A Prayer for Help, and Praise for Its Answer.
A Psalm of David.
28 To You, O Lord, I call;
My rock, do not be deaf to me,
For if You are silent to me,
I will become like those who go down to the pit.
2 Hear the voice of my supplications when I cry to You for help,
When I lift up my hands toward [a]Your holy sanctuary.
3 Do not drag me away with the wicked
And with those who work iniquity,
Who speak peace with their neighbors,
While evil is in their hearts.
4 Requite them according to their work and according to the evil of their practices;
Requite them according to the deeds of their hands;
Repay them their [b]recompense.
5 Because they do not regard the works of the Lord
Nor the deeds of His hands,
He will tear them down and not build them up.6 Blessed be the Lord,
Because He has heard the voice of my supplication.
7 The Lord is my strength and my shield;
My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore my heart exults,
And with my song I shall thank Him.
8 The Lord is [c]their strength,
And He is a [d]saving defense to His anointed.
9 Save Your people and bless Your inheritance;
Be their shepherd also, and carry them forever.
A vital part of Jesus’ prayer when his disciples asked him how to pray (aka The Lord’s Prayer), is the phrase, “Thy will be done…” Every time we pray, we are supposed to pray according to God’s will, so re-read vv. 1-5 in that light, as if David is praying the will of God over his life… because he is.
For David then, and for us, God is our rock, and He will not turn a deaf ear. When we cry out to God for help, He always hears us. When the prayer turns to thanksgiving and blessing, it’s interesting then, that David thanks God for hearing him. He doesn’t say, “thanks for doing exactly what I wanted…”, and we know David had a pretty tough life.
Yet no matter the circumstances, David could rely on God. He trusted in God, that He would be both strength and shield, in the high places and in the low. God is always near, and He is always listening for your cry. Don’t try to carry the weight of the world alone, but give it to God. It’s not your burden to bear, He has something better for you instead. He is our shepherd, and if necessary, He will carry us through the fire.