Monday 7 August, 2017

For the director of music. A prayer of David. 1 God, hurry and save me. Lord, come quickly and help me. 2 Let those who are trying to kill me be put to shame. Let them not be honored. Let all those who want to destroy me be turned back in shame. 3 Some people make fun of me. Let them be turned back when their plans fail. 4 But let all those who seek you be joyful and glad because of what you have done. Let those who want you to save them always say, “The Lord is great!” 5 But I am poor and needy. God, come quickly to me. You are the God who helps me and saves me. Lord, please don’t wait any longer.

As I pause and take notice of the psalmist’s style of writing, I cannot help but see a lack of polite trimmings. There is no please or thank you, no ‘God if it is not too inconvenient…’. The psalmist clearly has a history with God, a relationship built over time, such that there is no need for polite custom. The writer is in need, and he cries out honestly to God for help. There is no hiding of the request in conversation about the weather or general chit chat. The psalmist owns their need and states their dependence on God. There is no back-up plan, this is serious and God must come through for the writer.

Am I this bold in talking to God and requesting help? Do I quickly own my need or do I hesitate and try to cover over my insufficiency?

God, help me to recognise my limits and be quick to call for your aid. Where I get caught in polite trimmings or what I ‘should’ say, open my eyes and teach me to keep it simple. Thank you that you respond to me because I’m your child, and not because I pray the ‘right’ prayers. Amen.

Written by Bethany Waugh