Psalm 28- ‘To you, Lord, I call; you are my Rock,’

 

Psalm 28- ‘To you, Lord, I call; you are my Rock,’

What do we do when the pressure mounts? When are accusations made? 

This psalm is one for those times.  Written by David, who is possibly under pressure and being falsely accused himself, it is written in two parts: 

The first part, v1–5, David, calls out to Yahweh [The LORD]: “To you, Yahweh, I call; you are my rock” (v1), he cries out to God to hear him and he pours out his heart to Him. He is able to do so because he knows who he is calling upon — the God who has a name -Yahweh. We often translate this as ‘The LORD’- the personal name, of the one who is present, who can be known and who is intimately involved with and committed to His creation. That is why David cries out to Him and calls him, “my Rock”: the one he can lean on and depend upon in the storm.

It is here in the storm that David pours out everything that is happening, bringing all his fear and his worries to Yahweh and laying it down before Him.

Then we move to the second half, v6–9 where suddenly David is no longer speaking directly to Yahweh, but rather he is speaking to people like us. He declares what Yahweh has done: “Praise be to Yahweh, for he has heard my cry for mercy” (v6).

He describes Yahweh as “my strength and my shield” (v7) — the one who strengthens him and protects him and lifts him up in the time of trouble. Which is why David is able to turn from fear to joy, giving thanks and praise to the God who has a name.

The psalm ends with David widening his prayer. He doesn’t only thank Yahweh for rescuing him; he prays that this same Yahweh — this personal God with a name, who is actively involved and committed to His creation — will do the same for David’s nation; that Yahweh will be “the strength of his people” (v8), their protector, their shepherd, and the one who blesses and carries them forever (v9).


Living It Out

Ps 28 encourages us to be honest when we are under pressure or the Lord seems silent — to come before The Lord just as we are, bringing everything to Him and trusting the One who is our Rock. And like David, we can also widen our prayers — asking the Lord to protect, guide, and carry those around us as well.  


Jonathan Hill

Location: Hull, UK

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pulling up weeds – part 2 Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus

Main passages Hebrews 12:1–3, Mark 1:1–8   Supporting Passages Hebrews 11, Isaiah 40:3-5, Malachi 3:1-4 , Romans 7 Last week we stepped into the opening of Mark’s Gospel — a beginning that feels almost like the start of a film. The title appears: “The Good News about Jesus Christ.” But instead of meeting Jesus straight away, Mark draws us into the backstory and introduces us to John the Baptist. John arrives fulfilling the prophecies of Isaiah and Malachi, preparing the way for King Jesus. He is the voice in the wilderness calling people to clear the road for the coming King. And we saw that this preparation wasn’t about fixing a physical road but clearing the inner one — filling spiritual potholes and pulling up spiritual weeds that block the heart. Many came to John, confessed their sins, repented, and were baptised, readying themselves for Jesus. Confession means honestly naming what’s in our hearts — the obvious sins, the hidden ones, and even the “acceptable” ones tha...
Read more

Preparing the way- Week 1- Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up?

    Luke 9:18–27 Supporting passages: - Isaiah 9:6–7, Malachi 4:5–6   Jesus suddenly seems to be everywhere. As belief in God resurges, confusion about who Jesus truly is grows. People claim Him for cultural identity, other religions, political power, social justice, or personal comfort—but often not the Jesus of Scripture. At the same time, Bibles are flying off shelves and many, especially younger adults, are encountering Jesus afresh. This confusion isn’t new; even in His own day crowds struggled to understand who He was and how He fit their expectations. Across history the same cry keeps rising: “Will the real Jesus please stand up!” In Luke 9 we meet that question directly. Jesus is in the middle of His ministry, travelling through the towns around Lake Galilee. He teaches with unprecedented authority, heals with divine power, calms storms like the Creator in Genesis, and feeds crowds like the God of Exodus. Naturally, everyone is talking about Him. Every...
Read more

Preparing the Way - Week 2: Following the Real Jesus

  Luke 9:18–27 • Philippians 2:5–11 We’re continuing our summer series, Preparing the Way . Each passage gets two weeks—time to sit with it, let it breathe, and let it shape us. Last week’s theme was, “Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up?” We said that although many people talk about Jesus, the versions of Jesus out there don’t always match the Jesus of Scripture. And that’s not so different from the world Jesus stepped into—everyone had an opinion, everyone tried to fit him into their worldview. In the middle of all that noise, Jesus asks Peter, “Who do you say I am?” (Luke 9:20). Peter answers, “You are the Messiah.” The promised one. Emmanuel. God with us. We explored the great paradox: Jesus is the transcendent one—beyond time, imagination, and the universe—and yet he steps into creation so we can know him. The one who made all things comes with a name, a face, a story. And through the cross, he becomes the bridge across the vast divide of sin and shame between the Cre...
Read more