Heart of a Psalmist - Worshipping Christ Through The Psalms

II

LEAD ME FORWARD - 7-12, Looking Up and Forward

Resolving to never give up our confession of faith in the Lord’s goodness is the only method of win- ning prolonged battles against our soul: “Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7) The Holy Spirit before the throne of grace magnifies the faint whispers of our broken heart. David offers nine petitions that are like stepping-stones through the swamps of the devil’s despair. 1. Answer me- “Come quickly, Lord, and answer me, for my depression deepens.”(7) The spiritual conflict intensified even when David began applying the remedy of prayer; instead of improving things the condition of his soul darkened. Quitting at this point would be disastrous; he holds on and is carried forward on the melodies of his song of request. 2. Don’t Turn from Me- “Don’t turn away from me, or I will die.” (7) The only reality left to the psalmist is that God is watching him with a compassionate and protective gaze. Life itself hinges upon this knowledge: “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you.” (1 Pet. 5:8) 3. Let Me Hear- “Let me hear of your unfailing love to me in the morning, for I am trusting you.” (8) The most encouraging thing mankind can hear from God is that we are loved with an unbreakable love. To have it be the very first thing we hear as we awake infuses each day with confidence and joy. The NKJV states: “Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning…” The Holy Spirit ‘initiates’ an awareness of his love for us as we take time for him at the first part of our day. 4. Show Me- “Show me where to walk, for I have come to you in prayer.” (8) Indecision creates more despair but when God gives us direction it inspires courage. The Holy Spirit will guide as us as we develop a relationship with him in prayer: “For all who are led by the spirit of God are children of God.” (Rom. 8:14) 5. Save Me- “Save me from my enemies, Lord;” (9) “For the glory of your name, O Lord, save me.” (11) The name ‘Yahweh’ is used exclusively in this psalm and always in an exclamatory way ‘O Yahweh’. David is passionately calling on the ‘salvation name’ of his God. We are assured by the promise of the word: “For ‘Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” (Rom. 10:13) 6. Hide Me- “I run to you to hide me.” (9) This is the most traditional way of translating this verse that is unusual and has no other known examples in ancient literature. The Targum (the Old Testament in Aramaic, the language of Jesus) translates this: “Thy Logos (Word) do I account as my Redeemer.” 11 This Aramaic rendering points to Jesus, the coming ‘Logos/Word’ who will hide all those who come to him for salvation in his protective care. “In the beginning the Word [Logos] already existed. He was with God, and he was God…But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become the children of God.” (Jn. 1:1, 12) 7. Teach Me- “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God.” (10) All of the negative experiences have brought David to a simple, defining decision in his life; to accomplish the will of God. Centuries later Jesus refined it even further; “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work.” (Jn. 4:34) Despair can be a good teacher when it leads us to this conclusion. 8. Lead Me- “May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing.”(10) The Holy Spirit was sent first to convict us of our sins but his ongoing work is to lead us into the future plan that God has for us; “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not be presenting his own ideas; he will be telling you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by revealing to you whatever he receives from me.” (Jn. 16:13, 14) 9. Bring Me Out- “For the glory of your name, O Lord, save me. In your righteousness, bring me out of this distress.” (11) In the previous psalm, David asks God to “Bring me out of prison…”. (Ps. 142:7) Perhaps the prison was in reality the “distress” mentioned in this psalm; the physical distress of being trapped in a cave and it’s emotional and spiritual effects.

“In your unfailing love, cut off all my enemies and destroy all my foes, for I am your servant.” (12)

He began this psalm as the servant of the Lord who was escaping his enemies and an impending trial and he ends the psalm as the vindicated servant. Our enemies and those who oppose us are re- ally the instruments of God, helping to develop in us a greater life of prayer and reliance upon him. Now the same faithful love mentioned in the first verse is carried to its final conclusion; the elimination of his enemies. In the age of grace an enemy is ‘eliminated’ when they ask forgiveness for their sins and are made new by the Holy Spirit!

386