Psalms 64
Hear my voice, O God, in my meditation; Preserve my life from fear of the enemy. Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked, From the rebellion of the workers of iniquity, Psalms 64:1-2 NKJV
Does God really want to hear us complain? Actually, He does! He wants us to be honest with Him about how we are feeling, and will listen to anything that we want to talk to Him about. In this Psalm, David complains to God about his enemies, and asks for protection. God invites us to cry out to Him, just as David did multiple times throughout the Psalms: “I pour out my complaints before Him and tell Him all my troubles” (Psalms 142:2, NLT). God WILL help us, whether it is a trivial or significant problem. Remember the great promise that Jesus made to us? “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world!” (John 16:33). God’s help for your problem may come in the form of perseverance or strength, peace, patience, a person to aid or support you, a complete rescue, or even a miracle. When we bring our troubles to God we can have faith that He understands exactly how we feel and that He knows precisely what we need. He promises that “I will be your God throughout your lifetime–until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you” (Isaiah 46:4). We all experience various kinds of troubles in life. The important thing is to be prepared for them and to remember to turn to God first for strength, help, and guidance.
Peter wrote: “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you” (1 Peter 4:12). In order to help us faithfully endure the troubles that will undoubtedly come our way, God gave us a very precious gift: The Book of Psalms. This is an excellent example of prayer and how to talk intimately with God. The Psalms show us how to openly express our feelings, ask for help, and even complain to God while still showing how much we love, honor and respect Him. David does not go on and on with his exhaustive list of complaints for God in Psalm 64. He ends it with “The righteous will rejoice in the Lord and take refuge in Him; all the upright in heart will glory in Him!” (Psalm 64:10). This most likely gave David the boost of strength and power he needed in that moment of despair. Although our prayer life should contain vital things such as: praise and thanksgiving, confession of sins and requests for forgiveness, petitions for others and ourselves, etc…remember that God wants to hear anything that we have on our hearts. David expressed himself openly, yet confidently, knowing that God would hear his every word. We can approach our loving Heavenly Father with the same trust and confidence that brought David to Him time and time again no matter what was happening in his life.
What is it that you need help with today? Make sure to go to God first and trust in these words: “…where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth” (Psalms 121:1-2).