“Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul.”
Psalms 55:1 Give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy! Attend to me, and answer me; I am restless in my complaint and I moan, because of the noise of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked. For they drop trouble upon me, and in anger they bear a grudge against me. My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death have fallen upon me. Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror overwhelms me. And I say, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest; yes, I would wander far away; I would lodge in the wilderness; I would hurry to find a shelter from the raging wind and tempest.” Destroy, O Lord, divide their tongues; for I see violence and strife in the city. Day and night they go around it on its walls, and iniquity and trouble are within it; ruin is in its midst; oppression and fraud do not depart from its marketplace. For it is not an enemy who taunts me— then I could bear it; it is not an adversary who deals insolently with me— then I could hide from him. But it is you, a man, my equal, my companion, my familiar friend. We used to take sweet counsel together; within God’s house we walked in the throng. Let death steal over them; let them go down to Sheol alive; for evil is in their dwelling place and in their heart. But I call to God, and the LORD will save me. Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he hears my voice. He redeems my soul in safety from the battle that I wage, for many are arrayed against me. God will give ear and humble them, he who is enthroned from of old, because they do not change and do not fear God. My companion stretched out his hand against his friends; he violated his covenant. His speech was smooth as butter, yet war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords. Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved. But you, O God, will cast them down into the pit of destruction; men of blood and treachery shall not live out half their days. But I will trust in you.
You can hear the anguish in David’s heart over those who were once his friend, who took counsel together in God’s word, and now have joined all the others in practices contrary to walking with God. David’s heart ached at seeing this take place in the lives of those who once walked with like single purpose to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey God. Our heart should ache too for those who have fallen away and rejected that which once they held on to. Do you ever wonder how this falling away takes place in the heart, mind, and soul of a person? Look at it another way. What would you tell a person to do if you absolutely wanted to give them guidance and ensure they would fall away? Would you tell them to gradually stay away from God’s word? Would you tell them to find reason to stay away from thinking or speaking about God? Would you tell them to spend more time with wasted causes approved by the culture they are living in but surely not a path honoring God? Would you tell them to fill their lives full of activities so they would have no time to spend in His word, or think about what it says, or hear God speaking to their heart? Would you tell them to live in the moment and give no thought to eternity? Would you tell them to hold grudges? Would you tell them to remember all the wrongs people have done to them? Would you tell them to not to forgive? Would you tell them to strive after more and more? Would you tell them to give little? Would you tell them to find reason not to give of their time and money to others? Would you tell them to keep anger in their heart? Would you tell them to listen to the counsel of people who do not know God? Would you tell them to keep their eyes on what this world has to offer? Joshua put it this way: “Choose this day whom you will serve, as for me and my house we will serve the Lord”. We make a choice each day on who we will serve. Choose to serve God. Chose to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey Him.
