Worship: A Study in PsalmsSample

What does it say?

David asked God to rescue him from his enemies’ constant attacks and insults.

What does it mean?

It’s not certain when David wrote this psalm, but his distress was so great at the time that he felt like drowning. Faced with enemies who hated him for no apparent reason, David turned to God for help. His prayer describes the pain he felt in great detail, but as he called on God to vindicate and defend him, an interesting thing happened – he found assurance that God was in control. That realization flooded him with humility in the presence of God’s authority. At that point, David’s painful prayer became a praise song. His help would come from the Lord, who keeps His promises.

How should I respond?

Many of us turn our attention to God in life’s darkest moments. We pray in great detail about our problems, telling God exactly what we want Him to do. Too often, though, we rise from our prayer before we reach the place of humility that David did in today’s passage. Praying with humility requires acknowledging that God knows how to handle our circumstances better than we do. We have to relinquish control. God is already completely aware of your situation before you pray, yet when you assume a humble position before the Lord, something powerful happens – personal pain can become a reason to praise God, who alone can vindicate and comfort you. Will you humbly acknowledge God’s authority over your life and trust Him, even in the most difficult circumstances?