Zambia Hunt

Every Saturday I receive a text or voice note from my mom. She shares something that she is learning in the Word, and always reminds me that she is praying for me as I prepare and preach the word. This is the encouragement for this week. I hope it will encourage you too:

September 28, 2024

Good morning,

My thoughts today come from Psalms 55-57. I know this scenario is repeated throughout the Psalms, but let’s focus on these three chapters.

Reading Psalm 55, it really struck me that David fled from Saul for a very long time. This period seemed even longer due to the severity and evil of Saul’s pursuit. I couldn’t imagine the psychological distress David went through at this time in his life. That is, until Psalm 55:15 jumped out at me with David’s prayer for his enemies: “Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell.” This shows a lot of stress, but also a lot of faith.

Remember, Psalms 55-57 are David’s prayers to God for safety and deliverance. He said, “Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray” (55:17).

Thinking about this side of David and what he went through just made him more human to me as I read through the Psalms. Reading the caption of each chapter helped me understand where David was when he was talking and praying.

Why do I talk about this? Well, it seems to me that much, or at least some, of what David went through, pastors go through the same thing. Men of God who are seeking to serve the Lord faithfully will experience similar psychological distresses.

Let us note, however, that after praying for his enemies to go to hell, David kept on praying. In 55:22, he said, “Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.” He went on in chapter 57 to talk about God being his refuge and strength. “I will sing unto thee, O Lord, for thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds. Be thou exalted, O God!” (57:9-11)

Let us praise the Lord today for who He is.

Much love,

M❤️M