¹²Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up Your hand. Do not forget the afflicted.

This psalm of lament begins with a question for God, “Why do You stand afar off, O Lord?” Who among us hasn’t reverberated with a similar cry of the heart? Where is God when we need Him? Why aren’t You here, God? Are You listening? That’s how David felt. While he is not stated as the author, this psalm is part of what is considered the first collection of David’s psalms (Pss. 3-41). This psalm is flanked by Psalms 9 and 11, both identified as Davidic in authorship.

In contrast to the previous psalm, which began with confidence and exuded praise and trust amid lamentable circumstances, this psalm carries a stronger lament and cry for help. The opening lines set the tone. Lest we think such emotional feelings of abandonment are sub-spiritual, we note that our Lord Jesus Himself quoted Psalm 22:1 when He cried from the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Unfaithful? Carnal? Immature spirituality? Not in the least. These are the honest reflections of one whose heart is deeply connected with God and who longs for Him. David is doing a good thing! These were his genuine emotions. We should be so glad that he didn’t stuff those feelings so that we can see the authentic life of faith as this godly example wrestles with his adverse circumstances.

David doesn’t hold back as he tells God of his situation and enemies; he describes them in strong, condemning terms. They are wicked, greedy, arrogant. Not only do they fail to live for God, but they also openly deny His existence (Ps. 10:4). Today, it is difficult to imagine a spiritual man making such harsh judgments, but we must remember that David was assessed by God as exhibiting the heart of godliness (Acts 13:22). He reflects what God thinks and says about calloused, hardened sinners who defy Him (see, for example, Rom. 1:18-32).

To rub salt in David’s wounds, so to speak, it seems that his adversaries are prospering while he is suffering (Ps. 10:5), and that is even though they are “full off curses and deceit and oppression” (Ps. 10:7). To put it in current terminology, his oppressors are narcissists, being convinced that even their rank deceptions and lies are justified. They try to create their own reality. All that matters to people like that is that they can act without any accountability (Ps. 10:11) in an entirely self-serving manner. They have no sense of conscience because they have put God out of their minds and lives.

Both then and now, people like David’s oppressors will not respond to logical, rational conflict resolution, nor spiritual admonishment. They are like the fool and scoffer of Proverbs, whose own devices will be the cause of their demise, and the whole time they scoff at God and all things good and righteous. There is no arguing with them.

It might be easy to ask why David didn’t just use physical force and go to war with his enemies. However, life is never quite that simple. Deception, greed, and arrogance are not easily countered, and David apparently felt the situation was beyond his control. God, in His wisdom, has withheld the background to this psalm, thereby giving it broad application to any situation where we feel powerless in the face of severe opposition.

So David calls out to God (Ps. 10:12-14) and asks God to “[b]reak the arm of the wicked and the evildoer …” (Ps. 10:15). And then, he wraps this with his proclamation of praise (Ps. 10:16-18). He knows the God he worships: “The Lord is King forever and ever ….” God hears our desires, strengthens our hearts, inclines His ear, and vindicates those in need.

When conflict escalates to intense hostility against us, we should never lose sight of God, who is King forever and ever—and that includes God being king over us and our antagonists. He remains in total and authoritative control. And on that basis, we can praise Him and trust that He will raise us up with Him above our circumstances (Ps. 10:12).

Lord, if You are the helper of the orphan (Ps. 10:18) who is neglected by family, then I can trust You to raise me above my temptation to feel that You have abandoned me.