Knowing God

Day 107: Psalm 16-18

Psalm 18 is about when God delivered David from all his enemies, including Saul. Two things strike me about this chapter.

1. David tells God "thank you." Saying thank you seems simple enough, but so often we are quick to judge and accuse God when things don't work out, and we neglect to tell God thanks when he is at work in our lives. But saying thank you requires noticing and then acknowledging that God had a role. That seems simple enough, but if we don't notice God's hands at work in our lives, then how can we do it?

2. David knows God. This psalm is very, very lengthy and is filled with praises to God, praises that are, once again, specific and exact. David's words show that he knows God--that he knows what he can do and who he is. I compare David's song here praising God, which could also be considered a prayer (songs are prayers, right?), to some of the prayers we say in church, and I notice a distinct difference: David is confident in his understanding of God in ways that we are not. His confidence allows him to speak to God about God's ways--praising his ways, giving him thanks, and admiring him for all of his ways--and to be confident that he knows God and that he does not speak falsely about God in his praise of God.

Why are we often not so confident in expressing praise about what God has done in our world--both at a local level and a global one? Maybe it's because we don't notice God at work when he's at work. Maybe we don't pray like David does because we don't want to speak ill about God, or to be so arrogant as to assume we know all about God and who he is. Or maybe it's something else. Regardless of the reason, I admire David's confidence, his ability to sing praises to God and speak about God in ways that show he knows God and thanks God for what he has done.

Maybe we can get to know God better by reading these psalms and putting ourselves in the position of the writer.