Lord, please don’t turn a deaf ear to me. Or else I will be like everyone else.
Lord, repay them for the things they have done.
Lord, thank you for hearing and responding. You are my strength and my shield.
This is the psalm in a nutshell. David needs help and at times, it seems like God is not listening. But he is, and in the end he responds.
“May the Lord be praised, for He has heard the sound of my pleading. The LORD is my strength and my shield; my hearts trusts in Him, and I am helped. Therefore my heart rejoices and I praise Him with my song” (Ps 28:8).
David trusts the Lord and the Lord in His time delivered. Therefore there is rejoicing. And then he ends with this:
“Save your people,
bless your possession,
shepherd them, and carry
them forever” (Ps 28:9).
We often find ourselves in difficult circumstances. Very painful ones. And no hard season goes without prayers. But sometimes it feels like God isn’t answering. That he is “deaf to me” (v. 1) and remains “silent” (v. 1). What do we do in those times? Do we continue to trust? Or do we accuse God of not loving us? Or maybe we turn from and say he isn’t who he says he is.
But David continued to trust Him from his heart. He asks that God deals with his enemies that are nice in public and malicious to him.
And in time the Lord comes through. David’s praises still ring that God is faithful and a protector. He is a faithful shepherd. And certainly it didn’t look like he wanted to at times. Being called to be king and then going on the run from your best friend’s father, and then even from your own son was not what he had in mind. But David’s heart knew and trust him.
It’s in these dark seasons that God’s faithfulness is proven true when we wait on him. And it’s also in these times so is our faithfulness.
“Save your people,
bless your possession,
shepherd them, and carry
them forever” (Ps 28:9).
