Save me, O God, by your name; vindicate me by your might. Hear my prayer, O God; listen to the words of my mouth. Strangers are attacking me; ruthless men seek my life— men without regard for God. –Psalm 54:1-3
Someone might read this Psalm and think it presumptuous that David would tell God to listen to his prayer. Just who does he think he is, anyway? What is amazing about this verse, and the concept it conveys, is that God is, in fact, willing to do just that. The Lord was willing to listen to King David in his time of need, and the Lord will listen to us when we call upon Him. God is never too busy to take the time to listen to us about whatever it is that is troubling us. Do you know something else? I don’t believe for a moment that God is offended in the least when we cry out to Him with the anguish that is in our hearts and say something like, “Oh Lord, hear my prayer! Listen to me right now!” Such boldness might throw us off and perhaps ruffle our feathers, but believe me when I say that Almighty God is much stronger than that. Nothing surprises God, nothing rattles His nerves, and unlike us He is never caught with His emotional guard down.
As time goes by I realize more and more that God is not interested in how flowery we can pray, but rather how honest we can pray. Are we truly willing to tell God exactly how we feel? Are we ready to open our hearts and confess to God the deepest and perhaps the darkest part of our souls? Long ago I stopped worrying that God might disown me if I confessed to Him my darkest fears and failings. The Lord, our strength, our rock, our strong and mighty tower, and our hope, can surely handle it. God can not only handle it, but He can bring comfort in the midst of whatever has been burdening us.
The Lord Jesus reminded us to take heart, for He has overcome the world (John 16:33). Since Christ has overcome, then as His followers we too can overcome whatever trials we are facing. That process of walking forward in victory can take a toll, however. We can grow weary, distressed, fearful, and overwhelmed. We might even go through a period where we start to wonder if God is hearing us when we pray. And then in desperation we cry out, “Lord, hear my prayer!” just like David did when he was feeling the weight of his struggles. When that happens does God say, “Hey, hey, now; don’t you talk to me that way.”? Not at all; in that moment the Lord wraps His arms around us and gently reminds us that He has been with us all along.
Reach out to the Lord today. It’s okay to tell Him exactly how you feel. He will understand. And He will offer help and comfort.
