October.31-November1.2009
Read Psalm 62 from the English Standard Version
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The Big Idea
People are basically unreliable. In life, stuff happens: People get sick, cars get stolen, plans change, jobs end, friends face emergency surgery, families relocate, people die. And that's been just this past week in my life, and the lives of people I care about. And that's just my friends!
There are also those people--every life has them--where there are the malicious ones, just waiting for you to trip and fall. Ready to offer sarcasm over sympathy; heckling over encouragement; bitterness over mercy.
Yes. People are unreliable.
This Psalm asks an important question: Why, if people are so unreliable (even at their best), why are you working so hard to impress them? At your best, you are either a whisp--a breath, or a mask--a delusion.Those are harsh words, but that is the nature of a life that finds its meaning in this life, and not in God.
Meditation
There is a graveyard in my hometown, and there are people buried there who were once the toast of the town. A former governor. A national business leader or two. Tombstones that bear the names of major streets or wards in the city. All, side by side with people whose legacies have been forgotten, lost, or never existed.
This weekend, consider your goals, and where you are going in life. Are you climbing a ladder to success? Good for you, now ask yourself: What will this mean in 200 years. Grim, isn't it.
The Psalms are unblinkingly honest. Trust God. Remember that you (like the rest of humanity) are ultimately unreliable. The word of comfort and encouragement we get here is not easy. Everything falls apart except God. He alone is powerful; He is the only source of steadfast love; He will judge us for our works. The rest of the story is that, through Jesus Christ, he will also redeem us by his Grace.Make sure that the ladder you are climbing is taking you up the right wall.
Praying With This Psalm
You can pray scripture prayers for yourself or for others.
- Father God, let _________ stop arguing with you and wait in silence for your salvation.
- May ______ recognize that there are malicious, destructive people in their life, and may they turn to you as their only refuge, their only source of hope.
- Oh, God help ______ to trust you at all times, and pour out their heart before you. May ______ know you as their rock and their refuge from a world that is hostile, harsh, and unfriendly.
- Father, may _______ see themself as a breath or a delusion, and find comfort in the fact that their real identity, meaning, and direction can be found only in you. Protect ______ from the errors of both arrogance and despair.
- Lord God, remind ______ that yours is the power, and you are the source of steadfast love. Help _______ know that the only way they can stand before you is through Jesus Christ and the grace that He brought to us.
- John 2:24-25. We are not reliable...
Lord, help _____ to follow Christ's example and entrust themselves to God, and not to other people. Jesus knew our failures, and yet he showed us mercy. May ______ turn from impressing others, and seek you in true repentance and trust.
- 2 Corinthians 6:8-9. The Paradox of the faithful...
Lord God, may _______ know that it is now how others view them, but how you view us. You are the source of our real life, in Jesus Christ. Grant ______ the grace to experience that.
- James 2:9. All favoritism is sinful...
Father God, help ______ understand that all favoritism, all partiality, all comparing people against one another, is sinful. Help us to view each other, and ourselves, with your eyes.
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