Epaggelia

v 1, “If You remain silent to me, I will be like those going down to the pit.” David makes a valid point. We are good as dead when we are not speaking to God and He is not speaking to us. David says that if God remains silent, it is just like him going down to the grave. Have you ever thought about life in those terms? David says without the ability to have an open dialogue with God, we are like dead people. This was the idea that Jesus used in His argument against Satan when being tempted in the wilderness. After Satan tempted Jesus to prove He is the Son of God by turning stones into bread, Jesus replied, “It is written: Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). If we really believed that we were perishing apart from hearing the word of God, like David did, would we not study our Bibles more? Would we not pray to God more? Would we not always be crying out to God? I hope we can see the necessity and importance of prayer in our lives. Let us not neglect our conversations with God lest we become dead to Him.

v2 Describes persistence as he continues to plead and cry out to God. This perseverance can be lacking in our prayer life. In Luke 18 Jesus told a parable to His disciples to show them that they should always pray and not give up (Luke 18:1). We look at God as the Almighty and all-knowing God. Therefore, we should just have to ask once that is enough. But Jesus encouraged repetition in our requests. Sometimes I believe we think we have completed our requirements because we have offered one prayer and have decided that such is enough. Jesus said to be persistent and not lose heart concerning what we are praying for. We see David doing this very thing. Why was David so enduring in his prayers, or what was it that motivated him?

v6-8  is a turning point in the psalm where we come to find out that David’s prayer has been answered. What is your first reaction to answered prayer? David shows us what our first reaction ought to be: thanksgiving and praise. We must immediately be grateful and thankful to God for responding to our cries and pleadings. Sometimes we lead ourselves to believe that we got out of our jam ourselves or that we provided ourselves with the solution. We see such a shocking instance of this in Luke 17:17-18. When ten lepers were cleansed, only one who was a Samaritan, came back and gave thanks. How many times are we like the other nine lepers? Too often we go on our way rejoicing, forgetting to see what God has done for us and giving Him the praise He deserves. Let us be persistent in prayer and let us be more grateful & give thanks for answered prayer. How much does a parent’s heart swell when their child says “thank you”?v9, The psalm concludes with praise that God has answered David’s prayer. David was a warrior, (Psalm 144:1) who knew the value of a shield. God provided David with both protection and a sense of confidence. David applies this same idea to God’s protection of His people, most especially God’s plan to bring the Messiah into the world. David was also a shepherd (1st Samuel 17:34), and he uses shepherding terminology to speak about the Lord’s guiding security (Psa. 28:6-9). David prays that God will save His people, bless His possession, shepherd them and carry them forever. Peter said in 1 Peter 2:9, We are that possession. God does not ignore His prized possessions. He hears what we have to say.