Scripture
They return at evening, snarling like dogs, and prowl about the city…I will sing praise to You God, You are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely.
~Psalm 59:14,17, NIV
Quote
Rock of ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee.
~Augustus Toplady
A cleft is an opening in the rocks, a divide or a split, something a man can crawl into and be protected. A cliff is a precipice, rock face, crag, bluff, ridge, or overhang. Both are associated with high places but until yesterday, I hadn’t noticed the difference. Jesus is our REFUGE, out cleft in the rock, our hiding place. David’s refuge was not a place but a person. In Psalm 59, David paints a contrast between two very different kinds of people. As Phil Glisson says, “There are only two kinds of people: the kind and the wrong kind.” While David was SINGING, his enemies were SNARLING. When I read this Psalm the other day, I saw this contrast for the first time. We all fit into one of two groups, the SINGERS or the SNARLERS. A snarl is associated with a dog, it is an aggressive growl with the teeth showing. It is the dogs way of saying, “I’m angry and I’m about to tear into your flesh.” David was a SINGER but his enemies were SNARLERS.
What is the difference between the singers and the snarlers. Singers have a much better disposition; they are happy and content, thankful and pleasant to be with. Snarlers are unhappy, disgruntled, angry, bitter and very unpleasant. Snarlers are lead by their emotions while singers are driven by their will. Some people don’t sing unless they feel like it and rarely do they feel like singing. This would not be David. David never says, “I feel like singing…I feel like praising or I feel like giving thanks.” David always says, “I will sing, I will praise, I will give thanks, etc.” What kind of mix do you think we have at Sunday worship? Do you reckon there are any snarlers in the congregation: folks who refuse to sing because they don’t “feel like it.” Perhaps, they are having a bad day, or week, or month or perhaps they are having a bad life. Don’t you reckon complaining and criticizing is a form of snarling? Do you want to be remembered as a singer or a snarler?
I forgot to mention it yesterday but I had a visit with Junior Hill on Monday. Someone had told me that Dr. Warren Wiersbe called him weekly. Junior informed me that it was not weekly but that they did talk fairly often. Dr. Wiersbe was promoted just a few weeks ago. Junior said the last time he spoke with him that he seemed depressed. While I was there, Jerry Vines called. Of course, you would have to be preacher to understand the significance of what I have said. Warren Wiersbe wrote 150 books including a commentary on the Old and New Testament. I read his works daily. Junior has surgery on both feet July 11…pray for Junior.
After the message last night, we had two more come for baptism due to Junior’s message, that makes three total. Hallelujah, what a Savior!
I need you to continue to pray for Lilly. This is Belinda Childers little niece who has been a St. Jude for a long time and she got bad news this week. She is not getting to come home. Also pray for Bob Cook.