I might as well be living on the moon!

I took my trouble to the Lord; I cried out to him, and he answered my prayer. Rescue me, O Lord, from liars and from all deceitful people. O deceptive tong, what will God do to you? How will he increase your punishment? You will be pierced with sharp arrows and burned with glowing coals. How I suffer in far-off Meshech. It pains me to live in distant Kedar. I am tired of living among people who hate peace. I search for peace; but when I speak of peace, they want war! Psalm 120 NLT

I had to look up where Meshech and Kedar are located. According to Wikipedia, Meshech is located in modern day Georgia (the country, not the state) and Kedar is possibly north east Iraq but could be elsewhere as it was also the name of a large Arabic tribe. So, both places would be roughly north and east of the Holy Land. Although, because the psalms often repeat themselves, I think the psalmist is referring to roughly the same area. And I would imagine it would be considered out in the middle of nowhere. 

I suppose it would be like saying, “How I suffer on the far-off North Pole ! I might as well be living on the moon!” 

Have you ever been in a place where you felt out of sorts? Perhaps you didn’t fit in or everyone else had a completely different agenda. Did you want to get something done but all around you were people who just wanted to argue or complain? 

The psalmist needs God’s help. He is surrounded by people who only want violence. The psalmist wants God. So, the psalmist cries out to God and God answers. 

When you are in a place that feels like the North Pole, don’t forget to pray to God for help. 

God, I take my troubles to you. Rescue me from liars and deceitful people. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Copyright Amelia G. Sims 2012