Prayer for Help and Thanksgiving for It

Of David.

1 To you, O Lord, I call;
my rock, do not refuse to hear me,
for if you are silent to me,
I shall be like those who go down to the Pit.
2 Hear the voice of my supplication,
as I cry to you for help,
as I lift up my hands
toward your most holy sanctuary.a
3 Do not drag me away with the wicked,
with those who are workers of evil,
who speak peace with their neighbors,
while mischief is in their hearts.
4 Repay them according to their work,
and according to the evil of their deeds;
repay 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 break them down and build them up no more.
6 Blessed be the Lord,
for he has heard the sound of my pleadings.
7 The Lord is my strength and my shield;
in him my heart trusts;
so I am helped, and my heart exults,
and with my song I give thanks to him.
8 The Lord is the strength of his people;
he is the saving refuge of his anointed.
9 O save your people, and bless your heritage;
be their shepherd, and carry them forever.

via Psalm 28:4 (NRSV) – Biblia.com.

Where do you go when you need help? Where do you go when you need a friend? Where do you go when your world is crashing down around you? No matter what he was facing, David knew he could turn to God.

There are many places we can turn when we run into a rough patch in life. We might call a good friend, take some money out of our savings account, or pull out a credit card. I find those of us who are rich (which would be most anybody reading this, especially if you live in the US) have resources we can utilize when things get tough.

Perhaps that is why Jesus said it was so hard for the rich to enter into the Kingdom of God. To enter into God’s kingdom we must surrender ourselves fully in trust. Those with the most, have the most resources they can turn to in times of trouble. We don’t really have to trust God as long as our resources are available. If we take the call to trust God seriously, like David did, we will struggle with trusting God over our resources.

Instead of becoming impatient and ‘fixing things ourselves’ we will have to discern how God is guiding us. In total trust and surrender, if God is silent, we are “like those who go down to the Pit.” If God doesn’t come through, we are sunk. God is our strength and shield. Even though we have the resources, we must make sure that God is calling us to use those resources in securing our desires. Sometimes God calls us to let go of those things we trust, so we might embrace him fully. It is impossible to fully embrace God when we are clinging to so many other things.