Questions and doubts

Some days we are full of confidence. God seems very close, faith is strong and anything seems possible. Other days are full of questions and doubts. We wonder where God is and what he is doing. On the worst days we wonder whether he exists at all. And then we worry about our inconsistency. Are we getting something wrong? Are we failing God?

Some psalms, like this one, express similar feelings. The psalmist looks back to what God has done in the past (vs 5,6,17). He has been a source of strength and hope. This gives him confidence now, at a time when he is under pressure and afraid. Life is tough but he believes that God will rescue him again (vs 7,14,20,21).

God doesn’t change

In the tough times we can remember what God has done – for us and in history. We can focus on the character of God. Look through the psalm again and see what aspects of God’s character you can find.

It seems that the writer is facing the specific fears of old age. But God doesn’t change; he helped then and he can help now. He can always help, whatever the cause of our fears and concerns.

Where are you right now? Full of confidence and hope? Join with the psalmist in praising God. Struggling with doubt and fear? Focus on God and what he has done, telling him that you will trust him to see you through.

The psalmist is facing the challenges of old age: failing health, diminishing faculties (v 9), regrets over actions committed and goals not achieved, and uncertainty about the future. He is also under attack; the nature of the attack is not clear but his enemies and accusers are making the most of the situation (vs 10–13), conspiring to seek his death. Our situation and our fears may be different, but we can still learn from the psalmist’s response.

Like many psalms, this moves between fear and hope. The psalmist recalls God’s dealings with him throughout his life (vs 5,6) and this gives him confidence that God will act for him again. Recalling our history and rejoicing in all that God has done will renew our faith and restore our confidence.

The psalmist can praise God for all that he is. Righteousness is a recurring theme (vs 2,15,16,19,24). God is faithful (v 22), strong (vs 1,3,16) and a deliverer (vs 4,15,20,23). He will always do the right thing by his people. Our feelings are fickle and the pain of the present can cloud the recollection of the past, but God’s character is always constant and always reliable. To recall Scriptures which speak of his faithfulness, to sing songs which speak of his righteousness, to focus on his salvation – these are mental disciplines which will see us through times of trouble.

We can, with the psalmist, cry out for God to repeat the salvation and protection of the past. This is not to be glib: the pain and the doubts are real. Sometimes it seems almost impossible to hold on, when God cannot be found, when we are ‘in the depths of the earth’ (v 20). Then, when we can do nothing, God can still deliver, even if we do not see how.

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Become aware of your body and your senses. Take in your surroundings; listen, look, smell, touch, taste. As you read, look out for words that relate to the body and the things that it does.

 ¹⁰ Listen, my son, accept what I say,
       and the years of your life will be many.

 ¹¹ I guide you in the way of wisdom
       and lead you along straight paths.

 ¹² When you walk, your steps will not be hampered;
       when you run, you will not stumble.

 ¹³ Hold on to instruction, do not let it go;
       guard it well, for it is your life.

 ¹⁴ Do not set foot on the path of the wicked
       or walk in the way of evil men.

 ¹⁵ Avoid it, do not travel on it;
       turn from it and go on your way.

 ¹⁶ For they cannot sleep till they do evil;
       they are robbed of slumber till they make someone fall.

 ¹⁷ They eat the bread of wickedness
       and drink the wine of violence.

 ¹⁸ The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn,
       shining ever brighter till the full light of day.

 ¹⁹ But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
       they do not know what makes them stumble.

 ²⁰ My son, pay attention to what I say;
       listen closely to my words.

 ²¹ Do not let them out of your sight,
       keep them within your heart;

 ²² for they are life to those who find them
       and health to a man's whole body.

 ²³ Above all else, guard your heart,
       for it is the wellspring of life.

 ²⁴ Put away perversity from your mouth;
       keep corrupt talk far from your lips.

 ²⁵ Let your eyes look straight ahead,
       fix your gaze directly before you.

 ²⁶ Make level paths for your feet
       and take only ways that are firm.

 ²⁷ Do not swerve to the right or the left;
       keep your foot from evil.Share

How many did you find? Our whole body (v 22) and all our senses are to be involved in the search for wisdom.

We are to watch what we say (v 24). James has a lot to say about speech and wisdom (James 3:1–12), which is worth checking out.

We are to be careful what we look at (v 25). There are many things around that won’t help our relationship with God; they are best avoided.

We are to walk in the right way (vs 14,26). ‘Walk’ is a frequent Bible expression for the way that we live our lives. It’s about making those wise choices and living God’s way.

We are to listen carefully (vs 10,20), filling our minds with the truth about God.

Above all we are to guard our hearts (v 23). In Hebrew thinking the heart is more than the centre of the emotions; it is the centre of thinking, feeling and willing. It makes us what we are.

What practical steps could you take to focus firmly on God, making him the one you want to love and please?

The sixth address (vs 10–19) is an encouragement to avoid the wrong path, while the seventh (vs 20–27) is a challenge to continue in the right path. The use of the metaphor of walking for the whole pattern of life is common in both the Old and the New Testaments (eg Isaiah 30:21; Galatians 5:16,25, AV). It suggests movement, steady and determined progress, towards a chosen goal. As we have seen before, there is a choice to be made. We can determine which road we take. If we will heed the instruction, it will bring life. Ignore it, and we find that our way is cast in the direction of those whose only intention is evil, those for whom evil has become such an ingrained pattern that all their waking hours are taken up with plotting some new form of wickedness. This can take many forms. I have just watched on the news a woman describe how her boyfriend, after repeated acts of violence, had gouged out both her eyes leaving her blind. Syrian government forces are continuing to turn heavy weapons on civilian populations. And there are also many subtler manifestations of self-interest and self-gratification.

If we listen to the voice of wisdom there will be a different outcome. While the way of the wicked leads to deep darkness, the way of the righteous wise leads to growing light (v 18). This is why all our faculties must be turned towards the right way – listening (v 20), watching (vs 21,25), speech (v 24), movement (v 26). Above all stands the heart, not as in modern thinking the source of the emotions, but the centre of thought, emotion, and motivation. From our heart, seen thus, all else flows. The Hebrew is vivid, literally, ‘Above all watching, guard your heart’. We watch what goes in, we take care how we think, we guard what goes out.