Monday 26 December, 2016

1 Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. 2 Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint; heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony. 3 My soul is in deep anguish. How long, Lord, how long? 4 Turn, Lord, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love. 5 Among the dead no one proclaims your name. Who praises you from the grave? 6 I am worn out from my groaning. All night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears. 7 My eyes grow weak with sorrow; they fail because of all my foes. 8 Away from me, all you who do evil, for the Lord has heard my weeping. 9 The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer. 10 All my enemies will be overwhelmed with shame and anguish; they will turn back and suddenly be put to shame.

Where are you God? How long is this going to go on for? I’ve certainly cried those prayers. David is doing the same. Crying out to God in complete torment –  physically, emotionally he is done. Even though feeling near death he knows only God can come through & restore him. His enemies may be gloating now but David encourages himself that God is there & that He WILL turn things around.

There is such a strong sense by the end of this psalm that God is just about to burst through. Such faith! And yet David is still on his bed … He is still in the valley but he ends on the mountain top ..

This is what praise does, it re-focus’s us on God & not ourselves & our situation. I know I am prone to want to stay at ‘where are you God’ but actually that doesn’t help me. David shows me time & again that I need to move to  … God you are here, you heard my sobbing, you heard my cry & you accept my prayer. God you’re moving ‘suddenly’.

Father I am so slow to learn. You are always listening always moving on my behalf, you are always for me, you are always good. Help me to be quicker to re-focus onto you. Amen

Written by Suzie Hodgson