The Lord Hears the Desires of the Humble
[Psalm 10]
Yesterday, during the Wednesday morning prayer meeting, the Holy Spirit placed a desire in my heart, prompting me to bring it before God. With a small ache in my heart, as I expressed that desire, I shed a few tears. They were tears of earnest longing. The desire was for the "holiness of God" and for the "glory of God." The Holy Spirit led me to pray fervently, "Maranatha! Lord, come quickly!"
Today, as I read Psalm 10:17, I see that the Lord is the God who listens to the "desires of the humble." When we bow humbly before the holy and glorious God and present our prayers of desire, our Lord listens to our prayers and responds. So, let's reflect on who these "humble ones" are, as mentioned in the text. There are about four aspects to consider.
First, the humble are those who are "afflicted."
In Psalm 10:2 and 9, we read: "The wicked, in his pride, persecutes the poor; let them be caught in the plots they have devised... Like a lion in his den, he lies in wait to catch the afflicted; he crouches, he crouches to catch the poor, and he drags them into his net." The true believer is afflicted. Here, the "afflicted" refers to those who are suffering (according to Park Yoon-seon). In this sinful world, the true believer suffers because of the "wicked" (verses 3, 4, 14, 15). The wicked torment those who believe in Jesus in various ways. Therefore, whenever we are afflicted, we must humble ourselves and pray to God the Father.
Second, the humble are those who are "lonely."
In Psalm 10:8, 10, and 14, we read: "He sits in the hiding places of the villages; in secret places, he murders the innocent; his eyes are secretly watching the lonely... He crouches, he bows down, and the lonely fall by his might... You have seen it, for you observe mischief and vexation, to repay it with your hand; the lonely commit themselves to You; You are the helper of the orphan." The true believer is a lonely person. For the sake of God's righteousness, they inevitably experience loneliness and isolation. Living in a world full of injustice, the believer becomes isolated for the sake of God's righteousness. We suffer from the injustices of the wicked, and as a result, we inevitably experience loneliness and isolation in this sinful world.
Thirdly, the humble are those who are "poor."
Look at Psalm 10:12: "Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up Your hand; do not forget the humble." A true believer is a poor person. This refers not so much to material poverty, but to spiritual poverty. In the midst of suffering and oppression, our spirit inevitably becomes poor. That is why we long for the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 5:3). Just as Moses, when he was in the wilderness during the Exodus, longed for the Promised Land of Canaan with a poor spirit, we too, living in this wilderness-like world, long even more for the heavenly kingdom.
Finally, fourthly, the humble are those who are "orphans and oppressed."
Look at Psalm 10:18: "To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may no longer oppress." A true believer is someone who is oppressed by "the people of the world" (verse 18). A true believer lives in this world like an orphan without parents. A true believer is an orphan who suffers persecution and affliction from Satan, the father of those who belong to this world.
So, what are the "desires of the humble"? There are four things we can consider.
First, the desire of the humble is: "Let the wicked and the proud fall into their own traps."
Look at Psalm 10:2: "The wicked in his pride persecutes the poor; let them be caught in the plots which they have devised." The psalmist says, "He has dug a pit and fallen into the trap he made" (Psalm 7:15). In other words, the "pit" dug by the wicked and proud is the ideology of saying, "There is no God" (Psalm 10:4). They have dug a pit of thought in which they say, "God does not see," "God has forgotten," or "He has hidden His face" (Psalm 10:11). Therefore, the wicked fall into their own traps (Psalm 10:2). For this reason, the humble present their prayer to God.
Second, the desire of the humble is: "Do not forget the poor."
Look at Psalm 10:12: "Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up Your hand; do not forget the humble." The thoughts of the wicked do not include God, and they say that a God who is absent cannot remember the poor. Therefore, the psalmist, a true believer, asks God not to forget the poor.
Third, the desire of the humble is: 'Seek the wicked’s evil until it is destroyed.'
Look at Psalm 10:15: “Break the arm of the wicked and the evil man; seek out his wickedness until you find none.” The psalmist prays earnestly, asking God to destroy the power of the extremely wicked and to thoroughly eradicate evil. The psalmist, who feared God, hated evil to such an extent that he prayed to the holy and righteous God to thoroughly destroy it.
Finally, fourth, the desire of the humble is: 'Judge the wicked so that those who belong to the world will never threaten me again.'
Look at Psalm 10:18: “To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may no more oppress.” The psalmist prayed to God, asking that those who belong to the world be judged so that the humble will no longer be oppressed or threatened.
Now, how did God answer the psalmist’s prayer? In other words, what kind of God did the psalmist experience?
First, the Lord is a God who sees everything.
Look at Psalm 10:14: “But You have seen, for You observe trouble and grief, to repay it by Your hand. The helpless commits himself to You; You are the helper of the fatherless.” The Lord is the God who sees the cruel actions of the wicked on earth and the injustices suffered by the saints. Even though the wicked say, "The Lord does not see" (Psalm 10:4) or "God has forgotten; He hides His face; He will never see it" (Psalm 10:11), the psalmist, hearing these words, lamented for God’s glory, saying, “Why do the wicked renounce God? Why do they say in their hearts, 'You will not require an account'?” (Psalm 10:13). God is the One who observes trouble and grief (Psalm 10:14). He is the God who sees everything.
Second, the Lord is a God who repays with His own hand.
Look again at Psalm 10:14: “But You have seen, for You observe trouble and grief, to repay it by Your hand. The helpless commits himself to You; You are the helper of the fatherless.” The wicked think that God does not see them and, in fact, they live as if God does not exist (Psalm 10:4). They say in their hearts, "I shall not be moved; I shall never be in adversity" (Psalm 10:6). But the Lord will judge them and utterly destroy the wicked’s power (Psalm 10:15). He is a God who judges the wicked (Psalm 10:18).
Finally, the Lord is the One who helps the true saints who trust in Him.
Look again at Psalm 10:14: “But You have seen, for You observe trouble and grief, to repay it by Your hand. The helpless commits himself to You; You are the helper of the fatherless.” Those who know the Lord’s name "trust in the Lord" (Psalm 9:10), and humbly present their desires before Him. Then, our Lord listens to their prayers and answers them. The same God who helped the psalmist when he needed help is with us, providing His grace to assist us in due time.
Our Lord is the One who listens to the desires of the humble. He hears the humble prayers of those who are distressed, lonely, spiritually poor, and oppressed like orphans. He answers their prayers. He is the One who causes the wicked, those who oppress and trouble us, to fall into their own traps and completely destroys them so that they can no longer threaten the poor. The Lord does not forget the poor and hears their prayers. He sees everything and, because of that, judges the wicked with righteousness. He is also the God who extends salvation and grace to the humble, helping them.
Let us humbly present our desires to God.
With a heart desiring God’s holiness and glory,
Pastor James Kim
(Humbly presenting my desires before the Lord)