I struggled trying to figure out what was going on in this passage. Still not sure I’ve got it, but here is a go at it.
I think the most likely scenario is that this is a prayer to Yahweh, offered by David sometime while he was “off” the throne. Verse 4-5 are probably best understood as a sort of historical narrative; an interlude if you will. David is recounting what just happened to him, and he recognizes that it was Yahweh that kept him safe. He then picks back up with his request for deliverance. If this is all true, then the prayer is actually an acute example for us. There is this beautiful interplay between David – with his very recent circumstances – and Yahweh, who comes in with deliverance and blessing.
As I said, I struggled to “summarize” this passage coherently, but here are a few things that I am personally taking a way.
God is a protector, deliverer, and restorer. Is your world “crumbling?” Know that God is active whether we see it or not. He will act. Probably sooner, and in more fantastic ways than you could have expected.
It is good to preach to oneself, especially in prayer. David constantly does this in the Psalms, including here. This can take the form of exhortation or “teaching,” but here it takes the form of a simple reminder. David tells himself, “remember what God just did.”
It is okay to be very honest about our circumstances.
When evil comes against us, it is okay to ask God to act. Of course, this assumes we are in the right and not acting sinfully or stupidly. That isn’t to say that we shouldn’t cry out to God in our sin and stupidity; we should then as well. But it’s a substantially different prayer then, isn’t it?
We should cry out to our father always, but when we face actual injustices, it is okay to ask him to intervene, protect, and restore.
I struggled trying to figure out what was going on in this passage. Still not sure I’ve got it, but here is a go at it.
I think the most likely scenario is that this is a prayer to Yahweh, offered by David sometime while he was “off” the throne. Verse 4-5 are probably best understood as a sort of historical narrative; an interlude if you will. David is recounting what just happened to him, and he recognizes that it was Yahweh that kept him safe. He then picks back up with his request for deliverance. If this is all true, then the prayer is actually an acute example for us. There is this beautiful interplay between David – with his very recent circumstances – and Yahweh, who comes in with deliverance and blessing.
As I said, I struggled to “summarize” this passage coherently, but here are a few things that I am personally taking a way.
God is a protector, deliverer, and restorer. Is your world “crumbling?” Know that God is active whether we see it or not. He will act. Probably sooner, and in more fantastic ways than you could have expected.
It is good to preach to oneself, especially in prayer. David constantly does this in the Psalms, including here. This can take the form of exhortation or “teaching,” but here it takes the form of a simple reminder. David tells himself, “remember what God just did.”
It is okay to be very honest about our circumstances.
When evil comes against us, it is okay to ask God to act. Of course, this assumes we are in the right and not acting sinfully or stupidly. That isn’t to say that we shouldn’t cry out to God in our sin and stupidity; we should then as well. But it’s a substantially different prayer then, isn’t it?
We should cry out to our father always, but when we face actual injustices, it is okay to ask him to intervene, protect, and restore.