Today, we are on psalm 28 and in it, David again gives us a picture of what depending on God looks like. In verse 1 he says, “For if you remain silent, I will be like those who go down to the pit.” I don’t like being in situations where I’m that dependent upon God to show up. I like the idea of him giving me a little extra boost every now and again, but I want to believe that my success is dependent upon me properly appropriating the internal and external resources at my disposal. While I may like the thought of this, the reality is that I’m already way out of my league.

I remember the morning of the day that Abbi and I got married. When it hit me that Abbi was about to walk down the aisle and entrust herself to me, I broke down in tears. I knew in that instant that I would need God’s help to be the husband that he wanted me to be. I remember the birth of both my boys and the humbling feeling that comes over you when you know you can’t do it on your own. It’s easy to feel all big and bad when you’re not the one in the situation, but when you’re the one standing in front of the mountain, prayer becomes second nature. When I think about accepting the role that I’m in right now to be the Campus Pastor of Seacoast Columbia, the same feeling comes to mind. I knew and still know that apart from God’s grace, I’m in a heap of trouble.

David knew this as well. “If you remain silent, I will be like those who go down to the pit.” David knew that every step forward would only be paved by God’s grace and that without it, no forward steps would be taken. He knew that he’d be completely lost without God’s favor. This is when you pray more out of desperation than discipline. Whenever I hear someone talking about how they’re too busy or how it’s so hard to prioritize spending time with God, I see it as a desperation problem and not a discipline one.

To be sure, discipline plays into it, but there is more to it than that. One pastor told me that prayer, by it’s very act, is saying to God that we can’t do it without him. If you find yourself not praying about problems more often than not, perhaps it’s because you’re still convinced that you can do it on your own. There are a number of reasons for this belief, but it is a false one. My hope for you is that life, trial or circumstance will somehow teach you that dependence upon God is the only way to experience true life. For as long as we are convinced that we can do it all on our own, I see no reason why God wouldn’t allow us to keep persisting without him.