Desperate
Opening Prayer
O God, You are so great; I will rejoice and be glad in You as I seek You in Your Word today.
Read PSALM 70
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
1 Hasten, O God, to save me;
come quickly, Lord, to help me.
2 May those who want to take my life
be put to shame and confusion;
may all who desire my ruin
be turned back in disgrace.
3 May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!”
turn back because of their shame.
4 But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who long for your saving help always say,
“The Lord is great!”
5 But as for me, I am poor and needy;
come quickly to me, O God.
You are my help and my deliverer;
Lord, do not delay.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Think back to times in your life when you have called out to God for help. How has he responded?What do we do when we are stressed? This short psalm (which is very similar to Psalm 40:13–17) gives us a few pointers. Firstly, we need to go straight to God. He should be our first point of call, not our last resort. Secondly, this psalm is a reminder that our prayers don’t need to be flowery. We can get straight to the point with God.
Thirdly, rather than taking matters into his own hands, David asks God to handle his enemies. More than just praying his enemies would fail, he wants his enemies shamed! This reflects an Old Testament covenantal understanding where God would bless those that blessed God’s people and curse those that cursed them. Yet under the new covenant with Christ, we are called to pray for our enemies (Matt. 5:43,44). Fourthly, in the midst of tough times there is a call in verse 4 to rejoice in God. Even when we feel that God is not acting fast enough, we need to remember who he is—that he is worthy of praise.
Apply
Write down some things that are on your mind. Check off what you are responsible for and what God is responsible for.
Closing prayer
Almighty God, help me to trust You to keep Your promises and help me to leave my problems and worries in Your hands.
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