Joy in Answered Prayer

Psalms 28:1-9 

Rejoicing in A Psalm of David.

1 To You I will cry, O LORD my Rock:
Do not be silent to me,
Lest, if You are silent to me,
I become like those who go down to the pit.

2 Hear the voice of my supplications
When I cry to You,
When I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary.

3 Do not take me away with the wicked
And with the workers of iniquity,
Who speak peace to their neighbors,
But evil is in their hearts.

4 Give them according to their deeds,
And according to the wickedness of their endeavors;
Give them according to the work of their hands;
Render to them what they deserve.

5 Because they do not regard the works of the LORD,
Nor the operation of His hands,
He shall destroy them
And not build them up.

6 Blessed be the LORD,
Because He has heard the voice of my supplications!

7 The LORD is my strength and my shield;
My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore my heart greatly rejoices,
And with my song I will praise Him.

8 The LORD is their strength,
And He is the saving refuge of His anointed.

9 Save Your people,
And bless Your inheritance;
Shepherd them also,
And bear them up forever.

This song of answered prayer is one of great joy.  The psalmist first cries out to the LORD and begs to be heard.  If he does not know his prayer is being listened to, then it is no better for him than those headed towards destruction, so he pleads to know he is heard by the one with power over life and death and judgment.  He lifts up holy hands as a servant with a cleansed heart in worship.  He is not like those evildoers around him who plan against everyone else with evil intent in their hearts while speaking nicely to them outwardly.  His heart is aimed to loving his neighbors, not hating them without a cause, to do them good.  He prays against those who prey on others, asking God to give the reprobate their just due for denying Him and hating them.  He does this because he knows that such men set on evil do not care about God’s work and what He does for His people (whom He made in His image and for His glory).  Then David praises his Lord when he is aware of the hearing of his prayers, knowing the answers will follow in God’s time and way.  Here he only mentions that he was heard, which includes either a present or future action by the LORD.  He trusted, had faith that God would shield and strengthen him because of that faith.  This is where the great joy came from, knowing that God hears and answers to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16).  This is what drove the king to sing joyful praises.  But he also spoke of himself as a type of the Anointed One to come, the Christ.  God is a refuge of strength to save and bless His inheritance in us (Ephesians 1:18), the one who shepherds us as He did David.  He bears us up by grace through prayer by promise.  That should give us great joy as well.