Christian Photographers Community

Psalm 86

When we're in trouble, it's always good to have help.  But not just any kind of help will do - we need the right kind of help.  Looking back on some recent trial, David expresses that need in this psalm.

The problem for David was that "the proud have risen against me, and a mob of violent men have sought my life, and have not set You before them."  It's desperate enough so that he has to admit his own utter weakness.  He has to say, "For I am poor and needy" - in other words, he's quite helpless before these men. 

But he doesn't need the imaginary kind of help that the heathen would get from their gods.  On the contrary, he says, "Among the gods there is none like You, O Lord; nor are there any works like Your works!" David's God really DOES wonderful works, and He does them in a way that reveals the kind of God He is. In fact, thinking of what He has done in the past, David knows that God is good, that He is merciful, that He is ready to forgive, and that He is powerful beyond measure.  He says, "For You are great, and do wondrous things; You alone are GOD."  David needs help from such a Goe - from a prayer-answering God, a real God, and especially from a God Who loves him.

David realizes that God will expect him to do his part too.  He says, "Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth."  He's just saying, "Show me what to do in this situation, Lord, and I'll do it, because I know You're more than adequate to help!"  And, realizing how weak and foolish he often is, he goes on to say, "Unite my heart to fear Your Name."  He's asking God to give him singleness of heart to trust Him alone, to call on Him alone, and to praise Him alone when his sought-after deliverance comes.  David knows his own tendency to trust his own strength and wit, and he realizes it won't help - only God's help is of any ultimate value.

How do you feel about your problems?  Are you really aware of how weakly and foolishly you deal with them?  Do you realize how loving, compassionate, and powerful God is?  Do you realize that He's REAL - that He's REALLY able and willing to hear you and come right into your life to do things in you and through you that you could not do for yourself?  Do you remember the way He's dealt with you in the past?  And finally, are you fully aware that only a God like that can - and will - help you in your difficult times?

Then pray David's prayer for help and for singleness of heart to trust Him - and be aware - David's God is still listening!

QuoteThen pray David's prayer for help and for singleness of heart to trust Him - and be aware - David's God is still listening!

What a wonderful thought!  How often we pray and sometimes think that they are just going to the ceiling and no further.  It's terrific to realize that David's God is still listening!

Thanks Al for this.

It is indeed wonderful that David's God is still listening - and that He's actually much more conversant and interested in our situation than we are!

help from such a Goe

Its taken me a long, long time, but I'm beginning to understand that God is aproachable, and we can ask of Him, and seek His strength in time of need, and cast on him all our cares.
   I remember once walking home with my dad on a snowy night, I slipped and fell, the shock made me cry, no I didn't hurt myself, but all I wanted was for my dad to help me up put his arm round me and give me some reassurance, but no he took his belt off and threatened me with a good hiding if I didn't stop crying. That's what the word father counjours up in me.
   What we must remember here, is the Bible hadn't been written at this time and as David was pondering over his situation, he was himself setting out the words that would eventually find its way into the cannon of scripture. So much of what I hear in Christian music today, seems to be cobbling together any words that say something about Christianity, with some tune or other. Where as, the bulk of the Psalms were penned from the direct experiences of Davids life, his highs, as well as his lows, and very often, his outright mistakes and sinfulness, and his mental torments, his fears, and his crying out to God.
   Everything therefore we fear, and which besets us, its all there played out in Davids life. Nothing is bottled up, he lays it out before God and in public, all the dirty washing as we say. Those psalms were sung out loud, then handed down to our generation in scripture, so we can be upbuilt, in our own faith. We can rejoice that David never bottled up all his woes. David the miserable failure in himself, but a man after God's own heart, in ourselves, pittiful, but in God's goodness, seated in heavenly places.

Thanks for that post, Sum.  We should indeed be thankful that David was inspired to write these psalms, thus sharing with us his experiences with God and life.  We have experiences in one way or another similar to his, and his writing results in our greater hope and assurance, does it not?  Actually, much of the Scriptue current in Davis's day was indeed written, though not many copies were available.  They were part of God's Covenant, His constitution, if you will, according to which He governed His people.  They were also used in the daily worship, so that many of the people were actually able to be blessed by these experiential words, thus moving them as well to repentance, confession, petition, praise, etc.

Nevertheless, they are available to us today, and by them David shares his experiences with us for our own growth and blessing.  Thanks be to our God, for in these words we do indeed find an approachable and personal God, One to Whom we can relate in all things.