OCTOBER 16
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O God, do not be far from me;
O my God, hasten to my help!
13 Let those who are adversaries of my soul be ashamed and consumed;
Let them be covered with reproach and dishonor, who seek to injure me.
14 But as for me, I will hope continually,
And will praise You yet more and more.
15 My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness
And of Your salvation all day long;
For I do not know the sum of them.
16 I will come with the mighty deeds of the Lord GOD;
I will make mention of Your righteousness, Yours alone.- Psalm 71:12-15
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Matthew Henry in his commentary on this psalm says that there are two things in general David here prays for-that he might not be confounded and that his enemies and persecutors might be confounded. He prays that he might never be made ashamed of his dependence upon God nor disappointed in his believing expectations from him. With this petition every true believer may come boldly to the throne of grace; for God will never disappoint the hope that is of his own raising.
In verse 12, David almost sounds like giving God a command to hurry up and help him, but it seems more like a child confidently running to his parents for help so he can be safe. Verse 13 also requests God to do what these wicked people are actually doing to him. Another showcase of hope is in verse 14 where he declares a never-ending dependence on God and unstoppable act of worshipping Him.
Verse 15 is a very interesting trait of David. He says that he will never cease to speak out all of the good things God has done to him because it is endless. He knows his God very well and he won’t stop praising and giving Him glory. David’s humility and dependence on God is amazing. How many believers can say that they too have this kind of relationship with God? Many of us are afraid to even come close to God because of all the lies we have heard from false churches and religious doctrines that are all opposite to the actual nature of God. Many people do not know the real character of God. No wonder we do not know how to depend on Him.
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REFLECTION
• Why is it important to get closer to God so that our hope in Him will abound?