“O Lord, come quickly to help me”
[Psalms 40:11-17]
I want to introduce the last part of the poem ‘The Autumn Prayer’, written by Hyun-Seung Kim, a devout Christian poet who passed away after becoming a beautiful fallen leaf at the age of 63 in 1975: ‘Let me be alone in the fall like a crow which arrived at the dry branch by passing through the surging ocean and the valley of lily.’ Regarding this part of the poem, Pastor Jae-cheol Lee said, ‘As soon as one's life falls like the fallen leaf, only those who realize that they are completely independent can have right relationship with the absolute God’ (Internet). Of course, after the fall and winter came, but I sympathize with the words saying that we need to reaffirm that we are completely isolated from the world as I personally read the poet's poem and Pastor Jae-cheol Lee's writing regarding that poem. Therefore, we must thoroughly lie down before our absolute God and cry out to Him.
In Psalms 40:11-17, we see the psalmist David, who prays to God as an independent person before his absolute God. Among the content of his prayer, this is what he said in verse 13b: “…O LORD, come quickly to help me.” Under this title “O Lord, come quickly to help me”, I would like to think about under three circumstances that David prayed to God and receive grace from the Lord.
The first circumstance in which David prayed to God, “O Lord, come quickly help me” was in despair.
Look at Psalms 40:12 – “For troubles without number surround me; my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see. They are more than the hairs of my head, and my heart fails within me.” Here, the phrase “my heart fails within me” is to indicate that David was in the midst of despair. Why was David in the midst of despair? The first reason was due to the “troubles without number” surrounded David, and the other reason was due to countless sins. David realized his many sins in his troubles without number, the multitude of wicked people who surrounded him. David confessed that his sins were “more than the hairs of my head” (v. 12). It is interesting that David realized his many sins before God through his many troubles. That was why when he was in troubles without number, he cried out to God, “Do not withhold your mercy from me, O LORD; may your love and your truth always protect me” (v. 11). In the midst of countless troubles that never ceased, David who realized his countless sins prayed to God, “Do not withhold your mercy from me, O LORD” (v. 11). Since David knew that he had no merit to be saved, he relied on God’s love and truth. He relied on God's unchanging virtue to look back on the saints, that is, His truth (Park).
We need to experience despair thoroughly. This is because, in despair, we can enjoy the blessing of realizing our innumerable sins, and further realize that we have none of our merits. Only then can we rely on the merits of Jesus' cross. Therefore, we must cry out to God "O Lord, come quickly to help me” when our hearts fail within us, that is, in despair: “Be pleased, O LORD, to save me; O LORD, come quickly to help me” (v. 13). In the midst of that, our despair should be turned into hope in our hearts. What hope? It is the hope of salvation.
The second circumstance in which David prayed to God, “O Lord, come quickly help me” was about to be ruined.
Look at Psalms 40:14 – “May all who seek to take my life be put to shame and confusion; may all who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace.” There are people in this world who want us to be well, but there are others who secretly want us to go bad. In Psalms 40, there were those who rejoiced at David's ruin. They were the ones who sought to take David's life. They surrounded David with countless troubles (v. 12) and tried to put him to shame and confusion (v. 14). These said to David “Aha! Aha!” (v. 15). At that time, David's prayer to God was, “May all who seek to take my life be put to shame and confusion; may all who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace” (v. 14). David asked God, “May those who say to me, "Aha! Aha!" be appalled at their own shame” (v. 15). An interesting contrast is that David's enemies sought the David’s life (v. 14), but David sought the Lord. And David prayed to God that all who seek God rejoice and be glad in Him (v. 16). David sought the Lord when his enemies sought to destroy his life. And he asked God to make all who seek Him to rejoice and be glad. Think about it. What makes us happy when we are in a situation like David's? How can we rejoice and be glad when we are in the situation where troubles without number surround us and we truly realize how many our sins are through those troubles? With what or because of who can we rejoice and be glad when all who seek to take our lives and who laugh at us “Aha! Aha!” to us in order to put us to shame and confusion? There is only the Lord. Only the Lord is our joy and the reason for us to be glad in the days of troubles. Then, why is it that only the Lord our joy and the reason for us to be glad in the days of troubles? The reason is that only the Lord becomes our Savior and gives us the joy of salvation. So David referred to ‘the one who seeks the Lord’ as ‘the one who love the salvation of the Lord’: “But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation always say, ‘The LORD be exalted!’” (v. 16) Here, the phrase “The Lord be exalted!” means that our God will save us bountifully (Park). In the midst of countless troubles, in the midst of the tribulation by those who seek to destroy our lives, God loves and saves bountifully those who seek Him, their joy, and those who love His salvation. To this God of salvation, David prayed “O Lord, come quickly to help me” (v. 13).
We must seek the Lord when we suffer because of those who seek to ruin us. We must love and seek the salvation of the Lord. Then He will give us the joy of salvation through the God of salvation who seeks us.
The third and last circumstance in which David prayed to God, “O Lord, come quickly help me” was when he was in poor and needy.
Look at Psalms 40:17 – “Yet I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer; O my God, do not delay.” David was in agony and in need (v. 17) because of “troubles without number” (v. 12), countless sins (v. 12), and those who sought to destroy his life (v. 14) and those who rejoiced his ruin (v. 14). David, who thought and sought the Lord at that time, believed that the Lord would think of him. The basis of this belief and conviction was the knowledge of who God is and the experience of that knowledge in his life. In other words, David knew that God was his “help” and his “deliverer” and he also experienced that God in his past life. David, who had experienced God's help and deliverance on the journey of faith countless times, wrote Psalms 40 and believed that God would help him and deliver him. So he prayed “O my God, do not delay” (v. 17) and “O Lord, come quickly to help me” (v. 13).
We must meditate deeply on who our God is when we are in trouble and in need. Our God is “my help” and also “my deliverer” (v. 17). As we meditate on this God, we must remember our experience of God in our past lives, we must remember the grace of His help and deliverance. And we must believe and be confident that our God will help us and deliver us, even in the midst of our current trouble and need. In the midst of that, we must pray, “O my God, do not delay” and “O Lord, come quickly to help me”.
In despair, we must lie down and plead before the Absolute God. Then our God will turn our despair into hope of salvation. Also, when we are in the midst of harm and ruin, we must seek God like David, so we can taste the joy of salvation. We must experience God's help and deliverance as we pray to God when we are in trouble and in need. May the hope and joy of our salvation, and the conviction of salvation be in the midst of despair and harm, and ruin and in suffering and in need in the our lives of prayers.
After asking God for help for those whom I love who are in despair, pain, trouble and need,
James Kim
(Looking at God who gives hope, joy and assurance of salvation)