But as for me, my prayer is to You, O Lord, in the acceptable time; O God, in the multitude of Your mercy, hear me in the truth of Your salvation. Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink; let me be delivered from those who hate me, and out of the deep waters. Let not thefloodwater overflow me, nor let the deep swallow me up; and let not the pit shut its mouth on me. Hear me, O Lord, for Your lovingkindness is good; turn to me according to the multitude of Your tender mercies. And do not hide Your face from Your servant, for I am in trouble; hear me speedily. Draw near to my soul, and redeem it; deliver me because of my enemies. Psalm 69:13-18
King David faced many problems. He was mocked, insulted, humiliated and the central figure of gossip in Jerusalem. In face of abuse, David prayed for the Lord to hear him. Regardless of our circumstances we are challenged to turn to God. We are not to give up and quit trusting Him. When our situation seems hopeless, we should press into God with a deeper fervent prayer life. No matter how desperate our need may be today, continue to pray and God will hear our prayer, and he will rescue us. When others reject us, we need God the most. Do not turn away from our most faithful Lord and friend.
Throughout the Psalms we see King David expressing hope in the midst of his situation. We read his writings and see his heart crying out to God as he faced times of seeming impossible conditions and distress; he never gave up faith and hope in God.
I will extol You, O Lord, for You have lifted me up, and have not let my foes rejoice over me. Psalm 30:1
How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul,having sorrow in my heart daily? How long will my enemy be exalted over me? Psalm 13:1-2
Return, O Lord, deliver me! Oh, save me for Your mercies’ sake! For in death there is no remembrance of You; in the grave who will give You thanks? Psalm 6:4-5
Do life’s problems seem to continue to spiral downward for you? God is the only one who can reverse any negative condition in our life. He can take our problems and turn them into glorious victories. The first step we must take, like David, is to cry out, “Turn to me and have mercy.” When we take the first step of faith, God will do his work in our situation. God has already made the offer that He will deliver us from our troubles.
My eyes are ever toward the Lord, for He shall pluck my feet out of the net. Turn Yourself to me, and have mercy on me, for I am desolate and afflicted. The troubles of my heart have enlarged; bring me out of my distresses! Look on my affliction and my pain, and forgive all my sins. Consider my enemies, for they are many; and they hate me with cruel hatred. Keep my soul, and deliver me; let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in You. Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for You. Psalm 25:15-21
What can we learn from King David? He never gave up hope in God. When troubles came, he persevered and pressed into God. He was confident God would see him through the tests and trials of life. He poured out the anguish and pain of his soul without reservation. He was honest in his own heart and did not attempt to hide his sin. He was open and unashamed to admit he was weak and needed the strength of God to rule over his life. When he was rebuked by the Prophet Nathan, he repented and pleaded for God to restore unto him the joy of salvation.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted to You. Psalm 51:12-13
David was a man after God’s own heart. He worshiped with all his heart, soul, strength and mind. He enjoyed the presence of God. He took pleasure in going into the tent of worship and in the midst of all Israel – he expressed his love and admiration for God. When he fell into sin, he cried for forgiveness and asked God to be generous to him. He knew the heartbeat of God is to take the broken hearted and to mend the heart, establish their feet upon solid ground with grace, mercy and love.
David expressed hope at all times. When facing a strong enemy, while others around him were struggling with fear, David encouraged himself in the Lord. He gives us a lesson that God hears our cry and that we are not to be ashamed to empty our heart before the throne of God. Let us have hope today regardless of what may stand in the path of our journey with God. There is hope today for you. Do not stop short of the finish line in your race toward Eternity and the reward of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. I Corinthians 13:7 NLT
