Have you ever been the victim of another's lies or worse? If it's a friend or relative, you feel betrayed. If it's someone else, you can feel disbelief, anger, all sorts of emotions.
For David or any of the Israelites, they most likely felt abandoned by God and were anxious to feel his presence. In this psalm, it seems as though David feels that in addition to God's protection, he also needs his guidance.
I can understand where he's coming from even though my life has never been in danger. However, after losing a job because of someone else's lies, I didn't have a clue what to do or where to turn. I still had bills to pay, children to care for and a job to find!
I needed God to lead me to the path he wanted me to follow. I'm sure that most of us have felt lost at some time or another and have turned to God for help.
My path led me first to what was not where God wanted me to end up, but was a necessary stop in order to find my true vocation.
We all may have stops along the way that make us think the God's plan is crazy, but if we keep faith and keep following his path, his plan for us comes to fruition. The key is to keep believing.
David had many stops along his way and made a lot of bad moves that God alone could use to bring about his ultimate plan. After all, Saul had tried to kill him; he had fought many battles to bring the Kingdom together and had sinned terribly with Bathsheba.
Yet out of all this, Israel became a United Kingdom, Solomon was born to continue a Kingdom that was basically at peace. When we keep asking God for help and keep following his directions, we too can be at peace.
