King David's Heart of Desperation

 

Psalm 103

King David’s desperation for God is seen throughout the Psalms. We can learn from his complete reliance on the scripture for truth about Who God is and why our relationship grows in dependence on Him.

“Bless the Lord Oh my soul, and forget not all His benefits; Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies” (verse 2-4)

 It goes on because David relies solely on God as His strength. He doesn’t have a lot of people around him teaching him how to hear from God. There are certainly some like Nathan who correct him during his affair and subsequent murder, but nothing close to a group of intercessors exist. It’s why so often he calls God his “rock”, “shelter” and “strong tower”. These are words of dependence and consistency. Any ruler will carry a heavy burden of pressure and responsibility-doubly so when that ruler turns to heaven for answers.

 The Psalms are full of the king begging for justice from his oppressors, safety in storms, comfort from betrayal. We are fortunate today to have such rich teaching in the Word that we’ve probably lost a little of the David-esque dependence on the heavenly Father.

No question I’d rather have a rich tradition of worship and teaching and support. It fills the gap for those outside the faith. The simple gospel is a bridge to life and freedom. But we do rely on the external “benefits” of God's goodness to the point of weakness. We’ve forgotten how to hear from the Heavenly Father in a one on one relationship. We aren’t desperate the way the psalmist is. We aren’t needy for God’s immediate protection.

 I recently had the Corona virus and had to take a few weeks off. I spent a lot of that time in prayer for healing. But I won’t pretend I was desperate in the way that a dying man is desperate. I was a lot sicker than I imagined I’d be too. But even then I knew that I’d recover. The statistics for nearly everyone are around 98% or better to live, higher for the young.

I put my faith in the extreme unlikelihood that I’d need to go to the hospital or even need a ventilator. I’m not saying we need to be dying of a terrible illness to be desperate for God. Modern medicine is a gift. But few of us are in a position of deep reliance on God the way that David was. He lived there. He went to his Father for everything. It’s why he could list the benefits the way we list our family members and their kids. It was a source of strength and pride because he fought for it. He saw God’s mercy in his trials.  

“As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. (verse 12-14)

We don’t fear the Lord and so aren’t dependent on Him for strength, comfort, justice, healing. The fear of the Lord is a profound reverence and not a “fear” in the way a young child is afraid of the dark. It’s a core understanding that a just creator designed the world around us with boundaries. We are created in His image. That image comes with a built in recognition of who and what we are. Our software (if you will) contains code from our designer, Whose imprint is recognized by all living creatures. Our purpose is to reflect the design of our creator in what we accomplish and how we behave. If we ignore the design or try to replace it we tell lies to the next generation. We throw off restraint so much easier when we ignore what nature screams at us about Creation. 

We put up with the destructive notion that boys can be girls and girls can be boys. Just flip a switch, change the code. A wicked attempt to undermine God’s creation has hardly been conceived. It’s a direct threat to our kids and it needs to be resisted with boldness, not genteel discussions and compromises. It’s one example in a culture of many.

We need to find our desperation again. We need to seek the Lord and reset the imbalance in our lives. Let’s become like King David and beg justice for the innocent, comfort for the broken and restoration for the lost.  

“For as the heavens are high above the earth so great is His mercy towards those who fear Him…”( verse 11)