A trip through parts of the American South will surely reveal gardens and fields growing watermelons. Some small. Some big. Those descriptors probably leave a little room for speculation unless you have something to compare it to. Did you know that the largest watermelon on record was recorded in 2013? It was grown in Sevierville, Tennessee and weighed 350.5 pounds. To put that in perspective…that is 35 pounds heavier than the average NFL Offensive Lineman[i]. Now that’s an image to consider!
David opens this Psalm reflecting on the wickedness of man. He speaks of the ungodly as consumed with evil. He goes to sleep thinking about evil. His words effuse evil. He chooses paths of evil. He approves of all evil.
Now contrast that with God.
5Your lovingkindness, O Lord, extends to the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
6Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; Your judgments are like a great deep. O Lord, You preserve man and beast.
Psalm 36:5–6 (NASB95)
Just as we better understand a “big watermelon” when compared to an NFL football player, we can better grasp God’s goodness when compared/contrasted with the likes of evil man.
Against the backdrop of the ungodly, we start to get a picture of the goodness of God. His compassion, provision, and lovingkindness (He-Sed). Further, not only is God “good” in every way that mankind is bad, but God is loving toward even the most evil among us…or in us. He is the Good Shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine to pursue the wanderer. He lays down His own life to reconcile and restore the rebel! He is FOR YOU!
7How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.
8They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house; And You give them to drink of the river of Your delights.
9For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.
Psalm 36:7–9 (NASB95)
Those that turn to Him, that trust Him, that depend on Him, that follow Him…experience not just meager provisions but abundant living (See John 10:10b). Remember, this infinitely good God of He-Sed sought out you and me while we were living in active, willful rebellion against Him. Every aspect of His reign in our lives was rejected by us…and yet He showed us His love in coming toward us. While evil people think nothing of God, God is never far from considering those who are evil and He desires to draw us back to Himself so that we would be His people and He would be our God.
Let me say right out of the gate (pun intended) that it can be frustrating to travel with me. Many travelers fit neatly into one of two camps: They like to arrive, clear TSA, and walk right onto the plane as its boarding; or they want to be safely at the gate at least an hour before the jet bridge opens. Typically, I fit in the latter camp. For a lot of years, it stressed me out to arrive at the airport less than an hour before my flight. Numerous scenarios would circle my mind of things that might hold me up. After all, it is plausible for a circus transport to overturn on the highway near the airport and to be caught in a stampede of lions chasing clowns down the highway. However, once I was sitting at the gate, everything seemed to take a calming posture. But arrival at the gate is not the arrival.
“Of course, Captain Obvious!” After all, who thinks that arriving at the gate is the end of the journey? Honestly, some professing Christians I have known through the years.
I visited some parents once who prayed for their child to be saved. The day their child trusted Jesus, the mom said, “Finally! My work here is done.” To her, salvation was getting out of hell. It was payment for sin. It was what scholars refer to as Justification. The Bible speaks of this over and again in terms of a judicial finding. But the Bible also speaks of Salvation as a process, what we call sanctification. This is the abundant life that Jesus said He came to provide for us (John 10:10).
12Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.
13Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,
14I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:12–14 (NASB95)
I find it curious that the Apostle Paul seems to emphasize sanctification over justification consistently in his writings. Of course, there is a Damascus Road moment for Paul. He never loses sight of that moment when Jesus arrested his soul and Paul was saved. But there is also a consistent witness of Paul “working out” his salvation (Phil 2:12), walking out his faith (Eph 5:8), constantly expanding the reach of the gospel (Romans 15), and as in our text to consider, pressing forward toward the goal of the prize.
I wonder if the apathy toward the faith that some describe to me isn’t rooted in a misunderstanding that making it to the gate is the end of the journey. If so, no wonder there’s no wonder in the gospel! No airport is that exciting. But if you see arrival at the gate as the starting block rather than the finish line, what great joy awaits you still as you journey throughout the land of purpose and traverse the mission in the company of grace.
Sometimes people are shocked when I tell them that the longer I walk with Jesus, the further I realize I have to go. This doesn’t mean that I am uncertain of eternity; rather, it is a clear-eyed observation that I am a work in progress and the closer I get to reflecting holiness, the more aware I am of the unholy parts of my own life. This does not discourage me. It humbles me. It provokes repentance. It prompts movement. It reminds me that arrival at the gate is not arrival.
Have you ever tried to help God out? Maybe you gave him an escape clause in a prayer like, “If it be your will…” Maybe you “sensed” a direction for your life, but you kept your options open, “Just in case.” One of the things the Lord the Lord is teaching me is the need to close doors that God whispers to you about, even if they promise some benefit. I say whispers because if an Angel trumpeted some announcement from the sky or we received an email from God, or Jesus stood by the bed and said, “Do it,” obedience seems more plausible. However, if it is a sense, a leading, or a whisper…we may lack confidence in what we think we heard or felt. These are the times when I am most tempted to leave a door propped open, just in case.
The consistent counsel of Scripture is different. Burn the boats! Close the door! Abandon contingency plans two, three, and four. Go All in with the Lord.
1My soul waits in silence for God only; From Him is my salvation.
2He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken.
Psalm 62:1–2 (NASB95)
Not only do we see these strong declarative statements from the Psalmist, but they are personalized, and he makes a faith decision based on them. “I shall not be greatly shaken!”
5My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from Him.
6He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be shaken.
7On God my salvation and my glory rest; The rock of my strength, my refuge is in God.
Psalm 62:5–7 (NASB95)
While everything else seems to shift with the winds, the tides, or under my feet, God is my rock and my stronghold.
The stock market could nosedive, but our hope in twenty years is settled because God provides. Enemies seemingly tower over us, but we rest well because God holds their leash in His hand. I know this may not seem logical, but it is faithful. And faith is the irreducible minimum of the disciple’s life.
If you are in Him and pursuing His glory as ultimate:
Look to Him alone for your provision and your protection. He is faithful.
You don’t have to make a loud fanfare about your circumstances. God sees… (Gen 16:13).
Though the opposition bellows and smiles believing they have overcome you, it is God whom they fight and against Him, they are powerless.
Though the ground you walk is soft and uncertain, He is your rock, stronghold, and refuge. Get out of the dirt and up on the rock.
Some years back, a friend of mine and I were traveling by car one winter night. Actually, it was a lot of years back. We were both in our twenties and in the Army. Mark began to wax eloquent about how our temperature sensitivity was more mental than physical. He said that no matter how cold the temperature, if we could convince our minds that we were warm, we would be. So, to test this theory at 70 mph or so, we rolled down the windows with sub-freezing temps outside. The whole time we simply claimed aloud, “This is warm, this is warm, this is warm.”
By the way, my shivering body never got the message and apparently, no matter how loudly we said it or how many times we repeated it, we still felt cold.
You may think, “How silly. Who thinks they can change circumstances by simply declaring their opposite?” Actually, a lot of well-meaning Christians.
I have met folks who have said, “Christians don’t grieve at the grave because we have the truth about heaven.” Or, “Take your fears captive and choose to not be afraid.” Interestingly, these mental exercises are often more in line with some Eastern philosophies than the Scriptures. After all, Paul tells us that we should not grieve like those who have no hope but comfort one another with the hope we share in Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:14, 18). We do grieve loss, just not in the same way as those without Christ, or who think they can change the temperature by declaring it is warm. Any cursory read of the Psalms reveals time and again, that a man who killed lions, bears, and a bully named Goliath, was fearful of his opponents. The Bible’s prescription to combat fear is to place our faith in someone bigger.
4I sought the Lord, and He answered me, And delivered me from all my fears.
5They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces will never be ashamed.
6This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him And saved him out of all his troubles.
7The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, And rescues them.
8O taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
9O fear the Lord, you His saints; For to those who fear Him there is no want.
Psalm 34:4–9 (NASB95)
David experienced fear, even though he was one of the most accomplished warrior kings in history. He also directed those fears to God, in faith, and found freedom.
When we fear man, we subtly imply that man, our circumstances, or our opponents are more powerful than the Lord. In some sense, we have more faith in the triumph of our enemies than the Sovereign power of our God. So, is there a better way? Yes! Three actions to combat controlling fears.
See the Person of the Lord. Notice v.4. David sought God and God delivered him from his fears.
Rehearse the Provision of the Lord. “Preach” to yourself the ways that God provided for you in the past. How He did not abandon you in your troubles. God was always “in time” and “on time.”
Choose the promise of the Lord. It is a choice to sleep well because the Angel of the Lord protects us (v.7). It is also a choice to worry that our enemies can get through His protective barrier. Either God is the Refuge we run to (v.8), or He is the one we run by on our way to something else. Either He is our Provider (v.9), or He has a starring role in some form of fictional story in our mind.
Confronting the difficulties and pressures of this life is not a matter of trying to pretend it doesn’t happen. The battle is one of faith. Choose to place faith in the one who stills the seas, overcame death, and sets enemies to flight.
One of the features of the Psalms that I have come to appreciate over the last decade or more is the window that it gives to see into the human heart. A friend recently asked me what the Lord was teaching me these days. The answer is expressed in this Psalm. David, a man after God’s own heart, the slayer of Goliath, the youngest of his family, selected by God above all others to be anointed as king…is in a deep pit of his feelings. That’s not to say that there isn’t good reason! There is! His enemies are fierce, and his friends are scarce. This lament of grief flows from that.
In the opening verses, he declares that he has already taken refuge in God (v.1), that God is his Rock, Fortress, and Leader (v.3), that God reveals hidden traps and is his strength (v.4), and that God has set David free by paying his ransom (v.5). These are statements of faith. They are presented as facts.
Often, we as disciples of Jesus have categorical statements of faith like this. Jesus is my Lord! He is my Refuge. He is sufficient. He sees all. I Trust Him. He is Sovereign. He spoke to me, and I acted according to His Word! Our faith feels strong!
This informs David’s response to the ungodly.
6I hate those who regard vain idols, But I trust in the Lord.
7I will rejoice and be glad in Your lovingkindness, Because You have seen my affliction; You have known the troubles of my soul,
8And You have not given me over into the hand of the enemy; You have set my feet in a large place.
Psalm 31:6–8 (NASB95)
He not only trusts in the Lord but has set Himself squarely on the side of God and hates those who regard idols. Not just idols, but he hates those who regard wickedness! He rejoices in God’s loyal covenantal love (He-Sed), the lovingkindness of God…
Then the shift of feelings within him as he reflects on his circumstances…in the very next verse! He says that he is wasting away from grief (v.9). Notice how he expands on that feeling.
11Because of all my adversaries, I have become a reproach, Especially to my neighbors, And an object of dread to my acquaintances; Those who see me in the street flee from me.
12I am forgotten as a dead man, out of mind; I am like a broken vessel.
13For I have heard the slander of many, Terror is on every side; While they took counsel together against me, They schemed to take away my life.
Psalm 31:11–13 (NASB95)
David is a hot mess! Not the next day or the next hour but in the very next thought! He KNOWS truth! Theologically, he has settled on the Person and provision of God. And his feelings are so overwhelming that he experiences “terror on every side.”
Is there any better image of a disciple’s heart and experience in the narrow and shadowy places of life’s journey? God, I know…but I feel…
Verse 14 helps us if we have ears to hear. What do you do when your feelings conflict with what you know to be true about God?
A decision, by faith.
Now if you are like me, doubt can creep in. You can start to wonder if you truly knew what you said you knew. Doubt has always been the “adjustable wrench” in the devil’s toolbox (you can make it work in nearly every situation). The only effective response to doubt is a reasoned response. Before the flood of feelings that churned up doubts…you had settled in your heart who God is and what God does. You were thinking clearly then. There was no barrage of emotional missiles flying overhead. By faith, choose that again.
14But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord, I say, “You are my God.”
Psalm 31:14 (NASB95)
We will never experience the enemy’s “cease fire” or “surrender” in this life. Here, we will have troubles but take courage, Jesus already won! (John 16:33).
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