David was the chosen, anointed king of Israel, a man after God’s own heart. Yet in this Scripture, disillusionment with God had overtaken David’s conviction that God could be counted on for help. In contradiction to David’s core beliefs about God’s faithfulness, and in spite of his close, loving relationship with God, prolonged hardships caused David to question his belief system as false or mistaken. His accusations toward God were many: rejecting David, being mad at David, not keeping His word to David, and making David a victim of others. These accusations continually fueled feelings of disappointment, anger, hurt, and self-pity in David’s heart. Let’s look at the course that brought David to this disillusionment so that we may learn not to take this same path during prolonged hard times.
The first step into disillusionment was David’s questioning of God’s goodness. God is always good! But if Satan can convince us that God isn’t good and loving, then we will question whether or not we want a relationship with Him.
Next, David nurtured underlying feelings of rejection. When we sense God’s punishment and wrath (outside the covenant) because we have fallen short of His standard, then Satan uses this place of personal torment to keep us from knowing the light and freedom of God’s salvation. We have all fallen short and will continue to fall short, yet God keeps a new covenant with His children. Although David was under the Old Testament covenant, and we are under the New Testament covenant, the principle is the same: we are forgiven, unconditionally love, and accepted by God.
Under the new covenant, God gave His Son, Jesus, who forgave and paid for our sins on the cross, taking our shame upon Himself. God sends the Holy Spirit to live within us and give us new life, abundant and eternal. This truth is something the Enemy works hard to keep at a religious minimum in an attempt to rob God of His pleasure in having loving, growing, overcoming, victorious, and joyful children!
Yes, there may be times when we will experience criticism and reproach from others, but these are not from God! Satan wants us to believe that we are victims, but we are not helpless. The Lord is on our side, and He will fight the battles with us and for us. As David worked through his thoughts and feelings, he was able to regain that spiritual place where he could ask the Lord by faith to remember him and where he could trust in the fulfillment of God’s promises.

“But [in apparent contradiction to all Your promises] You [even You, the faithful Lord] have cast off and rejected: You have been full of wrath against Your anointed. You have despised and loathed and renounced the covenant with Your servant…All who pass along the road spoil and rob him: he has become the scorn and reproach of his neighbors… You have covered him with shame….How long, O Lord? Will You hide Yourself forever? How long shall Your wrath burn like fire?…Remember, Lord, and earnestly imprint [on Your heart]the reproach of Your servants…Blessed be the Lord forevermore! Amen and Amen” (Psalm 89:38-39a, 41, 45b, 46,50a, 52).