No Coincidence

Psalm 86

Recurring theme of David and other psalmists is their earthly struggles. Certainly as Jesus was tempted and dwelt among men there were times when He cried to His Father the exact same way. If we assume that His forty days in the wilderness at the beginning of His ministry and His struggle in the garden were His only times of facing what seems like insurmountable odds from a human point of view we are probably, evangelisically speaking, dead wrong.. As we say He was fully man.

Another we don't think of it because "he" was perfect, created perfect, but just consider Adam. He was alive, had a job to do, and he did it faithfully. First he was taken from the wild and placed in a garden the Lord God made special for Adam to work. Then from being a horticulturalist Adam was given the job of scientist, and chief zoologist to name every animal God created. Then it was the Lord God's observation that of Adam being quite solitary, being very, very lonely.

The Lord God also made the man of the dust of the ground, and breathed in his face breath of life, and the man was a living soul. And the Lord God planted a garden Eastward in Eden, and there he put the man whom he had made.

Then the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden, that he might dress it and keep it.

So the Lord God formed of the earth every beast of the field, and every fowl of the heaven, and brought them unto the man to see how he would call them: for howsoever the man named the living creature, so was the name thereof. The man therefore gave names unto all cattle, and to the fowl of the heaven, and to every beast of the field: but for Adam found he not an help meet for him.

Genesis 2:7, 8, 15, 19 - 20 GNV

This is a detailed account of the sixth day of creation. Adam created first, then the Lord made the garden, took Adam from the wild and put him there, then created the beast of the field and fowl of the air and brought them to him. But maybe even perfect Adam had the possibility of despair, or some feeling in his perfect life. Maybe even with David he could have said:

A prayer of David.

Incline thine ear, O Lord, and hear me: for I am poor and needy.

Psalms 86:1 GNV

We might possibly say that Adam's first challenge was being taken from the wild and placed in a garden and the job might have appeared overwhelming. Then when the Lord God began bringing him animal after animal to give a name, so many animals! Is there even going to be enough time in a day to name all these? And then every one came with its mate. If Adam didn't notice it and feel his own emptiness, loneliness the Lord God certainly did. Adam was very alone!

That was just Adam, possibly overwhelming work and even loneliness in the perfect world. But there were other possibilities within that second chapter of Genesis. The first river of four mentioned is said to encircle a land with gold, good gold. Oh yes, gold or a structure of a financial system based on the concept of "good gold". We struggle with financial problems, family problems ("she gave me the fruit", "go ahead, finish your sentence", "and I did eat it", "see, he admitted he did it"), then almost everything with gold, or today, money can buy; housing, food, utilities, clothing, and so much more. We see ourselves in one or more of these situations and determine ourselves to be poor and needy. We desperately desire God's help. Then sometimes we fail to call on Him for it.

No coincidence then to me that I find myself in a very great struggle in one or more of these desperate feelings when I sit down to reread and begin writing on Psalm 86. I needed to be in that feeling of desperation myself to deeply empathize with David's prayer, this psalm.

My God, save thou thy servant, that trusteth in thee. Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry upon thee continually.

Psalms 86:2b - 3 GNV

Nothing has yet been said about sin, iniquity, or wickedness to this point. All that has been said is the everyday struggles a man faces, and the God upon whom we truly depend.

Among the gods there is none like thee, O Lord, and there is none that can do like thy works. All nations, whom thou hast made, shall come and worship before thee, O Lord, and shall glorify thy Name. For thou art great and doest wonderous things: thou art God alone. Teach me thy way, O Lord, and I will walk in thy truth: knit mine heart unto thee, that I may fear thy Name.

Psalms 86:8 - 11 GNV

It is only in the end pride, and hate are even brought up among those violent in speaking of what David was up against as he wrote. May, may all of us remember there is none like God, none that does anything like God can do, and in the time it is done. Oh how much I need to remember that God led His people into a totally desperate situation between two mountains and then between the sea and Pharaoh's army. Jesus only called Lazarus from the tomb after he had been dead when Jesus had been called upon earlier, So often I feel like at the sea, just walk into the sea and drown already. You have no other options. But even God asked Moses, What are you waiting for? Just go!

Lord, help me to recognize not only the situation that feels so desperate, impossible, but when you who are control, that you tell me to act that I move forward IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION! Help me Lord.