Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Psalms+028
Psalm 28 (ESV)
1 To you, O Lord, I call; my rock, be not deaf to me,
lest, if you be silent to me,
I become like those who go down to the pit.
2 Hear the voice of my pleas for mercy,
when I cry to you for help; when I lift up my hands
toward your most holy sanctuary.
3 Do not drag me off with the wicked,
with the workers of evil,
who speak peace with their neighbors
while evil is in their hearts.
4 Give to them according to their work
and according to the evil of their deeds;
give to them according to the work of their hands;
render them their due reward.
5 Because they do not regard the works of the Lord
or the work of his hands,
he will tear them down and build them up no more.
6 Blessed be the Lord!
For he has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy.
7 The Lord is my strength and my shield;
in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults,
and with my song I give thanks to him.
8 The Lord is the strength of his people;
he is the saving refuge of his anointed.
9 Oh, save your people and bless your heritage!
Be their shepherd and carry them forever.
REFLECTION:
- There are times when our prayers seem futile, launched toward a dull and silent heaven. God seems indifferent, willing to let us be dragged away with the wicked. Even at times like these, we are to remember that “the Lord is”.
- As David remembered who God is, he was able to trust in Him to receive help (vv7-8). The circumstances had not changed, but suddenly David found his heart leaping with unexplained joy.
- When have you been as desperate as David (vv1-5)? As confident as David (vv6-7)? Read through this psalm a few times slowly. Pray as you read it, pause when a phrase catches your attention. Listen to what God is trying to speak to you about your present situations.
PRAYER:
Stay with God for a little longer. Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you. Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.
HYMN:
To You, I Will Cry, O Lord – www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgbyTZUuLu8