King David who wrote this Psalm was a man who knew how to pray. We think of him as a person of worship. And he was that, but he was also a warrior in prayer. He wrote these words during a time of extreme stress as he fled from Jerusalem, following his son, Absalom’s, insurrection.
One of the saddest passages in the Bible is the description of David’s leaving Jerusalem, the city he loved so deeply, weeping as he went. He was barefoot, and had his head was covered, because of shame, as he headed into the wilderness.
Even though we might be driven to the wilderness, even though we might feel like exiles, or outcasts, we can still pray. In fact, we can pray to Almighty God regardless of where we might be geographically or emotionally. Prayer can reach God from the end of the earth.
Adversities can make life’s everyday burdens seem even heavier. For example; an illness, accident, or medical emergency; unexpected expenses, loss of a job, or marriage problems, misbehaving children and countless other trials that stretch us beyond our limits.
At times, the pressures of life are so strong that we feel we are going to collapse beneath their weight. We feel overwhelmed, we feel helpless, and inadequate to handle all that is happening in our lives.
When the demands of life overwhelm us, we need to turn to God for strength.
The apostle Paul wanted deliverance and relief from a debilitating issue which plagued him constantly. He wanted God to remove, what he termed as a “Thorn in the flesh.” Look how God responded to Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.”
God’s grace, His undeserved favor, is available to us today. When cast our burden on Him, He will bear it. When we open our heart before Him, He will heal it. There is nothing Jesus Christ dislikes more than for His people to merely talk about Him, and not to use Him. The more burdens we put on his shoulders, the better He can love us.
Prayer will work anywhere, no matter where we are. And sometimes it may seem like we are at the end of the world, but we can still pray, for God knows where we are, and He can hear our prayer even if it is just a whisper.
by Corville Peters
