IN THE MORNING

IN THE MORNING:

When we read Psalm 143 it is readily apparent that wasn’t metaphor. David was literally living in caves in order to hide from Saul and his men.

David cried out to God from the darkness of those caves and said, “Lord, hear my prayer… For the enemy has pursued me, crushing me to the ground, making me live in darkness like those long dead. My spirit is weak within me; my heart is overcome with dismay.”

From a place of utter dismay David recalled “the days of old;” days when David had sweet fellowship with God, when he was the embodiment of God’s will on earth, when - as a simple shepherd boy - he would write and sing songs of love and praise to God Almighty.

Today we often find ourselves in similarly desperate situations, when our hearts are overcome with dismay, and we too recall “days of old.” But unlike David we tend to think more about exceptional experiences and physical circumstances rather than our rich spiritual and emotional fellowship with God. Rarely do we reflect back on seasons of sweet obedience and surrender; instead we ruminate on vacations, outings, retreats, and other fleeting “getaway” vapors.

The cause of David’s weak spirit and a heart “overcome with dismay” was not the fact that he was forced to sleep in a dark cave rather than a royal bedchamber, but rather that he had been forcibly separated from fellowship with God’s people and thus prevented from participating in community worship.

In verses 5 and 6 we read how David participated in his own deliverance:

“I remember the days of old;” David recalled sweet fellowship with God and His people.

“I meditate on all You have done;” David meditated on God’s gracious and redemptive hand in human history (The Fall, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Exodus, Judges…)

“I reflect on the works of Your hands;” David spent time reflecting on the marvel and beauty of creation as a form of true worship.

“I spread out my hands before You;” David humbled himself in utter surrender and obedience to God’s will and providence.

David participated in his own deliverance by remembering, meditating, reflecting, and worshipping God in praise and prayer. Toward the end of this psalm of praise David sang:

“Let me experience Your faithful love in the morning, for I trust in You… Teach me to do Your will.”

David understood that experiencing God’s faithful love was not only a gift, but a gift celebrated by serving in a community of worship - something impossible to experience in solitude and exile in the wilderness.

Are you, like David, crying out to God “Lord, hear my prayer?”

Are you feeling crushed, broken in spirit, and overcome with dismay?

Are you praying for God to merely change your circumstances so that the cycle of insanity can simply begin again; or, like David, will you remember “the days of old” when you had sweet fellowship with God in a community of worship, meditating on all He has done by spending time in the Word, reflecting on the works of His hands by worshiping Christ in creation, and spreading out your hands and heart to Him in humble submission to His will for your life?

When you cry out, “Answer me quickly, LORD” is it to merely to experience His blessings for your own selfish benefit - or to experience His faithful love by being poured out within the context of Christian community as He teaches you to do His will?

David dug himself out of the pit by understanding who he was (identity) and why he was (purpose). He was God’s anointed King. God was working out all the details. David fully expected that God was reconciling and restoring all things - so he prayed with the kind of giddy expectation that kids experience on Christmas Eve; “Let me experience Your faithful love in the morning for I trust in You… Teach me to do Your will.”

If you are in a season of darkness and dismay the solution is exactly the same for us today - identity and purpose in Christ. The remedy of deliverance is the same: remember, meditate, reflect, and spread yourself out in humble obedience and, like David, become an active member of His incarnate will (i.e. the Church) as a blessing to all peoples to the ends of the earth (Gen 12:3).

Want to experience a wildflower sunrise? Then, like David, pray, “Let me experience Your faithful love in the morning… Teach me to do your will.”

Blessings,

-Kevin M. Kelley

aMostUnlikelyDisciple.com