Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
I'm sure you've heard the saying, "Be careful what you wish for." And there are times where I'm praying to God and I'm asking Him for something, and I feel Him go, "Be careful what you wish for. Are you sure you want that?" Now, sometimes it's because I'm asking for something outside of His will or not in His character, and He's leading me in a better direction.
But more often than not, when I feel Him saying that, it's because I'm asking Him to do something extreme. And He's warning me—if I answer this, are you prepared to listen to the answer I have to give to you?
A Psalm in Distress
And then our verse today—David writes Psalm 143:8. It says this: "Let me hear of Your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting You. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to You."
Now this sounds like an uplifting and encouraging Psalm, but David actually writes the psalm in a time of great distress in his life. He's fearful for his life, and he's lost, and he's wandering, and he lifts up this cry to God. And in the middle of it he says, "Show me where to walk."
Now, could you imagine if David asked God in his distress to show me where to walk, and then didn't follow through when God answered? It would just be insulting to God. But let's be honest with ourselves. There are probably times where we've asked God for something, He's answered, and we haven't stepped into that answer because we're fearful, or we think we have a better way, or we're hesitant and we're going to continue to question Him. And it shows this incredible lack of faith.
From Distress to Surrender
But what we learn here in this Psalm is how David walks from this place of distress to full and complete surrender to God through his trials. In the entirety of this Psalm, he starts out with this cry to God to hear his prayers, trusting that God will answer because He's faithful and He's righteous.
But one of the verses that I really love in this psalm is in verse 4, where David says, "I am losing all hope. I am paralyzed with fear."
David Was Human Too
I don't know about you, but sometimes when I read about these great heroes of the Bible, I look at them and I put them on this pedestal and I go, "Wow, David, a man after God's own heart—he never stumbles. He never questions. He's always confident and always follows the Lord's ways."
But it's honestly nice to relate to the giant slayer who is losing all hope, to relate to the King of Israel being paralyzed with fear, because it reminds us that David is just human. But he had this trust in God where he was willing to lay out the entirety of his heart: "Lord, I am losing hope. I'm paralyzed with fear." And so he chooses to be honest.
The Lesson for Us
That's the lesson for us when we're in times of trial. God doesn't call us to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps. He calls us to be honest, to bring our entire selves—the good, the bad, and the ugly—because the deal is all of you for all of Him. He's calling you to surrender.
And so whether you're in a valley or you're on a mountaintop right now, I encourage all of us to ask God to show us where to walk and have the confidence to listen, knowing that He's leading us exactly where we need to be.
