New: 8 February 2025
Handling Pressure,
Pursuing Purity
Psalm 17
Keep me as the apple of Your eye,
Hide me under the shadow of Your wings.
As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness;
I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.
Psalm 17:8, 15 NKJV
A 'Rough Diamond'
'Diamonds are forever,' the song goes. She's a 'rough diamond,' the saying goes. Diamonds are beautiful and precious. They were forged under intense pressure and temperatures deep in the earth. They came to the earth's surface due to volcanic eruptions. Like gold, diamonds are among the most valuable natural resources. The word diamond is also used proverbially of someone who has great potential, yet some seriously ill behaviour. In that way, this proverb may apply to most people. We all are precious to God and carry great potential, yet some people are better behaved than others, depending on their upbringing and environments. Be that as it may, we all have choices that make us better people, turning a piece of coal into a diamond.
The psalmist knew that he was the apple or pupil of God's eyes (Psalm 17:8a; cf., Zechariah 2:8). It is a very important and sensitive part of the human body. The eyelid's natural reflects shows how protective the body is to protect the eye. God sees us this way. The second line of Psalm 17:8 speaks of God's protection in similar ways as Psalm 91. As a father is protective of his children, so is God over His people. We are precious in God's sight. God is protective over His people because we are precious to Him. Yet as diamonds are forged under pressure and heat, life can feel that way. But rather than despairing over the circumstances, we should see the advantages of a conducive environment for something beautiful and precious to emerge. God may not always keep us from the fire, but He will be with us in the fire (Isaiah 43:2; cf., Daniel 3). If He leads you to it, He will lead you through it!
Handling Pressure Well
One of the most important skills in life is to handle pressure well. If we want to turn from 'coal' to a 'diamond,' figuratively speaking, we must handle the pressure we are in well. Certain situations can get very heated and it is vital to act wisely. Having a high IQ (Intelligence Quotient) doesn't guarantee a high EQ (Emotional Quotient). The latter is sometimes even more important. Emotional Intelligence is a vital aspect to life we must master. The psalmist was under intense pressure, yet he showed us how to handle it.
There were 'deadly enemies' and wicked people oppressing him (Psalm 17:9); arrogant speech and shrew attacks came against them (vv 10-12); people rose up again the psalmist, yet he trusted God to protect and preserve him (v 7). We cannot choose some of the circumstances we are in, but we can choose how to handle them and how we respond to challenges. We can be corrupted by the environment or polluted by the circumstances, or we can stay faithful and true to right principles and good values. That choice will determine the outcome. Is this world with its corruption and deceit, there are powerful yet bad people who seem to have all good things in this life (v 14). It seems unfair and wrong. The innocent suffer, the wicked seem to get away with it. There is a temptation to abandon good morals and join the wicked who prosper. This may appear appealing in the short-term, but is a bad choice in the long-term. There is a better way to handle pressure than to allow it to break us.
For thus says the LORD of hosts: 'He sent Me after glory, to the nations which plunder you; for he who touches you touches the apple of His eye.'
Zechariah 2:8
Pursuing Purity
Hardships make us or break us. They either bring the best out of us, or expose the worst in us. We have the chance to change and grow, or we can become resentful and fail at being a moral example to others. It is a choice. A tough one, but we still have a choice. Hardships are the conducive environment to produce a 'diamond,' a person of value and character. It's a mature choice to face challenges and injustice with moral courage. It is the right choice.
The psalmist pursue purity in the midst of pressure. He brought 'a just cause' before God, a prayer not from deceitful lips (v1, and sought vindication from the righteous Judge of the universe (v 2). This is an abdication of revenge and the ugly pollution it produces in us. He chose the ways of God, not man. He allowed God to test his heart and decided not to transgress with his mouth (v3). Keeping our hearts pure and our speech clean is vital under pressure and it is the only way to pursue purity. The psalmist refused to join destructive ways and therefore had confidence to approach God to uphold him and protect him from falling (vv 4-5). We cannot harbour deceit and bitterness in our hearts and approach God, unless, of course, we come to Him in repentance and for help to change. The prayer of David was for God to keep him as the apple of His eye, and to hide him in order to protect him (v 8) from wicked people and deadly enemies (v 9). He wants God to deal with them (v 13) and not take revenge himself.
As we pursue purity during times of intense pressure, we will be able to think clearly and act wisely. The psalmist's heart is further revealed in the concluding verse of the psalm (v 15).
'As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness;
I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.'
His desire for a pure heart and clean speech, keeping himself free from the corruption around him or the bitterness that might emerge in him during hardships, is further seen in His attitude of seeing God's very face, the God of righteousness. His satisfaction would come to become more like God in character. He pursued the purity of the God who created him in His own image.