Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen
“I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God.” Psalm 69:3
Psalm 69 is another one of the Psalms that King David penned while he was knee deep in troubles of all kinds. We’ve all experienced trouble. Some more, some less, but trouble just the same. The following is a paraphrase of his Psalm which many of us could have written at some point in our lives.
“Lord, sometimes I feel like I am drowning in my sorrows. I am weary of weeping and tired of being tired while I wait for Your mercies. My adversaries are more than I can count. I feel hated and wrongfully accused. Lord, You know how stupid I am at times, and You know every sin I have ever committed. Lord, please don’t let my downfall hinder any in their service to You. It has been for Your sake that I have suffered reproach. Even my own family disowns me. I am so zealous about Your house, and Your enemies have also mocked me. As I fasted and put on sackcloth to mortify my sins, some made fun of me. Drunkards made up songs about me. But I still am going to pray to You for I know that You will have mercy on me and hear me for You have saved me.
“Lift me out of my misery before it overtakes me. You’re so good Lord. I know that You have enough mercy for me. Please don’t avoid me for I am in trouble. Come near, redeem me, and deliver me from my enemies. Lord, my adversaries have already made clear how they feel about me. I feel so pitiful and have looked for someone to feel sorry for me, but could not find anyone who would. What they offered for food was inedible. Please take away their blessing. Make them like an old person who can’t see and can’t be calm, who shakes with the infirmities of old age. Please do not have mercy on them. Make them homeless. The One whom You sacrificed they have persecuted and mocked. Stack up their sins against them and take note of them. Blot their names from the book of life. Do not let them be counted among the righteous. But as for me, I am poor in spirit. Only You can rescue me and bring me to Your holy and high place. I will sing praises to You and give You thanks forever more. This is what You prefer, not animal sacrifices. Everyone who loves and obeys You will understand this. God hears those who are poor in spirit. All creation is to praise God. God will set up His throne in Jerusalem and make a home there for all who love Him.”
When David indicated that he was tired of being tired, I understand what he means. Sometimes we get to the point that we just want to throw up our hands, toss in the towel, and give up. Life is difficult, but life wasn’t ever intended to be easy. It can’t be easy because we live in a sin-cursed world thus trouble is bound to touch us. No one gets through life unscathed, but we have a merciful God who knows everything that we are going through and stands ready to help us through the storms of life if we will depend on Him. It’s those storms that strengthen us. One of the things in David’s Psalm that is difficult to understand is his asking God to withhold mercy and blessings on his enemies. David doesn’t make any bones about it. He is desiring for God to take revenge upon those folks who were persecuting and mocking him. He asks God to make them like an old person who experiences poor health or make them homeless. Apparently, though, it was common practice to hate one’s enemy in ancient days, thereby desiring that harm would come to them. Jesus brought that old way of thinking up in Matthew 5:43 when He said, “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.” Unfortunately, many of us still think that way. We want to see the bad guys get their just desserts. However, when the age of grace was ushered in at Jesus’ time on earth, that old way of thinking was no longer acceptable. He said, “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;”
It is not our job to plot vengeance on all those who defy God, harm, or mock us. God said in Deuteronomy 32:35, “To Me belongeth vengeance, and recompence; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.” Rather than waiting for the hammer to fall on our enemies, we should be praying for them that they will “see the light” and fall on their knees, repent of sin, and trust Christ. I believe in my heart that many are not going to do that because scripture makes it clear that there will be many who follow the broad way and enter the wide gate which leads to destruction, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t pray for them. James wrote, “Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins” (James 5:20).