Psalm 59 - 4.20.26

Scripture 

Psalm 59:16-17

“But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. You are my strength, I sing praise to you; you, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely.”

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Observation 

In the heading of this Psalm, it says that King David wrote it, “When Saul had sent men to watch David’s house in order to kill him.”

King David was being hotly pursued by his enemies, yet He still praised the Lord! He received God’s peace and strength as he prayed and worshipped through his circumstances.

Application

Pray, worship and give thanks in ALL circumstances. Thanksgiving is a choice and not based on emotion. 

“Rejoice always, pray continually, GIVE THANKS in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” -‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5‬:‭16‬-‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Following this encouragement is easy when our circumstances are good. When we are healthy, our finances are good, we are enjoying our job, our church is thriving, when all of our prayers are being answered the way we want them to, when we don’t have anyone close to us dying or anyone to grieve and when we don’t have any relational issues with our spouse, kids or anyone else, then it’s easy to give thanks. However, how often do those blessings occur at the same time or every day? Also, if you read the beatitudes in Matthew 5, God has a different view on who are blessed. (For example, Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit”, “Blessed are those who mourn”, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness”, etc.) 

For me personally, I know that if I based my faith and thanksgiving on only good circumstances, I would be living a very dark and depressed life. I probably would’ve abandoned my faith already too.  This is why God wants us to have a different perspective for viewing hard circumstances, where in the midst of them all, we give Him thanks. We refocus our attention on Him, rather than the circumstances, knowing that He is in control and with us through it all. 

If we are having a hard time giving thanks for a circumstance, we can also ask the Holy Spirit to help us and He will! 

Prayer

Dear Lord, thank You for King David’s example that there is no excuse not to pray and worship You! You always flip the script on how You want us to react to life’s challenges. You don’t want us to be overwhelmed by them, but rather give thanks in ALL of them, good or bad. I pray that whatever season, circumstances, location, or activity I find myself in, that I would run to you in worship and prayer! Help me to not only give thanks in the good times, but also the hard times, knowing that You are always working them out for my good. Amen. 

-Michelle Gaddi