Lord’s Day, Vol. 4 No. 09

Posted on Posted in Weekly Newsletter, Weekly 2016 Tagged with , ,

Trusting in God’s Mercy (Psalm 13)

In Psalm 13, the psalmist felt that he had been forgotten by His God.

 Psalm 13:1-2 “How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? how long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?”

 The fears and doubts in the psalmist’s heart were articulated in his prayer in the opening verses to his LORD.

  • How long wilt thou forget me? (v 1a)
  • Forever? (1b)
  • How long wilt thou hide thy face from me (v 1c)
  • How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? (v 2a)
  • How long shall mine enemy be exalted over me? (v 2b)

Dear readers, when grim news reach us, when calamities seem to come upon us one after another, are our immediate response very much like that of the Psalmist in verses 1-2?

Verse 1a could be rephrased as “Until when, O LORD, will you forget me?” The emphasis is on the time factor. It seemed like “forever” (verse 1b).

The question “how long” was repeated four times to emphasise unrest within the psalmist’s heart.

Does God hide from His people (verse 1c)?

God seemed to be hiding His face from the psalmist because the psalmist was in trying circumstances! Should we equate ‘good circumstances’ to God’s favour?

God does not hide from His people. His care and love for His children are immeasurable. He that keeps Israel does neither slumber nor sleep. We should not allow faithless thoughts and doubts to assail our soul.

Due to the severity of the psalmist’s trial, his heart was filled with sorrow (v 2a). He was up against a high wall (v 2b).

Psalm 13:3-4 “Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death; Lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him; and those that trouble me rejoice when I am moved.”

The psalmist pleaded with the LORD to show favour to him and to answer his prayer. He asked the LORD to enlighten the eyes of his understanding.

He asked to be delivered, lest his enemies rejoiced when they deemed that they had finally defeated him and that he had been sorely shaken.

Psalms 13:5-6 “But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation. I will sing unto the LORD, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.”

The turning point of the trial came when the psalmist reaffirmed his faith in the LORD. Despite what the psalmist had gone through or was going through, he trusted in God’s mercy, the loving kindness and goodness of God.

God’s mercy does not fail. His compassion for His people is new every day. The root verb of ‘mercy’ is “love” (raham). Mercy is the outworking of God’s love for His people. The word ‘mercy’ is also derived from the noun “womb”. God’s love for His people is likened to an unborn baby being nourished in the mother’s womb. The unborn baby is fully dependent on the lifeline of the mother. Likewise, we are to be dependent on our Creator, who is also our Sustainer and most importantly, our Saviour.

May we not falter but triumph by faith in our hour of trial. The psalmist put his faith in God. His heart was strengthened.

The psalmist was confident that God will deliver him. He rejoiced to see the bountiful hand of God who would make a way for him.

God allows His children to go through trials so that we may draw closer to Him. It enables us to exercise our faith to trust God in His mercy. It enables us to develop spiritual endurance through hope and patience. It enables us to experience true joy and peace with God whatever the circumstances and outcome. Amen.

  

Yours lovingly,

Pastor Lek Aik Wee