Many of us will always remember feeling out of control and filled with fear as Covid 19 entered our lives and thoughts.  Almost overnight, businesses closed, masks went on, 6 feet apart lines formed at the grocery stores, ammunition sold out, shelves emptied, hoarding of toilet paper began, while rhetoric and blaming reached new heights.  Soon, isolation prevailed, while worry, sickness and death tolls filled the news.  Inside all this angst, we felt out of control.  

In Psalm 86, the opening words of King David sound like a desperate cry for help as he wailed, “Hear me, Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy” (Psalm 86:1).  Imagine being a king of David’s stature, surrounded by enemies ready to attack, where he moans, “ruthless people are trying to kill me” (Psalm 86:14).  Here we are, 3000 years after David wrote these words, and we certainly can feel his pain.  

But the strength of this Psalm is found when David responds to these enemies by reminding himself, again and again, who God is.  The fact that the king calls himself, “poor and needy” shows how puny the mighty King David was when compared to the sovereign, powerful God.

Then, notice how King David prayed and worshipped saying, “You are my God” (Psalm 86:2).  Then he raises the bar and says it again, “You alone are God” (Psalm 86:10). Here David called God, “Adonai” which means “Lord,” of supreme power, authority as master or ruler.

With David’s words, spoken out loud, he was reminding himself, telling his own mind and his own heart, God is in control.  He did this as he adored God saying, “You, Adonai, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call on you” (Psalm 86:5) and “You are great and do marvelous deeds” (Psalm 86: 10).

What an incredible lesson we can learn here.  When we are faced with problems, worry or fear. . . When we are reminded of how poor and needy we are, we won’t need to wonder: Where will we go, what can we do, and who do we run to?  We, like David, can to turn to our God who is still in control.

Dear Jesus, you alone have the words of eternal life (John 6:68).  You alone are God.  You alone are my God.  Help us Lord, to remember that you aren’t afraid.  You are not afraid of covid, sickness, politics or unrest. You are the true King and you are in control.  Help us to give our worries and fears to you as we turn them into praise.