Seeking God in Difficult Times

Psalm 26

Jim Davis

World history tells the story of wars that have raged around the globe through the centuries. Everyone one of those wars originated in the hearts of those who chose to do evil. We are beginning to see that the most powerful weapons on earth are becoming ineffective in our real battle against evil. 

Matthew 15:19
For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.

Every battle begins and ends in our hearts and minds. It doesn’t begin with doing righteous deeds, but rather seeking to have sober thoughts on God’s ways.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 
For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

It doesn’t matter how closely you seek to follow Christ, the battle is never ending. One moment you may be like Peter. One moment he is confessing Christ as the Messiah and the next he is rebuking Christ for his teaching about his personal death and resurrection. Jesus speaks to Peter saying, get behind me Satan. You may be like Peter, who one moment is with Christ in the Garden, and the next you are denying him at his crucifixion. You may be like Peter is preaching Christ one moment and the next acting like a hypocrite. 

The Battle is Never Ending

Satan’s ever raging battle for your mind is a never ending reality. The greatest battles we face today are those where forces are seeking to demolish the knowledge of God. We may feel as Lot felt as he was tormented by the depraved conduct of a lawless world. 

2 Peter 2:7-10 
[God]  “rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)—if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment. This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the flesh and despise authority.

We are reminded ot Lot’s torment living in a wicked world as we are reminded that God knows how to rescue each of us. 

Jesus reminds us that we can depend upon the presence of God in our struggles. Yet, as he promises God’s help, he asks a very troubling question.

Luke 18:7-8 
And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

God is present in our struggles, but Jesus ask a troubling question: “However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” It is scary to think about the onslaught on our hearts and minds in this age of technology. The constant browsing of the internet, as we are glued to our computer screens and phones. Hardly a moment to think for ourselves as we binge watch movies.  Sadly, more often than not a message is woven into those movies constantly challenging how we think about ourselves, our families, our sexuality, our world and God. 

We are living in a time when we see the world we once knew disintegrating before our very eyes. We are beginning to ask ourselves, will Christ find faith on earth when he returns? As we look intently at all the mass communication today we are more confused than ever about the world order. We are becoming more distrustful and paranoid with every story we read or watch.

The vast majority is losing faith in our institutions. It is becoming harder to trust government, educational institutions and even churches. We see signs encouraging people to try church again as they seek to reach those burned out with religion. 

Sadly, many churches are more interested in sending new members to a financial planning class rather than leading them on a journey through the Sermon on the Mount, as they are taught how to live a life for God. 

The Bible is filled with stories of the rise and fall of the Hebrews as they struggled with problems much like our own. We see those seeking God to salvage their lives in the midst of their worst nightmares. They are seeking God in times of great personal failure. We find them in dire circumstances seeking God and at times doubting God’s mercy. We find them traveling the dark valleys of life questioning God’s unfailing love. We find them on mountain top experiences extolling the greatness of God’s love.

Throughout the Psalms we find those trusting God’s intervention as they remind themselves of his promises.

Psalms 34:15-16 
The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
    and his ears are attentive to their cry;
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
    to blot out their name from the earth.

Psalms 40:1-2 
I waited patiently for the Lord;
    he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
    out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
    and gave me a firm place to stand.

In Psalm 26 we find the writer seeking vindication as he seeks God’s help. Apparently he is being accused of wrong doing. The circumstances are such that he is totally innocent. He appeals to the Lord for vindication. The writer is seeking to be cleared of the charges against him.

Psalm 26
 Vindicate me, Lord,
    for I have led a blameless life;
I have trusted in the Lord
    and have not faltered.
2 Test me, Lord, and try me,
    examine my heart and my mind;
3 for I have always been mindful of your unfailing love
    and have lived in reliance on your faithfulness.
4 I do not sit with the deceitful,
    nor do I associate with hypocrites.
5 I abhor the assembly of evildoers
    and refuse to sit with the wicked.
6 I wash my hands in innocence,
    and go about your altar, Lord,
7 proclaiming aloud your praise
    and telling of all your wonderful deeds.
8 Lord, I love the house where you live,
    the place where your glory dwells.
9 Do not take away my soul along with sinners,
    my life with those who are bloodthirsty,
10 in whose hands are wicked schemes,
    whose right hands are full of bribes.
11 I lead a blameless life;
    deliver me and be merciful to me.
12 My feet stand on level ground;
    in the great congregation I will praise the Lord.

The writer of this psalm approaches God with a troubled heart. This person is so sure about his innocence in the matter he brings before God. He ask the Lord to examine his heart and mind as he recounts his righteousness in this particular matter.

I have trusted in the Lord
I have always been mindful of your unfailing love
I do not sit with the deceitful
I abhor the assembly of evildoers
I wash my hands in innocence
I lead a blameless life.

I saw a quote that says: “God will put you back together right in front of the people who broke you.” This is what the psalmist is seeking.

Psalm 27:11-12
Teach me your way, Lord;
    lead me in a straight path
    because of my oppressors.
Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
    for false witnesses rise up against me,
    spouting malicious accusations.   

Psalm 26 reminds me of David after he killed Goliath. Saul became jealous seeking to kill David. David had plenty of opportunity to kill Saul in self defense. He refused to raise his hand against God’s anointed King. He simply sought God’s help.

The psalmist writes, “I have always been mindful of your unfailing love …” God’s unfailing love is present if we are right or wrong. Unfailing love is basis of our hope regardless of the circumstance. God’s unfailing love encourages us to open ourselves up for examination.

 Vindicate me, Lord,
    for I have led a blameless life;
I have trusted in the Lord
    and have not faltered.
Test me, Lord, and try me,
    examine my heart and my mind;
for I have always been mindful of your unfailing love
    and have lived in reliance on your faithfulness.
I do not sit with the deceitful,
    nor do I associate with hypocrites.

The psalmist relationship with God is based upon God’s unfailing love rather than an unfailing righteousness. We may not be able to declare our total innocence, as the psalmist does in this matter, with every problem we bring to God. We can depend upon God’s unfailing love.

When we turn to God’s word to examine our personal lives it requires looking into the depth of our souls.

Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Opening our lives up for inspection is not always pleasant. God’s word penetrates the deepest recesses of our souls. We may feel crushed with the weight of our failures, as we try to remind ourselves of God’s unfailing love. We should allow our failures and weaknesses to draw us to God. 

Throughout the Bible we discover those who come to God with every imaginable problem. In many cases they are crushed with the weight of their personal failures as they seek to trust God’s unfailing love. 

Psalm 32:1-5
Blessed is the one
    whose transgressions are forgiven,
    whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the one
    whose sin the Lord does not count against them
    and in whose spirit is no deceit.
When I kept silent,
    my bones wasted away
    through my groaning all day long.
For day and night
    your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was sapped
    as in the heat of summer.
Then I acknowledged my sin to you
    and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess
    my transgressions to the Lord.”
And you forgave
    the guilt of my sin.

David came to God in complete confidence of God’s unfailing love. We find David beseeching God after murdering the husband of an adulteress  woman he impregnated just to hide his deed.

Psalms 51:1-4 
Have mercy on me, O God,
    according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
    blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity
    and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is always before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned
    and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
    and justified when you judge.

Some cry out as they see the greedy overtake the hapless, seemingly seeing no help from God. They come boldly questioning God’s response to the arrogance of the wicked as they seek to trust God’s unfailing love.

Psalm 10:1-4
Why, Lord, do you stand far off?
    Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak,
    who are caught in the schemes he devises.
He boasts about the cravings of his heart;
    he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord.
In his pride the wicked man does not seek him;
    in all his thoughts there is no room for God.

Trusting God’s unfailing love is not as straightforward as we might think. This is especially true when you feel forsaken by God. Yet, we are reminded of his unfailing love. 

We have all had the kind of moments we read about in this Psalm:

Psalm 77:1-9
I cried out to God for help;
    I cried out to God to hear me.
When I was in distress, I sought the Lord;
    at night I stretched out untiring hands,
    and I would not be comforted.
I remembered you, God, and I groaned;
    I meditated, and my spirit grew faint.
You kept my eyes from closing;
    I was too troubled to speak.
I thought about the former days,
    the years of long ago;
I remembered my songs in the night.
    My heart meditated and my spirit asked:
“Will the Lord reject forever?
    Will he never show his favor again?
Has his unfailing love vanished forever?
    Has his promise failed for all time?
Has God forgotten to be merciful?
    Has he in anger withheld his compassion?”

These are the thoughts racing through the writer’s mind until finally he takes hold of his thoughts. He forces himself to remember the unfailing love of God.

Psalm 77:10-15 
Then I thought, “To this I will appeal:
    the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand.
I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
    yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.
I will consider all your works
    and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”
Your ways, God, are holy.
    What god is as great as our God?
You are the God who performs miracles;
    you display your power among the peoples.
With your mighty arm you redeemed your people,
    the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.

Reminding ourselves how God salvaged the helpless as we recall their stories is a great encouragement. You may not be an Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Ruth, Esther or Daniel, but your life is no less important to God. These were not great people God chose. They were as lost in an evil world as any one of us. These people were so ordinary until God revealed himself to the world in their lives.

Throughout the Psalms we witness those who bring their troubles to God while reminding themselves of God’s faithfulness.   

Psalm 27:1-3
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation—
    whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
    of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When the wicked advance against me
    to devour me,
it is my enemies and my foes
    who will stumble and fall.
3 Though an army besiege me,
    my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
    even then I will be confident.

It doesn’t matter if we are loaded with personal failure questioning God’s love and mercy we can still find refuge in God. 

Psalm 16:1-11
Keep me safe, my God,
    for in you I take refuge.
I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
    apart from you I have no good thing.”
I say of the holy people who are in the land,
    “They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.”
Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more.
    I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods
    or take up their names on my lips.
Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;
    you make my lot secure.
The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
    surely I have a delightful inheritance.
I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;
    even at night my heart instructs me.
I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
    With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
    my body also will rest secure,
because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
    nor will you let your faithful one see decay.
You make known to me the path of life;
    you will fill me with joy in your presence,
    with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Conclusion:

We see these truths played out throughout the Psalms as the writers seek spiritual help and healing. It is here were we are allowed to enter into the experiences of those sorting out their thoughts and feelings about God. We see those who ask God to search their hearts and minds as they seek to understand his ways as they seek a refuge for their souls. 

There is no greater refuge for us today than Jesus Christ. There is no greater statement of God’s unfailing love than the sacrifice of his only Son to atone for every sin that has been committed or will ever be committed.

When we recognize our imperfections we must realize God did not send his Son into the world to condemn, but to salvage lives already suffering condemnation.

John 3:16-17 
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

The very last words Jesus spoke before he ascended to heaven promises he will be with us to the end.

Matthew 28:16-20
Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”