Growing Desperate {Psalm 60-63}

“Hear my cry, O God; attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy.” Psalm 61:1–3

Isn’t it good to know that there is a God who hears our prayers and answers them? A God who is

·         Omnipresent- always present (Psalm 46:1)

·         Omniscient - all knowing (Job 34:21)

·         Omnipotent – all powerful (Matthew 19:26)

·          And never changes (Hebrews 13:8)?

 From anywhere on earth, we can cry out to Him and know that He is with us, that He hears us, and will answer according to His character that is written in His Word. Isn’t that amazing?

It’s truly a lot to take in, yet we sometimes get tripped up on that last part, “according to His character”.  We’re living in such a fast paced society where we have instant everything from microwaves to texts, emails, and social media posts, that we tend to think our prayers should be answered immediately as well, yet that often isn’t the case. The truth is we have a Father in heaven who hears and answers prayer, yet not always the way we hoped, and not always right away. Why does God sometimes wait to answer often until we’re desperate for Him? Why is He sometimes silent, causing us to wonder if He’s even there, or if He has heard our prayers? I’ve wondered a bit about that this week.

David appears desperate to hear from God in this group of Psalms. He is out in the wilderness being hunted by King Saul who is jealous of David to the point of seeking to take his life. David feels alone, though others are with him, it’s truly God he is seeking. As I read these Psalms I also thought back to Hagar and Ishmael in Genesis 21. Abraham has sent them off with just bread and a skin of water, and they wander in the wilderness of Beersheba until their supplies are gone and the young boy is near death. According to my calculations, Ishmael had to have been a strapping teenager of about 16 years old; therefore I figured they must have walked for some time for Ishmael to be at the point of death. Hagar sets him down and goes a little further so that she doesn’t have to watch him die. And this is when God sends an angel. Notice,

^“ Then she went off and sat down about a bowshot away, for she thought, “I cannot watch the boy die.” And as she sat there, she began to sob. God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there.”- Gen 21:16-17

“The boy crying”? I thought it was Hagar who was crying, yet God heard the cries of Ishmael. This scenario reminded me of Romans 8:26, “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” Isn’t that comforting? He’s that close to us! BUT here’s what I don’t understand; why does God wait until now to speak to Hagar? Why not when they began their journey?

I’m not a theologian, therefore there could be other logical explanations, but something tells me God wanted to make sure He had their undivided attention before He explains how He intends to bless Ishmael. It seems He did that once before with Hagar while she was carrying Ishmael in her womb. (Gen 16:6-13) Another reason could be that sincere prayers often come from desperate situations. Perhaps, they weren’t looking to God until they became desperate! That seems to be a common thread for a lot of people; believers and nonbelievers alike.  

Our trials are always a training ground. And if prayer does not come out of it, it's may be because we doubt God has good purposes through it. Doubt can kill prayer, while faith can cause the greatest prayers to happen. All of us will go through desperate times; the question is whether our relationship with God is strong enough to trust Him at times to persevere in prayer.

Let’s just briefly break down David’s prayer in Psalm 63 to see what sincere prayer should look like:

·         “O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. -63:1

·         Sincere prayers openly reveal our dependence on God

·         So I have seen You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory.” 63:2

·         Our prayers should come from our encounters with God

·         “Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.” -63:3–5

·         Our prayers should come from a heart of adoration responding to His love.

·         “When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches. Because You have been my help, therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice. My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me.” - 63:6–8

·         Sincere prayers look back and reflect on His past works in our life and others.

·         “But those who seek my life, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth. They shall fall by the sword; they shall be a portion for jackals. But the king shall rejoice in God; everyone who swears by Him shall glory; but the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.”-63:9–11

·         Our desperate prayers enable us to face tough situations ahead with courage and confidence!

Hungering after the Lord, and desiring to know and draw closer to Him is something God wishes to be manifested in all of us! Unfortunately, this longing seems to be diminishing in many who call themselves Christians today, but have little or no desire for a personal relationship with Him. The world is also full of things that can grab and  keep our attention and affections away from God, but I fear those who lack a desire to draw closer to Him are those Jesus was taking about when He said, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” Matthew 7:21–23

The great news is that a longing for God that David describes in these Psalms can be awakened within us and others at anytime, if we’re willing. When we begin to long for a relationship with the Lord, He will be right there to satisfy us with a sense of completeness in Him. And that spiritual hunger can keep growing throughout of life here on earth! It can seem like the more we’re satisfied by Christ, the more intimately we’ll want to know Him.

Let’s pray that He will become our lifelong pursuit until we see Him face to face, and won’t that be a glorious day!?