“Running out of options”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Monday, May 8, 2023
Psalm 56 (Forward, p. 10) CEV p. 587
I’m sure that pretty well all of us can share the feelings of David as expressed in this psalm. Harassed and besieged on every side, he feels as if he has run out of options. Constantly on the run from a vengeful and, quite frankly, paranoid, King Saul, David has taken refuge for reasons of safety in the foreign city of Gath, not just once, but twice (see 1 Samuel 21:10-15 and 27:1-7).
But, even there, he is not safe for, in spite of the good graces and favour of the Philistine monarch, King Achish of Gath, some of the armed forces commanders aren’t so sure of David’s loyalty or trustworthiness when push comes to shove (1 Samuel 29:1-11). They remember all too well that David had once been renowned, acclaimed publicly, for his resolute and decisive victories over their fellow Philistines (1 Samuel 21:11 and 29:5). They are quite convinced that David, if forced to go to war against his own people, would turn tail and turn against the Philistines. And so, these commanders have launched a war of words, a war of insinuation, against David (see 1 Samuel 21:11 and 29:1-5). So, David, in response to the initial episode, was forced to take on the part of a madman, a lunatic, so that he’d have a ‘congenial’ way out and be forced out to the kingdom without the question of his loyalty being put to the test in any way. On the second episode, the king was able to dismiss him on much more friendly terms, but even so, David was back ‘on the firing line’, back to his former position of being exposed to the murderous threats and efforts of King Saul.
And so David had pretty well ‘run out of options’, humanly speaking. At least, that is how most observers would have pictured it. But, in reality, as a man of faith, he knew otherwise. He knew that he had God on his side. He knew that he could count on God to help and uphold him. He knew that he could trust God no matter what. He was confident that no harm would come his way because of God’s protection and presence.
So, my question for all of us is this: do we, you and I, have that same trust and confidence in Almighty God? Today, we are faced with so many pressures and uncertainties, of such manner and magnitude as never faced by David, so do we have the same trust and confidence? Here I
think of our political uncertainties, inflation and rising costs, public health issues, policing and justice issues, issues of immigration and refugees, issues of race and visible minorities, and so much else. We have uncertainties hardly comparable with David’s. All that was at risk for him was his life and limb! But, isn’t that far worse than what we face?
Besides, we believers have one ace up our sleeve. We have a Saviour Jesus Christ, who has conquered the very worst that life could ever ‘throw against us’, namely death itself. In Christ thereby, we know that there is nothing that He cannot face, and face down, on our behalf, and we know that in this, and all else, He is truly Emmanuel, God with us. And so, no matter what, we can trust in His grace and love. Amen.
Forward notes: “You have noted my lamentation; put my tears into your bottle; are they not recorded in your book?” (verse 8)
“We all experience moments of heartbreak, loss, and grief that can sometimes be unbearable. For many of us, our reflex is to internalize these emotions, that is, ‘bottle them up,’ keeping them locked inside a vault we never want to open.
“Psalm 56:8 gives us a completely different image of bottled-up emotion: God’s bottle. Knowing that God lovingly understands our heartbreak and bottles our pain provides hope and comfort. We are reminded to cast our anxieties to God’s care and to await the day when God will wipe away every tear from our eyes.
“The beauty of the psalms is the permission given to express ourselves honestly. We resist this kind of blatant honesty in our lives, and yet some of my most profound experiences have been rooted in sincerity and vulnerability. It is not just God who wants to hear about and share in our sufferings; our siblings in Christ are there for us when we allow ourselves to express our emotions.”
Moving Forward: “Do you need to ‘uncap’ a bottled-up emotion?