WEEK 1 ● Day 1
READ PSALM 59
None of us is exempt from darkness. We face financial struggles, relational heartache, anxiety, fear, loss. Sometimes it feels like the darkness is unending, and we wonder if we’ll ever be able to step into the light again.
David’s psalms connect deeply with me because they feel so true. He’s unflinchingly honest about his pain, his anger, his doubt. We call a lot of these psalms laments because David shows us how to come before our God, who loves us and can handle our wounds.
David wasn’t some perfect person we simply can’t identify with. He had his share of missteps and massively poor decision making —but that’s what makes him so special. Through his imperfection, through his anguish and anger and pain, he remains someone whom God Himself refers to as “a man after My own heart” (Acts 13:22, VOICE; see also 1 Samuel 13:14). I want to be that kind of person. I hunger for the Lord to consider me a woman after His own heart and a loyal friend.
God-friendship is for God-worshipers;
They are the ones he confides in.
David understood that to become a friend of his heavenly Father, we must spend time with Him (in this case, through worship), just like in any friendship. His friendship with our heavenly Father formed deeply because of quality time, not a one-and-done mentality. He brought the Lord into his everyday life, not simply a portion of time he carved out now and then. Without quality time spent, a relationship cannot grow. Let’s become friends of God as we spend time with Him!
In each of the psalms we will study together, there’s a backstory —something from the life of David that we can learn about his friendship with God, and about how that relationship helped him say yes and move forward from lament to praise. As you read our first psalm, Psalm 59, I want you to imagine what may be happening in David’s life that would motivate him to pen such words. Don’t worry if you don’t know much about David (yet!) —just put your imagination to work.
1. As you read Psalm 59, circle all of David’s cries for help, and underline any language that displays confidence that God will help in his time of trouble.
1-2 My God! Rescue me from my enemies,
defend me from these mutineers.
Rescue me from their dirty tricks,
save me from their hit men.
3-4 Desperadoes have ganged up on me,
they’re hiding in ambush for me.
I did nothing to deserve this, GOD,
crossed no one, wronged no one.
All the same, they’re after me,
determined to get me.
4-5 Wake up and see for yourself! You’re GOD,
GOD-of-Angel-Armies, Israel’s God!
Get on the job and take care of these pagans,
don’t be soft on these hard cases.
6-7 They return when the sun goes down,
They howl like coyotes, ringing the city.
Then suddenly they’re all at the gate,
Snarling invective, drawn daggers in their teeth.
They think they’ll never get caught.
8-10 But you, GOD, break out laughing;
you treat the godless nations like jokes.
Strong God, I’m watching you do it,
I can always count on you.
God in dependable love shows up on time,
shows me my enemies in ruin.
11-13 Don’t make quick work of them, GOD,
lest my people forget.
Bring them down in slow motion,
take them apart piece by piece.
Let all their mean-mouthed arrogance
catch up with them,
Catch them out and bring them down
—every muttered curse
—every barefaced lie.
Finish them off in fine style!
Finish them off for good!
Then all the world will see
that God rules well in Jacob,
everywhere that God’s in charge.
14-15 They return when the sun goes down,
They howl like coyotes, ringing the city.
They scavenge for bones,
And bite the hand that feeds them.
16-17 And me? I’m singing your prowess,
shouting at cockcrow your largesse,
For you’ve been a safe place for me,
a good place to hide.
Strong God, I’m watching you do it,
I can always count on you —
God, my dependable love.
2. The story behind this psalm may be one you’ve heard, or it may not. Don’t flip around in your Bible yet. Based on this passage alone, what can you take from David’s situation?
3. When I’m worried about something, I often grasp the worst-case scenario and dwell on what’s unfolding in front of me —before remembering that our heavenly Father is bigger than all of it. Do you think that’s what David did here? Why or why not?
4. This psalm is divided into several parts. I’ve heard some say there are two separate sections within this chapter. Do you agree? How do you think these two sections could be divided and summed up?
Look back at your circling and underlining in the passage. While we do see David go back and forth between complaining and praying, praying and complaining, I feel like that’s not all it is. In fact, Charles Spurgeon sees this passage broken apart even further.[1] Fill out this chart and let’s see if we can discover the bigger picture of what’s going on:
5. What is David doing in the following verses?
verses 1-2 |
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verses 3-4 |
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verse 5 |
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verses 6-7 |
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verses 8-10 |
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verses 11-13 |
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verses 14-15 |
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verses 16-17[2] |
Isn’t that just how we often talk to God when we’re worried and in a place of darkness? We pray and then freak out and complain, then toss in a little praise because we know He’s bigger than our circumstances . . . but then we freak, hyperventilate, and complain again.
6. Are you ever worried that God will be upset by your prayer because of your tone or emotions? Why or why not?
7. What does David’s back-and-forth tell us about God?
I have some great news for you: God can handle our freak-outs. He can handle our doubts and our depression. Good friends are able to bring their true feelings to each other, right? Since David was indeed a friend of God, he was able to bring all of his feelings to the Lord. God welcomes our emotions, because we’re bringing our full and honest selves into relationship with Him. He understands when we come unglued and fall to pieces. He doesn’t become angry when we’re pouring our heart out to Him through panic, stress, and worry. In fact, it’s not a surprise to Him when we behave this way —He created us as emotional beings!
Let’s wrap up today in quiet time with God, without an agenda. Talk to Him about what you crave to get out of this study, how you relate to David as you read Psalm 59, or various things about your day. Simply let your words flow to our Father in heaven, who loves you deeply.
Amen.