PERSPECTIVE ON PROBLEMS
Opening Prayer
Mighty God, may all that I am and do today speak of your great power that is at work, not just in creation, but in me.
Read PSALM 54
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A maskil[b] of David. When the Ziphites had gone to Saul and said, “Is not David hiding among us?”
1 Save me, O God, by your name;
vindicate me by your might.
2 Hear my prayer, O God;
listen to the words of my mouth.
3 Arrogant foes are attacking me;
ruthless people are trying to kill me—
people without regard for God.[c]
4 Surely God is my help;
the Lord is the one who sustains me.
5 Let evil recoil on those who slander me;
in your faithfulness destroy them.
6 I will sacrifice a freewill offering to you;
I will praise your name, Lord, for it is good.
7 You have delivered me from all my troubles,
and my eyes have looked in triumph on my foes.
Footnotes
- Psalm 54:1 In Hebrew texts 54:1-7 is numbered 54:3-9.
- Psalm 54:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
- Psalm 54:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
‘Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God’ (Psalm 20:7).In a few days, we will read that the apostle Judas ‘became a traitor’ (Luke 6:16). Today’s psalm emerges out of David’s bitter experience of betrayal by his own people. The psalm has three sections: a plea for help (vs 1,2); seeing problems in perspective (vs 3-5); a promise of praise (vs 6,7).
David has confidence—both in God’s power to save (v 1) and in God’s readiness to listen to his prayer (v 2). Like the man with leprosy who prayed, ‘Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean’ (Luke 5:12), David believes that God is both able and willing to help.
David not only brings his problems to God, he brings God’s perspective to bear on his problems! Because of this, David doesn’t merely see his enemies as ‘arrogant’ and ‘ruthless’ but, fundamentally, as ‘people without regard for God’ (v 3). In contrast, David has great regard for God. And his view of God is not dimmed or diminished by present trouble; instead, he looks to God as his mainstay and sustainer in the immediate crisis (v 4), and also as his ultimate vindicator (v 5; also v 1). It is his faith in this supreme ‘triumph’ that leads to David’s promise of thank-offerings and praise (vs 6,7).
Apply
In testing times, how faithful are you about reaffirming the truths you believe and exercising trust in the One in whom you believe?
Closing prayer
Help me, Lord God, to praise you, not only in the easy times, but in the hard times, as well. Help me to be thankful, not just when answers to prayer come, but when I must wait on you for them, too.
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