Meditation

Reader,

Psalm 28 begins with David crying out to God for help and ends with praising Him for hearing and answering his prayer.

Jehovah Chezeq appears twice in the Psalm. First in verse 7 and then in verse 8. In both cases, He gives both strength and protection. They're a combination. One buttresses the other.

As David makes clear, that strength comes to those who trust in Him. Trust is the source of strength and isn't fleeting but permanent.

Today's text is Psalm 28: 7-9. I have included the whole Psalm for context, and you might like to copy it out in full if you have the time.

Psalm 28

Of David.

¹To you, Lord, I call; you are my Rock,
do not turn a deaf ear to me.
For if you remain silent,
I will be like those who go down to the pit.

²Hear my cry for mercy as I call to you for help,
as I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place.

³Do not drag me away with the wicked,
with those who do evil,
who speak cordially with their neighbors
but harbor malice in their hearts.

⁴Repay them for their deeds
and for their evil work;
repay them for what their hands have done
and bring back on them what they deserve.

⁵Because they have no regard for the deeds of the Lord
and what his hands have done, he will tear them down
and never build them up again.

⁶Praise be to the Lord,

for he has heard my cry for mercy.

⁷The Lord is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy,
and with my song I praise him.

⁸The Lord is the strength of his people,
a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.
⁹Save your people and bless your inheritance;
be their shepherd and carry them forever.