"To You I will cry, O LORD my Rock: Do not be silent to me, lest, if You are silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit" (Psalm 28:1).
Prayer serves as a lifeline for believers. In it they worship the Lord, find solace and comfort, offer thanksgiving and confession of sin, but most importantly they find peace. In Psalm 28, David pens a prayer of praise and thanksgiving that reflects his commitment and devotion to the Lord. Once again we discover that communion with God was the most important aspect of David’s life. Because of the love and fellowship David cherished with the Lord, he turned to Him in all things.
While it is a given that unbelievers never turn to the Lord for strength, except in moments of panic and desperation, even people within the church neglect this sweet communion. Prayer is too often set aside, reserved for seemingly more urgent moments or times when particular conviction sets upon the soul.
This was not the case with David. He always turned to the Lord not only because he loved His Father but because He knew true peace only came from fellowship with God. Fallen man lives in a confused, disorderly, chaotic state. Only when communion with the Lord is restored through faith in Jesus Christ is peace enjoyed. We taste the benefits of this relationship more sweetly when we are in constant fellowship with the Lord. When we neglect prayer, when we turn to worldly means for solutions to our problems, we dive back into the chaotic abyss instead of drinking from the peaceful waters that flow from heaven.
David understood this when he said, “Lest, if You are silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit.” He knew that separation from God even for a moment means to dwell in darkness. He knew that the only source of true strength and peace come not from the world or himself, but from God. “The LORD is the saving refuge of His anointed” (Psalm 28:8). Calvin comments on this verse saying, “In short, David trusted not in vain, since he truly found by experience that God possesses ever present power to preserve his servants; and that this was a matter of true and solid joy to him, that he found God ever favorable to him.” Likewise, the delight of every believer is the peace discovered by contemplating the faithfulness of God and turning to Him in prayer.
Read Phil. 4:4–7. How much time do you spend in prayer each day? What promise does this passage give to the person who turns to the Lord in prayer? Should we pray to God about some things or everything? Do you do this? Ask God to give you more consistency in coming to Him in prayer.
