Seek God In Times Of Trouble
BRD REFLECTION 2025
(Aaron Fun from Small Group Ministry)
READ:
I read Psalm 26, paying special attention to verses 1 and 2: “Vindicate me, Lord, for I have led a blameless life; I have trusted in the Lord and have not faltered. Test me, Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind”
OBSERVE:
This is a psalm of David. He wrote it during a very difficult time in his life – he was facing false accusations and threats from his enemies. In the beginning of this psalm, David, in great distress and agony, sought God and pleaded with Him: “Vindicate me, LORD, for I have led a blameless life; I have trusted in the LORD and have not faltered.” (v1). David was not implying that he was sinless or perfect. The fact was, he had lived a life characterized by integrity, and a sincere effort to live according to God’s will, which involved being truthful in his words and actions, striving to do what was right even in difficult circumstances. In His mercy, God defended David and justified him because of his trust in the Lord. At the end of the psalm, David triumphantly declared in verse 12: “My feet stand on level ground; in the great congregation I will praise the Lord.” As Charles Spurgeon explained, “God is high above you all, and in Him I shall stand my ground, for blessed be His Name, notwithstanding every attempt of the enemy to throw me down, my foot stands in an even place.”
APPLY:
There is so much to learn from David in Psalm 26. To live a life of unwavering faith in God, I can follow David’s example by:
1) Seeking God in times of trouble – David knew that God would vindicate and rescue him from his enemies (v2) because of his faith in God and His character. Indeed God had delivered him previously from the lion and a bear, and from the Philistine giant, Goliath.
2) Praying to the Lord like David “test me and try me, examine my heart and mind”. David regularly examined his inner life by asking God to test and examine his heart and mind (v2).
3) Not dwelling with idolaters and hypocrites – David reminded himself in v4-5: “I do not sit with the deceitful, nor do I associate with hypocrites. I abhor the assembly of evildoers and refuse to sit with the wicked.” I need to choose my friends carefully as “evil company corrupts good habits”. I remember these words of CS Lewis, “I am inclined to think a Christian would be wise to avoid, where he decently can, any meeting with people who are bullies, or lascivious, cruel, dishonest, spiteful and so forth. Not because we are “too good” for them. In a sense, we are not good enough. We are not good enough to cope with all the temptations, not clever enough to cope with all the problems.”
DO:
I will:
- stand firm in my faith without wavering; I must surrender and put my trust in the Lord wholeheartedly for the Lord is my Shepherd.
- say a breath prayer for my “enemies”: “Lord, bless <name>, thy will be done in the life of <name> .”
- continue to congregate regularly with fellow Christians to worship and praise the Lord as David declared in v12, “in the great congregation I will praise the Lord”.
PRAY:
Gracious Father, thank You for teaching me through Psalm 26, to seek You when I am going through times of trouble. Give me the strength and faith to press on despite the hardships and trials in my life. Help me to trust in You and be a doer of Your Word, and not just listen to it. May Your presence go with me and the Holy Spirit be my strength all the days of my life. In Jesus’ precious name, I pray. Amen.
