Bible Text: Psalm 63:1 | Speaker: Dr. Harold J. Sala | Series: Guidelines For Living |

O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is. Psalm 63:1, KJV

From “One Liners,” distributed by a local printer, is the following: “I can only please one person per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow is not looking good either.” We chuckle at that bit of humor, thinking, “There are times when I feel just like that.” We’d like to tell people, “Go stand in line somewhere else if you want a smile!” Then we remember Paul instructs, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers” (Galatians 6:10), and “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18). And we feel guilty.

Certainly there were difficult people in Paul’s life. We are reminded of what he endured, but we quickly focus on the people in our lives—some whose demands are totally unrealistic–and you know that you can never entirely please them.

“Go stand in line,” we feel like saying, adding, “today is not your day, and tomorrow isn’t looking very good either.” We’re tempted to add, “Look, the way I feel about you right now, you’ll never have a day in my court, so hit the road.”

Once you have started driving a nail and it is bent crooked, it’s difficult to straighten it out. And when someone gets turned sideways, no matter what is said or done, you feel that you can never quite please that person.

May I give you some insights? These are personal. Most of the time, the real problem isn’t the difficult person whom I would like to tell, “Look I can only please one person a day and this isn’t your day.” The real problem is me! Surprised that I would say that? Knowing yourself is even more important than knowing your enemy. I often pray, “Lord, save me from myself, from doing something irrational, from saying something I know is unkind which I will later regret, from doing something when I’m stressed out that I ought not to do.” The greatest problem is the person whom I see when I look in the mirror.

Years ago I read where George Mueller, the man who adopted hundreds of orphans, and refused to solicit money as did others, only praying for God to provide, once said that at the beginning of the day your first responsibility is to be happy in Jesus. What He wrote connected with me. My first obligation is to connect with heaven, and then to take on the day.

One of our failures is that we try to do it all alone. “Dear Lord,” prayed one brother, “thus far today I haven’t lost my temper, said anything I shouldn’t say, eaten anything not on my diet, or told people what I really think of them, but, Lord, I’m about to get out of bed…” Right!

Taking time to be in the Word, to pray, to ponder how you are going to face the day early in the morning is the key to handling those difficult challenges. Take time to read Psalm 63, which David wrote when he was in the wilderness, a fugitive from Saul, knowing that he could never please the king. Wrote David, “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsts for you; my flesh longs for you in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is” (Psalm 63:1 NKJV).

Getting in touch with God, listening to His voice as you read the Word, sharing your heart with Him as you pray, is the key to being able to handle the difficult people in your life because you have God’s strength and help which goes far beyond your means of coping.

Resource reading: Psalm 63