Hey, Bible readers. I'm Tara Lee Cobble, and I'm your host for the Bible Recap. We have another day of Psalms today, another day where David is responding to God in light of his circumstances. And as a refresher, he's been promised the throne. But the current King has been hunting him down until recently, and he's living in the desert. Most of these Psalms have some lament woven into them, but also lots of hope. I'm not sure my heart would be so filled with praise if I were in David's circumstances. In Psalm 56, David reminds himself of what is eternal, and he fixes his eyes on that, on God, in the midst of his troubles. It's easy to think God is distant or unfeeling when we're going through trials, but David knows that's not true. He says God has kept count of his tossing, has stored his tears in a bottle, and has recorded all of this in detail in his book. God knows and God sees He's not distant. David knows that God is for him despite what his circumstances seem to say. Psalm 120 is a bit different from most laments. It's short and it doesn't end with hope or praise.

It's almost like he wrote it in a rush. And you know what? I love that it got recorded like this. It's his honest thoughts, his heart's cry to God, unpolished and seemingly incomplete, yet it's preserved in scripture. This probably mirrors my prayers more closely than half of the other stuff David wrote. I don't always remember to praise him for who he is and what he's done. I don't always remember to preach the gospel to myself. And this Psalm serves as a reminder from David that God invites me in the conversation with himself regardless. Psalm 140 is another unique Psalm. David begs for deliverance from the words and hands and plans of evil men. He asks God to be attentive, and he praises God for being his covering. In verse seven, he says, 'Oh Lord, my Lord, the strength my salvation, you have covered my head in the day of battle. This verse reminds me of the helmet of salvation that Paul references in Ephesians 6. With God as his covering, he has protection and salvation. And that's our only hope as well, that Christ is our covering. He asked God to thwart the plans of the wicked, acknowledging God's sovereign control over the plans of man.

And he prays for the destruction of his enemies. These may be hard prayers to stomach, but we also know that these people are God God's enemies, too. David knows God is a God of justice and that the righteous will praise him for his actions on their behalf. He continues in Psalm 140 with a request for God to listen and act quickly. He's not near the tabernacle. He's in the wilderness, so he can't be there for sacrifices and incense burning. All he's got to offer are his prayers and his hands up in praise. So he asked God to accept those offerings. He also asked God to guard his heart and his words. He knows how the human heart can easily be led astray. In this Psalm, even more than he asked God to protect him from his enemies, he asked God to grant him personal integrity. He wants to surround himself with the righteous, and he longs for accountability. If you've ever been without good Christian community, you may resonate with David's desires here. He may be surrounded by 600 men, but it's likely that none of them are on the level with him here. They may not know God like he does, or they may be too impressed by the giant slayer to speak honestly with him.

He probably feels very alone. Today's final chapter, Psalm 142, is just gorgeous. There's such a depth of ache mingled with an abounding hope. The second verse says, I pour out my complaint before him. I tell my trouble before him. It reminds me of Hannah when she was crying out to the Lord in 1 Samuel. David feels utterly alone here, but not without faith that God will shift things for him soon. What was your God shot today? I love the picture of God storing up David's tears, counting and recording all of his tossings, being attentive to it all. David had lived in the palace. He was a war hero. He had worshiped at the tabernacle. He had a best friend who risked his life for him. And here he was, living on a rock in the desert with 600 men who don't really get him while he clings to a God he can't make sacrifices to. He can't keep the festal calendar in the city. He can't bring his tithe. He has nothing to offer God but prayers and praise and tears. And God treasures every bit of it. David knows that he comes to God empty-handed and that he's deeply in need of everything.

He cries out to his only hope, who is also my only hope and your only hope. Our God is attentive, and he knows we have nothing to offer him, but he delights in us still. You can take your needs and your nothing to him. He's where the joy is.

Are you a part of a church? I hope so.

We love the local church, and we also love partnering with the local church. Now, listen, I know January feels far off, but lots of churches are already making decisions now about what they'll be doing next year.

So if you're on staff at a church or you know someone who is, we would love for you to mention the Bible Recap and suggest us as a way to help your church read through the Bible next year. Tell your church how much it has changed your own walk with God and how surprisingly doable it is. You can also point them to the church page on our website, thebiblerecap. Com/church, or click the link in the show notes. In every section of scripture we've recap together, I've asked you one important question. What was your God shot today? I can't express to you enough how learning who God is and what his character is can change your life. I want to invite you to dig deeper into this topic with me as I talk with Denise from KSBJ. To hear our conversation, just click the link in the show notes.