As you open the posting, first take some time and meditate on the verses that follow. Read them over slowly several times until something catches your attention. Then ponder on what got your attention before you read what I saw in the passage. Then come back to what you saw in the passage throughout your day.
Psalm 28
1 I pray to you, O Lord, my rock.
Do not turn a deaf ear to me.
For if you are silent,
I might as well give up and die.
2 Listen to my prayer for mercy
as I cry out to you for help,
as I lift my hands toward your holy sanctuary.
3 Do not drag me away with the wicked—
with those who do evil—
those who speak friendly words to their neighbors
while planning evil in their hearts.
4 Give them the punishment they so richly deserve!
Measure it out in proportion to their wickedness.
Pay them back for all their evil deeds!
Give them a taste of what they have done to others.
5 They care nothing for what the Lord has done
or for what his hands have made.
So he will tear them down,
and they will never be rebuilt!
6 Praise the Lord!
For he has heard my cry for mercy.
7 The Lord is my strength and shield.
I trust him with all my heart.
He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.
I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.
8 The Lord gives his people strength.
He is a safe fortress for his anointed king.
9 Save your people!
Bless Israel, your special possession.
Lead them like a shepherd,
and carry them in your arms forever.
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David prays for mercy in verse 1, and in verse 6 he states that he believes God has heard his prayer. In between those two verses, he turns over his hurt and anger to God, saying that vengeance belongs to God. That’s an important principle–that we turn our anger and our desire for revenge over to God.
David also gives voice to his anger. But even then it is a request that God do the revenge. David doesn’t say that God did what he asked. His response is based only on the belief that God had heard him and that was enough for David. God’s silence is what is hard to accept. God’s actions are up to God–just hear me, says David–I agree!