Prayer to God in Time of Trouble
“Vindicate me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation; oh, deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man! For You are the God of my strength; why do You cast me off? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?
Oh, send out Your light and Your truth! Let them lead me; let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your tabernacle. Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy; and on the harp I will praise You, O God, my God.
Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God.”
““Vindicate me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation; oh, deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man! For You are the God of my strength; why do You cast me off? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?” Once more David is enduring a hailstorm of criticism. This time, an entire nation has turned against him. We can’t be sure which crisis David is facing, but his lament sounds all too familiar. As David attempts to defend himself, he is demanding, “God, where are You? Why are You allowing this persecution to happen? Why don’t You force these people to stop?”
“Oh, send out Your light and Your truth! Let them lead me; let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your tabernacle. Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy; and on the harp I will praise You, O God, my God.” David is sure that if God would send His light and His truth into the situation, these critics would be muzzled and David would be free to worship. David thinks he is in the right, but he’s astute enough to realize that he may have sinned unwittingly.
“Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God.” If these phrases sound familiar, it’s because this is the same response that David wrote in Psalm 42. Once more, David is telling himself to buck up and remember who God is.
APPLICATION: It’s been said that if you want to be popular, sell ice cream. But anyone in leadership can tell you that the second you have to enforce a tough decision, your popularity rating will drop precipitously and the complaints will start. People will unfriend you on social media and they might even troll you. While David faced physical threats in his day, he never had to contend with a social media fire storm.
When we feel buried under a mountain of criticism, we can still beg God to send forth His light and His truth. There are many times when I ask God to give me His mind about a situation and not my own, to let me see people as He sees them. I also frequently ask God to help me die to my own imaginations so that He can give me His read on a problem. As 1 Corinthians 13 reminds us, our knowledge is imperfect and our prophecy is imperfect, but God is omniscient, understanding everything completely.
“Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God.” When it’s difficult to remember who God is, let these phrases lift your spirits. God is still on the throne and He is STILL the help of your countenance and your God.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to remember who You are rather than focusing on our own shortcomings. Thank You, that You can lift us out of ourselves so that we can praise You. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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