October 26, 2009
Move over, Lord. I'll handle this ONE!
Psalm 109:1-8
Elizabeth Tamlyn
Central Truth
Trusting God is key to giving up our desire for control, even when we have been hurt or wronged.
Key Verse | Psalm 109:1
O God whom I praise, do not ignore me!
(Psalm 109:1)
Psalm 109:1-8
Help Me, O LORD My God
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
1
Be not silent, O God of my praise!
2
For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me,
speaking against me with lying tongues.
3
They encircle me with words of hate,
and attack me without cause.
4
In return for my love they accuse me,
but I give myself to prayer.
1
109:4
Hebrew but I am prayer
5
So they reward me evil for good,
and hatred for my love.
6
Appoint a wicked man against him;
let an accuser stand at his right hand.
7
When he is tried, let him come forth guilty;
let his prayer be counted as sin!
8
May his days be few;
may another take his office!
Dive Deeper | Psalm 109:1-8
In Luke 6 Jesus tells us to love our enemies. These are the words that went through my mind as I read Psalm 109. David delivers some pretty harsh words about his enemies. I kept thinking that by the end of the chapter David would have changed his mind and repented of asking for bad things to happen to his enemies. But that wasn't the case. David's desire for his enemies was that "his children be fatherless" and and "his wife a widow." Yikes!
Could these severe words come from a "man after God's own heart"?
But as I pondered and prayed, I marveled at David's complete and utter trust to hand this over to God. He really trusted God to take revenge on his oppressors. And his enemies were not drivers who cut him off in traffic or shoppers with more than 15 items in the express lane. David's enemies were people who killed families and burned towns.
Many times, I give it all to God: my problems, future, difficult decisions. But then, I take back just a little part. "God, I want You to handle the job search, stock markets, city issues, and worldwide oppression. And thanks so much, but I will take care of the person who hurt my child's feelings or betrayed me. I can manage that one so You don't have to!" In essence, we are saying, "Move over, Lord. I'll handle this!"
Do I trust Him? David did. So much so that he handed everything over to Him. David released his hand and gave God complete and utter control over his enemies. Do I trust God's sovereignty, power, timing, judgment, and love enough to give Him all of my concerns? If I really understood His love for me, I would not have to wonder if His outcomes would be in my best interest.
Get to know Him more. You can't trust someone you don't really know.
Discussion Questions
1. What can you do daily to deepen your walk so that you will know Him more and trust Him with all your concerns?
2. What are areas that you completely relinquish to God's sovereignty?
3. What areas in your life do you struggle to give Him or take back so that you can control?