Lift Me Up

OPENING PRAYER:

“Praise God who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ” (Eph. 1:3).

READ: PSALM 28

Of David.

1 To you, Lord, I call; you are my Rock, do not turn a deaf ear to me. For if you remain silent, I will be like those who go down to the pit. 2 Hear my cry for mercy as I call to you for help, as I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place.

3 Do not drag me away with the wicked, with those who do evil, who speak cordially with their neighbors but harbor malice in their hearts. 4 Repay them for their deeds and for their evil work; repay them for what their hands have done and bring back on them what they deserve.

5 Because they have no regard for the deeds of the Lord and what his hands have done, he will tear them down and never build them up again.

6 Praise be to the Lord, for he has heard my cry for mercy. 7 The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.

8 The Lord is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one. 9 Save your people and bless your inheritance; be their shepherd and carry them forever.

Psalm 28

REFLECT:

Take time to delight in God, and in your experiences of him answering your prayers.

If we truly trust God, then we must allow him a free hand; the subtext of all our prayers must be ‘your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven’. It is this confidence that is on display in Psalm 28 – a prayer offered in the midst of a personal situation so desperate that the psalmist likens it to a journey down into the realm of the dead (v 1). That, it is envisaged, will be the deserved fate of his enemies – even so the psalmist pleads for God to act according to his justice and faithfulness (vs 3–5). Even in desperation, judgment is deferred to God.

The sudden move from desperation to delight in the psalm (v 6) does not necessarily presuppose the resolution of the crisis. Rather, it presupposes that the prayer offered as an act of faith in the darkness has been heard by God. That fact alone is enough to assure the psalmist of divine assistance, and so is cause for joyous celebration in the company of God’s covenant people, even before the nature of divine aid has been revealed (vs 7,8,9). In total trust that he has been heard, the psalmist leaves God free to answer as he sees fit. The character and faithfulness of God mean that praise, like prayer, is appropriate even in the eye of the storm.

APPLY:

Tell God about anything that is distressing you. Consider his faithfulness, then praise him in joyous anticipation of his help.

CLOSING PRAYER:

Dear Lord, life can be so confusing. In the midst of such confusion, I trust you for justice to prevail. I thank you for hearing and answering my prayers.

WORSHIP:

Previous Next