The Lord is king forever and ever;
the nations perish from his land.
17 O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted;
you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear
18 to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,
so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.
If we fished in a dry lake where there were no fish, people would say we were crazy. That is what they told Noah when he built an ark on dry land. Then it rained. David had just cried out to the Lord with a lengthy description of his enemies. He had seen their destructive deeds firsthand. Here he ends Psalm 10 with a description of God’s sovereignty and power, his attentiveness to his prayer, and his righteous judgment in the world. David could do this because he had seen God’s wonderful deeds firsthand. God delivered him from Saul, from the Philistine, and from challenges to the throne.
We do not fish in a dry lake when we send our prayers to the throne room of God. They do not stop at the ceiling. He inclines his ear when we are afflicted and oppressed. He hears our cry. We have seen it firsthand in deliverance from financial hardships, illness, and troubled relationships. We do not build our ark on dry land, but we build our lives on the solid rock of Jesus Christ. People may think we are crazy until the rain starts and the wind comes. Instead of striking terror, they will feel the power of God and hopefully repent.
Dear Lord, thank you for being there and hearing our cries, answering them with your grace. May others see that grace in us and see you are real. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Pastor Brad Boyer
Cape Community Church