MY David

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It took a couple, but these are the psalms I've been waiting for, the ones where David doesn't merely cry out to the Lord for help, but practically shouts at the top of his lungs. NIV Study Bible notes state that Psalm 22 is the most-quoted psalm in the New Testament, and we'll hear Casey Duling say 22:1 at about 7:30 pm on Friday night.

I'm not suggesting that David doesn't have some justification for his laments, since he is being chased and forced into hiding by Saul for reasons not his own, but there's a difference between crying out for mercy and relief from the Lord and telling God that he's forgotten about him. Of course, David ends all these psalms with the clear expectation that God will come to his aid--17:14-15 show his clear belief in deliverance through the Lord, and even the short Psalm 33 is split into four verses of lament and two of trust, belief and thanksgiving.

We act the same way today, frequently lamenting to God when times are tough and forgetting to thank and praise him when times are good. In our case, we have far less excuse, since we have not only thousands of years of history to show how the Lord will provide for us as needed, but also the ultimate delivery from sin and evil in Christ. But, being the humans we are, we still forget and act just like David, asking God why he has forsaken us. 

In this world, we will have troubles, and to expect otherwise just sets us up for massive disappointment. As these troubles bedevil us, we need to have the faith of David and remember that the Lord will deliver us. It may not be in the manner we expect or want, but God came through for David each and every time he needed help--is there any reason to believe that this won't continue today?

Scott