“They called for help, but no one came to their rescue. They even cried to the Lord, but he refused to answer. I ground them as fine as dust in the wind. I swept them into the gutter like dirt.”
Psalm 18:41-42 NLT
Gruesome language from David in our verses for today. Not words that apply literally though; instead an allegorical representation of what David would perhaps have liked to do to his enemies. David was showing his disdain for his enemies when he wrote about grinding “them as fine as dust”, because dust is considered useless and of no consequence, a nuisance to be discarded. But what David felt about his enemies was not in itself a problem to them. After all, what people we don’t know think of us is not really of any consequence. What matters is having a relationship with people, such as our friends and family, that contains mutual love and respect.
We turn to God and wonder what He thinks of His enemies, all those people who deny that He exists, or refuse to obey His commands. Does He consider them as “dust” in a world full of people numbered ” … like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore …” (Genesis 22:17)? In the brief life spans of human beings they have an opportunity to make choices about their relationship with their Creator God. But afterwards they may indeed become like “dust … swept … into the gutter like dirt”. There will come a time when God’s enemies will be in a place where they effectively don’t exist anymore. Like dust, they will be useless and will have lost the opportunity to spend eternity in a wonderful place called Heaven. Instead they will find themselves in a terrible place, regretting forever their wrong choices, hence the weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 13:42). They are dust, unloved, unnoticed and ignored.
In our societies, people without a relationship with God will nevertheless have a faint but tangible impression that there is a “higher power” somewhere, overlooking our planet. These people, however, will have rejected a personal and loving relationship with Him, putting themselves in the focus of Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:23, “But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws’”. But notwithstanding this, such people, in a time of crisis, will call out to God for salvation from whatever they are facing. And they find that, as David recorded, “He refused to answer”. Why should God answer the prayers and cries for help from people He doesn’t know? David had a great relationship with the Lord, and He had many testimonies of answered prayer, such as earlier in Psalm 18:3, “I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and he saved me from my enemies”. But David noted that when his enemies called upon the Lord, He refused to answer.
God always answers prayers, including cries for help, if we pilgrims are patient enough and sensitive enough to hear God’s voice. God’s answers fall into three categories – “Yes”, “No”, and “Maybe” or “Not Yet”. How long it will be before His answers to our prayers and cries for help come about is up to our faith. Jesus said, “I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours” (Mark 11:24). Matthew 21:22 adds the word “faith”, “You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it”. We understand, of course, that our prayers must align with God’s will if we are looking for a positive answer.
In John 9 we can read the account of the occasion when Jesus healed a blind man. In the ensuing, rather scathing and hostile conversation with the Pharisees, the blind man said, “We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but he is ready to hear those who worship him and do his will” (John 9:31). That verse showed an insight into God’s ways that applies to all who call upon His name for salvation. David’s enemies cried out to the Lord for help but “He refused to answer” because God didn’t know them – they were sinners.
The Bible is full of references to the conditions necessary for God to hear us. Proverbs 15:29, “The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayers of the righteous“. 1 Peter 3:12, “The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil”. And a few words from the old Apostle John, “I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life. And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for” (1 John 5:13-15).
Dear Father God. We know that You listen to our prayers and always give us an answer. We understand that what we hear may not align with our human thoughts, but we trust You in knowing what is best for us. Please increase our faith, we pray. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 