Focus Chapters:
- Psalms 68-70
- Psalms 86
- Psalms 101
Standout Verse(s):
Psalms 69:7-12 NLT
For I endure insults for your sake;
humiliation is written all over my face.
Even my own brothers pretend they don’t know me;
they treat me like a stranger.Passion for your house has consumed me,
and the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.
When I weep and fast,
they scoff at me.
When I dress in burlap to show sorrow,
they make fun of me.
I am the favorite topic of town gossip,
and all the drunks sing about me.
Observation (s):
- David was mocked and humilated because of his faith and passion for God.
For I endure insults for your sake;
humiliation is written all over my face.
Even my own brothers pretend they don’t know me;
they treat me like a stranger.Passion for your house has consumed me,
and the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.
When I weep and fast,
they scoff at me.
When I dress in burlap to show sorrow,
they make fun of me.
I am the favorite topic of town gossip,
and all the drunks sing about me. - His exhibition of his passion for God led to his isolation from his brothers (close friends and family).
Even my own brothers pretend they don’t know me;
they treat me like a stranger.
Application:
When I first joined the Apostolic denomination, one of the first things I did was donate all my pants and any revealing dresses or tops. By the time I was finished, I had about 3 skirts remaining. Throughout my 10-year tenure within the faith, I endured much. I lost friends who couldn’t understand why I kept my hair natural when it obviously wasn’t the trend. I was ridiculed and mocked because I didn’t attend parties, wore the same 3 formal and casual skirts for over a year and preferred going to church, especially at the peak of my teenaged passion for Christ. I was isolated from my peers and family, even other Christians, who did share my faith or my intensity.
Living for God is a lonely path that requires endurance and the courage to step outside the norms defined by the world. There are critical risks to doing this. Like David, you may be humiliated and mocked. You may be insulted and be the topic of gossip. Members of your family may pretend not to know you or chastise you for your “bad behaviour” (remember how David’s wife, Michal, grew to hate him after he danced, sparsely-clothed, in the streets when the Ark of the Convenant is moved to Jerusalem). Even drunks will consider you beneath them. Why? Because you no longer fit in.
Living a godly life requires you to endure and shun fitting in. What are you willing to endure for Christ?
