Meditation for the Christian

Meditation for the Christian

Text: 2 Samuel 7:18-29

2 Samuel 7:18–29 (NLT)

18 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and prayed, “Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?

19 And now, Sovereign Lord, in addition to everything else, you speak of giving your servant a lasting dynasty! Do you deal with everyone this way, O Sovereign Lord?

20 “What more can I say to you? You know what your servant is really like, Sovereign Lord.

21 Because of your promise and according to your will, you have done all these great things and have made them known to your servant.

22 “How great you are, O Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you. We have never even heard of another God like you!

23 What other nation on earth is like your people Israel? What other nation, O God, have you redeemed from slavery to be your own people? You made a great name for yourself when you redeemed your people from Egypt. You performed awesome miracles and drove out the nations and gods that stood in their way.

24 You made Israel your very own people forever, and you, O Lord, became their God.

25 “And now, O Lord God, I am your servant; do as you have promised concerning me and my family. Confirm it as a promise that will last forever.

26 And may your name be honored forever so that everyone will say, ‘The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is God over Israel!’ And may the house of your servant David continue before you forever.

27 “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, God of Israel, I have been bold enough to pray this prayer to you because you have revealed all this to your servant, saying, ‘I will build a house for you—a dynasty of kings!’

28 For you are God, O Sovereign Lord. Your words are truth, and you have promised these good things to your servant.

29 And now, may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you. For you have spoken, and when you grant a blessing to your servant, O Sovereign Lord, it is an eternal blessing!”

INTRODUCTION:

Meditation...the mention of the word seems foreign to contemporary believers. It conjures-up images of the strange practices of far-eastern philosophy religions. . Meditation does have biblical foundations and applications. We have abandoned its practice much to our own detriment.

Perhaps no other man has pursued this godly practice more fervently and fruitfully than did king David. Many of the Psalms were the results of his quiet meditation and waiting upon the Lord. In order to be "a man after God's own heart," he had to spend time waiting on God and listening for instructions from God.

In our text, we find David "sitting before the Lord.,"meditating on God's greatness... and his blessings upon David's life.

As we examine the Scriptures tonight, we will see some scriptural principles about Christian meditation,

I- THE PRACTICE OF MEDITATION (2 Samuel 7:18-21)

2 Samuel 7:18–21 (NLT)

18 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and prayed, “Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?

19 And now, Sovereign Lord, in addition to everything else, you speak of giving your servant a lasting dynasty! Do you deal with everyone this way, O Sovereign Lord?

20 “What more can I say to you? You know what your servant is really like, Sovereign Lord.

21 Because of your promise and according to your will, you have done all these great things and have made them known to your servant.

(Psalm 119:15)

Psalm 119:15 (NLT)

15 I will study your commandments and reflect on your ways.

A. Remember the past

(2 Samuel 7:18)

2 Samuel 7:18 (NLT)

18 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and prayed, “Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?

1. David remembered what God had done for him.

2. Remember what God has done for you.

B. Reflect upon the Lord

(2 Samuel 7:19-21)

2 Samuel 7:19–21 (NLT)

19 And now, Sovereign Lord, in addition to everything else, you speak of giving your servant a lasting dynasty! Do you deal with everyone this way, O Sovereign Lord?

20 “What more can I say to you? You know what your servant is really like, Sovereign Lord.

21 Because of your promise and according to your will, you have done all these great things and have made them known to your servant.

1. His greatness.

2. His grace.

3. His goodness.

C. Remember his promises.

(2 Samuel 7:28)

2 Samuel 7:28 (NLT)

28 For you are God, O Sovereign Lord. Your words are truth, and you have promised these good things to your servant.

1. David recalled God’s promises to establish his name and family on an

everlasting basis.

2. God has promised us:

a. Peace

b. Provision

c. Protection

D. Make a request

(2 Samuel 7:29)

2 Samuel 7:29 (NLT)

29 And now, may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you. For you have spoken, and when you grant a blessing to your servant, O Sovereign Lord, it is an eternal blessing!”

1. David’s request to God was a bold one.

2. We, too, are to come boldly with our requests (Hebrews 4:16)

Hebrews 4:16 (NLT)

16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

II- THE PREREQUISITES FOR MEDITATION (2 Samuel 7:22-25)

2 Samuel 7:22–25 (NLT)

22 “How great you are, O Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you. We have never even heard of another God like you!

23 What other nation on earth is like your people Israel? What other nation, O God, have you redeemed from slavery to be your own people? You made a great name for yourself when you redeemed your people from Egypt. You performed awesome miracles and drove out the nations and gods that stood in their way.

24 You made Israel your very own people forever, and you, O Lord, became their God.

25 “And now, O Lord God, I am your servant; do as you have promised concerning me and my family. Confirm it as a promise that will last forever.

A. Specific time (2 Samuel 7:18)

2 Samuel 7:18 (NLT)

18 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and prayed, “Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?

(Psalm 62:5)

Psalm 62:5 (NLT)

5 Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.

1. The time element is determined by our purpose.

B. Stillness (2 Samuel 7:18)

2 Samuel 7:18 (NLT)

18 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and prayed, “Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?

(Psalm 46:10)

Psalm 46:10 (NLT)

10 “Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.”

C. Silence (2 Samuel 7:18)

2 Samuel 7:18 (NLT)

18 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and prayed, “Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?

(Isaiah 30:15)

Isaiah 30:15 (NLT)

15 This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it.

1. Be silent and listen to God!

D. Seclusion (2 Samuel 7:18)

2 Samuel 7:18 (NLT)

18 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and prayed, “Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?

(Mark 1:35)

Mark 1:35 (NLT)

35 Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray.

1. A place where God can have your complete, undivided attention.

E. Self-Control (2 Samuel 7:22)

2 Samuel 7:22 (NLT)

22 “How great you are, O Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you. We have never even heard of another God like you!

(1 Corinthians 9:27)

1 Corinthians 9:27 (NLT)

27 I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.

1. The mental labor to keep our minds focused upon Him.

a. Use the Psalms to help.

F. Submission (2 Samuel 7:22)

2 Samuel 7:22 (NLT)

22 “How great you are, O Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you. We have never even heard of another God like you!

(James 4:10)

James 4:10 (NLT)

10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.

1. Put rebellion out of your life.

III- THE PERSPECTIVES GAINED THROUGH MEDITATION. (2 Samuel 7:26-28)

2 Samuel 7:26–28 (NLT)

26 And may your name be honored forever so that everyone will say, ‘The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is God over Israel!’ And may the house of your servant David continue before you forever.

27 “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, God of Israel, I have been bold enough to pray this prayer to you because you have revealed all this to your servant, saying, ‘I will build a house for you—a dynasty of kings!’

28 For you are God, O Sovereign Lord. Your words are truth, and you have promised these good things to your servant.

(Psalm 36:9)

Psalm 36:9 (NLT)

9 For you are the fountain of life, the light by which we see.

A. Peace in the storm

(John 14:27)

John 14:27 (NLT)

27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.

1. The eagle peacefully rides out the storm as he rides the wind currents.

2. God does not remove the storms, but gives us peace as we ride out the

storms.

(Isaiah 26:3)

Isaiah 26:3 (NLT)

3 You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!

B. Purification

(2 Samuel 24:10)

2 Samuel 24:10 (NLT)

10 But after he had taken the census, David’s conscience began to bother him. And he said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly by taking this census. Please forgive my guilt, Lord, for doing this foolish thing.”

1. David’s heart was convicted when he had sinned… then he confessed and

was purified.

2. When we spend time in meditation, God points out what needs to be purified in our lives.

C. Passion for obedience

(Acts 4:13)

Acts 4:13 (NLT)

13 The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.

1. The disciples had a burning desire to obey Jesus.

CONCLUSION:

The key is getting started! Set aside a time and place… with self-discipline, stillness and silence. Practice meditating before the Lord.