May 14, 2009
KNOW, BELIEVE, and Have FAITH
Psalm 54
Danelle Parker
Central Truth
Only God can save us and change us. Believe and trust in Him—His promises and His character.
Key Verse | Psalm 54:4–5
Look, God is my deliverer!
The Lord is among those who support me.
May those who wait to ambush me be repaid for their evil!
As a demonstration of your faithfulness, destroy them!
(Psalm 54:4-5)
Psalm 54
The Lord Upholds My Life
To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Maskil 1 54:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term of David, when the Ziphites went and told Saul, “Is not David hiding among us?”
1
O God, save me by your name,
and vindicate me by your might.
2
O God, hear my prayer;
give ear to the words of my mouth.
3
For strangers
2
54:3
Some Hebrew manuscripts and Targum insolent men (compare Psalm 86:14)
have risen against me;
ruthless men seek my life;
they do not set God before themselves. Selah
4
Behold, God is my helper;
the Lord is the upholder of my life.
5
He will return the evil to my enemies;
in your faithfulness put an end to them.
6
With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you;
I will give thanks to your name, O LORD, for it is good.
7
For he has delivered me from every trouble,
and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.
Dive Deeper | Psalm 54
As I read this passage, my first thought was, "David is in trouble again!" What does God see in David's heart that He loves so much? David is being hunted by Saul and betrayed by those whom he had just helped to fight the Philistines. Desperate, he calls on the Lord for help. David doesn't just pray, "Lord, I sure could use some help," and then think to himself, "Hmmm. I wonder if God will show up."
David is sure of his request and sure of his God. He knows God will answer. He believes in God's character and has faith that God will keep His promises. Hebrews 11:6a says, "Now without faith it is impossible to please him . . . ." This convicts me.
I prayed for years (and am still praying) for a person in my life to turn to the Lord. I've seen the Lord show up and work in great ways to reach this person, but to no avail. Sometimes, I wonder if I should keep praying. I lose faith that God is listening or that I matter to Him. I wonder if He is really doing anything. One of my core struggles is to believe in God's character and His promises. I have to go back and remember what I know about our God's character: He's faithful, kind, righteous, loving, and sovereign—to name a few. And when I look up His promises, one of my favorites is in Jeremiah 29:11-12. "'For I know what I have planned for you,' says the Lord. 'I have plans to prosper you, not to harm you. I have plans to give you a future filled with hope. When you call out to me and come to me in prayer, I will hear your prayers.'"
I desire to know, believe, and have the same faith that David showed throughout his life. David didn't do everything right and suffered the consequences for his poor choices. But he knew, he believed, and he had faith that God is good, loving, just, forgiving, and faithful.
We serve a great God!
Discussion Questions
1. What are you praying about right now, and what do you know God is doing about your request?
2. Do you believe that God will show up, even if it is not according to your terms?
3. Do you trust that, if the answer to your prayer is not as you would have it, God has a better plan?
4. What do you know of God’s character and His promises?