A Vision of Hope and Peace for a Scared and Anxious World: Psalm 28

A Word from Your Faith Bible Seminary Team: Today’s post is by FBS MABC student Dan Brewer. Dan is the Chief Operations Officer for a small city in the Seattle area. Dan has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering. He is a certified Biblical Counselor through ACBC and serves in the Counseling Ministry of his local church—Christ’s Church in Federal Way, Washington. Dan is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Biblical Counseling (MABC) from Faith Bible Seminary in Lafayette, Indiana. Dan and his wife, Gail, have five children and two grandchildren and love spending time outdoors.

God’s Vision and Our Vision 

This has certainly been a difficult start to 2020. For a symbolic year of perfect 20-20 vision, the COVID-19 pandemic has left many with a blurred vision of an uncertain future. Our world seems to have been turned inside out and upside down in mere weeks. While COVID-19 has tragically resulted in death for many, it has also been a wakeup call and reminder of the shadow of death for everyone. People are scared. Where do you turn for clarity in this time of uncertainty? Psalm 28 provides a vision of hope for a scared world.[i]

Psalm 28 speaks to our needs in this troubling time. This Psalm, written by King David, provides a model for us as we approach the throne room of grace with our prayers and supplications.

Cry Out for Help: Psalm 28:1-2 

The first two verses of this Psalm help give voice to our greatest need and address the reality of our tremendous vulnerability as we face this pandemic threat.

To you, Lord, I call;
    you are my Rock,
    do not turn a deaf ear to me.
For if you remain silent,
    I will be like those who go down to the pit.
Hear my cry for mercy
    as I call to you for help,
as I lift up my hands
    toward your Most Holy Place.

Every day seems like a rollercoaster ride of uncertainty. While I do not like roller coaster rides, I dislike uncertainty even more. I idolize control. God has shattered the confidence in the temporal trappings that we have all come to idolize, to one degree or another. Health, prosperity and wealth, comfort and ease, order and control, freedoms, you name it; now seemingly vanished like the vapor of a cool morning mist. 

David reminds us that our greatest need, whether in a pandemic or not, is the Lord Himself.  Cry out to the Lord who is the rightful Rock and Fortress, who can never be destroyed and will never be taken away.

Name the Troubles You Are Facing: Psalm 28:3-5 

In these next few verses of Psalm 28, King David identifies the troubles and evils that he was facing. While David was not facing a pandemic like COVID-19, he was facing his own difficult times. Listen to the heartfelt expression of his troubles and fears as he talks to the Lord, his Rock.

Do not drag me away with the wicked,
    with those who do evil,
who speak cordially with their neighbors
    but harbor malice in their hearts.
Repay them for their deeds
    and for their evil work;
repay them for what their hands have done
    and bring back on them what they deserve.

Because they have no regard for the deeds of the Lord
    and what his hands have done, he will tear them down
    and never build them up again.

As David cried out to the Lord for help, he made known the troubles and evils that he was facing. Nothing super fancy or ritualistic. He simply spoke to God, who was there listening and caring about David. David talked to the God who already knew every detail about his circumstances.

We can do the same. Just as David talked with God about the troubles of his time, we can talk to God about the trouble in ours. And, just as God listened and cared about David’s troubles, we can have confidence and assurance that the God who is still there, cares about our troubles and He will listen.  

Are you afraid, anxiously guessing about what might happen in the days, weeks, and months to come? Instead of speculating about an uncertain future, cry out to God for help and talk to Him about what you are feeling. Confess your fears and anxiety to Him and plead with Him to provide you His Strength, and then believe and trust that He will give you what you ask for.

Rejoice in Your Strength and Shield: Psalm 28:6-7

Verses 6 and 7 of Psalm 28 help capture the essence of the strength and confidence that we all long for. As David cried out to God acknowledging his troubles and fears, he caught a glimpse of the peace of God. And even in the midst of what he was going though, David experienced joy in the protection, strength, and might of the Lord.

Praise be to the Lord,
    for he has heard my cry for mercy.
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
    my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy,
    and with my song I praise him.

As you entrust yourself to the Lord as David did, His peace that passes all understanding is available and free for the taking. Let God’s peace, the Prince of Peace, fill you with strength and protection in these uncertain times, and you too can experience joy even in the midst of the shadow of death.

Intercede for Others: Psalm 28:8-9

As David concludes his lament, he pleads for the Lord to help and rescue hurting and lost people of his time. Listen to, and feel David’s compassion and love for those around him; people he cared for and that needed the Lord’s help.

The Lord is the strength of his people,
    a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.
Save your people and bless your inheritance;
    be their shepherd and carry them forever.

These are certainly tumultuous times. People you know are scared and need help. They need hope. In these difficult times, our Sovereign God has planned for you to pray. Our Omnipotent King has planned for you to share His Good News.

As you experience the comfort and joy of God’s Peace, intercede for the people around you. Pray for them. Share with them the vision of hope in the solid Rock and Fortress of souls.  Share with them the strength, comfort, peace, and joy that He has given you and offers all of us. Let your light shine in this world of darkness and pain.

[i]The following is modeled after David Powlison’s “The Battle with the Shadow of Death” in, Safe & Sound: Standing Firm in Spiritual Battles (Greensboro, NC: New Growth Press, 2019), 55-60.

 

Dan Brewer
Daniel J. Brewer is the Chief Operations Officer for a small city in the Seattle area. Dan has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering. He is a certified Biblical Counselor through ACBC and serves in the Counseling Ministry of his local church—Christ’s Church in Federal Way, Washington. Dan is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Biblical Counseling (MABC) from Faith Bible Seminary in Lafayette, Indiana. Dan and his wife, Gail, have five children and two grandchildren and love spending time outdoors.