Psalm 70 - O Lord, Do Not Delay

0:00Let them be put to shame and confusion who seek my life, let them be turned back and brought to dishonor who delight in my herd, let them turn back because of their shame who say, ha ha ha, may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you, may those who love your salvation say evermore, God is great, but I am poor and needy, hasten to me, oh God, you are my help and my deliverer, O Lord, do not delay. There are two and only two basic approaches to life. We can attempt to handle life's adversities either through self-resourced deliverance or through looking outside ourselves for deliverance. We can look in or we can look out. Psalms, especially

1:02Psalms of lament such as this one, train us to look outside ourselves to God. The ringing note on which the psalm begins and ends points to deliverance beyond what David himself can muster. Make haste, oh God, to deliver me, you are my help and my deliverer, oh Lord, do not delay. Consider your own life. On what do you rely moment by moment? True communion with God is the lifelong process of growing more and more deeply independence upon God, leaning on him, trusting in him, counting on him. But to get there, you must see yourself the way David sees himself. I am poor and needy. To the degree that you feel yourself sufficient and competent, to that degree you will not cry out to God. To the degree that you feel yourself weak and inadequate, to that degree you will call out for his help and deliverance, a prayer his heart delights to answer.