PSALM 28
A DESPERATE MAN WHO PRAISED GOD FOR DELIVERANCE
Read all 9 verses of Psalm 28 then consider these reflections.
The trials that came upon King David were not common place or trivial. David realized he was in the midst of life or death experiences. In desperation he cried out to the Lord, asking that He not turn a deaf ear to his trials. Things were so serious that David knew if the Lord did not help him he was doomed to die, to go “down to the pit.” Some have suggested he was facing the possibility of becoming an invalid, or confronting strong nations in war, or pestilence or sickness. It is sufficient for us to know that even an anointed king who knew the Lord was not exempt from very serious dangers. Neither are we.
Like his son, Solomon, David prayed to the Lord facing Jerusalem’s temple and with hands uplifted (verse 2). In 1 Kings 8:37-40 Solomon asked the Lord to hear the prayers of His people when they were in serious trouble (famine, pestilence, blight, mildew, locust, caterpillar or sickness) knowing the affliction of each person’s heart (“for you, you only, know the hearts of all the children of mankind”). He asked God to “hear in heaven your dwelling place and forgive and act and render to each whose heart you know, according to all his ways.” The only person who can pray such a prayer is one who thinks about the Lord’s works and determines to live a godly life. Hypocrites “who speak peace with their neighbors while evil is in their hearts” need not bother asking for God’s deliverance from their troubles (verses 3-5). As the blind man whom Jesus healed put it: “God does not listen to sinners” ––that is, deliberate, willful, persistent and unrepentant sinners (John 9:31). David, like other god-fearing people, was far from perfect, but he loved the Lord, confessed his sins and sincerely set his heart to please God. God still listens to sinners like David, even now. Even in personal hard-times. Even when deadly diseases may put us in the hospital or require that we “shelter-in-place”.
With full confidence that the Lord would respond to his desperate cries, David broke forth in praise for God’s response! (verses 6-7). He declared “The Lord is my strength and my shield; in Him my heart trusts and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to Him.” The Amplified Bible explains what it means to truly “trust” in God: “My heart trusts, relies on and confidently leans on Him.”
Psalm 28 ends with acknowledgment of God’s loving providence even in the times of peril. He is the “strength of His people (His covenant people) and the saving refuge of his anointed” (the king). In words expressing passionate requests to the only One who has the ability to help both David and the nation, he called upon God to “be their shepherd and carry them forever” (verses 8-9). We are reminded of the greatness of God in Isaiah 40:11––”He will tend His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs in His arms; He will carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.” With such a great God on our side, who can be against us?
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