Charles (Chuck) Kensinger

David speaks to Jehovah about his problems in many of the Psalms. Psalm 3 is one of these. It was written at the time Absalom tried to over-through his Father. Although this is happening, he calls the Lord his shield around him. The sustaining power of his God allows him to slumber and awaken. David calls Him his deliverer.

Mercy and joy seem to be recurrent themes in the psalms and Psalm four is one of those. Are you a faithful servant of the Lord? If so, David is talking about you. He says that Jehovah has set you apart for Himself. He hears when you pray. This should encourage us to call on Him more.

One thing the Shepherd King says here I need to pay more attention to is, search your hearts and be silent. I have the searching part learned well. I need help with being quiet. No Amen, please. We often forget to thank Him for the safety He provides.

We all fall victim to depression and feel like everyone in the world is evil like David does in Psalm 12. The disloyalty, falsehoods, flattering, and deception have gotten to him. He asks Jehovah to silence those who speak against him. As in other songs, the Lord is praised for His care and faithfulness to those that seek to be holy as He is holy.

In Psalm 13 the Lord is asked how long will he continue to allow others to triumph over him? We all have thoughts that cause us sorrow. We think of the people that seem to want us dead. Our salvation is guaranteed if we have a personal relationship with Jesus. When that is true, we like David can praise the Lord.

Sometimes we think that God has stopped listening to us just as David does in Psalm 28. Despite this, he calls Jehovah his rock. What does he mean by this? A rock is solid. A big rock is often hard to move. They were used for foundations, projectiles in battle, and sometimes a hand to hand combat weapon. He also refers to Yahweh as his strength and shield, a fortress, and a shepherd. He declares he will praise Him with a song.

Another prayer is given by David in Psalm 55. As in other Psalms, he complains of his enemies. He asks to be able to fly away from his problems. We all have times when we want to escape.

Destructive forces are around him. He almost sounds paranoid, doesn’t he? In the King’s case, his enemy was a friend. This is not unusual. Those closest to us often become our foes. Our relationships change, but Jehovah does not. That is why we should trust Him as the Psalmist did.

©Copyright 2020 by Charles Kensinger