Beyond the Blues 走出忧郁
Dexu Xia
In the morning I will sing of your love. Psalm 59:16
Today's Scripture Psalm 59:9-17
Today's Insights
The heading of Psalm 59 notes the occasion for the song: “When Saul had sent men to watch David’s house in order to kill him.” Two attempts by Saul to kill David are recorded in 1 Samuel 19 (vv. 8-10 and 11-17). The latter incident was the impetus for Psalm 59. Despite the grave danger that David faced, his faith compelled him to sing. The refrain repeated in verses 9 and 17 reveals that he viewed God as the source of his strength and safety. He proclaims, “You are my strength, I watch for you; you, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely” (vv. 9-10). Our view of God makes the difference in how we navigate life in both the good times and the bad. When our understanding of Him lines up with how He’s revealed in Scripture, we can sing in life’s sunshine and rain
Today's Devotion Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot is best known for enduring classics like “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” and “If You Could Read My Mind.” But one of his lesser-known songs is titled “The Minstrel of the Dawn.” (A minstrel is a troubadour, a singer who puts his poetry to music.) Like us, Lightfoot’s troubadour longs to be “more happy than blue.” Although there are always “blue” things to think about or dwell on, the minstrel chooses to focus on happy things as the new day dawns and then to sing about them.
The minstrel of the psalms, David, penned a similar line: “In the morning I will sing of your love” (Psalm 59:16). David had plenty of “blue” things to dwell on—from enemies ready to attack him to fierce men slandering and conspiring against him (vv. 1-3). “They return at evening,” he sang, “snarling like dogs, and prowl about the city” (v. 14). But he chose, as the new day dawned, to focus not simply on something happy but on someone good—God—and then sing of God’s love, “my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble” (v. 16) on “whom I can rely” (v. 17).
You may not be a singer-songwriter, but you can still be a minstrel of the dawn. Like David, you can tell God, “I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love” (v. 16).
Reflect & Pray
What is it that makes you blue or causes you concern? What would it look like for you to sing of God’s love in the morning?
God my fortress and shield, I’m choosing to sing beyond the blues this morning, to sing of Your steadfast love. By John Blasé
“早晨我要歌唱你的慈爱。”诗篇59:16
今日经文：诗篇59篇9-17 节
今日感悟 诗篇59篇的卷首语指明了这首诗歌的创作背景：“当时扫罗派人去窥探大卫的房屋，想要杀害他。”撒母耳记上19章记载了扫罗两次试图杀害大卫的事件（8-10节和11-17节）。后一事件正是诗篇59篇的创作动因。尽管大卫面临极度危险，但他的信心驱使他开口歌唱。第9节和第17节中反复出现的副歌表明，他视上帝为自己力量与安全的源泉。他宣告说：“你是我的力量，我要等候你；上帝啊，你是我的高台，是我所倚靠的上帝”（9-10节）。我们对上帝的看法，决定了我们在顺境与逆境中如何面对生活。当我们对上帝的理解与祂在圣经中的自我启示吻合时，无论我们的生活是阳光明媚还是风雨交加，我们都能开口歌唱。
今日灵修 加拿大创作歌手戈登·莱特富特最广为人知的作品，莫过于《埃德蒙·菲茨杰拉德号的沉没》和《如果你能读懂我的心》等不朽经典。但他有一首鲜为人知的歌曲，题为《黎明的吟游诗人》。（吟游诗人是指那些将自己的诗作谱成曲调并加以吟唱的歌手）和我们一样，莱特富特笔下的这位吟游诗人也渴望自己能“多一份快乐，少一份忧郁”。尽管生活中总会有许多令人“忧郁”的事情值得去思索或纠结，但这位吟游诗人却选择在黎明破晓之际，将目光聚焦于那些快乐的事物，并以此为题放声歌唱。 《诗篇》中的那位吟游诗人大卫，也曾写下过一句异曲同工的诗句：“早晨我要歌唱你的慈爱”（诗篇59:16）。大卫有太多值得他去“忧郁”的事情了，从那些虎视眈眈、随时准备向他发起攻击的仇敌，到那些对他进行诽谤与密谋陷害的凶恶之徒（1-3节）。 “他们晚上回来，”他唱道，“像狗一样咆哮，在城中游荡”（14节）。然而，当新的一天破晓时，他选择不单单聚焦于某种令人愉悦的事物，而是聚焦于一位良善者，上帝；继而歌颂上帝的慈爱，称祂为“我的高台，我在急难时的避难所”（16节），是“我所倚靠的”（17节）。 你或许并非一位词曲创作歌手，但你依然可以成为一位“黎明的吟游诗人”。像大卫一样，你可以向上帝倾诉：“我要歌颂你的能力，早晨我要歌颂你的慈爱”（16节）。
反思与祷告 究竟是什么让你感到忧郁，或令你心生忧虑？对你而言，如果在清晨歌颂上帝的慈爱，会是怎样的一番景象？ 上帝啊，你是我的高台，也是我的盾牌；在这个清晨，我选择超越忧郁，放声歌颂你那坚定不移的慈爱。——约翰·布莱斯