O LORD In You, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in Your righteousness. Bow down Your ear to me; deliver me speedily: be my strong rock, for a house of defense to save me. For You are my rock and my fortress; therefore, for Your name’s sake lead me, and guide me.
Psalm 31:1-3
There are times and then there are times! It seems that David found himself in one of those times. It would seem that by the tone of this psalm that David is ordering the Lord to do what he needed but that is not the case. His plea was so desperate that it comes across that way. Have you ever become so desperate to hear from the Lord that in your prayers you would have sounded just like David?
Don’t worry, God is not offended when we are so desperate for God’s help that we cry out to Him in some manner that would sound like we are trying to order Him around—He knows our heart and our circumstances.
Notice how David approaches God in his prayer. First, he acknowledges that it is in God that he has placed his trust. Next, he asks the Lord to honor his trust before his friends and his enemies. Then, he asks God to deliver him by His righteous acts. It doesn’t hurt to honor God when we go to Him in prayer. Jesus told us to do so by saying, “Hallowed be Thy Name.”
There are four requests that David makes of God. First, he asks the Lord to listen; next, he asks the Lord to deliver him; then he asks the Lord to be his place of strength and finally, he asks Him to be his defense. He then acknowledges that God has everything he needs and is the only one who could provide it.
When bad things happen, a group of people often gather to pray. Often, when people pray together, there will those who mock them and say things like, “Where was God in all this?” They will be quick to blame God for what happened; Whom they either don’t believe in or Who they have not been faithful to serve. However, don’t tell that to David for God brought him out of many “fixes.” God knows and He is not shocked off of His throne by the fixes that we find ourselves in. Don’t tell that to the multiplied millions who have received miraculous deliverance when all seemed to be lost. And, don’t let them tell that to us who know the power of God. We know that God is our “rock and fortress,” therefore let us praise, thank and trust Him in every situation of life. Amen, amen and amen.
