David Does It Again

Part II

Perhaps the best way to describe wrestling with God isn't to look at Jacob.

Don't get me wrong--his story does provide us with an unforgettable image that should never be forgotten. But the actual mechanics of this wrestling? For that, it seems best to turn to the Psalms.

The words I read just last night seem to express this better than almost anything:

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me for ever?

How long will you hide your face from me?

How long must I bear pain in my soul,

and have sorrow in my heart all day long?

How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

Consider and answer me, O Lord my God!

Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,

and my enemy will say, ‘I have prevailed’;

my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.

David, a man after God's own heart, does not seem afraid to yell a little. Maybe he's just got nothing left to lose. Maybe he's afraid, angry. Desparately needs somebody to fix the mess he's in, and he's not afraid to say so.

Well, I'm glad he's not...'cause I certainly am. A big part of me is petrified to go to God with such vehemence, such frustration, and--dare I say it--anger?

But still there it is, printed right in the middle of our Bibles. I think it tells us something like this:

"Tell God what's on your mind. Argue with him if you need to. Yell at him if you must. Be honest about how you feel. After all, He already knows."

It's a vision of wrestling with the Almighty that is still a little offsetting, but nonetheless seems true.

And the Psalm doesn't end there. For though David is extremely upset and demands God's help, he always does so in faith. If nothing else, its a lesson of trust in the midst of anguish.

The last two verses of the 13th Psalm:

But I trusted in your steadfast love;

my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.

I will sing to the Lord,

because he has dealt bountifully with me.