“Truth for Truckers” *March 31, 2014* Psalm 61 “Praying
when Overwhelmed”
‘Praying when Overwhelmed’ is the title
and theme of this Psalm of David, a song which was played upon stringed
instruments or ‘Neginoth’. Urgency is evident in the first words: ‘Hear my cry’ which come from the inner
depths of a deeply distressed man. This plea for the listening ear of God
underlines the emotional condition of David and calls for immediate help from
the LORD. ‘Attend unto my prayer’
continues the force with which David’s appeal is set forth. He needs the
attention of his God Who alone can bring him relief from these depths of
perplexity. There is no answer unless the LORD gives His attending care to
David’s needs, and David fully recognizes this fact, therefore, he does not let
up in his appeal for help.
In (v.2) he uses descriptive and somewhat
extreme language to convey his message: ‘From
the end of the earth will I cry unto Thee, when my heart is overwhelmed’.
This word picture illustrates the lengths to which he would go in order to
reach the LORD while he is in the midst of this desperate condition. But, his
third request shows he has the solution to the problem: ‘Lead me to the Rock that is higher than I’ The Rock refers to
the Lord Jesus Christ as He is the only One able to minister to even the most
extreme heart troubling malady as His personal invitation to all reveals: ‘Come unto Me all ye that labor and are
heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me,
for I am meek and lowly of heart and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My
yoke is easy and My burden is light’ (Matthew 11:28-30).
The three requests David makes in (v.1, 2)
are based upon this statement in (v.3) ‘For
Thou hast been a Shelter for me, and a Strong Tower from the enemy.’ His
testimony to the past protection he received from God when He was David’s place
of refuge tells us exactly why he now puts his faith in Him to do it again. Therefore,
he pledges to continue counting on his God in the future: ‘I will abide in Thy tabernacle for ever, I will trust in the covert of
Thy wings. Selah.’ (v.4) Long before the command of the Lord Jesus Christ
was given to His eleven disciples in John 15, David understood the necessity of
being connected to the Vine in full and complete intermingling communion which
he accomplished by faith while he relied upon God’s supernatural protection ‘Abiding under the shadow of the Almighty’
(Psalm 91:1).
Selah emphasizes the necessity to consider
what has just been revealed by the Spirit of the Lord in the previous text.
Meditation upon these facts will undoubtedly bring the needed message the Lord
wants to give as we focus our whole being upon the Word of God. This compact
series of truths found in (v.1-4) are rich in edification for the believer
demonstrating to us that even when overwhelmed by the circumstances of life,
God has delivered us in the past and will continue to provide His protective
care as we faithfully abide in Him.
The second half of this Psalm continues
with the testimony of David: ‘For Thou, O
God, hast heard my vows: Thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear Thy
name.’ (v.5) He calls attention to his recent pledges made in (v.4) giving
credit to those God-fearing men, father Jesse, grandfather Obed and
great-grandfather Boaz, who supplied him with his firm foundation in the faith.
‘Thou will prolong the king’s life: and
his years as many generations. He shall abide before God for ever’ (v.6,7a)
His confidence in God swells based upon his understanding of the Lord’s past
working in his family. His promise to ‘Abide’
reveals his heart’s desire to be in the presence of his God demonstrating one
of the reasons that he was ‘A man after God’s own heart’.
However, he fully realizes his need for
God’s help: ‘O prepare mercy and truth,
which may preserve him.’ For without ‘David’s Dynamic Duo’ of mercy and
truth from God, there will be no abiding for ever. David uses the combination
of mercy and truth (Psalm 25:10, 57:3, 57:10, 85:10, 86:15, 89:14, 100:5,
115:1) throughout the Psalms recognizing that they are indispensable for his
spiritual success.
The final verse finds David on the
mountaintop: ‘So will I sing praise unto
Thy name for ever, that I may daily perform my vows.’ His recognition of
the necessity of praise in order for him to ‘Perform my vows’ shows the high regard he held for praising God as
a vital act of obedience. This fact alone should drive the believer to praise
and worship the Lord as we ‘Offer the
sacrifice of praise to God continually, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to
His name.’ (Hebrews 13:15). Another timeless message from the Shepherd King David, Drivers, let us go to the Lord and receive what we need in time of trouble and praise His holy name!
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