Blessed Beyond Measure

“Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer.  From the end of the earth will I cry unto Thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”  Psalm 61:1-2

A few years ago, I took a notebook and wrote what each of the Psalms means to me.  This is not a private interpretation, but just some thoughts on what the Psalmist, in this case king David, had on his heart when he wrote the Psalm.  I know that David made some really bad decisions in his life, but he repented and God forgave him.  His Psalms are probably the most humble and honest confessions in all of scripture.

“No matter where I am, Lord, I will cry unto You for You are always ready to hear me.  My puny little self is nothing compared to Your greatness.  Your presence has sheltered me from storms both seen and unseen.  I can climb up into Your strong tower fortress to find refuge in time of need.  I get to live in Your house forever.  Your wings of protection fan over me.  Just think about all that.  Lord, You have heard every word I’ve ever said.  You know my heart and my earnest desire to please You.  You have blessed me beyond measure.

You have allowed me to be among those who love You, and thus I have come to love You as well.  My life is in Your hands.  Even if I die tomorrow, my life is still in Your hands.  I endure because of Your mercy and truth.  I stand amazed at how good You have been to me.  I will sing praises to You forever.  This is my vow.”

There is an old gospel song written by James B. Coats entitled “Where Could I Go But to the Lord?”  It has been recorded by several artists including Emmy Lou Harris, Elvis Presley, and Merle Haggard.  The lyrics focus on the difficulties in living in this sinful world, and the acknowledgement that there is no where to turn except unto the Lord.  Those to whom we are closest on this earth do not always have the answers we seek.  Even in a crowd we can feel alone, but we are never really alone.  Christ is with us, never to leave or forsake us.  On that we can depend.  We can just lean on Him like a little child crawls up in Daddy’s lap to feel safe and secure, because He is our “Abba, Father” our Daddy.