READ: Psalm 59.17 NLT
'O my Strength, to you I sing praises, for you, O God, are my refuge, the God who shows me unfailing love.'
Is your life a struggle at the moment? I’m really sorry if that’s the case, but I want to encourage you with the thought that you are in very good company. In this psalm, like many others, David pours out the detail of his struggles. He feels physically threatened and describes his opponents as being like vicious dogs, snarling as they prowl the streets. He also reflects on the curses and lies that his opponents keep hurling at him. There seems to be no limit to the challenges that he faces. Whether you are struggling or not, we would all do well to listen to the way in which David faces up to his situation with brutal honesty.
When life is a struggle, and we all experience that from time to time, it’s so important for us to be honest about it and especially with God. He already knows the whole story and so we aren’t informing him of anything. He knows the kind of people we are and our history, so he is perfectly able to understand whatever we are up against. Like David we need to make sure that our prayers express exactly how we are. It’s also important that our prayers in church reflect the fact that we all experience struggles and difficulties from time
to time. There can be a temptation in some churches for the prayers to be so full of victory and celebration that there is no space to offer to God our struggles and disappointments. That’s sad, because our worship needs to reflect the whole of life and not just our edited highlights.
On two occasions in this psalm, David burst out in praise by affirming that God was his strength and his refuge. Amidst the troubles of his life, he didn’t forget that God was always with him, giving him the encouragement and protection that he needed. When we face times of difficulty, however bad it gets, we can always praise God that he is standing with us, keeping us strong and secure.




QUESTIONS: How do you cope with the struggles that you face in life?
PRAYER: Loving God, thank you that you are always able to strengthen and help me, however hard times might be. Amen

Released on 30 Jun 2021