Psalm 28

Crisis brings out the best and worst in us!

Have you seen the news lately (silly question)?  What about the reports of people who purposely contaminate food and supplies?  Then there are the hoarders and price gougers.  Behaviors are surfacing that are destructive and deviant.  While many people are working diligently to solve problems, care for the sick, protect the weak, and serve those around them, others cast accusations and point fingers of blame.  This world is a mess!

Evidently, King David faced some of the same attitudes during his lifetime.  He may not have had a virus to fight, but he still dealt with fallout from the sinful nature and actions of mankind.  He wrote about it in Psalm 28.

Psalm 28:³ Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, which speak peace to their neighbors, but mischief is in their hearts. ⁴ Give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their endeavors: give them after the work of their hands; render to them their desert. ⁵ Because they regard not the works of the Lord, nor the operation of his hands, he shall destroy them, and not build them up.

In Psalm 28 we find hard truths and positive guidance from God through King David.  Here are five things David knew:

1. David knew the root cause of the wickedness – “they regard not the works of the Lord, nor the operation of His hands” (Psalm 28:4).  When we move beyond the parameters of God’s Word and His direction, we set ourselves up for trouble.
2. David knew that only God could deal with the wickedness – “He shall destroy them” (Psalm 28:5).  God didn’t call us to be judge and jury.  He is operating on His timetable, and we can trust Him to do what is right.

Psalm 28 does not focus on the negative alone, however.  We find some clear examples of positive actions to take. David knew what to do to move forward during the time of crisis.

3. He called upon God. 

Psalm 28:1 Unto thee will I cry, O Lord my rock; be not silent to me: lest, if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit. ² Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto thee, when I lift up my hands toward thy holy oracle. ⁹ Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance: feed them also, and lift them up for ever.

4. He thanked God.

Psalm 28: ⁶ Blessed be the Lord, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications.

5. He rested and rejoiced in the sufficiency of God.

Psalm 28: ⁷ The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him. ⁸ The Lord is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed.

We have a current reality with which we are not pleased.  Life is uncertain, and we are struggling to find normalcy.  While we recognize the trouble and evil around us, there are positive actions that we can take to flourish during this time. We can find hope and peace by following King David’s example.

• Call upon God.
• Thank God.
• Rest and rejoice in the sufficiency of God.

I think I will make that my ‘to do’ list for today.

Photo by Beth Mims – Canadian Sentinel Mountains