God Answers Our Calls

The note at the beginning of this psalm links it with the dedication of the temple and to David. One would have expected to read rather formal and communal words and sentiments, but we encounter highly personal language and experience. The words in v. 4 suggest that the psalmist was in the temple even as he urged his fellow-worshipers to praise God, but the rest of the psalm is couched in very personal (though not individualistic) language. 

There is a huge sense of relief in the psalm, as if the psalmist has discovered for himself that the God worshiped in the temple is indeed a God who listens to and answers the prayers of his people (as he had promised). The psalmist was in dire straits, as expressed by words such as “depths,” “enemies,” “up from the grave,” “pit,” “weeping,” “dismayed,” “dust,” “wailing” and “sackcloth.” God, though, had listened and responded to his desperate cry for help and mercy. The language is general enough to be helpful to most people in most situations. There is mention of healing from sickness and impending death (2,3), protection from enemies (1), and deliverance from deep despair (11). 

What a wonderful psalm to appropriate the next time you worship God in church! God is real. He does answer prayer and responds to our urgent calls (c.f. Psa. 115). He is faithful and merciful and turns our darkness into joy. He is our ever-present help (Psa. 46:1). We can therefore praise and thank him forever, along with all the others with similar personal experiences and thoughts. The worshiping congregation is then united in wonderful worship that is built on the real actions of the true God and the actual personal experiences of the gathered worshipers. Such worship would help individuals and the whole community, and it would please God immensely.

How can you share regularly with your fellow-worshipers how God is answering your prayers, while encouraging them to do the same?