Be Still And Know

Psalm 123:3-4 To be treated with contempt is a horrible experience. To be written off as worthless is agonising and the Bible tells us about many people who knew just how painful it was to suffer in this way. Nehemiah certainly had the experience when he worked to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Many scholars think that this might be the background to this particular psalm. Nehemiah was convinced that God himself had commissioned him to undertake the rebuilding of the city. But that cut no ice with Sanballat and Tobiah, who did everything they could think of to ridicule his efforts. They were eager for Nehemiah to fail and tried endless ways to undermine his efforts. In the New Testament we see the way in which Jesus was treated with ridicule and contempt by the Pharisees and teachers of the law, leading to his death on the cross. If you have ever been treated with contempt you will know what a depressing and discouraging experience it is. Very easily it can dominate all of our thinking and make life a comple