Psalm 140 is a psalm of King David. Its content is familiar to us: David calls out to the LORD to protect him from his enemies. In this psalm, David calls more directly for the LORD to eliminate his enemies and to “pour coals on their heads.” While such language can be offensive to modern ears, as the King of Israel, David had many enemies. He relied on the LORD for protection, as he had all his life.
Psalm 141, another psalm of King David, starts with David calling on the LORD to protect Him, and to keep him from sin. David wants the LORD’s strength and power to keep him faithful. Then as the psalm progresses, it moves again toward calling on the LORD to protect him from his enemies. If we did not know David’s history from having read 1 & 2 Samuel, and 1 Kings, we might think he was being paranoid, but we know David both needed and relied on the LORD’s protection in his life. We also need his protection in ours, even though our lives might be quite peaceful by comparison.
Psalm 142 is another psalm of King David. We’re told he was in a cave when he wrote this psalm. He cries out to the LORD for protection and deliverance. This grouping of psalms follow this general theme, and this one helps us to understand why the concern for his safety. After all, when you are hiding in a cave from your enemies, it makes sense to call on the LORD for help!
In Psalm 143, King David calls out once again to the LORD for protection and deliverance from enemies. If we look at all the psalms of David we know he praised the LORD with an eloquence unsurpassed by others. He also cried out to the LORD for protection and deliverance with a passion and energy unsurpassed as well. We are told David was a “man after God’s own heart.” That doesn’t mean David never sinned–far from it. We know he committed adultery and had a man murdered to cover it up. Yet, out of that experience David repented from the depth of his being. His psalms show us whatever condition of life we experience, we can turn to the LORD in praise or petition. The LORD is faithful in every situation to hear us, and to guide us.
As we return to Luke 9, let’s consider Jesus’ feeding of the five thousand, the only miracle recorded in all four gospels. As we read the account, one thing that stands out is Jesus knew the crowd was massive. It included five thousand men, so it must have been at least fifteen thousand including women and children. He had only five loaves of bread and two fish. Yet, when he received that small gift, He looked up to heaven and gave thanks. Let’s stop right there. The need was massive, the supply was limited, a fraction of what was needed. Yet, Jesus didn’t look to heaven and beg His Father to supply more. He gave thanks. Gratitude is such a powerful force. Gratitude issues forth in generosity in our lives. Here the gratitude preceded the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fish. We would do well in our lives, to start with thanksgiving when we face a need. Giving thanks opens us to the realization we serve a God who is more than enough for us, and for all our needs.