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Day 29

"You have relieved me in my distress..."

Day 29 – Psalm 4

“You have relieved me in my distress…” Psalm 4:1b

REMEMBERING PAST EXPERIENCES

Sometimes our past contains painful experiences. Few like to remember those experiences, preferring instead to think “positive thoughts”. Let us ponder and learn how David made use of his past experiences!

“Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
You have relieved me in my distress;
Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.”
Psalm 4:1

1. “You have relieved me in my distress”

Have you ever experienced the Lord’s help in times of distress in the past? Make full use of the lessons learned.

a) David freely admitted that he had experienced distress in the past.
i) When he was a refugee in the reign of king Saul.
ii) When his son revolted against him and led a rebellion.
b) It was God who had responded to his desperate prayers in the past.
i) There is no shame to cry out to God in our hour of distress.
ii) Graciously the Lord heard his cries and sent him help (relief).

2. Difficulty of saying “Have mercy on me and hear my prayer”

It would seem that one of the hardest things to do is to employ the phrase “Have mercy on me.”

a) It depicts utter weakness.
b) It indicates total helplessness.

3. Wisdom of learning how to say “Have mercy on me and hear my prayer”

The truth is that this phrase ought to be seen as a most natural response from a mortal human being to the Creator-God!

a) Man is a mere mortal and has just so much strength.
b) In humble faith man looks at his circumstances in life and recognizes that he needs God’s help; and in this spirit of humility he offers his prayer for mercy to God!
c) Though David was king of Israel, he knew his limitations; he was never so proud that he failed to cry out time and again, very humbly, “Have mercy on me.”