O Lord, remember in David’s favor all the hardships he endured.
✙ Ps. 132:1 ✙
I was willing to pass over the first verse of this morning's psalm without giving it much thought. Charles Spurgeon convinced me otherwise:
With David the covenant was made, and therefore his name is pleaded on behalf of his descendants, and the people who would be blessed by his dynasty. God, who changes not, will never forget one of his servants, or fail to keep his covenant; yet for this thing he is to be entreated. That which we are assured the Lord will do must, nevertheless, be made a matter of prayer. The request is that the Lord would remember, and this is a word full of meaning. We know that the Lord remembered Noah, and assuaged the flood; he remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of Sodom; he remembered Rachel, and Hannah, and gave them children; he remembered his mercy to the house of Israel, and delivered his people. That is a choice song wherein we sing, 'He remembered us in our low estate: for his mercy endureth for ever' [Ps. 136:23]; and this is a notable prayer, 'Lord remember me.' The plea is urged with God that he would bless the family of David for the sake of their progenitor; how much stronger is our master argument in prayer that God would deal well with us for Jesus' sake! David had no personal merit; the plea is based upon the covenant graciously made With him: but Jesus has deserts which are his own, and of boundless merits these we may urge without hesitation. When the Lord was angry with the reigning prince, the people cried, 'Lord remember David'; and when they needed any special blessing, again they sang, 'Lord, remember David.' This was good pleading, but it was not so good as ours, which runs on this wise, 'Lord, remember Jesus, and all his afflictions.'While I don't pray to the saints, it's okay—appropriate even—to remember them to God. But they were all unworthy servants, and were who they were only by God's grace. It is in Christ I actually put my trust.
O Holy One, remember Jesus, how he cried, 'Father, forgive them,' as he died. And when you remember that, do, Lord, remember me. I pray in the Name of the Crucified, who before he died, taught me to pray...
