide us into all the truth, for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.” (John 16:13). I can’t think of a better friend to have. Can you?
