Prayer for Help in Trouble.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David.
13 How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me?
2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul,
Having sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long will my enemy be exalted over me?3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;
Enlighten my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,
4 And my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
And my adversaries will rejoice when I am shaken.5 But I have trusted in Your lovingkindness;
My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.
6 I will sing to the Lord,
Because He has dealt bountifully with me.
This is quite the contrast… David starts out in dire straights, so much so that he tells God if he doesn’t do something, he will “sleep the sleep of death”. Yet David’s conclusion in verses 5-6 seems to be a complete turnaround. Had the danger been averted, was his prayer answered so quickly, was he imagining things?
To all of these things, no. David was still in perilous danger, as he was frequently during the latter part of Saul’s reign. If we read the story of David’s life, we can see that Saul was deathly serious about ending David’s life, since he saw David as a threat to his rule. Multiple times, God did indeed deliver David. Yet in between those times, David was running, and hiding, and running some more. And no doubt, doing lots of praying along the way.
So what can we say about David’s change of tune in vv. 5-6? The real answer is that David had a shift in perspective. When he brought his problems to God, he was reminded of how God had blessed him. He remembered those times God had protected him the face of danger. Long before Saul had been a threat, there were lions and bears (but no tigers). Then there was the Philistine giant Goliath, and all throughout God had proved himself faithful.
Even beyond that, David no doubt knew the stories of Israel’s history, the many times God had rescued his people. So when David took his problems to God, his focus shifted, and his perspective with it. He realized that no matter where he was now, God had been more than gracious to him, and he could trust God through it all.
Whenever we find ourselves in trouble, take it to God. We might start out like David, but as we pray, we can find our focal point once more. We can find our “true north” when we focus on the author and perfecter of our faith. Look for His blessings, and remember His salvation, and leave everything else to the one who already has it well under control.