For those on the mat and wrestling, things can move very fast. Our adversary is strong, and he knows us too well. He is counterintuitive and quite aware of the sequence of moves needed to pin us to the floor. He is dangerous. And he also despises us.
I get bewildered and rattled by his attacks. He knows how to pressure me at just the right time, and he refuses to follow the rules. He is no gentleman, you might say that he is both a cheater and a bully.
Of course I am talking about Satan and his team of demons. I will not dispute their reality with you. There is almost as much scriptural support for his existence as there is for Jesus’. His hostility is toward God and His people, and his viciousness cannot be camouflaged. Evil is real, and believe this– Satan has a terrible, and ugly plan for your life.
As a mentally ill Christian, my depression quickly morphs into despondency. When I sink to that level I start to abandon hope. It’s like I’m in a lifeboat and decide that I should abandon it and tread water on my own. Despondency is not rational and just a little bit is deadly.
David knew all about desperation and disheartenment. He had been chased by his enemies, and maneuvered into the most difficult of situations. To observe him at a distance we would say that “there is no hope for him in God.” Even God can’t save him, he is reprobate. We would be convinced that there is nothing for him in God’s thinking. Nothing.
It would be so easy to make this judgement. For David was a moral failure; he was an adulterer and a brazen killer. David had sinned deeper and more intensely than Saul ever had. Join with the crowd, “There is no hope for him in God!” No hope, none, nada, zero.
“Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory.Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.”–Psalm 73
David defied the theology of his day. He embraced the Lord God with a desperate passion. It was not orthodox or logical. You could say it was disturbing. But David would not let go of God! He hung on, and continued to sing in faith.
I encourage you besieged brother, and embattled sister. Hold on to Him, even if it defies logic or theology. Seek His promises with a fervency, open your heart to Him with a passion. Remember that sin can and will destroy you. It is part of Satan’s stratagem. Sing in the cave, and never lose hope. Never.
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Related articles
- The Swamp of Despondency (brokenbelievers.com)
- Autocorrect Theology (nwelford.wordpress.com)
- Theology Matters (daviddflowers.com)
Broken Believers 