This is the October writing challenge from Five Minute Friday. The plan is to successfully post everyday. We write for five minutes (unedited and that’s a challenge) and stop. Visit FMF to see more posts.
Before we get started, let me just say — I am not a bible scholar. I read Psalm 69 this morning, and something in my own story just clicked.
Start –
Psalm 69:30 I will praise the name of God with song
And magnify Him with thanksgiving.
In my bible, this Psalm carries the title A Cry of Distress and Imprecation on Adversaries. That word imprecation means curse or spoken curse, so in this Psalm, David is cursing his adversaries before God.
In verse 28, David even goes so far as to pray that they will be blotted out of the book of life. That’s some tough stuff! To pray a curse on an adversary, asking God to keep them out of heaven. I thought we were supposed to pray for our enemies (Matthew 5:44), not for their demise. So I admit the psalms sometimes confuse me.
This month of writing has been challenging, yes, as a change in direction often is. I’ve been working through lingering unforgiveness. I thought I did it months ago. I wanted it to be done. But it wasn’t. I felt progress, and then I read this Psalm and momentarily went back to that ugly place. Painting scenarios in my mind, fretting about what should have been.
Reading further to verse 29, David explains that he is in pain, no doubt from the ravages of war and constant distress from his adversaries. For me, it was betrayal and rejection that carried a deep sadness.
Even in that dark place, in verse 30, David chooses to praise God and magnify Him with thanksgiving. In verses 32-33 he offers guidance in humility and encouragement for those who seek God; to revive their hearts. By the end of the Psalm, David is revived. He is sustained by faith in God’s lovingkindness, despite his circumstances. David chooses to believe God’s promises and praise Him.
As this month draws to a close, I am encouraged. I know that I’ve made progress in so many ways. I choose forgiveness, and I’m learning to handle any residual effects. I, too, am sustained by faith. It is with a much clearer vision that I proceed with confidence on this new road. I choose to lift my voice and thanksgiving, all to the glory of God.
– End
Updated on 10/19/21.
