Psalm 109:21-31
John is correct in his comment yesterday that we don’t throw out Scripture simply because we don’t like (or don’t understand) what it says. Thankfully, for the most part we tend to embrace Scripture because it does reveal Truth to us. But for those difficult passages I simply claim “blessed ignorance” and move on.
Today’s passage is one that we can embrace, one to which we can easily relate. We’ve all been in situations where we need God’s help, where we pray to Him for guidance, strength, and deliverance. We acknowledge our weaknesses in those times (vv. 22-24) and ask for prayer from our family and friends. And when we are confident in the Lord’s work in those situations, when we can truly say, “Your will be done…”, then we can thank Him for His answer to our prayer before we see the outcome.
Given all that, the verse that stood out for me today was verse 27: Let them know that this is Your hand; You, O LORD, have done it! All too often I try to work things out on my own and think of prayer only as a last resort. But if I can reset my focus early and seek the Lord beforehand, then I can trust in Him more fully and see more clearly His hand in that outcome. I can know that the answer to that difficult situation will be God-ordained, not the result of my own effort. Yes, my effort is still involved, but only in my doing His will in working it out: Your hand; You, O LORD, have done it!