Week 12: In a tight spot
- cindystumme
- Mar 23
- 6 min read
Devotional readings focused on Psalm 18, 23 and 118 for the fourth week of March.
Meditation
I anticipated that the empty nest years would be a season of freedom, renewal, and creativity. This wasn't just my imagination. Books with titles like . . .
Life Reimagined: The Science, Art, and Opportunity of Midlife
or
Empty Nest, Full Life: Discovering God's Best for Your Next
or
The Wonder of Aging: A New Approach to Embracing Life After Fifty
. . . promised excitement and fulfillment in this stage of life. I'm not saying that hasn't occurred, but sometimes I feel more squeezed than liberated by this season. Maybe that's why we are called the sandwich generation. We are trying to balance the demands of our own lives with the needs of our children and our parents, while still finding time to enjoy the grandchildren (if that blessing has been bestowed) and our spouse. We may even feel that the top and bottom buns of the sandwich get all our attention, but the middle--us!--is falling to pieces, squished out, and dripping everywhere!
Midlife Distress
The feeling of being pressed into a small space where freedom of movement and choice is restricted shows up in Psalm 18 when David uses the word distress in verse 6. In Hebrew, the word translated distress literally means "in a tight spot."
In my distress I called to the Lord;
I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came before him, into His ears.
(Psalm 18:6, NIV)
Since Psalm 18 is David's recounting of God's faithfulness throughout his life--he was likely in his late 60's when he wrote this song--David probably meant both literal and figurative tight spots when he used the word distress in this verse. He certainly had experienced many physically tight spots while hiding in caves from King Saul. But later, as king of Israel, David experienced the kind of emotional anguish that squeezes the hearts of parents and leaves them frozen by grief: the rebellion, sin, and even death of his own children. A cave may be a tight spot, but nothing presses the life out of a parent more than watching their child walk a path of recklessness and self-destruction.
Relief!
What did David do when he found himself in distress? Over and over in his life, he consistently cried out to God for relief. Throughout the next 39 verses, David recounts the response of God to his pleas for help. In extravagant metaphors, David pictures God responding with elemental chaos, riding furiously on a cherubim to come to David's rescue. Here's just two verses to whet your appetite for more:
Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,
with hailstones and bolts of lightning.
The LORD thundered from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded.
(Psalm 18:12-13, NIV)
Interestingly, in the last half of the psalm David circles back to the sense of distress, of being in a tight spot, that he began with. In verse 36, he declares that the result of God's intervention in his life is space and freedom:
You broaden the path beneath me,
so that my ankles do not turn.
(Psalm 18:36, NIV)
In other words, God answered David's prayer and provided him a place where he could walk easily without any impediment that could trip him up. His steps are unhindered and sure, "like the feet of a deer" (verse 33), capable of climbing to great heights with no danger of slipping. That sounds like freedom to me!
Finding Freedom
How do we find for ourselves this sense of freedom and surefootedness, especially when we find ourselves in a season of midlife that chokes the life out of us? I see a few principles in this Psalm that may help us to find respite and liberation in the Lord.
First, we must know who God is, not just objectively, but who He is--or offers to be--to us personally. David recounts this in the beginning verses of Psalm 18: God is his rock, shield, and stronghold, and he declares his personal love for God.
Secondly, we must cry out! We must admit that we can't rescue ourselves. We are well and truly stuck without an intervention from above.
Thirdly, we must remain faithful and humble toward the workings of God in our lives. David describes himself in proper perspective to God in verses 25-29, and from his description we can infer that David didn't resent the challenges that God brought into his life. Instead, he accepted them as God's good plan and depended on God's strength to see him through.
To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
to the pure you show yourself pure,
but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.
You save the humble but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.
With your help I can advance against a troop;
with my God I can scale a wall.
(Psalm 18:25-27, 29, NIV)
Finally, we must intentionally maintain an attitude of praise. According to David, all dramatic rescues and subsequent successes are clearly attributed to God and not himself:
He is the God who avenges me,
who subdues nations under me,
who saves me from my enemies.
(Psalm 18:47-48a, NIV)
I don't know what you are feeling today, friend. You may be enjoing the wonder of aging or the excitement of reimagining your life for a great second half. Or perhaps you find yourself in a season of mundanity where you can't quite put your finger on what's less than satisfying about your life. However, you may be going through an unimaginable ordeal right now.
What I do know, and what we will dive into this week, is that our God loves us and hears us when we cry out. He is just waiting to ride to our rescue--we have only to ask. As you peruse the Bible readings this week, reconnect yourself afresh to the God who loves you. Let Him know what's troubling you. Praise Him for His greatness, and then watch to see Him move. He will deliver you as surely as He delivered David.
Readings and Reflection Questions
Monday's reading: Psalm 18:1-29
Reflection Questions: How would you describe your relationship with God. Would you use the same words as David does in this song? Write down some of the phrases that are similar to how you relate to God, and then choose a few phrases that you would like to work toward. Take some time to pray through these phrases and ask God to draw you into a closer relationship with Him.
Tuesday's reading: Psalm 18:30-50
Reflection Questions: Read through this passage, God’s instructions to the people of Israel on how to stay faithful to God down through their generations. Which warnings might apply to you? In what ways are you teaching the words of God to your children and grandchildren? Take a moment to brainstorm a few creative ideas for sharing more of God’s word with your family members.
Wednesday's reading: Psalm 118
Reflection Questions: This psalm recounts God's victory over the enemy nations that surrounded Israel. Notice verses 5-7. What precedes freedom according to this psalm? Now focus on verse 17 and 18. Can you relate to feeling like you have been spared from death? Continue reading, and write down what grateful people do after being rescued. Spend some time in praise to God, either through singing, praying, or writing.
Thursday's reading: John 16
Reflection Questions: In this passage, Jesus is teaching about the tight spots the disciples will soon find themselves in because of their loyalty to Him. Who does He promise as a guide through these difficult circumstances? Make a list of all the things the Holy Spirit offers to believers in verses 7-15. What does Jesus teach about the love of the Father in verses 23-28? What promise does Jesus make in verse 33?
Friday's reading: Galatians 5:13-26
Reflection Questions: Paul gives us a stern warning in this passage on what not to do with the freedom we have in Christ. What are some of the activities and attitudes listed that can send us back into tight places with sin as our captor? What are the attitudes and activities that align with spiritual freedom? How does the Holy Spirit guide us into these practices?
Weekend reading: Psalm 23
Reflection Questions: Savor the words of this familiar psalm. How do you relate to the word picture of green pastures near quiet waters? Have you ever been in a place like that or is there another metaphor you would use to describe being shepherded by God if you were writing a psalm like this one? Verse 4describes what could be a tight place: the valley of the shadow of death. What does God provide (verse 5) in the middle of that awful place? How might you experience the provision of a banquet table of God during a hard time? What feeds your soul?
Sources:
Gurion, Michael. The Wonder of Aging: A New Approach to Embracing Life after 50. 2013. Available here.
Hagerty, Barbara. Life Reimagined: The Science, Art, and Opportunity of Midlife. 2017. Availble here.
Savage, Jill. Empty Nest, Full Life: Discovering God's Best for Your Next. 2019. Available here.
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