Trust in the Lord
February 16, 2024
Commentary
Someone once said, “we do not know what prayer really is until we have cried out of deep sorrow or despair.” The Psalmist wanted to be heard which is even better than getting an answered. If God answered all our requests the way we wanted, it might be more of a curse than a blessing. If we got what we deserved no one would be able to stand (v. 3). Afflictions may be compared to deep waters. Again, someone once said, “in still waters the prayers come from our lips and in deep despair they come from the heart”. Usually there is a period of waiting, hoping and watching. The Psalmist compared his wait to that of a city watchman looking for the dawn, his release from duty (v. 6). Waiting often makes the blessing more appreciated when it arrives. Our hope is in the promises of God’s Word. Our watching may be like a long dark night, but morning will come. The psalmist expresses his trust in God and how he is willing to wait for him (vv. 5-6).
Of Psalm 131, Charles Spurgeon said it was “one of the shortest to read, but one of the longest to learn.” This is a psalm of humility. it records the meek and humble spirit of David. In this very brief psalm, we find a beautiful short meditation going to the very heart of a person who is completely relying upon the God of love. It is so brief that only too easily it can be passed over unnoticed. Evidently it was repeated by someone “going up” to worship in Jerusalem. It seems that this is what is passing through his mind: Lord, there have been times when I rebelled against the mystery of life. At those times the belief I found in the Torah that you are love just did not fit with the pain and sorrow that is everywhere in the world. I could not see how your suffering love could overcome the brutality of evil and turn its force into creative energy. I am not much of a theologian, so I do not occupy myself with things too great and marvelous for me.
Application
Do I really know how to pray? We have taught our children to pray each day about 6 “P’s”. They are to obey their Parents, to keep Priorities right, for life Partners, for personal Purity, not to have Pride, and to be a person of Prayer. Maybe your children would like to be praying for these 6 “P’s” and have them written in their Quiet Time Diary.
Psalms 130:1– 3 (NET)
Verses not found.
Illustration: William Carey is Considered The Father of Modern Missions
William Carey is considered the father of modern missions. The man who spent his early years as a cobbler became one of the greatest linguists the church has ever known. It’s reported that Carey translated parts of the Bible into as many as 24 Indian languages. When he first went to India, some regarded him with dislike and contempt. At a dinner party a distinguished guest, hoping to humiliate Carey, said in a loud voice, “I suppose, Mr. Carey, you once worked as a shoemaker.” Carey responded humbly, “No, your lordship, not as a shoemaker, only a cobbler.” Carey didn’t claim to make shoes, only to mend them. (Today in the Word, September 21, 1995, p. 28).