Potter's Wheel Ministries Weekly Devotional

Psalms 13:1-6 (KJV)
1 How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me?
2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? how long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?
3 Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;
4 Lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him; and those that trouble me rejoice when I am moved.
5 But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.
6 I will sing unto the LORD, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.

It is believed that this Psalm was written about the time David was running from Saul for his life. However, one thing that we can determine, is that David was depressed emotionally because of his situation. David must have felt that he could not continue to carry on under the weight of running for his life. Therefore, we can conclude that he was needing something to change.

We all have moments of discouragement, and because of those moments we can find ourselves in a state of depression fueled by the inward fears from suffering some emotional distress in life. However, as a believer we need to remember that we all have help in the midst of times like this. Our world around us is filled with suffering in epidemic proportions. There are problems unforseen in every direction. We witness on a daily basis problems, depression, frustration, anxiety and a score of other such experiences. They are in our workplace, we find it in our homes, and out in the marketplace.

Irregardless of these crisis, we have the Gospel that can dispel and deliver us from all our difficulties of life. There are answers for every delimma that we could face within the pages of God's faithful Word. Our passage to which we have opened our study today points to a distinctive saddness within the life of David in a most crucial time. David felt forgotten. Have you ever felt like that? He was feeling left out, forsaken, and in his words rejected. Let me ask you something. How do you feel when someone has left you out of the conversation, forgets your name, or ignores you completely as though you weren't even there? How does that make you feel?

Look what it says! "How long will you forget me, O'Lord? Forever? How long will you hide your face from me?" Imagine feeling as though God has done this to you. Here David was being hunted like he was some animal, instead of being treated as the king that he was anointed to serve within that office. David's problems were mounting up against his resolve to whether his call to be king was even real. He was emotionally drained; physically spent, and mentally consumed. And to make matters worse, the rejects of his society were coming to him for answers for their own lives and shelter.

2 Kings 4:1-7 (KJV)

1 Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen.
2 And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.
3 Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few.
4 And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.
5 So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out.
6 And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.
7 Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.

If you notice God's instructions to this woman through the man of God was to: Collect all the emptiness you can find, and I will fill it! The volume of your emptiness will determine the amount of your filling. It's safe to say that God is not interested in your independence, but rather your dependence on Him! This woman went about and collected emptiness from all of her neighbors. And because of this she was about to experience a miracle that would forever change her life.

Our biggest problem in light of the teaching today is often in our diet. We stuff ourselves on spiritual junk food, looking for quick and easy ways to experience God and His power. However, God is under no obligation to feed casual nibblers from His table. Folks like this are looking for "just the right feeling" to assist them in getting in the mood to have communion with God. Needless to say, God is looking for hungry people! These are the folks who are desperate for Him that they are willing to empty themselves of all other destractions and hindrances.

The widow did not have a problem with how much oil she had, but rather it was how much emptiness she could collect. One of the greatest detriments to being filled up with God is our own satisfaction or self-preservation; and it becomes the greatest enemy to the purpose of God in you. Whenever we camp out at a place to "build a monument" to our best and most memorable time or experience, we often forget to resume the journey we were on! We must take up our cross daily and follow Him. And it is our spiritual hunger that will keep us in pursuit of our blessed Savior. Let me close with one more passage:

Ezra 3:11-13 (KJV)
11 And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the LORD; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.
12 But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy:
13 So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.

In this passage we will make a few observations to close out todays study on going from problems to praise. If you will recall it was the older generation that had been acquainted with the glory of Solomon's temple and what was at the time, Israel's finest hour. These forefathers didn't know whether to laugh or cry. They were obviously rejoicing over the temple being rebuilt, but they also wept with joy because they knew what God had promised when it was recorded in Haggai 2:9.

Haggai 2:9 (KJV)
9 The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.

There is always a reason for rejoicing if God is the Lord of your life. He has promised to take care of each of those who place their life in His hands. Whatever was in the former house of your life or whatever the problems that have found their way to you at present...I'm positively sure that the latter house will be filled with a much greater glory and the problems of life will vanish at His coming! Will you make room for Him? Therefore, I encourage you to cast your cares on the One who loves you; and empty yourself of all that focus that has been on the problems of your life. If you will get the cares of this world out of your heart's meditation and make room for the Lord's glorious infilling; you will find your arms will lift effortlessly in praise to the King, your Redeemer and discouragement will disappear! The Word tells us that God inhabits the praises of His people. Is your song filled with complaints or praise?