I’m pretty good at holding my tongue. But sometimes even as I’m telling myself, don’t say it, don’t say it, the words burst out on their own. After a few minutes I realize, I shouldn’t have said it.

David failed at similar efforts. He said, “I will guard my ways, that I may not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth with a muzzle, so long as the wicked are in my presence.” I was mute and silent; I held my peace to no avail, and my distress grew worse. My heart became hot within me. As I mused, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue.

Instead of those around him, however, David’s discontent targeted the Lord. He wrote, “O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am!

As David moved through the challenges of life, he burned at the brevity of his existence. In his distress he described his life as a few handbreadths, like nothing, and a shadow. David compared the Lord to an army of moths eating holes through his closet of achievements. Life is a whisper.

David questioned the measure of his days and the value of his existence. But even from his dark places he returned to the light. In his anguish he never let go of the Lord: And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.

Life is indeed short. The years go faster than ever, and on dark days I lean towards despair. But hope does exist. In one person. Wait for the Lord. Be strong, take heart, and wait for the Lord. And since life is brief, we’ll see him soon enough.

Psalm 39

Photo by Dominik Francis

At times I pray and feel like I’m talking to the ceiling. I hope God hears me, but I doubt if it’s doing any good.

But in my doubt I’m in good company. King David (a man after God’s own heart), also struggled with prayer. At one point he pleaded with God to wake-up: O Lord, hear my plea for justice. Listen to my cry for help. Pay attention to my prayer, for it comes from honest lips.

David understood that the only person who could give him what he needed was the Lord. He just wanted God to notice. A few lines later David added, I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God. Bend down and listen as I pray.

I love the image of David asking the Lord to pause, lean over, and give attention to his prayers. It’s what we all want, isn’t it?

God indeed hears. A later psalm also attributed to David ends with this: But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer. Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer or withdraw his unfailing love from me.

Go ahead. Ask the Lord to bend down and listen to your prayers. The Lord pays attention, even when our feelings tell us otherwise. The ceiling is no barrier to the unfailing love of our marvelous God.

Psalm 17 & Psalm 66

Photo by Shawn Reid

I was driving down the interstate in Kansas when my gas light pinged. The warning sent me into rapid calculations. How many miles left in the tank, and how far was the next service station? My reckoning fueled my worry. Not until I spotted the next exit did I relax, and finally coasted up to the pumps with relief. My lack of attention to the gas gauge almost cost me a long walk across the prairie.

The Lord presented Gideon with cause to worry. Leading the Israelites against a vast and powerful enemy, the Lord pared Gideon’s army down from thousands to only 300 men. God told Gideon, The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, “My own hand has saved me.“

To ease Gideon’s worry, God gave a boost of morale. The Lord directed Gideon to sneak into the enemy camp where he overheard a conversation between two soldiers. The first said, “I dreamed a dream, and behold, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian and came to the tent and struck it so that it fell and turned it upside down, so that the tent lay flat.” And his comrade answered, “This is no other than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has given into his hand Midian and all the camp.”

Gideon’s response? As soon as Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped.

Smack in the middle of the enemy encampment, a sneeze away from discovery, Gideon understood the future. His response? Reverence for God, relief, and joy expressed in heartfelt prayer. Gideon climbed out of the camp certain of liberation. He returned to his boys and made it rain.

At times I’m engulfed with problems, or surrounded by people opposed to my views, or weighted down with worry. I’m in the camp of my enemy. But the Lord stands in the midst. Whatever obstacles I face, I can still choose to believe God. Because he accomplishes his purposes with many or with few, I can take confidence and worship.

Judges 7:1-25

Photo by Sagar Kulkarni

Back in the day I sported hair down to my shoulders. Styles changed and I cut my locks, which I discovered much easier to manage. Today I’m just happy to have hair, even if it’s turned salt and pepper.

Samson grew hair like a cash crop. Never touched by a razor, he eventually revealed how his hair held the secret to his strength—and his devious lover cut it off. Samson’s headstrong habit of taking whatever woman he wanted backfired. Weakened, his enemies seized him, gouged out his eyes, and shackled him in prison.

The triumphant Philistines left Samson frail, humbled and blind. However, as Samson suffered, the hair on his head began to grow again.

I love the foreshadowing of this line. Hope looms on the horizon. Samson’s hair grew back and he revenged himself by collapsing a temple filled with Israel’s enemies. Did no one present wonder about his new luxurious head of hair?

At his death Samson humbly called upon the Lord. He looked not to his mane or to the power he felt once again coursing through his body. Instead, he turned to the Lord, the ultimate source of strength.

Like Samson, you and I can ask the Lord to empower his servants. Much like hair grows, the Lord often works unnoticed. Pray, trust and wait. But all the time keep checking—perhaps some fuzz is appearing?

Judges 16

Photo by Humphrey M