“Turn Yourself to me, and have mercy on me, for I am desolate [lonely] and afflicted. The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me out of my distresses! Look on my affliction and my pain and forgive all my sins. Consider my enemies, for they are many, and they hate me with cruel hatred” (Psalm 25:16-19).
Dear Praying Friends:
David is in deep distress again. He suffers from loneliness and a sense of desolation. His heart is full of troubles and distresses, affliction and pain. His enemies are many and malicious.
Worst of all, however, these troubles are all somehow connected with his sins – plural; he is conscious of many of them. His most intense agony stems from his awareness that he has offended God.
Many, perhaps most, of us have felt this way at times. Maybe you are in such a state today.
What should we do?
Lift up our soul to God, 1.
Trust in him, 2, 20.
Wait upon him in worship and for him to act, 3.
Seek his guidance, 4-5.
Remember his mercy and lovingkindness, 6.
Beg him to forgive and forget, 7, 11, 18.
Believe that he will guide us even now, 8-10.
And base our desperate pleas upon the redemption he has worked for us through the shed blood of his Son, Jesus, 22; Romans 3:24; Ephesians 1:7.
Thank you for your prayers last week. God helped me to make progress on the book review, write more on Hebrews 13, and compose a thank you letter.
Yours in the One who comforts us in all our affliction [trouble, tribulation],” (2 Corinthians 1:4),
Wright