Blessed Be the Lord

"Blessed be the LORD, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications (Ps. 28:6 KJV)."

A detailed is prayer recorded in the first five verses of Psalm 28. The prayer ends by blessing God in worship and praise for hearing it. Take notice it wasn't answered prayer the psalmist was blessing God for.

The Prayer
David begins the prayer of Psalm 28 with these words: "Unto thee will I cry, O LORD my rock; be not silent to me (Ps. 28:1 KJV)." He continues the prayer in verses 3 and 4, and I paraphrase: "Don't take me away with the wicked. Give them according to their deeds. Render to them what they deserve."

David understood the demise of the wicked. This is evidenced in Psalm 28:5. He finishes his prayer by referring to it: "Because they regard not the works of the LORD... he shall destroy them."

The key to understanding this prayer is found in the first verse in the word rock. The word denotes God as being a rock, a strong refuge or a fortress. What's interesting is the Hebrew word for rock is derived from a root word meaning to confine. When we insert this key into Psalm 28:3, "Draw me not away with the wicked (KJV)," or to paraphrase, "don't take me away with the wicked," we have David praying for the salvation found only in God, the strong Rock. He's praying to be confined within the strong Rock.

Blessing the Lord
Psalm 28:6 is David giving thanks to God for hearing his prayer. He prayed in faith (Ps. 28:1-5). By the same faith David offers thanksgiving and worship. As he placed faith in his prayer for salvation, so he placed faith in the fact that God would hear it.

Psalm 28:6 tells us those who pray in faith have hope of an answer because by the same faith in which we offer the prayer, we have faith that God will hear it. Like the psalmist David, we should offer up praise and worship to God thanking him because, by faith, we believe he hears our prayers. This thanks is offered before the answer is received.

Allow me to conclude with these golden words of truth from the great commentator Matthew Henry, "What we win by prayer we must wear by praise." God bless...