BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE

February 9, 2017

BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE

Psalm 28

Sheetal Agrawal

Central Truth

We can walk through life and each changing day one of two ways: we can set our eyes on our circumstances that change daily, or set our eyes on the God of the cross, the One who is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

The Lord is my strength and my shield;
in him my heart trusts, and I am helped;
my heart exults,
and with my song I give thanks to him.
(Psalm 28:7)

The LORD Is My Strength and My Shield

Of David.

1 To you, O LORD, I call;
    my rock, be not deaf to me,
lest, if you be silent to me,
    I become like those who go down to the pit.
2 Hear the voice of my pleas for mercy,
    when I cry to you for help,
when I lift up my hands
    toward your most holy sanctuary.^{1

28:2
Hebrew your innermost sanctuary}

3 Do not drag me off with the wicked,
    with the workers of evil,
who speak peace with their neighbors
    while evil is in their hearts.
4 Give to them according to their work
    and according to the evil of their deeds;
give to them according to the work of their hands;
    render them their due reward.
5 Because they do not regard the works of the LORD
    or the work of his hands,
he will tear them down and build them up no more.

6 Blessed be the LORD!
    For he has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy.
7 The LORD is my strength and my shield;
    in him my heart trusts, and I am helped;
my heart exults,
    and with my song I give thanks to him.

8 The LORD is the strength of his people;^{2

28:8
Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts is their strength}
he is the saving refuge of his anointed.
9 Oh, save your people and bless your heritage!
Be their shepherd and carry them forever.

Footnotes

[1] 28:2 Hebrew your innermost sanctuary
[2] 28:8 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts is their strength

Of the characters in the Bible, I probably relate most to David because he seems a little crazy when talking to God. The thing about David, though, is that he takes his crazy to God and depends solely on Him to be able to handle it. In Psalm 28, however, David is grounded and teaches us how we should approach each day despite our circumstances.

Starting in verses 1-4, David pleads with God to deliver him from his enemies who are in hot pursuit of his life. Then in verses 5-8, David reminds himself of the truth of who God is, and verse 9 ends again with prayer for deliverance.

In verse 1, David reminds himself of who the Lord is to him: his rock. Throughout Scripture, rocks are used by God to bring forth water for God's people in the wilderness or desert; to describe the foundation of a man's house who heeds Jesus' words; and, for David, to be used as a weapon to bring down his opposition. Rocks are a symbol of faith and strength, and David is reminding himself in Whom his faith rests and from where his strength and protection come.

Most of the time, I live in the space between verses 4 and 5. I lost my mom unexpectedly last April. Going to God in prayer for deliverance from my pain makes sense because, as Peter says to Jesus in John 6:68, where else would I go? But after praying, I turn my eyes to my circumstances and pain instead of reminding myself of the truth of who God is in this season, as David does. David’s circumstances didn’t change in verse 5, but he’s still confident God will deliver him from his enemies. I think this confidence comes from what David understands in verse 6, that the Lord has heard his pleas for mercy.

Think about that. The Creator of the universe, the Alpha and Omega, heard David's pleas for mercy. If we really believed that, wouldn’t we respond like David? Wouldn’t we pray, remind ourselves of truth, pray, and repeat?

1. What is difficult about believing that God hears you when you pray and present your requests to Him?

2. As you wait for God to respond to your prayer, what keeps you from focusing on His eternal promises instead of focusing on your circumstances?

3. When your circumstances don't feel like they align with the promises of God, what do you turn to for peace? Do you look to your bank account, spouse, work, or friends for comfort? Or do you turn to the Lord?