Prayers of the Old Testament
The Prayer of David continued...
There are many prayers David prayed within the pages of the Bible which are worthy of introspection and discussion, so it has proven quite difficult isolating two or three prayers to delve into.
Since David was a man of prayer and a man dependent upon God, it is a worthwhile pursuit to understand what prayer meant to him. Yes, David prayed many prayers, but in the prayers we’ve discussed thus far, and the prayer we will discuss shortly, we come to understand what the act of prayer meant to David, and the value he placed upon it.
You can tell allot about a man’s relationship with God by how he values prayer. You can tell how strong or how weak one’s intimacy with the Father is, by how often they bend the knee, and come before God in fellowship.
No man ever stumbled because he prayed too much or too often or too long. No man ever stumbled because he spent too much time in fellowship with God or in God’s presence.
Men have stumbled, and continue to do so to this day because they neglect prayer, fellowship and intimacy with God, thereby allowing the enemy to worm his way into their hearts.
Thus far we have discussed David’s prayer of thanks to God for having blessed him, David’s prayer of repentance when he strayed, and now we will begin discussing David’s prayers of recognition regarding God’s sovereignty, as well as David’s prayers of petition toward God.
Psalm 27:1, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”
When an individual comes to acknowledge that ‘the Lord is,’ their entire prayer life is transformed, as is the way in which they approach God.
Three simple words: ‘The Lord is’ yet the declaration these three words make are forceful and all encompassing.
What have I to fear if the Lord is? What have I to be concerned with if the Lord is?
What is the Lord to you? To David, the Lord was his light, his salvation, and the strength of his life. David knew in whom he trusted, and why he trusted in Him.
When David declares that ‘the Lord is,’ he isn’t merely acknowledging the existence of God. David’s declaration goes beyond mere knowledge of God’s existence, to the realm of intimate knowledge of His attributes, and those things for which He was directly responsible in David’s life.
David did not mistake what God had done for him with his own doings, or the doings of another. He did not take the credit for his strength or the light he possessed because he knew from whence they came.
Beholding the tenderness, love, and heartfelt emotion with which David prayed, we come to realize the deep knowledge he possessed of God and the ways of God.
Psalm 27:10, “When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take care of me.”
David recognized the perpetual faithfulness of God. He knew God would not abandon him in difficult times, when his enemies surrounded him, when his friends abandoned him, or when his own parents forsook him.
Barring the requisite exceptions we can all agree that one’s mother and father are likely the last individuals to abandon you. Though friends, brothers, acquaintances and spouses might forsake you, your mother and father will stick it out.
David rests fully in the faithfulness of God, and the words of his prayer testify his absolute certainty that God will never abandon him.
Do we possess the same certainty as David did? Do we know to the depth of our heart that though our father and mother might forsake us the Lord will take care of us no matter what?
As children of God this must be an unshakeable reality in our hearts.
It matters not what we are going through, how many enemies we might have, how many legions of the enemy’s minions stand against us, the Lord will take care of us.
The knowledge that God is ever present, ready to step in and take care of me makes my journey light and carefree even during the most treacherous moments. I know He is there, I know He will take care, what more can I desire?
David honors God from the depth of his heart, and acknowledges his dependence upon him.
Oh, that we would learn to pray as David prayed, with sincerity and forthrightness giving glory to He who is worthy of glory.
Psalm 18:1-3, “I will love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God my strength, in whom I will trust. My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.”
If we take the time to diligently study the book of Psalms, we come to realize David has prayers of praise, prayers of worship, prayers of thanks, prayers of confession, prayers of repentance, and even prayers of petition.
With all the knowledge David possessed concerning God, we, today ought to possess a greater knowledge of Him still, for He was revealed to us in greater measure and far more vividly through the Son Jesus Christ.
There is no excuse or justification for why the prayer lives of most professing Christians today are largely nonexistent. There is no excuse or justification for why so many professing Christians have a superficial knowledge at best.
We can try to justify it to ourselves, and might even do a good enough job of appeasing and pacifying our conscience, but before God our excuses will not stand.
It’s not that God will not open; it’s that we never knocked. It’s not that God cannot be found; it’s that we never sought Him.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
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1 comment:
Prayer is something that you have to practice to get good at. You have to just start talking and meditating and beseeching until you find out what gets you a response. Many people might not have the patience for that, therefore they just assume that God isn't there or doesn't care. It is we who are fallen and have turned from him, it is we who have to find our way back to him, though he calls in subtle ways.
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