The License Plate Psalmist
But I am afflicted and needy;
Come quickly to me, O God!
You are my help and my rescuer;
O Lord, do not delay.
–Psalm 70:5
One of the things I loved about my service as a literacy coach was the 25 minute drive to and from the school in which I served. After getting two middle schoolers up (awake being optional), somewhat ready, and out the door along with getting my own self prepped, this time on the road is mine. I soaked in the beauty of the changing leaves while being on the lookout for families of deer. Sometimes in silence but most times while listening to teachings comings from my car’s cassette player (yes, I said cassette player!). This time allowed me to get my mind and spirit ready for the day at its beginning and to leave it all behind between the school’s parking lot and the comfort of my driveway at its end. During these moments I listened. I watched. I prayed. And I observed.
On one particular drive I was watching cars using the passing lane, another typical part of my drive, but something caught my eye. A license plate. I know, it’s a license plate, big deal. But license plates today are as unique in design and color as the cars they are attached to. And this license plate, though not exactly fancy or colorful, spoke and spoke loudly. It read very simply–“Psalm 70.”
Three days later on another drive, there I was again in the passing lane watching the cars go by and yet another license plate caught my eye. This one read–“Psalm 40.” My mind operates in the way that a one time deal is super cool and should be checked out. But a two time deal? Okay, Lord, what are You trying to tell me?
That night I opened the Scriptures to Psalm 70. This is what I read–
“O God, come quickly to save me;
O Lord, come quickly to help me!
Let those be ashamed and humiliated
Who seek my life;
Let them be turned back and humiliated
Who delight in my hurt.
Let them be turned back because of their shame and disgrace
Who say, “Aha, aha!”
May all those who seek You [as life’s first priority] rejoice and be glad in You;
May those who love Your salvation say continually,
“Let God be magnified!”
But I am afflicted and needy;
Come quickly to me, O God!
You are my help and my rescuer;
O Lord, do not delay.”
Wow!
Then I turned to Psalm 40. The first part reads like this–“I waited patiently and expectantly for the Lord;
And He inclined to me and heard my cry.
He brought me up out of a horrible pit [of tumult and of destruction], out of the miry clay,
And He set my feet upon a rock, steadying my footsteps and establishing my path.
He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;
Many will see and fear [with great reverence]
And will trust confidently in the Lord.” –Psalm 40:1-3
And just when you think it can’t get any better, the Psalmist goes on in verses 13-17--“Be pleased, O Lord, to save me;
O Lord, make haste to help me.
Let those be ashamed and humiliated together
Who seek my life to destroy it;
Let those be turned back [in defeat] and dishonored
Who delight in my hurt.
Let those be appalled and desolate because of their shame
Who say to me, “Aha, aha [rejoicing in my misfortune]!”
Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
Let those who love Your salvation say continually,
“The Lord be magnified!”
Even though I am afflicted and needy,
Still the Lord takes thought and is mindful of me.
You are my help and my rescuer.
O my God, do not delay. “
Sounds familiar?
Scripture speaks of “the pit” in various places and no doubt we all have known “pit experiences.” I know I have. King David was no exception. As you read through the Psalms you will find more than one instance where he had written about the feelings of being in a pit and crying out to God to rescue him and bring him to a safe, solid ground.
I remember the feeling of my own pit experience about three years ago give or take. It was like waking up surrounded by darkness, an unending black hole.. There is no lonelier feeling in this world than that. Added to my misery was the enemy sitting on my shoulder taking me through a play by play of everything I have ever done wrong and every horrible circumstance that had ever taken place in my life, some things long since past while others were as fresh as the coffee I was sipping on as I wrote. He made sure to let me know what a disappointing failure I was to my family, to my friends, and that there was no way with all of this on my record that God could or would ever be able to use me to better His kingdom. The enemy is sneaky to be sure but he is also not stupid. His days are numbered and he knows that. However he is not about to make the trip to hell alone. He had a goal and he was determined to make sure that goal became fulfilled. If he can keep us distracted to the point of being hopeless and miserable, where we take our eyes off of God and His call on our lives, to the point of accepting and believing his lies rather than standing up and facing him toe to toe and speaking the real truth, then he has accomplished the very thing he set out to do. He almost succeeded in doing this very thing until somewhere in the recesses of my soul I had finally had enough and, just as David did, cried out for God to help me and to plant my feet back on solid ground. And He did.
God is always at the ready, listening for the cries of His children. He is mighty to save and He is waiting for us to call to Him, to take His outstretched hand. I have no clue who those license plate Psalmists were that I encountered on the drive to work those two days but I am thankful for them. In those brief moments I was reminded of God’s listening ear and His hand reaching out to rescue His children. And as I drove I smiled and thanked Him for His provision and care. And I whispered a “thank you” to those license plate Psalmists for speaking life in such a simple manner.
Are you willing today to cry out to God as David did? Are you willing to take His rescuing hand?
Devotional Time
Take some time now and read through Psalm 70 and Psalm 40. Reflect on your own “pit experiences” and how God brought you through. Are there still areas of your life where you are listening to the lies of the enemy rather than the truth of God’s Word? In this time take a moment and surrender these areas to God. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you and to surround you.
Come quickly to me, O God!
You are my help and my rescuer;
O Lord, do not delay.
“O God, come quickly to save me;
O Lord, come quickly to help me!
O Lord, come quickly to help me!
Let those be ashamed and humiliated
Who seek my life;
Let them be turned back and humiliated
Who delight in my hurt.
Who seek my life;
Let them be turned back and humiliated
Who delight in my hurt.
Let them be turned back because of their shame and disgrace
Who say, “Aha, aha!”
Who say, “Aha, aha!”
May all those who seek You [as life’s first priority] rejoice and be glad in You;
May those who love Your salvation say continually,
“Let God be magnified!”
May those who love Your salvation say continually,
“Let God be magnified!”
But I am afflicted and needy;
Come quickly to me, O God!
You are my help and my rescuer;
O Lord, do not delay.”
Come quickly to me, O God!
You are my help and my rescuer;
O Lord, do not delay.”
Wow!
Then I turned to Psalm 40. The first part reads like this–“I waited patiently and expectantly for the Lord;
And He inclined to me and heard my cry.
And He inclined to me and heard my cry.
He brought me up out of a horrible pit [of tumult and of destruction], out of the miry clay,
And He set my feet upon a rock, steadying my footsteps and establishing my path.
And He set my feet upon a rock, steadying my footsteps and establishing my path.
He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;
Many will see and fear [with great reverence]
And will trust confidently in the Lord.” –Psalm 40:1-3
Many will see and fear [with great reverence]
And will trust confidently in the Lord.” –Psalm 40:1-3
And just when you think it can’t get any better, the Psalmist goes on in verses 13-17--“Be pleased, O Lord, to save me;
O Lord, make haste to help me.
O Lord, make haste to help me.
Let those be ashamed and humiliated together
Who seek my life to destroy it;
Let those be turned back [in defeat] and dishonored
Who delight in my hurt.
Who seek my life to destroy it;
Let those be turned back [in defeat] and dishonored
Who delight in my hurt.
Let those be appalled and desolate because of their shame
Who say to me, “Aha, aha [rejoicing in my misfortune]!”
Who say to me, “Aha, aha [rejoicing in my misfortune]!”
Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
Let those who love Your salvation say continually,
“The Lord be magnified!”
Let those who love Your salvation say continually,
“The Lord be magnified!”
Even though I am afflicted and needy,
Still the Lord takes thought and is mindful of me.
You are my help and my rescuer.
O my God, do not delay. “
Still the Lord takes thought and is mindful of me.
You are my help and my rescuer.
O my God, do not delay. “
Sounds familiar?
Scripture speaks of “the pit” in various places and no doubt we all have known “pit experiences.” I know I have. King David was no exception. As you read through the Psalms you will find more than one instance where he had written about the feelings of being in a pit and crying out to God to rescue him and bring him to a safe, solid ground.
I remember the feeling of my own pit experience about three years ago give or take. It was like waking up surrounded by darkness, an unending black hole.. There is no lonelier feeling in this world than that. Added to my misery was the enemy sitting on my shoulder taking me through a play by play of everything I have ever done wrong and every horrible circumstance that had ever taken place in my life, some things long since past while others were as fresh as the coffee I was sipping on as I wrote. He made sure to let me know what a disappointing failure I was to my family, to my friends, and that there was no way with all of this on my record that God could or would ever be able to use me to better His kingdom. The enemy is sneaky to be sure but he is also not stupid. His days are numbered and he knows that. However he is not about to make the trip to hell alone. He had a goal and he was determined to make sure that goal became fulfilled. If he can keep us distracted to the point of being hopeless and miserable, where we take our eyes off of God and His call on our lives, to the point of accepting and believing his lies rather than standing up and facing him toe to toe and speaking the real truth, then he has accomplished the very thing he set out to do. He almost succeeded in doing this very thing until somewhere in the recesses of my soul I had finally had enough and, just as David did, cried out for God to help me and to plant my feet back on solid ground. And He did.
God is always at the ready, listening for the cries of His children. He is mighty to save and He is waiting for us to call to Him, to take His outstretched hand. I have no clue who those license plate Psalmists were that I encountered on the drive to work those two days but I am thankful for them. In those brief moments I was reminded of God’s listening ear and His hand reaching out to rescue His children. And as I drove I smiled and thanked Him for His provision and care. And I whispered a “thank you” to those license plate Psalmists for speaking life in such a simple manner.
Are you willing today to cry out to God as David did? Are you willing to take His rescuing hand?
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I Soooo needed this today. Climbing out of the pit with Philippians 4:13 now. Love you my sister in the Risen Christ
ReplyDeleteIt is 8:56 a.m. tho :)
ReplyDelete:0)
DeleteYou're welcome, sweetie!
ReplyDelete