In 1992 he decided to end his career in art and attended the Florida School of Preaching.  While attending the school of preaching (1993) he and Katrece married, and they soon began to work with the Beville Road Church of Christ in Daytona Beach, Florida.  After graduation they moved to Daytona to work full-time with the Beville Road congregation where William was the associate minister.  They helped the local work, and William became involved in the live radio broadcasts.  Two sons arrived while they lived in Daytona—Seth Thomas was born in 1995 and Nathan John in 1996.

 William is the latest member of Truth for the World.  He joined the staff this year to begin the Internet Evangelism portion of the work and will begin the Truth for the World broadcasts over the Internet.  His work is just now beginning, and he loves it.

 (We’ll “meet” another Truth for the World family next week.  Let’s keep these families and their work in our prayers.)
 
 

Psalm 28:  In My Valleys and at My Peaks I Will Go to Him
“Unto thee will I cry, O Lord my rock”

One of the great things about language is that important things can be expressed in many beautiful and meaningful ways.  The theme of this psalm is made of ideas that are found throughout the Bible and throughout all of our lives.  But the arrangement of the theme is different—different in such a way that it can help us to think of the theme in a way that might not have come to our minds very often.  And David did all of this in only nine verses!  Let us learn from him that “In my valleys and at my peaks I will go to Him.”

To You I will cry, O LORD my Rock: do not be silent to me, lest, if You are silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit (v. 1).

The psalm and its theme are introduced by verse one in such a way that the whole theme is introduced at once:  “To You will I cry, O Lord my Rock.”  To us, the idea in the word “cry” implies that there is a problem nearby.  But the word that David used covers more than that.  He is saying, “I will call upon the Lord” (Psalm 18:3; same word in Hebrew).  He needs to call on Him and he needs to be heard (“Do not turn a deaf ear to me, please”).  He knows that his need for Jehovah is so great that he might as well be dead “in the pit” if He is not listening to all of his calls.

Hear the voice of my supplications when I cry to You, when I lift up my hands toward Your holy 
sanctuary (v. 2).

In verse two, David continued introducing the theme by stressing that he would make these supplications (bending over to ask for a favor), that he wold make them through holy hands (a righteous life), and that he really did need to know that he was being heard.
In the three main points David separated the occasions for calling toward Jehovah into clear categories. 

 Do not take me away with the wicked and with the workers of iniquity, who speak peace to their neighbors, but evil is in their hearts.  Give to them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their endeavors; give them according to the work of their hands; render to them what they deserve.  Because they do not regard the works of the LORD, nor the operation of His hands, he shall destroy them and not build them up (vv. 3-5).

Here is the first category:  “I will call on You when I am in my valleys.”  In Psalm 23, David actually used the word valley in connection with death and claimed that his Shepherd could lead him through it.  In this poem, David used the common Biblical teaching that the faithful people of God often face the valleys of life because of the wicked lives of other people.  He says that they—
are wicked
work iniquity
speak peace from evil hearts
deserve to reap as they sow
do not regard the works of Jehovah.

All who live godly in Christ Jesus have to deal with all of the things that evil people add “to the mix” of living on this earth (2 Timothy 3:1-13).  Since we face the exact kinds of things that the godly faced from Abel to Zachariah to Paul (Matthew 23:35; 2 Timothy 4:6-8), wouldn’t we be wise to search through “that which is written” by them (and about them) in order to learn how to walk confidently through the same valleys today?

Verse 5 affirms that God knows how to deal with them (if they do not repent).  For you see, it is not merely good people that they are against—they do not regard (understand, search for, reflect upon) the Lord!  An interesting use of this word is in Proverbs 29:7, “The righteous considereth the cause of the poor: but the wicked regardeth not to know it” (see also Daniel 11:37).

Blessed be the LORD, because He has heard the voice of my supplications!  The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song I will praise Him” (vv. 6,7).

Here is the second category: “I will call on You when I am at my peaks.”  There are many who “call” upon God (in their own way) while in their valleys, but many of them forget Him when the crisis is past (or curse Him when He doesn’t give in to their solutions!).  Here, the inspired poet (2 Samuel 23:2) reminded the readers that God is needed when all things seem to be going well, too. He deserves to be remembered and “blessed” when—
He answers our calls
serves as our strength and shield
He has helped us
while we are joyful
when we sing.

How many people (including many “Christians”) accept and use God’s blessings all week, cry unto Him during sickness and trial, but won’t even offer one prayer of thanksgiving or one song of praise on Sunday by worshiping in spirit and truth?

How many of us just offer God our “scraps” of praise and honor after He puts us at the peak of physical, economic, and earthly luxury?  How many of us are actually in spiritual valleys while on earthly peaks because we fail to humble ourselves in His presence at such times (see James 4:1-17)?

The LORD is their strength, and He is the saving refuge of His anointed (v. 8).

Here is the third category, as David addressed his readers: “you need Him, too.”  He moved from his own personal needs and responses to make the point that the truth of the psalm applies to every person on earth.  He, Jehovah, is able to be the STRENGTH (“the power which prevails”) for all who are His people (see how Paul used this idea in 2 Timothy 4:14-18).  The word “strength” is used twice in verse 8—He is their “strength”; He is the saving “strength.”

Become one of the “anointed” by keeping the commandments of the Son (Mark 16:15,16), and give Him the credit for it!

Save Your people, and bless Your inheritance; shepherd them also, and bear them up forever 
(v. 9).

Here is the conclusion of this short psalm.  David is saying: “Hear us all call, O Lord.”  After making the claim that he would call and teaching that all of us should call, he asked for the Lord to do that which the people need—Save, Bless, Shepherd, Bear us up forever.

We know that Jehovah is able, and that He will always keep His word.  So, as usual, it comes back to us—
 
 
 
 
 

Will we cry unto the Lord our Rock?
 
 
 

Verse of the Week: 
“Thy testimonies that thou hast
commanded are righteous and very faithful”

(Psalm 119:138).
 
 

VOLUME 1:29        SEPTEMBER 19, 1999