Roller-coaster Living

Record my lament;

list my tears on your scroll—

are they not in your record?

          Psalm 56:8 NIV

My heart is steadfast, O God,

My heart is steadfast;

I will sing and make music.

          Psalm 57:7 NIV

     While a young boy, David was chosen by God and anointed by Samuel to be King. However, it would be about fifteen years before David ruled over Judah and a couple of decades before David actually sat on the throne as King over all Israel. During many of those years, he would live as a man on the run with no political power and only a rag tag group of followers willing to obey his commands. Yet David believed God!

     Bible scholars tell us that both Psalm 56 and 57 were written while David was on the run from King Saul. In Psalm 56 we can feel David’s distress as bloodshot eyes overflowed and tears washed his beard. His heart hurt! But in Psalm 57 we feel David’s surge of confidence in God’s willingness to deliver his anointed one through every situation.

     David understood rollercoaster living to the extreme; from tending sheep to killing a giant to playing the harp for the king to being anointed king and then on the run for his life before taking his seat on the royal throne of Israel. David also understood that the same God who helped him shepherd the sheep of his father’s pasture is the same God who anointed and protected him during the good and the bad in his life.

     Like David, you and I also face life’s ups and downs. Life can be an emotional rollercoaster. Some days we are atop the mountain. But! One phone call can quickly plunge us into the depths of the valley. However, while human emotions can change in the blink of an eye, God never changes. He is steadfast in His promises, His love and His care for those who know Him as Father.

     If you feel as though life has trapped you in rollercoaster living, never forget that Jehovah God is the God of the highs and the God of the lows. He sees your tears. You are never alone. Even in the worst of times you can praise Him! Sing and make music! Let God be exalted in your life that His glory may be seen over all the earth! 

© Joyce Powell