Have you ever thought that the LORD was taking too long to answer a prayer? In Psalm 4 the writer struggles as he stands between not having an answer yet and his knowledge of God’s faithfulness to him in the past. It is difficult to be in that waiting moment. But we can have peace (v8) in moments like this.
Psalm 34 is filled with encouragement and reasons to follow the LORD. I would remember this psalm when discouragement comes knocking. When we call out to Him, He hears us. Those who don’t seek Him are in trouble. I like verse 18 which says that when we are the most broken in spirit, so discouraged that we don’t think we can go on, that is when the LORD is closest.
The best person to complain to is the LORD. He can do something about what is happening (Ps 63:7). We might be hesitant to complain to God because we think we are not worthy of His answering, or that He is too busy, or doesn’t care, or any number of other reasons. But our enemies are often working together for our destruction (vv2-6). And when their own words are spoken by the prosecution (God), those words are the ones that God will use to reach other people (vv7-9).
Psalm 94 shows that when it seems like the LORD is not involved, we are wrong. Even when wickedness seems to be the rule of the day, the LORD knows the evil plans and will work to make them useless (v11). Even though they band together in an effort to defeat us, the LORD will protect us. We can take refuge in Him (v22). We have nothing to fear.
Recognizing the presence of the LORD in our lives is important (Ps 124). If He is not with us, life is over and the enemy has won. When we do escape it is as though we slipped out of the impossible to escape net (v7). The fine netting used to catch birds is so fine that you can’t see it until it is too late. If you escape, it is not because of anything you did. God breaks that which would hold us. We escape because of God’s work, not our own.
The Arnold Journey 