Psalm 28: To you my rock I call, LORD
To you my Rock I call LORD;
Don’t turn a deaf ear to me.
For if you are silent
I’ll be like those down in the pit. I
LORD hear my cry for mercy,
As I call out ‘help’ to you,
As I lift up my hands
Towards your Most Holy Place.
O praise the LORD,
He’s heard my cry for mercy.
The LORD is my strength and my shield;
My heart trusts in him.
I am helped, my heart leaps
For joy; I will thank him in song.
I am helped, my heart leaps
For joy; I will thank him in song
Don’t drag me off with the wicked,
With those whose work is evil.
They speak peace to their neighbours,
But malice is in their hearts.
Repay them for their deeds LORD,
And for their works of evil.
O LORD pay them back
For what their hands have done.
They don’t regard the works of God,
Or all the things his hands have done,
So he’ll tear them down,
And he’ll never build them up again.
O praise the LORD ……..
The LORD’s the strength of his people;
A fortress of salvation,
That great salvation
Of his anointed one.
O LORD come save your people;
Bless those you will inherit;
Carry them ever on
As a shepherd does his sheep.
O praise the LORD ……..
Jeff Lowe: lead vocal, backing vocals, piano, guitar, synth - pad, bass, drums
Steve Preater: electric guitar
Nick Harvey: saxophone
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Psalm 28 Reflection
If you’ve ever found yourself slowly sinking in a bog or quicksand, you’ll know how deeply we desire to be on firm, solid ground. Our cities’ concrete may ensure that we don’t literally sink, but the culture that surrounds us, may cause us to spiritually sink, into apathy and downright unbelief.
David has a sense of being overwhelmed, and cries out for mercy. He recognised that God is our rock and it is only a life built on him that will stop us sinking. But he is infinitely more than a granite-like being. He is a being who desires relationship with us: a God who answers prayers and who responds to our cries for mercy, a God of justice who punishes the wicked. Above all, we, like David, listen out for the quiet still voice of the Spirit who brings assurance and revelation.
By the close of this psalm, David has received the Spirit’s assurance and knows afresh that God’s shield will protect him. God is the strength and fortress not only for the King but also for all the people of the King. We God’s people are blessed in the assurance that the Good Shepherd will carry us for ever.