Psalm 119:136 Both Ways

Streams of tears flow from my eyes,
for your law is not obeyed.

Psalm 119:136

Have you ever read the daily news and wondered where God is in the midst of all the horrible things that go on?

You're not alone.  David wasn't alone either.

Habakkuk is really bent out of shape as he begins the book that bears his name.

How long, Lord, must I call for help,
  but you do not listen?
Or cry out to you, “Violence!”
  but you do not save?
Why do you make me look at injustice?
  Why do you tolerate wrongdoing?
Destruction and violence are before me;
  there is strife, and conflict abounds.
Therefore the law is paralyzed,
  and justice never prevails.
The wicked hem in the righteous,
  so that justice is perverted.

Habakkuk 1:2-4

The Lord responds with a promise that the sins of the nation will not go unpunished. But then, when God sends a more violent nation to punish God's chosen people, Habakkuk again complains that God seems to not be doing what he should.

Lord, are you not from everlasting?
  My God, my Holy One, you will never die.
You, Lord, have appointed them to execute judgment;
  you, my Rock, have ordained them to punish.
Your eyes are too pure to look on evil;
  you cannot tolerate wrongdoing.
Why then do you tolerate the treacherous?
  Why are you silent while the wicked
    swallow up those more righteous than themselves?

Habakkuk 1:12-13

That's the problem with relying on your feelings as the barometer of whether God is living up to his part of your relationship. It tends to end up in a one-sided, selfish whine session.

God, why don't you pay attention to me?  I need constant reassurance that my needs and desires are the most important thing!

But God, why do you always have to be looking over my shoulder?  Why is it that any time I step out of line and decide to walk on the wild side, you discipline me by letting things go sideways?

Abide in God's Word and abide in him, not in your own self-centered agenda.

Psalm 119:135 Seen

Make your face shine on your servant
and teach me your decrees.

Psalm 119:135

Genesis 16 tells the story of Hagar, the slave/servant who Sarah handed over to Abraham so they could have a child through her. It's not at all surprising to the modern reader that this arrangement did not result in happy faces all around.

It's no surprise that Sarah quickly grew to resent Hagar, treating her badly. Given his history, it's also not at all surprising that Abraham stood by and let Sarah do this. And Hagar, finding herself in a hopeless situation, treated poorly by her mistress and ignored by her master, fled into the wilderness.

Under such extreme oppression, Hagar's emotional state had to have been at rock bottom. She could easily have concluded the God of Abraham and Sarah was obviously on their side and didn't care a bit about her.

But then the angel of the Lord showed up and encouraged her. He spoke directly to her, telling her good news about the child she would have.

All the while she thought God was ignoring her, he was in fact paying close attention.
She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.”

Genesis 16:13

When it seems God is ignoring you, turn to the scriptures, where he promises over and over that he does see you.

For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.

2 Chronicles 16:9

But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love

Psalm 33:18

Psalm 119:134 Rescue Me

Redeem me from human oppression,
that I may obey your precepts.

Psalm 119:134

Sometimes when we're feeling distant from God, it's not really about God at all.

The things other people do to us can crush our overall emotional state so severely, we're virtually incapable of separating out the true cause of our deep distress.

When ladies in the prison chapel would express their despair at not "feeling" God's presence, what was often really going on had more to do with their general despair about the condition of their daily life. They were dealing not only with the very real oppression of the restrictive rules of the prison system, but also with the grim reality of interacting with hardened inmates and frequent rejection by family and friends.

In such a crushing situation, emotions can be both enlarged and suppressed. People generally react by cycling through times of extreme emotional release and extreme emotional retreat. Tears, anger, violence, and psychological instability; then withdrawal, avoidance of social interaction, despondency, numbness, and self harm.

You don't have to be in prison or living in a totalitarian regime to have your emotions tossed about oppression. I've gone though similar cycles when stuck working under a manipulative and mean boss. Others experience similar reactions when they've experienced a series of financial or personal setbacks, combined with the insensitive and impersonal reactions of people who ought to be helping but only make things worse.

I've learned that when the world is crushing my spirit, the best response is to resist the extreme emotional reactions. They only lead to hurting myself and others, and often end with me blaming God for the mess I've found myself in and the mess I've made of trying to fix it.

The better response is to go to my knees in prayer. Look to him for rescue from the situation. Focus myself on what God wants me to learn from the situation. What experiences is he giving me now that will enable me to help others later?

The wonderful thing about praying is that you leave a world of not being able to do something, and enter God’s realm where everything is possible. He specializes in the impossible. Nothing is too great for His almighty power. Nothing is too small for His love.Corrie Ten Boom

Psalm 119:133 Footsteps

Direct my footsteps according to your word;
let no sin rule over me.
Psalm 119:133

A young wife and mother recently announced she was leaving her home and moving in with another man. There, she says, she can live like she wants, enjoy marijuana and "edibles" with him, and finally focus on what makes her happy.

As of this point, she hasn't yet said whether continuing to be a mother to her children is part of what makes her happy.

There are many people like her. For that matter, there are many who call themselves Christians who are like her - they just haven't reached the same point yet in their chasing after personal happiness. They walk a dangerous path, direct heir footsteps in the direction that feels good to them, rather than according to God's word. Continuing down that road is a sure way to letting sin rule over every decision.

 " If you dwell on your own feelings about things rather than dwelling on the faithfulness, the love, and the mercy of God, then you're likely to have a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Our feelings are very fleeting and ephemeral, aren't they? We can't depend on them for five minutes at a time. But dwelling on the love, faithfulness, and mercy of God is always safe." ~ Elisabeth Elliot