Answered Prayer: Psalm 13

Sometimes it seems like the people in the Bible had a huge amount of faith and trust in God. When I read the Psalms, I see a lot of praising God and trusting God. I don’t always feel or think that I can trust God and get discouraged by the faith other people show in God. My faith wavers and dips. Sometimes I have more faith and sometimes I have less.

When I think of King David, I think of a man whose heart was completely for God. In 1 Samuel 16 it talks about how God picked David because God looks at the heart and found David’s heart to be devoted to Him. Does that mean that David never doubted God? If that was the case then relating to David would be very difficult, because I am full of doubts.

In Psalm 13, David begins with a statement that tells me that he did in fact doubt that God would come through for him:

“Long enough, God –

            you’ve ignored me long enough.

I’ve looked at the back of your head

            long enough. Long enough

I’ve carried this ton of trouble,

            lived with a stomach full of pain.

Long enough my arrogant enemies

            have looked down their noses at me.” [Verses 1 – 2, The Message]

David questioned God’s care for him. He doubts that God will take care of him and protect him from the arrogant enemies. He complains of feeling alone and ignored. He complains of having a ton of trouble. He complains of living with pain in his stomach, possibly from nerves, anxiety and/or hunger. I can relate to this David. I’ve felt alone and ignored and like there’s a ton of trouble just waiting for me. I’ve struggled with anxiety that has left me with pain in my stomach. I can relate to the David in this Psalm.

The question that comes to me is this: Does God really ignore us? I don’t think so. I think David thought God was ignoring him but God was at work somehow. David comes around to acknowledging God’s work in his life by the end of this Psalm. David keeps talking to God and eventually comes to a point of trusting God. Verses 5 – 6 say,

“I’ve thrown myself headlong into your arms –

            I’m celebrating your rescue.

I’m singing at the top of my lungs,

            I’m so full of answered prayers.”

I think that many of my prayers are like David’s. I start off complaining and worried but as I focus on Who God is and what He’s done for me, I come around and end up praising Him. Eventually, I can end up throwing myself into God’s arms and celebrating the way He rescues me from the trouble I face. Sometimes it doesn’t happen right away. It may take a few days or a few months or even a few years, but eventually I see God’s answered prayer. And if there are things that I pray about and never see the answered prayer, it doesn’t mean God wasn’t at work. It may mean that in God’s plan there was something better going on than I could see.

I’ve seen enough of God’s rescues to know He’s at work. I can trust Him for the things I cannot see. I can trust Him not to be ignoring me, as I might think He is. I just have to remember the things He’s done and praise Him for the answers I’ve seen. Like David, I can be singing at the top of my lungs about the answers to prayer I have received and trust Him for the ones yet to come.

Refined Truth or Lies: Psalm 12

King David usually has something good to say about God. In this Psalm he says something very encouraging about God’s Word. I love God’s Word, and so did David. There are many reasons to love God’s Word. David gives a few of them in this Psalm, especially in verses 6 – 8, where he compares God’s words to the words of the wicked:

“God’s words are pure words,

Pure silver words refined seven times

In the fires of his word-kiln,

Pure on earth as well as in heaven.

God, keep us safe from their lies,

From the wicked who stalk us with lies,

From the wicked who collect honors

For their wonderful lies.”

God’s words are honest, pure, holy, perfect words. His words have been tested in fire and proven to be refined and pure. This is like silver being heated up and purified. His words come out as pure silver without any impurities in it. And, His words are pure in our world just as they are in heaven. Nothing deceitful or wicked is contained in His Word. Every word, sentence, line, and statement in His Word is truth.

That is compared to the words of the wicked. The wicked in this world and in the spiritual world try to get to us with their lies. Unlike Scripture and God’s words to us, the wicked tries to confuse us and pollute the truth with lies. Whereas God’s words are truth, the wicked only spout good sounding lies. And, according to this passage, the wicked get away with telling lies and win awards for their wonderful lies.

This cautions me to be reading the Word daily and to make sure I don’t allow the good sounding lies of the wicked confuse me. The lies are not always obvious. Sometimes the lies are subtle and sound like they could be the truth or could be from God. But I have to be careful to not be fooled. I think that’s harder to do than many realize. There are so many good sounding lies whether it be from politicians, friends, or even preachers. Sometimes we have to take a step back and really search the Scriptures to see what God would have us believe or how God would have us behave.

I don’t like to get political in my blog but I think an example may be necessary here. For instance, there are many who say abortion is wrong, yet feel capital punishment is right. Both involve taking a life. In my book you are either pro-life, in every situation, or you are choosing whose life is worth something and whose is not. I choose to leave it up to God. I choose to let Him decide whose life is worth sparing, without my help. If I believe He is a totally capable God, and I do, then I know He decides who lives and who dies. I hope I’m never put in the position of having to decide. I already know how I’ll decide. I decide to let God make the choice.

I’m not saying someone who believes differently from me is wicked. I’m just saying we have to be careful about what we purport to be God’s truth. Are we sure we are believing God’s Word or are we being confused and mislead by the wonderful lies of the wicked? Just something to ponder.