You Will Never Forsake Those That Seek You
“The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee” (Ps. 9:9-10).
“The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed”
Father, I recognize times in which I feel oppressed in this life. I am often weighed down and discouraged. However, I see in Your Word the man after Your own heart, David. He was a good man and one in whom You delighted. I thank You, God, for examples like him in Your Word. I thank You that I can read through the book of Psalms and see the way that feelings of oppression are not unique to my life.
I find that I can get discouraged as I think that I am all alone in the midst of my trials. But Your Word is a constant reminder to me that oppression is something that Your children will encounter in this life. I thank You that I can turn to You in the midst of being oppressed and that I can find in You a refuge from the stormy blasts.
I know that I must not trust in myself or my own strength. I am no match for the wiles of the devil. I cannot stand up against my flesh in my flesh. You alone are God, and there is no other. You alone are God and the Savior of the lost. Open my eyes, Lord, and teach me to trust in You as my refuge more and more each day.
“a refuge in times of trouble”
I see that David desired to highlight the fact that trouble beset him, but in the midst of it, You were his place of refuge. I pray that You would help me to meditate on this truth this day and personalize it as David did. I do not want to simply read about the way that David trusted in You as His refuge; I want You to be my refuge.
You offer to me the same type of protection and care that You offered David. In this sense, David was not special or unique. He was just a man, and Your Word tells me that You are not a respecter of persons. To anyone who puts his trust in You, to anyone who would turn to You as his refuge, You will surely be their refuge.
I pray that You would also help me to look at life accurately. Sometimes I find myself believing that the way to happiness and peace is through a lack of trouble. But this will never be the case. Jesus promised me that in this life, I will have tribulation. My peace must never be rooted in my lack of trouble, but in the fact that Jesus Christ has overcome the world.
Trouble will beset me. James tells me that I am to consider the troubles in this life as joy. Paul tells me that the troubles of life develop character and hope. The psalmist tells me that it was trouble that helped him to know Your Word and keep him on the right path.
I find that it is a lie to think that I must avoid trouble at all costs and that a lack of trouble will be the sure path to a contented life. Trouble will come, but in the midst of the trouble, I can find You, a wonderful God Who has promised to be my refuge.
“And they that know thy name”
Father, I pray that You would teach me to know Your name. What is Your name, Lord? Who are You? Reveal Yourself to me in a greater way than I have ever known. I recognize that I cannot know You unless You open my blind eyes. I cannot hear Your voice unless You bring healing to my deaf ears.
I want to know Your name, Lord. I see in Your Word that Your name is Who You are. Abraham said that Your name is Jehovah Jireh – this means that You are my Provider. When You passed by Moses, You declared Your name to him. In reading Your Word, when You declare Your name, You say Who You are. You are a loving God, One Who abounds in steadfast love and mercy; You are just and holy, and in this I see Your name.
Declare Your name to m,e Lord, and reveal to me Your glory. I want to see You and know You.
“will put their trust in thee”
Increase my faith, Lord, I pray. Work in my heart that I might trust in You more and not in myself or in the things of this world. I recognize that no matter what, I am going to trust in something. The question is not, “Do I trust in anything, or don’t I?” The question is, “What do I trust in?”
Teach me to not trust in myself, my flesh, and my accomplishments. Teach me not to trust in money or the things of this world. I can quickly get diverted from trusting in You. I need Your help in this area, as this sin creeps in so subtly. Please forgive me for my sin against You, Lord, and the ways that my faith can be so small.
You are worthy to be trusted in. I find myself so deceived in this life, at times feeling and believing that You may not show up and fight for my cause. But Your Word tells me something entirely different; it tells me that I need not be afraid of Your not showing up.
“for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.”
Instead, I must remember that You will never forsake those that seek You. Lord, teach me to continually seek You. You should be the very pursuit of my life. I must not seek the things of this world. I must seek the kingdom of God and Your righteousness, and when I do this, You will truly take care of all my needs.
I see time and time again that You will not forsake Your children. Your Word says,
“Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee” (Deut. 31:6).
“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Heb. 13:5).
“I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread” (Ps. 37:25).
You have made it clear that You will never leave me nor forsake me. I can believe in that in the midst of whatever I am going through. In the midst of the oppression that I am experiencing, whether it be from the enemy or from this world, I can know that You are by my side in the midst of it all, and I thank You. In the midst of the trouble that I am experiencing in my life in this present moment, I can know that I am not alone because David also experienced trouble in this life. I can also know that I am not alone because You are with me and You will not leave me in the midst of my struggles.
Teach me, Lord, not to trust in my feelings during these times. Sometimes I can think that if I do not feel good or if I experience pain, You are distant or do not care. Remind me through the work of Christ and Your Gospel that You do care.
You care so much that You sent Your Son to die for me. You care so much that You made a way for us to be together throughout all eternity. Christ, You care so much that You entered into this world with me. You took on flesh and became the man of sorrows Who was acquainted with grief. You were despised and rejected for my sake. Let me never believe the lie that You do not care and will at some point fail to pursue me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.