relationships (Psalm 108:1-13) Issues, Answers and Solutions

(Psalm 108:1-13) 

1   My heart is steadfast, God;
     I will sing, I will sing praises also with my soul.
2   Awake, harp and lyre;
     I will awaken the dawn!
3   I will give thanks to You, Lord, among the peoples,
     And I will sing praises to You among the nations.
4   For Your mercy is great above the heavens,
     And Your truth reaches to the skies.
5   Be exalted above the heavens, God,
     And may Your glory be above all the earth.
6   So that Your beloved may be rescued,
     Save with Your right hand, and answer me!

7   God has spoken in His holiness:
     “I will triumph, I will divide up Shechem,
     And measure out the Valley of Succoth.
8   Gilead is Mine, Manasseh is Mine;
     Ephraim also is the helmet of My head;
     Judah is My scepter.
9   Moab is My washbowl;
     I will throw My sandal over Edom;
     I will shout aloud over Philistia.”

10 Who will bring me into the fortified city?
     Who will lead me to Edom?
11 God, have You Yourself not rejected us?
     And will You not go forth with our armies, God?
12 Give us help against the enemy,
     For deliverance by man is worthless.
13 Through God we will do valiantly,
     And it is He who will trample down our enemies.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

Verse 12 very clearly points out that we cannot depend on mankind or ourselves.  Our efforts are worthless!  They are driven by fickle, shortsighted thinking and selfish desires, and carried out with feeble strength.  So, exactly what are our underlying issues, and who or what can we depend on, and why?

Our main issue is sin.  We are born with a sin nature that separates us from God.  Where there is sin, there is death, and nothing we do (or don't do) could ever save us.  Because God is holy, everything He says and does is in His righteousness.  Therefore, He will not and cannot tolerate sin.  He will deal with and do away with unrighteousness.  Because God is also love, He came in flesh to die in our place and suffer the punishment that is due us.  So, it is only in receiving the Lord's salvation and forgiveness of sin that we can experience freedom from sin, death and punishment, and experience peace and trust in a personal relationship with Him, with thankful hearts.  

Another issue is that we will doubt and be insecure and forgetful.  Doubting is not wrong if we remain determined to seek and find the right answers.  Because God is love, He wants to communicate very clearly with us, and not just leave us hanging.  And so, because God is also truth, He speaks directly to us in His word in order to give us the answers and the direction we should take.  He will not steer us wrong.  We can strive in steadfast obedience when we put His wisdom into practice, while asking and allowing Him to work in and through us.

We can also struggle with pride, thinking that we can be successful in our own efforts, strength and thinking.  And when we do come upon success, we often want to take the credit.  Mankind is full of pride, and celebrates this in many ways, with parades, parties, award ceremonies, etc., etc.  Because God is merciful, loving and caring, He does rescue, protect and help those with humble hearts.  As we experience help and security in His promises, we should be humbled all the more and desire to praise Him and give Him all the credit and the glory.  

We will definitely struggle with greed, trying to get what we want, when we want it, doing it in our own way, thinking this is the best thing for our lives.  But we are NOT all-knowing, all-powerful or everywhere-present.  Because God is sovereign and His is the glory, He triumphs and has the victory already.  And because God is also love, He has purpose and a plan for each of us, and knows what is best for our lives, and how to achieve that.  As well, He desires to fight our battles for us.  So, in Him, we can do valiantly and experience confidence and courage in His strength, wisdom and love.

We have issues, and God is our only answer and solution.  It is God's very own nature - His unchanging and eternal traits - that puts a stamp of guarantee on everything He says and does!  Let us encourage one another with thankful praises to keep steadfast in looking to the Lord!