Our deliverance may be a sovereign work  of God’s grace, but we can lose the freedom He wants to give us through compromise, carelessness or lack of commitment. Gal 5:1 urges us not to submit again to a yoke of slavery, and we must take the responsibility for:

1. strengthening the foundations of our faith. We need a solid foundation which comes from knowing and obeying God’s word. (Matt 7:24-27)

2. singing the song of the redeemed. Joyful gratitude is what will keep us going through times of trouble; the joy of the Lord is our strength. (Neh 8:10) Is 35:10 speaks of this joyful singin; we must guard our hearts against defeatist attitudes and complaining and grumbling. We should begin each day with thanksgiving and allow God to keep us singing throughout the day.

3. surrendering daily to live for Christ. 2 Cor 5:15 reminds us that we now no longer live for ourselves but for Him. Self-centredness will do us no good personally, nor will it help the church or society. Instead, we must live Christ-centred lives, for we are now ‘under new management.’

It was a pleasure to welcome Yan Hadley, our guest speaker, tonight after a long absence! He spoke on the subject of ‘Triumph in Times of Trouble’, reminding us of the need to be strengthened by God’s power even in trying times. Rom 8:37 reminds us we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us and 1 John 5:4 reminds us that faith is the victory that overcomes the world. We looked at Ps 40:1-3 to investigate the problem of despair, the puzzle of delay and the power of deliverance.

1. The Problem of Despair

It is not a sin to feel despair at difficult circumstances, but we must not cling to it. Despair leaves us feeling helpless and hopeless, and all of us feel this way on occasions. Despair can even lead us to contemplate suicide, but the hope we have is that God can meet with us even in a pit of despair. David spoke of being in a slimy pit, a barren and gloomy place to be, but as he cried out to God, God heard his cry. 1 Sam 1:6-20 shows us Hannah in despair over her childlessness; Luke 17:11-19 shows us ten lepers who were outcasts and rejected by society who cried out to Jesus. Mark 10:46-52 tells of blind Bartimaeus who felt useless and unloved but whose cry was heard by Jesus. The truth is that if we cry out to God, we will be saved (see Acts 2:21, Rom 10:13). When we cry out to God, He turns to us and hears us.

2. The Puzzle of Delay

There is no doubt, however, that God’s timescales are often baffling to us; we are puzzled and frustrated over God’s timing. Doubt, anger and resentment can creep in as we face troubles that just seem to keep on piling up. The confusion of God’s apparent slowness in answering us may well spoil our relationship with God, but David shows us we need to wait patiently for the Lord. Heb 6:12 tells us that it is by faith and patience that we inherit God’s promises. Jesus delayed when summoned to help Lazarus (John 11:5-6), and this delay baffled his sisters, especially since in the meantime, Lazarus died. But Jesus was able to do an even greater miracle by raising Lazarus from the dead; ther was purpose even in His delay. Eccl 3:11 reminds us that God makes everything beautiful in His time. We may find waiting testing, but we must learn to trust God in His puzzling delays.

3. The Power of Deliverance

Ps 40 shows us that God delivered David from the slimy pit; He set his feet on solid ground and gave him a new song to sing. David’s helplessness was transformed to hope; he went from sinking fast to standing firm, from sadness to singing a new song. Ultimately, it is in times of great testing that testimonies are born. Our deliverance is a sovereign work of God’s grace (note how many times these verses talk of what God does.) God’s deliverance will cause others to see and fear the Lord and put their trust in Him. As we call on God’s name and stand firm on His solid foundation, we will know triumph in the times of trouble.

Genesis 3 explains the origin of sin and shows us the Fall of mankind. In this chapter, we see the serpent asking Eve the question “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” (Gen 3:1), a question which sowed doubt into Eve’s mind about God’s character and motives. In essence, he was making her question who God is and why He would utter a prohibition that didn’t necessarily make sense to her. That is a typical tactic of the enemy, because once we start to doubt God’s character and motives, once we lose sight of God’s goodness, love and power, then we are far more likely to disobey His commandments. Eve looked at the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and saw that it was pleasing to the eye and desirable to eat, so she took it and ate it and also gave it to Adam to eat. (Gen 3:6-7) This was the start of all the problems which still beset us in the world today; everything stems from this one act of disobedience and rebellion. Once they had eaten that fruit, ‘the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realised they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.’ (Gen 3:7) Innocence was gone; fellowship was gone, for now they no longer enjoyed God’s presence the way they used to do. Instead, when they heard the sound of the Lord God as He was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, they hid from Him among the trees of the garden. (Gen 3:8) Sin had brought separation and a lack of joy, even before God said anything at all.

Satan’s questions are never pure and disinterested; he has an ulterior motive like no other. His own rebellion against God, when he desired to be like the Most High (Is 14:14) and was cast down to the earth (Is 14:12), means that any questions he asks about God are intended to deceive us, to lead us astray, to lead us into sin, so that he is not the only one to know judgment. Not all questions are innocent; not all questions will lead us to life. Beware the questions which are slanted and biased; they can be answered, to be sure, but so often, like Eve, we don’t answer them wisely. Her answer was not accurate: she said, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” (Gen 3:2-3) God had not said anything about not touching the tree; she embellished His commandment to the point where she began to feel He was negatively prohibitive instead of being carefully protective, and that’s where her problems started. When Jesus faced temptations in the wilderness, notice that He replied by simply stating God’s word: three temptations, and three times He used the answer ‘It is written’ in His replies. (Matt 4:4, 7, 10) God’s word is the only way we can answer Satan’s questions safely and wisely; once we start embellishing His word, adding on our own understanding of it or justification or excuses, we are in trouble.

In our series exploring the big questions of life, we moved on to look at some of the questions God asks. We certainly don’t have a prerogative on questions, and it’s important to think about what He asks us and why.

The first questions asked by God are found in Genesis 3 after Adam and Eve’s first sin:

• “Where are you?” (Gen 3:9)

• “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” (Gen 3:11)

• “What is this you have done?” (Gen 3:13)

God does not ask questions simply to get answers (He knows everything, after all!) but to engage us in conversation, to re-open dialogue with Adam after Adam’s disobedience led to sin, shame and a desire to hide. Sin led to the fracturing of Adam’s relationship with God, symbolised by his hiding from God. By asking where he was, God is drawing him back into communication, showing that He is prepared to work through the problems caused by sin in order to mend the relationship. We need to be prepared, as God was, to re-engage with people when our relationships break down and to work through the problems.

Adam’s answer (“I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” (Gen 3:10)) indicates a loss of innocence and the beginnings of fear, guilt and shame. God asks who has told him that he was naked (after all, this was not a problem until now!) It matters very much who we listen to. It’s very easy for us to be influenced by other people and we need to be careful to assess what we hear and accept into our lives. Just because we may hear something over and over again from a wide variety of sources doesn’t necessarily make it true. Just because someone plausible may tell us things or suggest courses of action doesn’t necessarily mean we should accept those things. Acts 17:11 tells us, ‘the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.’ Truth has to be weighed by Scripture; we can’t afford to let the Government, media, social media, ‘influencers’, family or friends dictate to us what we believe, but must be led by God and the truths of His word.

God then asks a direct question, confronting Adam’s sin and disobedience directly. He reminds Adam of His direct commandment (Gen 2:16-17). Adam does not like being confronted in this way and tries to shift the blame onto Eve (and perhaps even onto God, since God was the one who gave Eve to him!)  Our tendency is always to shift the blame for our sin onto someone else, to refuse to accept responsibility for our own actions and to complain. The only way we can ever know freedom from sin is when we own up to it and accept our responsibility for it. The Bible talks about the blessings that come from confession of sin, because it’s then that forgiveness and restoration can be received. (Ps 32) We tend to think God confronts us over sin to make us feel guilty, but the truth is that it’s only as we confess and repent that we can be restored.

God’s question to Eve again forces her to own up to her sin and to accept responsibility for it. She too shifts the blame onto the serpent rather than accepting her responsibility for her actions. We need to stop making excuses for our sin and move forward into the cleansing and forgiveness offered us by God (2 Cor 5:21, 1 John 1:9-10).

God’s questions are designed to search our hearts and turn us back to Him in repentance, in honesty, in sincerity and in responsibility. May we allow the spotlight of His Holy Spirit to shine in our hearts now so that we may return to Him and allow Him to restore us, now and always.

Having reflected on David and Psalm 34, this is my own psalm of celebration.

Of Julie. During the 3^rd English lockdown of 2021, when liberty was curtailed and an atmosphere of fear and desperation prevailed.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and remember it was for freedom that Christ has set you free.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and use those invisible eyes of faith to see what will never be reported in the mainstream media.

Dance before your God with unbridled joy, for He reigns completely.

Sing loudly and lustily of the King’s love, which never fails and never ends,

Letting loose a song louder than the birdsong of spring.

Smile till your eyes crinkle and your teeth shine forth,

Because God is on the throne and won’t let you down.

Get the percussion instruments out and make that joyful noise,

And if others call it a cacophony, rejoice all the louder because praise is your best weapon against doom.

Lift up the praises of our God,

Because He is worth celebrating, and celebration is a choice.

Bring him daisy chains and spring flowers as your garland of praise,

A feast of colour,

A celebration of creativity and diversity like no other.

Blow up balloons and shower confetti around as at a wedding.

Wave flags and blow the trumpets!

Be reckless and bold in your celebrations,

For no one else is like our God.

Wave flags and blow the trumpets!

Be reckless and bold in your celebrations,

For no one else is like our God.

He rescues us from divided hearts and sets our feet on a rock.

He plants our feet on solid ground and puts joy in our hearts.

We turn our backs on doom and gloom,

Because He does all things well.

Better is one day with Him than a thousand in the mines of self-sufficiency.

Better is one moment in His presence than a million spent in lifeless lockdown,

For the Lord Almighty reigns.

His power knows no limit

And His words are faithful and true.

He is trustworthy and truthful,

Wiser than all our know-it-alls

And kinder than our angels of mercy.

No one can compare with Him,

So lift up your heads and celebrate!

I’m that sad person who reads the acknowledgments in books and CD covers and wonders about the circumstances of authorship and the relationships which are behind the scenes shaping the writer or creative. I’ve always loved reading (my husband declares that I will read the label on a sauce bottle on the table if there’s nothing else around!), and so, when I read the psalms, I’m interested in the headers, often in very small print, which ‘set the scene’ for some of these poems.

Psalm 34 is one of my favourite psalms, a psalm full of joy and celebration and great spiritual truth. It’s one of the most positive psalms in the Psalter and is like a breath of fresh air on a dull morning. You imagine David to have been in a really good mood when he wrote this, unlike some of the psalms which (helpfully to me!) are redolent with pain and suffering. The heading, however, says ‘Of David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelek, who drove him away, and he left.‘

The full story behind this rather surprising heading is found in 1 Samuel 21, describing a time in David’s life when everything was definitely not going well. Despite having been anointed king by Samuel, this is the period where Saul is still king and is pursuing David out of fear and jealousy. David has had to run away and hide; he has had to take refuge in enemy territory and is very much afraid of Achish, the king of Gath, who knows his reputation as a warrior who has slain thousands. Feigning insanity seemed the safest option for David, a tactic which clearly points to a very troubled period in his life. Yet it was at this time of stress and uncertainty that David wrote Psalm 34, one of the most confident psalms we could ever hope to find.

Confidence in God does not simply arise from favourable circumstances. We praise and bless God in the shadows; we dance in the darkness, Rend Collective sing. (‘Joy Of The Lord‘) Today, I urge you to read Psalm 34 in the knowledge of when and how this was written. The truths David wrote apply to us; his declarations of praise can be ours also. Celebration, again as Rend Collective remind us, is a choice. (‘Joy’)

⁴ I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
    he delivered me from all my fears.
⁵ Those who look to him are radiant;
    their faces are never covered with shame.
⁶ This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
    he saved him out of all his troubles.
⁷ The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,
    and he delivers them.

⁸ Taste and see that the Lord is good;
    blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
⁹ Fear the Lord, you his holy people,
    for those who fear him lack nothing.
¹⁰ The lions may grow weak and hungry,
    but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
¹¹ Come, my children, listen to me;
    I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
¹² Whoever of you loves life
    and desires to see many good days,
¹³ keep your tongue from evil
    and your lips from telling lies.
¹⁴ Turn from evil and do good;
    seek peace and pursue it.

¹⁵ The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
    and his ears are attentive to their cry;
¹⁶ but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
    to blot out their name from the earth.

¹⁷ The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
    he delivers them from all their troubles.
¹⁸ The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
    and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

¹⁹ The righteous person may have many troubles,
    but the Lord delivers him from them all;
²⁰ he protects all his bones,
    not one of them will be broken.