Friday, January 30, 2009

Thou hast… (Psalm 60) 300109

The first four verses are full of “Thou hast” in NASB, or “You have” in NKJV and NIV. The psalmist clearly understands that God is in control of everything, the big word for it is sovereign. God has rejected, broken, been angry, made the land quake, split it open, made His people experience hardship, given them wine (v1-3), but also given a banner (v4). God seems to be orchestrating all that has been happening in the life of this psalmist. Or rather, the psalmist is declaring the almighty power of God, who can do all which was mentioned, in the midst of adverse situation he was in.

I have been depressed before; the world around me was strangely dimed. There seemed to be no hope, but I know that God was somehow in the whole situation. God has allowed all the things that had happened to me to happen to me. I don’t know why, even up till today. But I am sure that something good has taken place within me.

The psalmist is stating the fact that God is sovereign over his life, and also sovereign over all the nations (v7-8). And because of his understanding of God’s sovereignty, the psalmist is able to put his confidence in Him for deliverance and victory (v12).

I am too lazy today to dig into the background of this psalm, and I do not know what the situation the psalmist was in historically; but I know that this psalmist knows God. Therefore, he can confidently say to God: Thou hast; and know that God will grant him final victory.

Maybe you are struggling with some sins in life which you do not seem to be able to break free for now; but be sure that God knows your struggles, and He has allowed it so that you may learn to trust that He will deliver you. Maybe you are in the midst of some difficult situation, it could be financial crisis, it could be marital conflicts, it could even be church conflicts; and you wonder why you have to go through such things which you try to avoid; but God knows your weakness, and He may be using this to mould you to the person He wants. So trust Him.

The list can surely go on and on, your list can be even longer than mine; but God is not interested in merely deliver you from your problem, He is more keen to see you learn to trust Him and cultivate a personal relationship with Him.

Talk to God, tell Him how you feel, and listen to His reply. This psalm shows us how this psalmist talks to God and listing down a list of “Thou hast”. But he also listens to God as He speaks in His holiness (v6-8). The word “holy” means set apart. And when God speaks in His holiness, He expects us to set ourselves apart from everything else to listen. It is only when we listen to God, then we can know the power of God, then we can know more of God. Take time to talk and listen to God. Prayer is a conversation; it is a dialog, not a monologue, and definitely not a soliloquy (talking to oneself).

God has spoken, are you listening?

HHS…
Abel…

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