13 But I, like a deaf man, do not hear;
And I am like a mute man who does not open his mouth.
14 Yes, I am like a man who does not hear,
And in whose mouth are no arguments.
15 For I [j]hope in You, O Lord;
You will answer, O Lord my God.
16 For I said, “May they not rejoice over me,
Who, when my foot slips, would magnify themselves against me.”
17 For I am ready to fall,
And my [k]sorrow is continually before me.
18 For I [l]confess my iniquity;
I am full of anxiety because of my sin.
19 But my enemies are vigorous and[m]strong,
And many are those who hate me wrongfully.
20 And those who repay evil for good,
They oppose me, because I follow what is good.
21 Do not forsake me, O Lord;
O my God, do not be far from me!
22 Make haste to help me,
O Lord, my salvation!
We start with a pretty bleak situation. David knows there is nothing he can say, no arguments he can make, because he’s done wrong and he can’t undo it. And so he waits on God, not hearing anything yet, but knowing that God alone can help him.
Yet that is the surest hope of all, for who else should we hope in? Perhaps our friends and family may have our best interests at heart, but they are only human and may fail us. Worse, they may be powerless to change our current predicament.
Maybe then we would appeal to a higher power, a judge, politician, or some other government agency? While some might deem that the only hope, it is a shallow one. Certainly, their job is to look to the greater good, but again, we put our trust in folks who will let us down, or who may be unwilling to risk their necks for our sake.
No, the only sure source of hope, and the best one, is the One who created us, who died for our rescue, who rose again and reigns over all the world. There is no higher power, and there is no greater love, than that which is offered to us by our Father. Even when we are in a mess of our own making, He loves us continually, and waits for us to “come home”. Seek him first then, and put your trust in the only one who is unfailingly good.