“To you, O LORD, I call; my rock, be not deaf to me, lest if you be silent to me, I become like those who go down to the [grave]…Blessed be the LORD! For he has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy. The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped.” (Psalm 28:1,6-7a)
O Lord, David knows that if you do not hear his prayers (“be not deaf to me”), you will not answer his prayers (“if you be silent to me”); and he knows that your silence will be his demise (“like those who go down to the grave”). In other words, David knows that his very life depends upon your voice. Your voice has the power to save. In Genesis, you spoke all of life into being. In the gospels, you spoke and Lazarus came back to life. All of creation is governed by the power of your sovereign word.
In seeing your sovereign power, even King David comes to see that the only real power he has is his own voice; not for commanding creation to bend to his will, but for calling out to you, O Lord, for mercy. His only real power is prayer. Lord, so too, our only power is prayer, because you are our strength and shield. Help us all the more trust in you, unreservedly, unwaveringly, and unashamedly. When times are hard let us lean not on our own understanding; let us trust in you. May we commit ourselves to your ways, and know that you will lead us forward (Proverbs 3:5-6). In Jesus’ name, amen.
Comments