Psalm 28

Psalm 28

To You I will cry, O Lord my Rock: do not be silent to me, lest, if You are silent to me I become like those who go down to the pit. Hear the voice of my supplications when I cry to You, when I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary….Blessed be the LORD, because He has heard the voice of my supplications! The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices and with my song I will praise Him….The Lord is their strength, and He is the saving refuge of His anointed. Save Your people and bless Your inheritance; Shepherd them also, and bear them up forever.

            Some days all I need is strength.  Even if the baby sleeps all night, I still wake two or three times wondering if I heard her, or one of the boys.  My sleep is full of restless sleep.  As a mother, I have many things on my mind.  Many “windows open” in my brain at once keep me awake for a good hour after the lights turn out.  The next morning, I am exhausted.  So that day I pray the Lord give me strength.

            He does.  His Word is that strength that I need.  Prayer lifts my spirits and provides my body with strength. I cannot explain the process.  I do not know how it works.  No magic is involved or incense.  I do not pray a special prayer.  Most days it is just “Lord, give me strength today. I need You.”  I spend time reading Scripture and meditating on the truth of His Word.  Some days I get 30 minutes, other days 5 minutes.  Amazingly, His strength gives me grace, love, and peace to last throughout the day.  I am sure that naptime helps, but even when my children out-grow naps I know God will give me the strength that I need. 

            The Lord is praised in Psalm 28, not because He answered all the prayers that were heard. God only answered the first prayer that was prayed at the beginning of the Psalm: “Hear the voice of my supplications when I cry to You.”  God heard: “Blessed be the LORD because He has heard the voice of my supplication!”  The trouble was still there.  The enemy still attacks.  The sleepless nights seem to have no end, yet God hears.  He hears and listens.  He will give us our needs. 

 

Maybe I do not need to sleep through the night.  Maybe I need to learn to lean on Him for strength. 

 

Maybe I do not need my 3-year old to be potty trained.  Maybe I need to learn patience, grace, and mercy.

 

Maybe I do not need a perfectly-behaved 5 year old.  Maybe I need to learn how much of a rebel we are all born to be. 

 

Maybe I do not need a clean house all the time.  Maybe I need to learn to let go of things.   

 

God knows what I need.  I need to trust Him.  The Psalmist does not ask the Lord to give him strength.  He says, “The Lord is their strength, and He is the refuge of His anointed.” I do not need to ask God, in a hoping manner, to give me strength. I need to confidently go to my Lord, knowing He will give me the strength that I need.