Hello, my friend. In today’s PSALM 28, we find David acknowledging his need of God’s ever present strength, as in the first verses he again is thinking of his longing to hear God’s voice, otherwise he would feel abandoned like others who have fallen into the pit of hopelessness. He even speaks of people whom he knew who, as he says, “speak cordially with their neighbors but harbor malice in their hearts.” This insincerity, this hypocrisy grieved David, and he prayed to be delivered from it in himself.
But then in vs. 6 he wakes up from his discouraging thoughts and suddenly says, “Praise be to the Lord for he has heard my cry for mercy.” He acknowledges that the Lord is his strength and his shield and then we read a delightful line, “My heart leaps for joy, and I will give thanks to Him in song”. He repeats this in vs. 8, “The Lord is the strength of His people, a fortress of salvation for His anointed one.”
We read that word ‘leap’ in several other places, like Isaiah 35:5-6, where the prophet is describing the joy of people who have come to know and love the Lord, “Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.” Wow, the blind can see, deaf can hear, the crippled will leap, the dumb will shout for joy. This is the way we should face those moments when we feel bereft of even the presence of the Lord, with discouragement and sadness. Let that change in vs. 6, from despair to delight, from limping to leaping, from complaining to praising be part of this new day.
“Thank you, Lord, for the way your Word so strongly speaks to us in our frequent shifts of mood and thought and even our trust in you. We rejoice that you can bring us strength, that you long to be the one who restores our souls. Our hearts leap with joy, at the blessings you bring us. Bless my partner who has alongside, even as we pray for some in very critical need. Bless us all, Lord, as we trust in You.”
Thank you, my friend, for joining along. I thank God for you. Cheerio!
Village Schools of the Bible 