Egyházi Értesítő, 1990 (314-325. szám)
1990-06-01 / 319. szám
HELP! Hear my prayer, 0 God; give ear to the words of my mouth. Psalm 5^:2. You cannot mad Psalm without noticing that the psalmist seems rather keen to see his enemies bite the dust. The reason is not that he is particularly bloodthirsty; rather, he considers the enemies of God's people as the enemies of God himself. These are 'people to whom God means nothing' (v .3 JB). Surely God will listen to the prayers of one who is so concerned to protect God's name? We may feel that the psalmist is a little over-zealous; but there is much we can learn from the confidence with which he prays. A prayer without faith is like a bird without wings. James warns us that doubting prayer gets a poor reception from God (James 1:6-8). Praying without believing that God listens, or without a willingness to accept his answer, is really only praying to oneself. This reminds me. of a little story I once heard to illustrate this point. A man was hanging by his hands from a branch half-way down a high cliff: he could get neither up nor down. It occurred to him that now was the time to call for higher help. So he asked: 'Is there anybody up there?' A booming voice: 'Yes'. Man: 'Can you hélp?' Voice: 'yes, do you have any faith?' Man: 'Well... Yes'. Voice: 'then let go of the branch'. Pause. Man, softly: 'Is there anybody else up there?' To cling to God we need to let go of everything else. This psalm rings with the confidence that God answers when his children cry for help. The psalmist calls God 'my helper' and the upholder of my life'» Even befor he has received an answer, the psalmist remembers that God has 'delivered me from every trouble' in the past. Certainly, there is much more to prayer than just calling for help. But if it is help that we need, then our calling on the name that is above every name ought not to be timid or uncertain, but a clear and confident 'Help!' Lord, your name is above every name! You are the upholder of my life; in you I have complete confidence. Amen. Egyházi Értesitő. 1^f. 1990 junius ho
