 What are you supposed to do when you feel you are a million miles from God? There is no sense of His presence and your situation is one where you are hurting badly. Where do you turn? The answer from Psalm 61 may surprise you when you read it today.
David wrote the 61st Psalm at the inspiration of God – even though he felt like he was at the end of the earth – and God was thousands of miles away. Actually, David was not more than 50 miles from Jerusalem. The problem was that he felt like he was at the ends of the earth from God Himself. He was running from his son Absalom, who wanted to kill him and be king in his place. So the “ends of the earth” statement is more a spiritual description – or maybe an emotional one. Regardless of this David felt a world amount of distance from God. Who did David turn to at this point? He turned to God. One of the first things we need to remember when we “feel” a million miles from God is that this is how we “feel” – it is not a hard, cold fact. So the best thing to do is to tell God in prayer how we feel. That is what David did. He cried out to God and called to him – even though he felt like he was calling from the ends of the earth. If we allow emotional reasoning to keep us from God, we are going to wind up feeling even more hopeless. But, on the other hand, if we don’t own up to how we feel, I seriously doubt we will get much of anywhere with God. Let’s be honest. God is omniscient. It is not like He is clueless as to our thinking. So what we need to start with is to cry out to Him, letting Him know honestly where we are at the moment. That is what David did. “Hear my cry, O God; Give heed to my prayer. From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint . . . “ He said he felt like this when his heart was “faint.” The Hebrew word here refers to something that is covered over and around and under. David’s heart was so covered with his situation that he could not see. But even if he was at the end of the earth – he was going to call on God. His next statement is the source of many Christian songs. “Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” What a beautiful prayer. He knew at the “ends of the earth” he was not going to get to God on his own. So he cries out for God to lead him. God is the rock that is higher. God was stability and strength. He was higher and infinitely more stable than David. So David asked for God to bring him to where the Rock was located. In the next several verses of Psalm 61 David begins remembering Who God is. This is not the first time he’s been in a difficult situation – and God has come through every time. He remembers that God is his refuge – his tower of strength – his shelter. So David asks for God to bring him to His “tent.” This is a reference to the tabernacle – the place in Jerusalem where God dwelt between the Cherubim on top of the Ark. God was not limited to there – but in the history of Israel – God was more than able to take care of Himself and His stuff from there. When men rebelled against God and Moses – God wiped the entire group out as fire went out from His presence and killed every one of them. When a couple of drunken priests wanted to defile the worship place of God with their drunken stupor – God struck both of them dead with fire that consumed them. The lesson learned for all time – do not mess with God in the tent! David asked to be brought there – forever! This was also the place where God’s presence dwelt – and so what David was truly asking for was to be in God’s presence forever – for he knew that was the safest place on earth – or honestly – anywhere! As David prayed . . . as David meditated on Who God is . . . his heart was no longer smothered over by his circumstances. He was no longer a slave to his feelings and emotional reasoning. This was replaced by Biblical reasoning. David stops and writes, “selah” which means basically – stop and consider what I’ve said. From this point – the entire psalm changes in perspective and in attitude. David speaks for the rest of the psalm about how God has heard him and what God is going to do. God has heard me! God has given me the inheritance of those who fear Him! These are David’s first cries of joy! What a delight to know God has heard us – especially when we formerly thought God was a million miles away. And – since we have feared God and turned to Him in the midst of wanting to give up – God is going to bless us with a wealth of blessing. At this point David begins to speak boldly of what God IS going to do! David says, “I’m going to live!” But then David begins speaking in ways that are beyond what a mere man could receive. David is speaking by the Holy Spirit’s inspiration – and at this point the Holy Spirit begins speaking of the Messiah. He will live forever. He will remain before God forever. Grace and truth will be preserved through Him. These are all blessings that will come through Jesus Christ. John said in his gospel that grace and truth would be realized through Jesus! David closes the psalm by saying he wants to praise God forever – and to live before God in obedience day by day. That is where God brings us when we turn to Him. He brings us to Himself – and to His grace. He brings us to promises that have been made in the Word of God. He brings us to His ultimate promise which is the Messiah – Jesus Himself. What a blessing. Some may wonder why God would allow us to be in such a place. But I have a bigger statement to make. God leads us to such a place! He has purposed for us to come to the point where we feel a million miles away. His purpose in it is not to damage our faith or our spiritual walk – but to enhance it. Read these words God led Paul to write about God’s work in him and his associates. ”For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead; who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us, you also joining in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many.” 2 Corinthians 1:7-11 What is God’s purpose in allowing us to get to where David was? It is so that we will despair in our own living where we trust in ourselves and instead trust in God who raises the dead. It is so we will look to God to be the One who delivered us – who will deliver us – and who yet will deliver us! His other purpose is to not only engage in prayer the one who is dealing with the problem – but so that many persons will be engaged in prayer as well. Then as we watch God do what only God can do – we will praise God Who alone should be the One to be praised. Feeling a million miles from God? Yeah – God has you right where He wants you. Its where He had David – and look what He did in him?
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 Psalm 84
Verses 1-4 How lovely are Your dwelling places, O LORD of hosts! My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the LORD; My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God. The bird also has found a house, And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, Even Your altars, O LORD of hosts, My King and my God. How blessed are those who dwell in Your house! They are ever praising You. Selah. Question: Do you long for the courts of God - the place where He is worshipped? The psalmist remembered the place of worship - i.e. here the temple. He LONGED and YEARNED for God. His heart and flesh sang for joy to the living God! He considered those who were there blessed as they were ever praising God there! Does this describe us as we consider worship - as we consider gathering with God’s people each Sunday. Yes, I know this referred to the Temple and to worship there - but is not worship with the saints the nearest equivalent to it? Do we LONG and YEARN for those times? Do we consider those who are singing and praising God to be so very blessed? I don’t know about you as you read this - but I was rebuked and realized that this did not - and even now does not describe how I approach worship with the saints. But by God’s grace - and some serious repentance it WILL NOT be how I approach this coming Sunday with all of you as we meet to seek God. Verses 5-7 How blessed is the man whose strength is in You, In whose heart are the highways to Zion! Passing through the valley of Baca they make it a spring; The early rain also covers it with blessings. They go from strength to strength, Every one of them appears before God in Zion. Question: How do you walk out of and back into the place of worship? The psalmist speaks of how we walk out of the worship of God - and how we walk through the world as a result of it. What the psalmist is saying here is that as we walk through worship - God makes our hearts strong so He can walk through us into our world as we depart. There are “highways to Zion” in the true worshipper’s heart. The worship of God in the temple led to a heart where there was a highway to God. Zion refers to Jerusalem - the place where they went to corporately worship God - and seek Him - and know Him - and even be made right with Him when they sinned. Here is how practical this gets. The worshipper of God passes through life - here it is called the “valley of Baca.” The word “Baca” means weeping or troublesome place. What is said about it is that the one who worships God - and in whose heart a highway to Zion is laid as a result - they take the valley of trouble and weeping and turn it into a spring where the water wells up and bubbles out of the earth. Does your worship lead you to walk through your week with a highway to God in your heart. Does it lead to a highway where you can see God take even your most troublesome moments - your weeping moments - and turn them to a spring of water? Does your worship lead you to go from “strength to strength” as you walk in the world? The picture here is that of God strengthening you for the week ahead - that you may face difficulty and sorrow - even trials and troubles - but you go from event to event in God’s strengthening. That highway to Zion is there so that you can run to the Lord and receive His strength to handle these things. Is this true of you? The end of this section is that as they go from strength to strength - they eventually appear before God in Zion again. This is a picture of that HIGHWAY again - we are learning to live a life that turns to God! And - even as we walk it - we are led again and again to return to seek God afresh and anew. Is this true of us? When I looked at this - again I was reminded to repent and return to Him. That IS what I want - a worship so focused that I turn to Him for strength to strength as I walk through this world - and that I return to Zion again to worship Him all over again - because He is so good and so faithful. Verses 8-12 O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer; Give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah. Behold our shield, O God, And look upon the face of Your anointed. For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside. I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, How blessed is the man who trusts in You! Question: Do we consider a single day with God better than a thousand anywhere else? The psalmist prays and desires God’s answer. He desires to see God’s face (know His favor). He states that a single day in the courts of God in worship and seeking and hearing Him - is better than a 1000 spent anywhere else. If the place of worship and seeking God with His people is a 1000 times better than anywhere else in the world - how do you think we would think about worship? The psalmist also considers God as the sun which shines on him - the shield which protects him - He recounts God giving him grace and glory. He contemplates the good that God has given him. His eventual thought is that God does not withhold any good thing from the ones who walk with Him uprightly. His finishing statement is that the man who trusts God - is indeed blessed. Do I walk away from worship corporately with the saints - and think - HANDS DOWN THIS IS A THOUSAND TIMES BETTER THAN ANYTHING ELSE! I had to face this psalm with a good bit of red-faced embarrassment. But it was not something that happened that was bad - it was wonderful! I was reminded of how it should be - and what it can be if I come and approach worship with the saints before God as an amazing - wonderful - amazing thing. My hope is that with the repentance this psalm has offered me from God - I will respond - and that my view of the worship of God with His people in the church will be greatly elevated. It is my hope I will see it as a thousand times better than anything else imaginable.  Chastening. It is a term we don’t use much in modern Christianity. Some would view the teaching of God chastening us as a negative teaching - one that is thrown out with things like legalism and law. But the fact of God’s chastening is something that is not just an Old Testament truth that went away with the Gospel and the New Testament. God chastens those He loves and He scourges every son He accepts. Those words come straight out of the twelfth chapter of Hebrews, where we are warned not to despise when God comes to us in this way. It is proof that He loves us. David writes for us a chastening song - to help us grasp how we are to walk through these times of God’s discipline and displeasure with us.
DAVID’S PITIFUL CRY “O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger, Nor chasten me in Your wrath. Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am pining away; Heal me, O LORD, for my bones are dismayed. And my soul is greatly dismayed; But You, O LORD—how long?” Psalm 6:1-3 First we should probably identify when this most likely happened. This is one of seven “penitential psalms” that David wrote during the time when he was dealing with his sin of adultery with Bathsheba, and the subsequent cover-up where he sent her husband Uriah to his death in battle. David was dealing with a horrific sin he had committed - and was struggling to come to grips with repentance and receiving God’s forgiveness. His first cry is for God’s mercy - that the Lord would not rebuke him and chasten him in anger and wrath. This is something we just don’t grasp as well as we should in this current day. God is angry with sin - every day. God’s wrath is not something that comes when He supposedly loses it over our sin. It is a settled disposition that He has always had toward our choice to disobey and embrace sin in our lives. David feels the displeasure of God very consciously in his heart and spirit. He cries out for God’s grace as he is “pining away.” This word speaks of a weakness and despair that seizes us when we grasp when God’s powerful hand begins the process of chastening us. David also complained of problems he felt physically. Not all sin leads to or causes sickness - but in this case David here and in other places speaks of how his health was affected by his sin. His bones were dismayed. That word means to disturb or to terrify - and speaks of something that comes upon a person suddenly. Possibly for David an illness he could feel in his bones came upon him with a suddenness that terrified him. But the malady in his physical body was nothing compared to what was going on in his soul. David used the same word again to speak of how his soul was greatly disturbed. His soul was filled with an even greater sense of being terrified and sick. He was a mess both spiritually and physically. The cry of his heart at the thought of all that was rightfully coming upon him was this - But You, O Lord — how long? David finishes this first section with a literary device called aposiopesis, “sudden stop.” It is a dramatic stop in something said - and it reveals just how devastated David is as he faces God’s chastening and realizes his sin which brought it to pass. DAVID’S 3-FOLD PLEA Return, O LORD, rescue my soul; Save me because of Your lovingkindness. For there is no mention of You in death; In Sheol who will give You thanks? I am weary with my sighing; Every night I make my bed swim, I dissolve my couch with my tears. My eye has wasted away with grief; It has become old because of all my adversaries. Psalm 6:4-7 David, after initially reacting to the chastening of God, makes a three-fold request of God. He first makes a plea based on God’s grace. He calls for God to rescue and save him because of God’s covenant love. The word “lovingkindness” speaks of God’s grace and the covenant He made with His people. David appeals to this covenant and cries out for God’s grace in light of it. When we deal with chastening it is wise for us to follow David’s example and cry for mercy on the basis of God’s grace in Jesus Christ. The second plea of David was that God would rescue him and give him a second chance to serve God and honor Him. David speaks of death, which would be his eventual end if God refused to heal him. David’s life and voice would be silenced by death - and in the place of the dead (Sheol) there would be no opportunity to serve and honor God. We too should plead with God for a gracious second chance (or third or fourth, etc.) so we can honor and glorify Him as He deserves. David’s third plea was one based out of grief over sin. We could call it the deep repentance plea. David speaks of how his sin has made him grieve - sighing and weeping over his godless behavior. He used a strong figure of speech in stating this - saying that he has so many tears that they dissolve the couch upon which he sheds them. Here is where I want to take a moment to ask us to consider David’s example. Too often I hear preachers and teachers say that crying, tears, and weeping are not necessary for us to experience repentance. In principle I agree with this - because becoming upset does not necessarily mean that we’ve come to repentance. But - with that being said - I am concerned that we are encouraging a tearless repentance and confession as the norm. What I see in Scripture seems to disagree with that premise. When I read of those experiencing confession and repentance in the Word - I see people weeping and experiencing tears of sadness and grief. Could it be that we are setting ourselves up for failure by not embracing the grief that should be attending our realization and confession of sin? I fear the answer to this is seen in the current spiritual condition of the church. DAVID’S BREAKTHROUGH Depart from me, all you who do iniquity, For the LORD has heard the voice of my weeping.The LORD has heard my supplication, The LORD receives my prayer. All my enemies will be ashamed and greatly dismayed; They shall turn back, they will suddenly be ashamed. Psalm 6:8-10 One of the dangers of sinning is that rather than repenting and responding to God’s chastening, a person would turn away from God further and begin to embrace the lifestyle of those who live their lives in sin and iniquity. David responded to the chastening of God in a way where he saw the folly of this kind of choice. There is a radical change in this psalm where David experiences a breakthrough with God. He turns and finds mercy, grace, and forgiveness. He begins by telling those who want him to come over to a sinful lifestyle to depart from him. He has broken through the to LORD and knows that God has heard his voice, heard his weeping, heard his request. Rather than be rejected by God - David knows that God has accepted him and receives his prayer! What a glorious thing to remember in times of chastening! God hears us as we pray and weep before Him. We don’t need to heed the siren call of the devil and the world when we find ourselves far from the Lord due to sin. That call tells us there is no hope - and that we might as well hang it up and quit. Nothing could be further from the truth. God disciplines and chastens those He LOVES! The very chastening the devil says means God hates us is actually proof that He loves us. He is using it to lead us to repentance and bring about a return to Him. God receives our prayer! He accepts us! He welcomes us back in our repentance! That is a truly glorious truth we need to embrace! David also knows that his enemies, who saw his sin and spiritual demise as an opportunity to bring him down, will be turned back by his restoration to God. They saw this as a chance to not only bring David down a few notches - but also to bring his God down as well. But when God restores us and revives our hearts our enemies take a huge shot that will dismay them. The world’s thought is this - you mess up - you are done. A mess like David’s must surely mean his is history - washed up - over. But God’s grace and forgiveness changes everything. We are restored - and our enemies are ruined. They see God’s work and are dismayed that He receives us again. They turn back from their attack - and are dismayed at grace. Chastening seems bad at first to all who receive it. Even Hebrews 12 acknowledges that. It is not pleasant to be chastened - it hurts. Oh, but what wonderful fruit it brings to us. What a marvelous harvest of forgiveness and grace is ours as God’s chastening plows our hearts, plants the seeds of repentance, and waters them with our tears. Knowing this should make us far more receptive to God’s love in the future when, due to our sin, our spiritual welfare requires that we sing the chastening song. O LORD, lead me in Your righteousness because of my foes; Make Your way straight before me. There is nothing reliable in what they say; Their inward part is destruction itself. Their throat is an open grave; They flatter with their tongue. Hold them guilty, O God; By their own devices let them fall! In the multitude of their transgressions thrust them out, For they are rebellious against You. But let all who take refuge in You be glad, Let them ever sing for joy; And may You shelter them, That those who love Your name may exult in You. For it is You who blesses the righteous man, O LORD, You surround him with favor as with a shield. Psalm 5:8-12
LORD, LEAD ME! David’s first request in this next section is for God to lead him. Just as a refresher we need to remember the context of this - Absalom’s rebellion. David cried out to God for His leadership because of his foes. This was Absalom - who was the rebellious son who longed to be king. It was also Ahithophel, David’s former advisor, who joined in the rebellion with Absalom. There was also a host of others who ran to Absalom’s side in this rebellion. David’s foes were numerous - and he desperately needed God’s direction. For him it was a life and death matter. David’s cry was for God to make His way straight or smooth before him. Every decision mattered. It is this way with us too. We have an Absalom too - it is Satan, who also desires to usurp God’s rule and authority. His work is to subtly deceive us into thinking we should join his rebellion. The world is also filled with a myriad of Ahithophel’s, who seek to counsel us contrary to God’s Word. These may be anything from an actual person who wants us to walk in their way rather than God’s way. The spirit of Ahithophel is in our entertainment, our news, our music - it is everywhere. It is the spirit that wants to convince us to live for ourselves - or for the values of the world rather than those rooted in the Word of God. Believe me when I assert that we need to cry out to God daily that He lead us in His righteousness - and make His way straight so we can walk in it. We should note before moving on that David’s request is to be led in God’s righteousness - not his own self-styled direction. HARSH WORDS - FOR WHO - AND WHY? Verse 9 and 10 are a watershed moment in Scripture. They are the verse first time we have an imprecatory portion in the Psalms. If that word is new to you (imprecatory) - it refers to a call or prayer to bring down evil things or curses upon a person or group of people. There are those who are offended with these prayers - seeing them as an embarrassment to the Bible and to God. Nothing could be further from the truth. These prayers are representative of God’s holiness - and His steady position of wrath against all sin. It is what the wicked deserve for rebelling against God. Maybe it would be wise to remember what Absalom did shortly after becoming king. He was counseled by Ahithophel to rape all the remaining wives of David in broad daylight before the people. He also raised an army with the intent of killing David and all those with Him. David’s prayer is not so much a wish on his part - but as a mouthpiece for God - he offered a prophecy for those who continued in this rebellion. Indeed there was nothing true in what these two said. Their inner most beings were given over to destruction - wanting to kill David. Their throats were like an open grave with the smell of death and rotting corpses in it. All the time they were flattering the children of Israel - they were plotting death, destruction, and devastation to the King. But - before we get too self-righteous about things - Paul used these very words to describe our nature and what we are capable of in life. We do have an inner Absalom and Ahithophel in our flesh. Our “inward part” is destruction too because of our sin nature. The word used there speaks of a chasm of wickedness within us - and when we fall into it and live out of it as a source there is no depth to that which we are capable of thinking or doing. We can speak deathly words and even use flattery to accomplish sinful desires. David’s exact request is that they be destroyed - and that God would let them fall by their own wicked counsels. And for those who remember the history of these events, that is exactly what God did. He thwarted the counsel of Ahithophel when he listened instead to David’s friend, Hushai, who was working as a secret agent for David inside Jerusalem. Ahithophel hung himself when his ungodly counsel was rejected - and Absalom was destroyed in battle. But, before we become too critical toward David for this request we should also see that his desire was not for his own honor - but for the honor of God (they have rebelled against You!). Absalom and Ahithophel indeed had heaped up a multitude of sins as they rebelled not just against David - but against God. This reminds us that these imprecatory psalms have as their basis the honor and glory of God - not any personal vendetta of a man or men. PROMISES AND PRAISE David finishes this song with a call to be glad, sing for joy, and be exult over God’s gracious defense and favor. When we trust in the Lord - coming to Him in prayer for our needs and our protection - God delights in bringing that protection into our lives. It is a good thing to trust the Lord and to love His name and honor in life. It may not bring the less bumpy road to us - but even in our trials and troubles we will see Him work mightily and have reason to praise Him much! Three things here are told us concerning how God will work to answer our prayers. First we find refuge in Him. The word refuge means to rest in the shade of a tree. The word was also used as a picture describing how baby birds would find refuge under the wings of their mother. God protects and gives us a refuge in Him in our darkest and most difficult moments. Second, when we embrace God’s righteousness in our troubles - God will bless us. The word blesses in this passage speaks of someone giving a greeting that promises friendliness and camaraderie - and here it says that God is the One greeting us in this way. What a joy to know that He comes to us in such trying times with a friendly greeting that promises blessing, fellowship, deliverance, hope, strength - and everything you can imagine coming from a close friendship with God in those moments! Third, God promises that He will encircle us with His favor (read grace here!) like a huge shield. The shield referred to here was one that was over twice the size as a normal shield. It was used by the warrior to kneel down behind and be covered by its protection. God is that way with us - and how we should love the imagery used here. God is that shield to us - but only as we kneel in prayer and take our refuge in Him. So there we have our primer in prayer from David. It begins with a cry for God’s presence - an audience with Him in prayer. It begins with a heartfelt and sincere desire to connect with Him and wait for His answer and deliverance. It then moves into a time where we request God’s leadership and guidance, knowing that not only our outward enemies are evil - but also our inward tendencies when we look to ourselves rather than Him for that guidance. Finally, we see that it ends with a turn to God’s promises for comfort, encouragement, and endurance. We take our refuge not in our own abilities to deliver ourselves - but in our God and His promise to bless those who turn to Him in righteousness and godly dependence. Oh, to learn these lessons again and again as we pray and seek His face. Indeed we would find our God infinitely able to handle any problem, trial, or trouble we face - and - we would go from concerned cry to praise for protection and provision. And through it all we would learn that intimacy with our Father in heaven is at the core of every answer we receive. Prayer is talking with God.
That is the simplest statement one can make about prayer – but for those who are not familiar with talking to someone Who is Spirit – it can be a little difficult to know how to pray. That is why David’s psalms are so precious to the believer – they give us examples and teaching on actual praying. Psalm 5 is one of the most wonderful examples. It is primer on prayer. It is one of David’s songs that teach us how to approach God, what things to bring up in his presence, and what attitude should be evident in us as we pray. Give ear to my words, O LORD, Consider my groaning. Heed the sound of my cry for help, my King and my God, For to You I pray. In the morning, O LORD, You will hear my voice; In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch. David begins by calling on God to hear his prayer. This may seem strange to us, seeing that we rarely begin our conversations with statements asking others to hear us – consider what we’re saying – and to heed our call for help. Yet with God this is actually a wise practice. Conversation with your average sinful human being (which if you’re not familiar with the biblical worldview – is “every” human being) is based on similarity. We are similar physically, spiritually, and morally. But with God we are speaking with someone Who is holy. We are anything but similar. We are speaking to an infinitely superior being in every way. In fact we can say that He is wholly another category of being with no one else in that same category. So approaching Him asking for His mercy and attention to our prayer is definitely a good thing to do. David speaks of words, groaning, and a cry for help. Considering that David was praying during the time of the incident with Absalom – this is understandable. He was facing a rebellious son – a rival to his throne – and a person who intended on killing him if possible. But this is also a great way to grasp three aspects of our prayers to God. First there are our words themselves. We speak by using words when we talk with God. But there is more to communication than the mere words we use. There is also our “groaning.” The word here is the Hebrew word “hagiyd” which refers to someone sighing or to a meditation in the mind even while the mouth is speaking. It is the though behind the words – it can also refer to the intent behind the prayer. This particular word refers to an intense meditation or sigh in the spirit or heart of the one praying. What are the intent, the motive, and the desire of the one speaking the words? Then finally, David speaks of his “cry for help.” David was crying out of despair and a very real sense of danger – and definitely wanted God to get that idea. David also uses three verbs that are very instructive in this prayer – that indicate just how bold he is being as he calls out to God. First he asks God to “give ear” to his words. This first verb means to “broaden the ear,” This phrase meant to cup one’s hand behind their ear so as to hear well. The second phrase is even bolder as David asks, “heed the sound” which is a great phrase – even though it may seem mildly inappropriate when speaking to God. The phrase is used of a dog or animal that cocks its head and perks up its ears to hear something. David boldly asks God to cup His ear – cock His head – and perk up His ears to hear what he is praying. Though this may sound like a little much – when we are serious about being heard – there will be a passion in us to know that God is listening – hearing our cry to Him. There is also a submission to authority that resounds in this prayer. David calls God his Lord, His King, and His God! What a beautiful picture of submission to God even as David speaks so boldly to Him of a request that God listen. When we talk to God – we are speaking with the Lord of the universe – and the King of all – the One Who is God. Who I am talking to governs how I will speak to Him. We can pray for what we want – but if the One we address is absolutely sovereign over all things – it might be wise for us to come with humility, submission, and honestly – a willingness to alter our plans according to His will. Another thing we see here is that David is approaching God in the morning. Twice we see this in his approach of God. Jon Courson made a wonderful comment about this verse when he said that when he doesn’t meet God early as the day begins – he winds up mourning his day when it comes to a close. We are not speaking of a legalism when we say to come to God early each morning – but – we can say that when an orchestra plays a symphony – it warms up before it plays the piece – not afterwards. Consider the symphony the way you are going to live through today – and the warm-up as your time with God before the day begins. The last thing we see about David’s approach is that he is waiting for God’s instruction with eagerness. He says that he is ordering his prayer to God (a word meaning to set things in a row or organize things) and then watching for God eagerly. He expects God to speak to him about the matter. When prayer becomes a monologue where we speak to God – but God says nothing to us – it will become drudgery to us. Real prayer communicates with God – and that communication is a two way street. Our hearts need to speak to God, yes – but it is just as important that we hear from Him as well. David said that he “eagerly” watched for God to speak. What a wonderful thing it is when God speaks through a passage of Scripture – through a leader – through a brother or sister who loves us – or just through circumstances in our lives. It is why we speak to Him – so that He will speak to us as well. Too often though – people pray with little or not expectation that God is going to speak. They pray out of duty – our out of obligation – or out of some misguided thought that it makes them godly to do so. The reason we pray – is to communicate with God. Therefore why wouldn’t we pray and then watch with anticipation of what He will do or say in answer to what we’ve prayed to Him. Prayer is meant to be an exciting endeavor – not a monologue to the ceiling or some religious object in a room. It is meant to be communication with the Living God Who answers and Who speaks to us in real life situations. It is such a blessing when we move prayer out of the realm of being only a spiritual discipline into being a relationship with God Himself. Yes it requires discipline – but if that is all that is happening – you won’t pray for long. You’ll lose heart. Prayer is meant to be a time of literally talking to God and hearing from Him. That is why David’s example of prayer is so instructive and invaluable. It reminds us that we speak to our very real God – who hears – who speaks – and who invites us into His presence to experience Him in a very real life lived on this earth. If your times of talking to God have degenerated into just “prayer times” where you seek to maintain the façade of religious activity – my request to God is that He reveals Himself to you in a way that draws you into a relationship with Him. I hope that it becomes the time where you experience God’s wisdom – God’s direction – God’s gracious care – God’s comfort – God’s love in a way that wonderfully impacts how you live every day. |
Pastor John LawrencePsalms for Life . . . God moved on several people to write the Psalms. This is a book of songs and poems written by people who were seeking to be devoted to God as they walked though their lives. This is a collection of songs and poems that express the true, wonderful, and often raw emotions that we have as we journey through life with God. I hope you will be blessed and encouraged as you read. But more than that I hope that these expositions and writings will help you to seek Him in the midst of the life you live in this world. It will be at times comforting and encouraging, while at others it will be challenging and awkward. Regardless of where you find yourself on this spectrum as you read, it will be a reminder that God invites us into His presence to truly walk with Him, know Him, and at times, pour out emotions of joy, sorrow, frustration, anger, and everything else you can imagine. He not only invites you to do this - He delights in it too! Hope you enjoy your journey! Archives
January 2019
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