“To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Psalm of David. Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!” Psalm 4:1
Devotion:
In life, we often turn to those who have helped us in the past, building confidence in their reliability. Yet, when we truly need assistance, humility is essential, recognizing that no one is obligated to help us, even if they’ve done so before.
Psalm 4 opens with David turning to God in prayer, sandwiching his request with a remembrance of past relief from God. David acknowledges God’s past aid but humbly asks for His grace once more. He understands that only God can defend his cause.
This reveals both why and how we turn to God. We seek God because He alone can defend and help us. However, our approach should be both bold and humble. Bold, because we belong to God, yet humble, because we remember that God is God and we are not. Through faith in Jesus, we cultivate this kind of relationship with God. In Christ, we know God is for us, and in Christ we know that any good we receive from God comes by grace alone. Having experienced the Lord’s relief in the past, why would we seek help elsewhere?
Prayer:
God, we cry out to You, knowing You’ve met us countless times in our need. Turn Your face toward us and shower us with Your grace.
We confess that sometimes we’re not honest enough about our need for You. We pretend we can handle our problems on our own. But now, in repentance, we acknowledge that You alone are our hope.
Lord, help Your people. Rescue us. Open Your ears to our cries. We understand that the path to Your heart leads through Jesus. So it is in His name that we worship and pray.
Amen.
