21 But You, O [l]God, the Lord, deal kindly with me for Your name’s sake;
Because Your lovingkindness is good, deliver me;
22 For I am afflicted and needy,
And [m]my heart is wounded within me.
23 I am passing like a shadow when it lengthens;
I am shaken off like the locust.
24 My knees [n]are weak from fasting,
And my flesh has grown lean, without fatness.
25 I also have become a reproach to them;
When they see me, they wag their head.26 Help me, O Lord my God;
Save me according to Your lovingkindness.
27 [o]And let them know that this is Your hand;
You, Lord, have done it.
28 Let them curse, but You bless;
When they arise, they shall be ashamed,
But Your servant shall be glad.
29 [p]Let my accusers be clothed with dishonor,
And [q]let them cover themselves with their own shame as with a robe.30 With my mouth I will give thanks abundantly to the Lord;
And in the midst of many I will praise Him.
31 For He stands at the right hand of the needy,
To save him from those who judge his soul.
Even in the middle of what could be described as a “pity party”, David comes back to what is important. That is, it seems like he is focused on himself, his affliction and pain, disgrace and reproach, nothing seems to be going right for David. Yet in the middle of all of this, David finds his focus, and in verse 27 states, “let them know that this is Your hand; You, Lord, have done it.
When things have gone downhill, and we’re surrounding by pain and suffering, it is easy to focus on our present condition. But just like David, there is something that shifts when we take our needs to God. I almost gave credit to David for this, but I don’t think it is of his own doing. Rather, it is a natural change when we begin to invite God into a situation.
When one throws a “pity party”, we begin to feel as if the world is centered on us. But nothing could be farther from the truth, and being self-centered is about the most useless attitude possible. Rather, God is the center of it all, and everything we do is for and about Him. It is not for us, though we may very well gain great benefit from what is accomplished. It’s not even we ourselves who accomplish anything single-handedly. At the very least, we must give credit to other people, as we wouldn’t get far without them.
Yet even more important is the work and influence of our Creator. Whatever you’ve accomplished, God set you up for that. Just as we see in volleyball, one is not even allowed to set the ball for oneself, it must be done by a teammate. And in our lives, we have the ultimate setter, the One who weaves it all together, for our good and His glory.
So when things are tough, and you find yourself in a state of misery, invite God in. Let Him sit with you, and share your struggles with Him. Then watch for His hand, and follow his lead, up and out of the pit of despair. And when you’re up on top, remember who brought you there, and give God all the praise and glory.