More Adventures in the Psalms

I read Psalm 54 today.  There are many psalms that I look forward to reading, that are familiar to me by number.  This Psalm was not one of them, so I was unaware of what to anticipate.  As I read through it, nothing really seemed to accentuate itself to me, so I decided to write it down.  The entire psalm.  Some where between “O God…” and “…in triumph on my enemies”, the psalm captured my attention and reminded me what prayer was all about.

Here it is:

O God, save me by your name,
        and vindicate me by your might.
O God, hear my prayer;
        give ear to the words of my mouth.
For strangers have risen against me;
        ruthless men seek my life;
        they do not set God before themselves.
Behold, God is my helper;
        the Lord is the upholder of my life.
He will return the evil to my enemies;
        in your faithfulness put an end to them.
With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you;
        I will give thanks to your name, O LORD, for it is good.
For he has delivered me from every trouble,
        and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies. (Psalm 54 ESV)

By the time I was done writing it down, I was captivated by the progression from despair and uncertainty to trust and thanksgiving.  Almost all of my daily prayer times are shaped like this.  We begin in bewilderment – we have no idea what the day holds.  We may even have carried over some of yesterday’s discomfort into the morning.  But as we purpose in our minds and hearts to turn our thoughts to God a remarkable transformation takes place. 

This psalm is a microcosm of the daily struggle of godly men and women to find their rest in the God who is.  We tend to myopically perceive our circumstances as too overwhelming, the obstacles before us as insurmountable, the sins that so easily entangle us as too powerful and insistent, and we are prone to despondency and despair.  But if we are believers in God who have trusted in Christ and His atoning sacrifice, He has provided a helper who is in us and is always with us.  The Holy Spirit causes us to cry out to God, in the same way this psalmist did so many years ago, and not turn in on ourselves.  And here is where the transformation of our perception begins.  We tell God about our circumstances and acknowledge to Him that we have no power in ourselves to change them - or ourselves in the midst of them.  The Spirit uses this  to awaken in us the remembrance of WHO GOD IS and what He in His grace has promised.  HE is our helper.  We are not left to fend for ourselves in the barren wasteland of this corrupted world.  He will deal with all that stands against us.  Our part is to be faithful to give Him the worship He alone deserves, to give our selves to Him wholeheartedly, to thank Him for His deliverance – which is ever present whether we perceive it or not – and to declare this deliverance wherever we go and to whomever we encounter.

So a day that began with “O God, save me!” ends with “He has delivered me from EVERY trouble…”  A day that began in fear and uncertainty ends in peace and contentment, and with confidence in God’s ability to cover every situation with grace.