Sunday is always a slow day during lock down. We connected to Christ Church Midrand and participated in their Sunday Morning Worship service.
As I write, the thunder seems to indicate that the rains are about to fall. Praise the Lord for that. Believe me–I just wrote that and then the lightening, thunder and wind came, powerfully followed by hard rain and large marble size hail. The hail hit the winds so hard Jenny came to me saying the windows are going to break. The wind drove the hail right under the backdoor covering. Quite scary, but not as scary as the COVID-19 virus.
Many years ago, Roy and Angela gave me a Philips haircutter. This afternoon I decided to try and cut my own hair. This cutter is adjustable. For me that is fortunate. I used the larger comb fitting and managed to cut the wildest parts off without making myself look like the lawnmower was used. The reason I cut my hair is because we need to do some shopping tomorrow and did not want to look like a hobo!
Sometimes we go through difficult times, almost like the power of rain, thunder, lightning, wind and hail. In fact, it can be very scary when the storms attack us. Sometimes it is our own doing and at other times it could just be the way things unpack themselves, such as the COVID-19 virus.
David faced many storms in his life, as Psalm 55 reveals. In this case, the enemy was most likely a physical one. Ours might also be, but most likely our enemies are the attack on our health (COVID-19, flu, cancer, heart failure or some lesser illness that is still debilitating), emotions, finances, relationships, etc. Look at this PsalmL
Ps 55:1 Listen to my prayer, O God, do not ignore my plea; 2 hear me and answer me.
My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught 3 at the voice of the enemy, at the stares of the wicked;
for they bring down suffering upon me and revile me in their anger.
4 My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death assail me.
5 Fear and trembling have beset me; horror has overwhelmed me.
6 I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest—
7 I would flee far away and stay in the desert;
8 I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm.”
9 Confuse the wicked, O Lord, confound their speech, for I see violence and strife in the city.
10 Day and night they prowl about on its walls; malice and abuse are within it.
11 Destructive forces are at work in the city; threats and lies never leave its streets.
12 If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it;
if a foe were raising himself against me, I could hide from him.
13 But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend,
14 with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship
as we walked with the throng at the house of God.
15 Let death take my enemies by surprise; let them go down alive to the grave, for evil finds lodging among them.
16 But I call to God, and the LORD saves me.
17 Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice.
18 He ransoms me unharmed from the battle waged against me, even though many oppose me.
19 God, who is enthroned forever, will hear them and afflict them
men who never change their ways and have no fear of God.
20 My companion attacks his friends; he violates his covenant.
21 His speech is smooth as butter, yet war is in his heart;
his words are more soothing than oil, yet they are drawn swords.
22 Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you;
he will never let the righteous fall.
23 But you, O God, will bring down the wicked into the pit of corruption;
bloodthirsty and deceitful men will not live out half their days.
But as for me, I trust in you.
He has an enemy and the pressure he feels scares him (he is distraught). He wants to escape from the “tempest and storm” (7-8). All he could do is trust in God who saves (16). The way he trusts in God is through prayer (16 & 22).
Like the difficult task of cutting your own hair, this is personal, private, intimate, heart rendering prayer! In his prayer, David admits that irrespective what happens around him (20-21 & 23), trust must be in God (last part of verse 23).
Lord, in the face of the storms of life, help me to trust you with all my heart. Amen.