Arise, O Lord, in your anger;
Lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies
Awake for me; you have appointed a judgment . . . (Psalm 7:6, “of David”)
Who does this “of David” character think he is? He seems to believe that the Creator and Master of the universe, of the sky with its stars and the sea with its endless waves, is at his beck and call. He has no qualms about marching up to heaven’s gate and yanking on the bell pull, yelling, “Wake up!” Then he lays out a case, such as it is: “I’m the righteous one; they’re the bad guys. Whose side are You on?”
What nerve!
David was a pretty nervy guy, and it didn’t always put him on the side of the angels. But this Psalm and many others demonstrate where his boldness came from. First, confidence (whoever calls on the Lord must believe he exists), then acknowledgment (God is a righteous judge), dependence (Save and Deliver me!) and vulnerability (Judge me according to my righteousness). If he seems cocky, he knows where Square One is. If he seems full of himself . . . it’s not really himself he’s full of. What makes David a man after God’s own heart, rather than just a blowhard, opportunist, or bully, is that he’s after God’s own heart.
No one is more real to him. If the Lord demands nothing greater than faith from David, then David delivers. By faith he demands great things from God, like the terrified disciples crying out, “Master, wake up! Don’t you care if we all drown?” Or the widow who makes a pest of herself, knocking and insisting and demanding until the judge finally gives in.
They’ve got a lot of nerve, and so do we, if we’d only recognize and make use of it.