God does not provide grace for our fears,
but graciously
gives us faith in Him that erases our fears!
7 Hear, O Lord, when
I cry aloud;
be gracious to me and
answer me!
8 You have
said, “Seek my face.”
My heart says to you,
“Your face, Lord, do
I seek.”
9 Hide not your face
from me.
Turn not your servant away
in anger,
O you who have been my
help.
Cast me not off; forsake
me not,
O God of my salvation!
10 For my father
and my mother have forsaken me,
but
the Lord will take me in.
David has clearly shown
that he relies upon God, and his trust is active. His prayers show dependence,
urgency, and awareness of his need for mercy and grace.
David’s prayer is immersed
in his desire to know God and to know what He desires. He knows that it is God Who
must reveal Himself to him.
I find that many times
when we are going through trials, our prayers might be fervent, but the request
is basically dictated by our desire for the uncomfortable situation to end.
Some feel it is more spiritual, when in a trial, for them to ask God to teach
them His lessons quickly, so that the trial will be brief.
These verses display the
attitude that drives David: he knows that he deserves the anger of God, but he
also knows that God is his Savior.
Our acquaintances and even
our loved ones can abandon us, but God, once he has made us His own, will never
forsake us.
How can we evaluate our
attitude as we pray? If there is anger or bitterness or complaining, then it is
evident that our prayers are directed toward meeting our felt needs and not
directed to becoming the servant that God desires.
Some have given up on
prayer, when they think that God is not answering them, but the reality is that
God has promised to answer our prayers according to His will.
James 4:3
You ask and do not
receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
What does it look like for
us to seek the face of God? We certainly cannot depend on our emotions, but
only on the Word of God. It is there where we can discover His character, His
will, His desires, and what He expects from us.
It is very hard, during
the times of trial, to know what God wants, if we have not been diligent in
filling our tank from His Word during our times of peace.
Surrounding ourselves of
godly people will also help us to learn what God wants from us.
The psalmist’s requests flowed
out of his heart and desires:
11 Teach me your way,
O Lord,
and lead me on a
level path
because of my enemies.
12 Give me not up to
the will of my adversaries;
for false witnesses
have risen against me,
and they breathe out
violence.
David knew two things:
that within himself, he did not know which path was the correct one, and that
reacting to his adversaries would only lead him in the wrong direction.
How many times have we allowed
others to bait us into sinning? How often do we even use the behavior of others
to excuse our own poor reactions?
As the writer prays this
heartfelt request, he does not to be abandoned to the will of his enemies. What
a privilege it is, to have the Lord’s promises recorded in the Scriptures!
Hebrews 13:5,6
5 Keep your life free
from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has
said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
6 So we can
confidently say,
“The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear;
what can man do to me?”
It is very instructive
that our appreciation of God’s care begins with our contentment about His
provision. God has promised to never leave us and He never does. Feelings of
abandonment can only begin when we concentrate on our unmet expectations.
When we are facing trials
or enemies, we must keep our mind on what is true! The Lord is our Helper: no
one can attack us without God being at our side to give us strength and to help
us.
God does not provide grace for our fears, but graciously
gives us faith in Him that erases our fears!
Dear friends, we have said
it before: trials are real, enemies are real, but we should never allow
ourselves to become our own greatest enemies. We must keep our eyes fixed on
the Lord and we must be disciplined in immersing ourselves in the Truth, rather
than in our emotions!
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