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“O Lord, you have seen this; do not be silent. Do not be far from me, Lord. Awake, and rise to my defense! Contend for me, my God and Lord. Vindicate me in your righteousness, Lord my God” (Psalm 35:22-24).

Once again David is in trouble. It seems like his life is nothing but trouble. Many of his Psalms are requests for liberation. And David thinks God tends to be slow in responding to his pleas. Sound familiar?

The bold opening of this prayer is worth some reflection. David asks God to fight against his enemies. Have we ever made such a prayer? Would we? Should we? What should such prayers sound like today? What would we want God to do with our enemies?

Further, should God consider our enemies His enemies? Maybe we ought to turn that around: do we consider God's enemies our enemies?

Certainly, these reflections ought to be tempered with the biblical instructions to love our enemies and to bless them (Romans 12:9-12). What would it look like for God to bless our enemies? How would we articulate a prayer for God to do good by them?

As we read this psalm, it is difficult to miss David's impatience. He is being harassed from all sides. He is wearied to the bone by the mocking taunts of his accusers. He wants some relief, some space, some quiet. And he tells God that he wants it now.

Yet, the psalm weaves together despair and hope. The despair comes because of those who stand against him. At least some of these have been close friends, people he has prayed for (13). David is distressed because of their schemes, slander, and scorn. They are scheming against him, they are making false accusations against him, and they are laughing at him, gloating over his anticipated downfall.

Yet, as he voices his complaint, David's perspective began to change. Hope is born. He begins to anticipate the day when God will respond. He remembers that God takes care of "the poor and needy" (10).

David’s perspective is enlarged as he waits on God. So often we live in the moment and the pains of life make everything revolve around "the now." But God has a better perspective. There may be more important things at hand than our immediate relief. Like David, we need to learn to wait on the Lord. While we wait, we remember who he is.

As David waits for the Lord's deliverance, he does not hide. Instead, he enters the company of the faithful. Like good food, sorrows and pains need to be shared. It is too difficult to carry them alone. We do well to develop the friendships that can be counted on in trouble. Yet, for David, at least some of these friends turned against him.

Maybe some of you can relate to David. Or maybe you have let your friends down. You left them alone in their time of sorrow. An admission of guilt is a good way to start afresh. As Christians, we do need to develop the courage to walk with those in pain and the courage to admit our faults.

Into his complaint, lament, David weaves hints of praise. Even as he wrestles with God's silence, he insists that he is a worshipper of the Lord God. Though he has no clue as to what God may be up to, though he can't fathom God's silence, he will continue to put his hope in the Lord.