Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivers him out of them all. (Psalm 34:19)

My wife got in touch with a long time friend recently to catch up on the news concerning her battle with a debilitating illness. Our friend has been battling a rather uncommon, but much misunderstood disease, one that has nearly taken her life.

Radical medical treatment was sought overseas as the procedure has not yet been approved in the United States. Thankfully, she is getting some relief from the worst of her symptoms but doctors have told her that this illness will remain with her for the rest of her life.

This friend isn’t the only person we know who has been desperately ill as two other friends are waging their own wars against cancer. We also know people who recently suffered a serious accident or lost their jobs or are facing some other challenge.

Psalm 34 describes a trying time for David, the would be king who faced many trials before he ascended to the throne of Israel. Come to think of it, David’s life was filled with many challenges some of which were brought on by wrong decisions he made in life, others that were not.

In this particular Psalm, David pretended he was insane before Abimelech (a title for a Philistine king like Pharoah was used for Egypt) in order to save his life. David was also on the run from Saul, hiding out in a cave, probably had very little food, was tired and incredibly lonely.

But, David had his priorities right as he continually praised the Lord in the midst of his affliction, even encouraging the reader to turn from evil to do what is good and to seek peace and pursue it (v.14) Throughout this Psalm, David reminds us that God is with us, comforting us and protecting us. He concludes the chapter with this verse:

The LORD redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him. (v.22)

David understood that his only hope was in the Lord so he decided to find his comfort in Him. That my dear readers is the only way we should respond when troubles come upon us.

This verse, indeed the entire chapter, stood out for me in another way too. There are some people who don’t believe that Christians will go through tough times or they may say that a person who is suffering is in sin.

I am not going to get into a debate about various thoughts people may have, instead all I will do is point to the book of Psalms which demonstrates how God rescues His people out of trouble. These days, with so many people feeling the heat of an economic downturn, few are escaping troubles. But, like David, we can choose to call upon the name of the Lord who has promised to help us if we take our refuge in Him.

This world holds nothing for the person who puts their trust in God. Yet, we live in it and are afflicted often and shall overcome if we cry out to the One who has promised to redeem us.

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The human condition...worry!

Admit it…there are times that you worry about something, perhaps fretting over your child’s behavior, the recent stock market meltdown, the rampant evil being glorified in society, you name it.

I’m not making light of what is a sin — worry can be loosely defined as those times when we aren’t putting something that concerns us in God’s hands — but it is common to the human condition.  Some Christians needlessly beat themselves up for worrying, missing the gentle tugging by the Holy Spirit for us to cast our burdens upon Him.

My personal worrying (or fretting) usually involves what I see happening in the world. Because I write extensively and on a number of different subjects, I’m all too familiar with what goes on in the news throughout the day. Wars, murders, economic calamity, child abuse, evil political agendas, you name it — my eyes see more than I care to see, but I must take these cares to the Lord or risk finding myself burdened by what I cannot change.

Recently, I’ve taken to reading Psalm 37 which is an excellent chapter to help people who tend to fret. I’m offering it to you in its entirety here and encourage those of you who struggle with worry to feast upon the psalmist’s words:

1 Do not fret because of evil men
or be envious of those who do wrong;

2 for like the grass they will soon wither,
like green plants they will soon die away.

3 Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

4 Delight yourself in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:

6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.

8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.

9 For evil men will be cut off,
but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look for them, they will not be found.

11 But the meek will inherit the land
and enjoy great peace.

12 The wicked plot against the righteous
and gnash their teeth at them;

13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he knows their day is coming.

14 The wicked draw the sword
and bend the bow
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose ways are upright.

15 But their swords will pierce their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.

16 Better the little that the righteous have
than the wealth of many wicked;

17 for the power of the wicked will be broken,
but the LORD upholds the righteous.

18 The days of the blameless are known to the LORD,
and their inheritance will endure forever.

19 In times of disaster they will not wither;
in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

20 But the wicked will perish:
The LORD’s enemies will be like the beauty of the fields,
they will vanish—vanish like smoke.

21 The wicked borrow and do not repay,
but the righteous give generously;

22 those the LORD blesses will inherit the land,
but those he curses will be cut off.

23 If the LORD delights in a man’s way,
he makes his steps firm;

24 though he stumble, he will not fall,
for the LORD upholds him with his hand.

25 I was young and now I am old,
yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread.

26 They are always generous and lend freely;
their children will be blessed.

27 Turn from evil and do good;
then you will dwell in the land forever.

28 For the LORD loves the just
and will not forsake his faithful ones.
They will be protected forever,
but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off;

29 the righteous will inherit the land
and dwell in it forever.

30 The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom,
and his tongue speaks what is just.

31 The law of his God is in his heart;
his feet do not slip.

32 The wicked lie in wait for the righteous,
seeking their very lives;

33 but the LORD will not leave them in their power
or let them be condemned when brought to trial.

34 Wait for the LORD
and keep his way.
He will exalt you to inherit the land;
when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.

35 I have seen a wicked and ruthless man
flourishing like a green tree in its native soil,

36 but he soon passed away and was no more;
though I looked for him, he could not be found.

37 Consider the blameless, observe the upright;
there is a future for the man of peace.

38 But all sinners will be destroyed;
the future of the wicked will be cut off.

39 The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD;
he is their stronghold in time of trouble.

40 The LORD helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.

None of us needs to be burdened by the cares and pleasures of this life and I encourage you to seek Jesus’ face when the weight of the world closes in. Personally, I’m glad that I cannot do anything about my problems as I tend to mess things up. I take confidence in knowing that in God alone He knows what is right for me because He is the author and finisher of my life…yours too!

Photo Credit: Dez Pain

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Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. (Psalm 51:2,3)

Every person upon this earth is prone to sin and it is something that we can do in abundance. As Christians, we’re instructed to live pure and godly lives, but we often fall short. I’m amazed when I hear some people say that they’ve overcome sin and are now sinless — falsely believing that they have some how achieved sinless perfection (see Romans 7:24). Our lives don’t have to be ruled by sin, but we will slip up occasionally — sometimes badly.

David’s Sin, Cover Up, And Confession

David was one such follower of the Lord who blew it big time. He lusted after another man’s wife, committed adultery with her, attempted to cover up his sin by having her righteous husband killed off in battle, and lived a life of denial for many months thereafter. Finally, when the prophet of God confronted him about his sin, David readily confessed — perhaps just as glad to be relieved of the heavy burden as wanting to make his life right with God again.

In our culture today, we love to “dig up dirt” about other people and broadcast it for all of the world to see. Even when someone has clearly repented of their transgression, there are people who reach back into history and pull up unseemly information about that individual. Oftentimes, this done under the guise of “people’s right to know” when God calls it something else: gossip.

In David’s case, his sins were made apparent to all because of the position that he was in. As the human ruler of Israel, God put plenty of responsibility on his shoulders to guide His people. David’s sins could have brought down the entire country, but God let him bear the responsibility and suffer personal consequences. In the midst of his sinning, David got the other man’s wife, Bathsheba, pregnant and she ended up losing their child (see 2 Samuel 12:15).

The Restoration Of David

After we genuinely confess our sin to God, forgiveness is instant but restoration takes time. We can’t pretend that we’ve sinned and all is done and simply forgotten and that is the end of that. Rather there is a time of restoration that takes place.

It isn’t penance — where we atone for our sin, which is something that only Jesus can do — rather, it is allowing God to begin healing our hearts and souls, bringing us to the point where we can once again serve Him freely (without guilt and shame weighing us down).

David is an excellent example of someone who recognized his sin, knew that he deserved God’s punishment (God could have killed him), but also recognized the mercy of God and the consequences his sin brought forth (death of a child, rebellion of Absalom, public disgrace and humiliation, etc.) Still, God was merciful to David, allowing him and Bathsheba to bear a son, Solomon, whom God loved and whose name is in the lineage of Jesus.

Have You Confessed Your Sins To God?

Of course, sinning has its consequences and it isn’t something we should do. God knows our frail condition and is there to intervene on our behalf.

If you’ve never committed your life to Jesus Christ, your sins are separating you from God. Only Jesus can forgive you of your sins as He atoned for all sins — past, present, and future — when He died upon the cross. Confess your sins to Jesus and allow Him to take full control over your life, bringing healing and restoration to you.

God loves you just as you are, but He also loves you too much to leave you as you are.

Further Reading

David and Bathsheba: Sin, Cover-up, Condemnation, and Restoration

How To Become A Christian

The Dangers of “Sinless Perfection” Doctrine

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