“Give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy! Attend to me, and answer me; I am restless in my complaint and I moan, because of the noise of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked. For they drop trouble upon me, and in anger they bear a grudge against me. For it is not an enemy who taunts me – then I could bear it; it is not an adversary who deals insolently with me – then I could hide from him. But it is you, a man, my equal, my companion, my familiar friend. My companion stretched out his hand against his friends; he violated his covenant. His speech was smooth as butter, yet war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords. Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.” (v1-3,12-13,20-22)
This Psalm exhibits some extreme distress (that’s saying something, considering roughly 2/3 of the Psalms are cries for help). David finds himself in the position of not facing an opposing enemy (adversary), but facing an opposing friend/brother who has treacherously broken their bond of friendship. This hasn’t happened in my life, at least not on this level, so I’m not exactly sure what David is experiencing here. Clearly he has a sense of betrayal and hurt from this life-changing event.
It’s no wonder David says “But I call to God, and the Lord will save me. Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he hears my voice.” (v16-17) I too would cry out to God, in the hopes that my friend and I would be reconciled, or perhaps that I would receive healing, or perhaps that I would be able to forgive, or any combination of those or other reasons. The important thing here is that David cries out to God – God has allowed this circumstance in David’s lie for a reason, and David does the one right thing he can do and talks to God about it. Not only does he talk to God, he cries out at least three times a day, morning, noon and evening.
No matter what our circumstance, good or bad, David sets a strong example of bringing both our praises and our burdens to God in prayer throughout the day. As a parent, I can honestly say that I don’t get tired of my kids coming to me with concerns or celebrations – I just appreciate them spending time with me. I think God feels a similar way, He longs to be in relationship with us and no matter what we talk about, He’s just happy we’re talking with Him.
Father God, we come before You with mixed hearts – some heavy thoughts, and some praises. You know our hearts Father, for You have created them. You know our struggles Father, for You have allowed them. You invite us not to be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious enough for itself – sufficient for today is its own trouble. You also invite us to take Your yoke upon us, to learn from You – Your yoke is easy and burden is light so we may find rest for our souls. Father may we learn to bring all things to You in prayer, with thanksgiving in our hearts, so we may experience Your peace which will surpass all understanding and guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (Mat 6:34, Mat 11:29-30, Php 4:6-7 par)
~ Conqueror in Training