“ …THE LORD… AND WIT’S END.”
“In my desperation I prayed, and the LORD listened; He saved me from all my troubles.” Psalm 34:6 NLT
My mom is a lovely lady. Eighty-six year’s old, heading towards her eighty seventh birthday, Lord willing. Recently while going out to dinner a friend stopped and asked her how she was doing, and with her sense of wit shining through, she, for not the first time in my presence replied, “No use in complaining, sure no one listens to me anyway,” and with that, a big smile beamed across her mischievous face! The comment is made in jest, and usually has the same response of a hearty laugh, or smile. But what if this was true? That no one listened to you with any concern for you, how would that be? To know there is no one who cares for how you feel…how you are doing…what troubles, or concerns you may have? It would be very difficult, soul destroying, and isolating. “But God…” He cares, and as we see from David’s testimony in a time of fears (v.4), and troubles, he found a Friend! Someone who cared about him, listened to, and acted on his behalf…the LORD! The word “LORD“, as used by many, can be uttered in such a way that no thought is given its meaning, or the Majesty of the One who is…LORD.
- Exodus 3:15 reveals the LORD as the Independent One, Self-Existent…in need of nothing, and no one outside of Himself. The Eternal “I Am.”
- In Deuteronomy 7 we see the LORD as, the Covenant Keeping One. He who promises, and has the power to exercise the fulfillment of each promise He makes.
- In Malachi 3:6, we see the LORD as, the Unchanging One. He is consistently the same…Immutable…No change…Always constant.
- In Isaiah 46:9-11, the LORD is revealed as the Sovereign One. The last five letters of Sovereign…reign…speaks to this meaning…He REIGNS!!! He is in control…there is no cosmic battle…no see-saw struggle between Him, Satan, or any other powers that be. HE IS GOD…He reigns over all and He does so effortlessly!
- In Genesis 22:14, the LORD is revealed as the One who has PRE-vision and who makes Provision…Jehovah Jireh…the PROVIDER…”So Abraham called that place, ‘The LORD Will Provide’. And to this day it is said, ‘On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.’” (Genesis 22:14). The mountain of praise – worship – thanksgiving, because of provision by the LORD!
- In Genesis 2:4, the LORD is revealed as Creator God!
It is to this One…the Self-Existent…Covenant keeping…Unchanging… Sovereign LORD…the Provider…who – is – GOD, who David calls out to in his desperation. He knew in whom he believed. And the LORD delivered him, rescued him, saved him out of all his fears (v.4), and from ALL of his troubles. Think on that!
What troubles are you in? What fears seek to paralyze you? Do you really want to be free from them? Then are you in a great place…Someone does care… And He is presently and eternally able to do what only He can do…save, rescue, deliver us; from ALL our fears, and out of ALL our troubles. It does not say He keeps us from ALL troubles, for such is life, “But God…” is able, as He did with David, to deliver you OUT OF ALL YOUR TROUBLES. What A Mighty God HE IS! It was in his fears, and troubles that David experienced, and knew God in a specific way…and your troubles are your opportunities to know this same God in a specific way.
The cry of DESPERATION can be the beginning of your LIBERATION!
The place of … WIT’S END!!
Note, where David began from…he began from a place of DESPERATION. He was at the end of himself, what we might often refer to as at wits end.He needed God…and…God did not disappoint!! This is the beginning point. We must come to the realization that neither you, nor I, are God…this is tough, but we must begin here, then we can seek the One who is God…in the Word that He has given to us and as He reveals who He really is…The Self-Existent, covenant keeping, Unchanging, Sovereign, God who reigns over all…the Great I AM…then we begin to understand that He is our true need in our hard times and we will cry to Him, just as David did, in humility, and desperation…and just as He did for David, He WILL show Himself sufficient and so much more, to us!
Could it be that, we do not see God put Himself on display because we don’t really know who the LORD is and so, never come to the place where David did, “In my desperation I prayed…and the LORD heard me….”, because we are just too self- sufficient to see our utter helplessness without Him?