Joel M Bradshaw

22You have seen, O LORD; be not silent!
O Lord, be not far from me!
23Awake and rouse yourself for my vindication,
for my cause, my God and my Lord!
24Vindicate me, O LORD, my God,
according to your righteousness,
and let them not rejoice over me!
25Let them not say in their hearts,
“Aha, our heart’s desire!”
Let them not say, “We have swallowed him up.”–Psalm 35

Look at how David prayed to God during his struggle. He had enemies that were pursuing him, and in this poetry we either understand it to mean that they had been rejoicing or David was worried that they might have victory and gloat over him. David clearly didn’t look for either option to be true.

If the second option then David was concerned about the future and worried about what might be true. “God, if you don’t answer my prayers the way I am praying them and solve this mess, then I’m going to be in an even worse state in the future.” I have prayed prayers like that. They were prayers that trusted God, but with parameters set by me. Looking back, I was trying to get control over myself and my situation rather than letting go and submitting the struggle to God. I don’t think David is praying this way, but almost.

I’m not judging myself or you who also do this. Just challenging both of us on the approach to God. David was experiencing injustice and was calling for vindication. Hearing David get personal and self-oriented in this psalm shocked me a bit. He was concerned for his cause and for God to come near and arouse himself to vindicate it.

Yet, David was fearing for his life and was a fugitive on the run, so it makes sense that he approached God this way. In fact, it makes his story relatable. It’s good to trust in God when times are darkest and your story is most scary. I also like how David calls for that vindication according to God’s righteousness.

David may have made his prayer about him, but he also made the standards about God. We do this when we pray, “God please provide for my family in this urgent matter, but I trust your will to be done.” David was self-oriented about his situation, but God-oriented regarding the answer. That’s a place to start in the midst of your struggle. It’s where David was at. Praying that way is genuine before God and trusting in God’s plan. In the midst of David’s struggle, he turned with fear and worry to the only one he could trust to provide. And in his anxiety, he trusted God. May that be our stories, too.–JMB