Verse 6 says, “I am weary with my moaning.” Eugene Peterson’s, “The Message” translates this verse, “I’m tired of all this—so tired.” This is David’s quote as he struggles with the obstacles of life. He has competition for his job, he has hassles with his children, he has discord with his friends, and outright violence from his enemies. He even acknowledges that much of his pain came as a result of his own bad decisions. You can almost feel what David feels, can’t you? I sure can! Life is full of heartbreaks and obstacles. Whether we bring them on ourselves or they seem to leap out of nowhere, we all know what it’s like to be like David; “I am tired of all this – so tired.” But David shows us how to deal with this. He runs to God for refuge.
William O. Cushing said that, when he wrote the hymn “hiding in Thee,” in 1876, “it was the outgrowth of many tears, many heart conflicts and yearnings of which the world could know nothing.” After the death of his wife in middle age, Cushing was forced to retire from an active ministry because of poor health. He had been a successful pastor in the eastern areas of the United States. Like David, and like us, William Cushing knew personally the sorrows and turmoil of life. Like David, but sometimes not like us, he also knew where he could find safety and rest. One of the verses of his hymn says:
O safe to the Rock that is higher than I
my soul in its conflicts and sorrows would fly.
So sinful, so weary—Thine, Thine would I be
Thou blest Rock of Ages, I’m hiding in Thee.
Chuck
Memory Verse: Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. (Psalm 1:1)