Who's Your Mainstay?

Read Psalm 54:1-7

"Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is with those who uphold my life" (v. 4). David wrote those words when he was hiding from King Saul. We can translate this verse, "The Lord is the mainstay of my life." Is God the mainstay, the main support, of your life today?

David went through several stages waiting for God to help him. He began with prayer. "Save me, O God, by Your name, and vindicate me by Your strength. Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth" (vv. 1, 2). That's a great way to pray. David was being attacked by the enemy, by those who did not believe in God. He needed help, so he cried out to Him.

We see a turning point at verse 4, where David's faith goes to work. "Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is with those who uphold my life [the Lord is the mainstay of my life]. He will repay my enemies for their evil. Cut them off in Your truth" (vv. 4,5). David now is trusting the Lord. It's one thing to cry out to God, but it's something else to believe that He is going to hear and answer.

David ends his psalm with praise. "I will freely sacrifice to You; I will praise Your name, O Lord, for it is good" (v. 6). Why? "For He has delivered me out of all trouble; and my eye has seen its desire upon my enemies" (v. 7). This is an interesting sequence of experiences: David had trouble. This led him to trust God, which resulted in triumph. He had a problem, so he turned to prayer, which brought about praise to the Lord.

When you're in trouble and forced to wait for help, where you place your faith is all-important. Is your sequence of experiences similar to David's? (Problem to prayer to praise? Trouble to trust to triumph?) Next time you must wait for help, let your faith go to work. God will hear you and answer your prayer.

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