The God-centered Prayer
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18 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? 19 And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord God. You have spoken also of your servant’s house for a great while to come, and this is instruction for mankind, O Lord God! 20 And what more can David say to you? For you know your servant, O Lord God! 21 Because of your promise, and according to your own heart, you have brought about all this greatness, to make your servant know it.
22 Therefore you are great, O Lord God. For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 23 And who is like your people Israel, the one nation on earth whom God went to redeem to be his people, making himself a name and doing for them great and awesome things by driving out before your people, whom you redeemed for yourself from Egypt, a nation and its gods? 24 And you established for yourself your people Israel to be your people forever. And you, O Lord, became their God.
25 And now, O Lord God, confirm forever the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, and do as you have spoken. 26 And your name will be magnified forever, saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is God over Israel,’ and the house of your servant David will be established before you. 27 For you, O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house.’ Therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you.
28 And now, O Lord God, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant. 29 Now therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you. For you, O Lord God, have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed forever.”
Prayer of King David - the greatest king of the united kingdom of Israel.
He is also known as a “man after God’s own heart”.
22 And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.’
How can we be men and women after God’s own heart?
We will study one of David’s prayers.. he wrote around 75 psalms, which is like a book of prayer in the Bible.
Background: David’s desire to build God a house.
Self-centered versus God-focused prayer.
He sought the face of God in his prayes.
Someone once said:
Seek the Face of God, Not just His Hand.
Seeking God’s hand means asking for His help. We have equated prayer to merely asking for help, to fix a problem, or to get us out of a mess.
It is like this:
When you get locked out of your house, who do you call, the locksmith.
When you get a flat tire, you call AAA.
When you’ve been sick, you call the doctor.
These are people you call because of their service. A lot of times Christians call on God for the service they think He provides.
But there is more about prayer that God wants us to experience.
He wants us to know Him more, in a deeper way..
David wrote in Psalm 27:
8 When You said, “Seek My face,”
My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.”
A cry of desperation, we need God.
Lessons of God-focused prayer:
Meditate on His Faithfulness.
2. Submit to His Sovereignty.
3. Hope in His Promise.
Meditate on His Faithfulness.
Acknowledgement of God’s goodness
Who am I Lord? The humility..
18 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord; and he said: “Who am I, O Lord God? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far?
David marveled at God’s grace. He deemed himself as undeserving.. a picture of God’s grace.
19 And yet this was a small thing in Your sight, O Lord God; and You have also spoken of Your servant’s house for a great while to come. Is this the manner of man, O Lord God?
20 Now what more can David say to You? For You, Lord God, know Your servant.
Is this the manner of man? There is a song by Steven Curtis Chapman called: God is God and I am not. The lyrics go like this..
God is God and I am not
I can only see a part of the picture He's painting
God is God and I am man
So I'll never understand it all
For only God is God
Being humble like this gives us a better sense of appreciation of God’s goodness
God did not save us because we are good. We are so undeserving, yet He noticed us
4 What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You visit him?
You are important to God.. the people you love are important to Him,,, the world outside is precious to Him.
Thanked God for making him great.
21 For Your word’s sake, and according to Your own heart, You have done all these great things, to make Your servant know them.
An appreciation of God’s election. - God chose us! From the foundation of the world.. recite the first part of Ephesians 1.
Lesson on prayer: He is willing to answer based on His loyal love.
2. Submit to His Sovereignty.
The Lord’s decree is established. His will will be done.
22 Therefore You are great, O Lord God. For there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears.
There is a declaration of how great God is. There is none like you.
Are we living like there is no other God like our God?
One thing you lack.. sell.. come follow me - the lesson is what is preventing you from truly following the Lord Jesus.
23 And who is like Your people, like Israel, the one nation on the earth whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people, to make for Himself a name—and to do for Yourself great and awesome deeds for Your land—before Your people whom You redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, the nations, and their gods?
God redeemed Israel (us) for a purpose.
5 of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.
“great and awesome deeds”
Because of God’s greatness, David pledged allegiance to God.
24 For You have made Your people Israel Your very own people forever; and You, Lord, have become their God.
Laid hold of God’s word (revelation) - He gets the final say in our lives!
GOD GETS THE FINAL WORD!
Lesson on Prayer: He is All Powerful to do even what is impossible. Be encouraged!
3. Hope in His Promise.
Took confidence on God’s intent for good.
25 “Now, O Lord God, the word which You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house, establish it forever and do as You have said.
“do as You have said”
Supplication based on what God had promised —— therefore..
Can we start our supplications with the word “therefore” after we have declared His promise from His word?
26 So let Your name be magnified forever, saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is the God over Israel.’ And let the house of Your servant David be established before You.
David bursts out in worship.. be magnified! The Lord of hosts is God over (fill in the blanks) (my life, my marriage, my job, my business, my ministry, OVER THIS CHURCH!)
27 For You, O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, have revealed this to Your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house.’ Therefore Your servant has found it in his heart to pray this prayer to You.
“found it in his heart to pray” - not out of need, but out of a blessing. “For this reason, I bow my knees to the Father…”…
28 “And now, O Lord God, You are God, and Your words are true, and You have promised this goodness to Your servant.
Acknowledgement of the truth of God’s word.
29 Now therefore, let it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue before You forever; for You, O Lord God, have spoken it, and with Your blessing let the house of Your servant be blessed forever.”
God’s blessing is irrevocable, it is forever. A Godly Heritage.
Lesson on Prayer: God is trustworthy and will answer prayer based on His word and promise.