God Glorifying Worship: Prayer

Introduction

The second sermon in this short series on worship focuses on prayer. There are three elements of worship that constitute worship. They are the Word, prayer, and songs of praise. Lord willing, next week we will look at the songs of praise according to worship. But for this week we turn our attention to Psalm 61. This is one of the many prayers of David that are found in the Psalter. However, there are several reasons that I felt led to preach from this Psalm. I want to offer them to you in question form, and Lord willing, we will answer these questions as we work through the text. Have you ever experienced a time in your life when you were at the lowest of lows, whether physically or spiritually? Have you experienced a time in your life where all of life seemed overwhelming to you, like a large weight that could not be lifted? Have you experienced the hand of God upon your life as He lifts you up from the low place and restores you back to Himself? I ask these questions because Psalm 61 addresses all three of them. If you are a Christian, and it has been a rough go of it lately, this text is for you. If you are on the up and up, being lifted from the low place, this text is for you. If you find yourself praising God for all that He has done, this text is for you. And, if you are on the outside, an unbeliever, this morning, this text has the answer to your problems too!

With that being said, I want our attention to turn to 3 main headings which will direct us this morning…

1. David’s Cry to God (vv.1-4)

2. Reflection on God’s Promises both present and future (vv.5-7)

3. Prayer that leads to Worship (v.8)

1. David’s Cry to God (vv.1-4)

The expression of David’s prayer to God is that of crying out. It is a pleading with God. Whatever the situation (not given in a detailed way) it was one of sorrow, difficulty, and hardship. This cry is a pleading or a begging unto God. David is a man known for crying out. Psalm 5:1-3 is a similar discourse of a crying out by David and the situation he found himself in was similar as well. In verse 2 of Psalm 5, David cries out to Yahweh for ‘help.’ It is not until verse 8 that we are told his enemies are the ones causing the troubling situation. Nevertheless, David goes to Yahweh God for help because he knows that no one else can provide the help that he needs. David also goes to Yahweh because he has experienced His listening ear before. Psalm 4:3 says that “Yahweh hears when I (David) call to Him.” What needs to be understood is that Yahweh God hears David’s cry, but this doesn’t mean that God answered them on the spot.

Not in our timing

David’s cry, or prayer, to God is not contingent on the expediency in which God would answer him. That is not found here, nor is it implied in any way. Now, David did pray in an expectant way (knowing that God would hear him), but he does not demand an immediate answer. Why? Because David knows his place as he speaks of himself in Psalm 139:13-16… Listen, David had no right to demand anything as a created being. This same truth that David adhered to, so must we! None of us, nor any human being have the right or authority to outright demand anything of God, nor expect a certain date and time that He must respond by. Consider the stern warning of Isaiah 45:9… “Woe to the one who contends with his Maker—An earthenware vessel among the vessels of earth! Will the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you doing?’ Or the thing you are making say, ‘He has no hands’?” The first word ‘woe’ refers to “not present anguish”… but “impending disaster” (Mounce). In other words, it is disastrous for the human to contend with God his Creator. Hence, no human dare even try to demand from God without disastrous effects.

No one else to turn too

As a part of David’s plea, he directs the ear of God to pay mind or attention to his prayer. This relationship between God and man is deeply personal. David has no one else to go to other than God. For God has remained faithful and true to David. David acknowledges this in Psalm 86. In Psalm 86 he starts off with a similar plea to Yahweh God to hear him. As he inquires of God, he recognizes with praise the singularity of God. In verse 8, David says, “There is no one like You among the gods, O Lord, Nor are there any works like Yours.” And in verse 10 he goes on to say, “For You are great and do wondrous deeds; You alone are God.” David has every reason to trust in God, for God has always been faithful to him. Those of us who have put our faith in Christ would say with Peter “to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life” (John 6:68). The question is, ‘Do you see the faithfulness of God upon your life?’ Whether you are a new believer or a believer for many years, you will be able to clearly see, as did David, God’s faithfulness upon your life! In short, every Christian must be able to look back and see the faithfulness of God upon his life!

A Bleak Outlook

What is written toward the end of verse 2 is the outlook of the situation that David finds himself and it is not pretty. He is experiencing an overwhelmed and faint heart. Scripture is so wonderful for every believer in Christ has experienced this sense of overwhelming that David has. The situation may have looked different, but the feeling of being overwhelmed or being up against something that is seemingly impossible all but feel the same. I am sure we each have a story to tell. And we are not alone in 2025 with these feelings. Charles Spurgeon as well known as he may be, had his fair share of struggles and heartache, hence he can rightly say, “Tribulation brings us to God, and brings God to us. It is all over with me, affliction is all over me, it encompasses me as a cloud, it swallows me up like a sea, it shuts me in with thick darkness, yet God is near, near enough to hear my voice, and I will call on him.” For David, it did not matter where he was, whether in the high places of Judah and Israel or on the run from Saul in his younger years or from his own son Absalom, it was always right, appropriate, and necessary to pray. There were no contingencies or conditions that affected David’s prayer life. May the same be true for each of us who have trusted in Christ!

If we truly believe that God hears our prayers then He can do so from anywhere, for His people are scattered across the globe, God hearing their prayers too. But this outlook is signified by a sense of weakness that David felt. He is overwhelmed and at a weak place. This is not to say that David has hit rock bottom, but it is, most commonly, the place where God begins His restorative work. Consider what Paul says in Romans 5:6-8 about the weak place where sinners find themselves… In the same way that David was desperate for God in his time of need, so are people today the same. Although David had trusted in Yahweh God from a young age, it never made him think that he never needed God, or did it deter him from offering praise and worship, many times in prayer. How is it that David resonates with us in this way? Brothers, he needed the Holy Spirit throughout his life and so do you! He was given the Holy Spirit (1 Samuel 16:13) as we are, and he needed to continue to come back to Him.

On the Up and Up

Two things should be noted at the end of verse 2. 1. God does the leading and that is what David asks for, 2. Only God can lift David up and bring him to a high place. God as rock is common in David’s writings (Psalm 18:46, 22:5, 40:2, 62:2, 6). What is of interest is that it is God who leads David to Himself. This completely eliminates any attempt that man might make to come to God. It is all the work of God in bringing a person to Himself and a man very close to him was of no exception. Again, from Spurgeon, “for our part, not only do we need a rock, we also need the Holy Spirit to lead us to him.” Christian, you don’t come to Christ out of the goodness within you or by any other means! James Boice, former pastor at 10th Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, now home with the Lord, writes similarly, “We need the Holy Spirit to quicken our dead souls, awaken us to our spiritual need, renew our wills, and brings us to the point of personal commitment to the Savior.” Brothers, this is one of the many reasons that prayer is critical to our worship whether in this building or outside of it. It is always God who does the leading. When we go to God in prayer we are seeking His counsel as did Asaph in Psalm 73:24, “With Your counsel You will lead me.”

A Prayer in Confidence

Verse 3 is the proof or the testimony of God’s work in David’s life. God does not make any empty claims for He proves every single one. He proves His existence to unbelievers (Romans 1:19), He says that every unbeliever suppresses the truth in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18). How much more is this true for the Christian!? This is what David is after when He calls God “a refuge” or “a tower of strength.” Those two descriptions are very common in David’s writings, because it was and always has been true of God! Hence the confidence that David possesses in his prayers. David would say alongside the Psalmist who wrote Psalm 116 as would we, “Because He has inclined His ear to me, so I shall call upon Him in all my days” (v.2). Further, this is why David speaks as he does in verse 4. David longs to be with God, for there is no better place. This is his cry in verse 4 and the reason that he uses words such as ‘tent’ and ‘shelter.’ David cries out to God to be close to him. Proverbs 18:10 speaks to this, for it is the righteous one or the child of God who “runs into it” that ‘it’ is Yahweh the strong tower. So, the burning question is this! Do you long to be in the presence of God? Here is how to answer that question without making a sound. Examine your prayer life! Honestly consider it. How elevated is prayer in your life, Christian? Listen, your prayer life will speak volumes as to whether you desire and seek the presence of God in your life or not. This connection is unmistakable. Prayer is a part of worship in both the private and corporate setting. Christian, make it a point to highly emphasize prayer as you seek, daily, the face of Almighty God!

2. Reflection on God’s Promises both present and future (vv.5-7)

Verses 5-7 contain promises and affirmation of what God has done and what He will do. The purpose of verses 5-7 is to put forth a deeper case of God’s goodness in answered prayer which propels David to rest on God’s promises. Christian, as you pray according to God’s will, He will answer you. This is what David does.

The Hearing of Vows

You might be looking at the word vow here, and say didn’t Jesus say to not make a vow according to heaven or earth (Matthew 5:34-35)? That He did say. This is not to put our text and the text of Matthew 5 at odds with one another. What does this mean for us since Jesus says not to take an oath, but David says that God hears his? What do we do with this? Here is what we do with it. Listen carefully. When you repent and turn from your sin and put your trust in Christ, what are you doing? In so many words, you are putting the old sinful person off and putting the new person on. You are also telling the Lord that you will follow Him no matter where He has you go, that you will live in faith, and that your life will no longer be lived according to the flesh and sin. Do you do these things perfectly? Of course not! But God is faithful to uphold us when we fail. A life lived continually trusting upon the Lord, growing in sanctification, that is personal holiness, garnering a greater love for the Word of God, communion with God through prayer, a love to be around Christians, and a deep love for the lost, of whom you once were, these things are pleasing to God, and we can live out our Christian faith day by day. This is what it looks like to live out our vows or our prayers as several commentators note. God always proves Himself faithful. This truth, along with what comes in verses 6 and 7, will lead us to worship.

An Inheritance for the saints

The end of verse 5 is David’s prayer of gratitude for the inheritance that he has been given. There is a piece of verse 5 that brings forth the context of the passage. David said that the inheritance that he has been given is the same as others who fear the name of God. Augustine, the great early church father who lived in the 4th and 5th century, comments, “For a few days here we live, and we pass away: for sojourners we are, inhabitants in Heaven we shall be.” So, David saw God as his strong place in verse 4 and he sees Him as the author, giver, and builder of his heavenly inheritance. Consider this text verse 5 in light of Malachi 3:16-18… “Then those who feared Yahweh spoke to one another, and Yahweh gave heed and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear Yahweh and who think upon His name.

“And they will be Mine,” says Yahweh of hosts, “on the day that I prepare My cown treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man dspares his own son who serves him.” So you will return and see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.” Do you see the parallel according to those who ‘fear the Lord?’ God is preparing a place for us in heaven, our inheritance, the greatest of all places. In the midst of our worship to the Lord, brothers, let us never forget that we are but a vapor that lasts for a short time. And let us praise alongside David for this blessed inheritance that God has reserved for us!

A Messianic Turn

Verses 6 and 7 take a Messianic turn. How do we know? Look at verse 6 and you will plainly see. Question, can David live from generation to generation? Verse 7, will David be the one to sit enthroned before God forever? Jesus right now is sitting at the right hand of God on the throne. This is not said of David. Consider the similarity of what is said of Christ in Psalm 89:35-37… “Once I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to David. “His seed shall endure forever And his throne as the sun before Me. “It shall be established forever like the moon, And the witness in the sky is faithful.” Selah.” It is the seed of David that is Christ who sits on the throne that endures forever, not David himself. Further, Isaiah 53:10 says similarly, But Yahweh was pleased To crush Him, bputting Him to grief; If You would place His soul as a guilt offering, He will see His seed, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of Yahweh will succeed in His hand.”

And of all these things said of the Messiah to come, David believed every single one. These, too, are included in David’s prayer. Incredibly, David prays to God affirming his belief in all that is said of the Messiah. Again, do we not do the same? How about the future hope of eternal glory? Do we not pray these truths back to God? As we look forward to what that glorious abode will be, we praise and thank God for all that He has done. For us, it is to remember the promises of God, that He will keep us with His righteous right hand, that He will protect us, that He will lead and guide us, that He will use us mightily for His kingdom purposes, and that He will continue to forgive us day by day, not condemning us for our sin, but washing us as we are renewed day by day in the Spirit. Listen, you and I have so much to be in prayer for. Hence let us say alongside Luther, “I cannot neglect prayer for a single day.”

Two attributes of God that are foundational for prayer

The last line of verse 7 continues David’s prayer looking toward the Messiah. It includes two fundamental and thoroughly Scriptural truths about Christ. They are lovingkindness and truth. The word for ‘guard’ in the Hebrew has 5 meanings, to guard, watch, protect, keep, and preserve. What this does not mean is that Jesus needed to be guarded by someone, but, rather, to be kept and preserved until His coming to earth. And the lovingkindness and truth that David speaks of here are foundational to the Messiah. He is the embodiment of lovingkindness and truth. The purest form of lovingkindness and truth are only found in Jesus Christ. There are loving acts and truths that are in the world today, but none of these measures up to what is said of Christ being lovingkindness and the truth. Remember, John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” Jesus is the truth! The question has been and is continued to be asked, why do Christians pray to someone they cannot see nor hear? And Psalm 61:7 is an answer why. Because the Messiah that David looked forward to, is the truth. If He were not the truth, then His claims of lovingkindness are a lie. These two things go hand in hand. Here are a few texts to consider. Psalm 85:8-10, “Let me hear what the God, Yahweh, will speak; For He will speak peace to His people, to His holy ones; But let them not turn back to folly. Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him, That glory may dwell in our land. Lovingkindness and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” Proverbs 20:28, “Lovingkindness and truth will guard the king, And he upholds his throne by lovingkindness.” And in contrast to the Law, “grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17). For our prayer lives, we are dependent upon the Lord Jesus Christ to be holy, righteous, and the truth. This is what drives David to worship God in prayer.

3. Prayer that leads to Worship (v.8)

I have attempted to show you through the Scriptures that prayer and worship are of the same cloth. That prayer without worship and worship without prayer cannot exist. Every time you pray to God, you are worshiping Him. Whether it be a prayer of dependence upon His excellencies, or a crying out for mercy, or maybe a plea for the salvation of a lost family member/friend/or co-worker, or it could be a prayer for a greater understanding of who God is and a greater love for Him. Regardless, our prayers as worshipers of God lead us to worship Him. The example given to us in Psalm 61 proves that our worship is not meant for Lord’s Day morning’s alone, but prayerful worship of our God and King must be an everyday practice for the believer. In verse 8, I want to conclude by seeing that David’s prayer leads him to life-long worship.

He is worthy of praise forever

Those of us who have put our trust in Jesus Christ would agree that He is worthy of our praise forever. David’s aim in the praise that he offers is not fixed on this moment in his life but looks beyond that to the longevity of redeemed worship. Christians will worship God forever, beginning at redemption here on earth, and continuing throughout eternity. Therefore, when you and I pray does it cause us to worship God for all that He has done? Essentially, that is what David is doing in this text (Psalm 30:12, 79:13, 145:1-2, 146:2).

His prayer contained in the first 7 verses leads him to sing praise unto the Lord. I hope that you see the connections between the need for the Word in worship, and now the need for prayer and for song in worship. This is all summarized in Psalm 61. The Messiah to come is the Word, David prays to God, and he sings to God. This text is truly incredible! Someone might look at this text and say, well of course David could worship in song, he was so close to God. Ah, point well taken. Some might say that he was a man after God’s own heart, yes that is true. But these sound more like excuses than reasons. Should not every Christian long to be with God as much as possible? Should not every Christian be a God chaser? I think the examples that we have in the Scripture point to both questions being answered as YES! David was not the exception. He was not some person who is so far greater than us, a level we can never attain. David was a man, a sinner, who needed to be forgiven, a man who needed to be reminded of the excellencies of God, a man who depended upon God and showed it by an abundant prayer life, and a man who trusted God with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength. Christian, roll this back in your mind over and over again, because what is said of David is true of you! Were you not a sinner who needed to be forgiven, a man or woman who needs to be reminded of the excellencies of Christ, a man or woman who depends on God and seeks His face often, and one who runs after Christ with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength? Christian, this does not look like perfection, it means that you will slip, fall, and fail. But God is so great that He takes you and all your imperfections and restores you and places you before Himself that you would continue in perseverance, the life of the Christian, not trusting in your own merit, but in Christ’s who empowers each one of us to live the Christian life.

A Call to come to Christ

Now, unbeliever, you may be listening and say in your heart, these things are not true of me. I don’t have this closeness with God. If this is you this morning, Christ offers you forgiveness from every sin you have done and ever will commit, for He went to the cross, died there, and rose again, that sinners might be saved and reconciled to God. You can have this abundant prayer life that leads to worship. Christ said to all men, “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). Therefore, sinner, repent of your sin, turn from them, and trust in Christ and believe upon and you will be saved” (Romans 10:9)!

My brothers, be encouraged this morning, for we worship out of what we know, that is Christ and Him crucified. Let us not take that truth for granted but continue to press on empowered by the Spirit who dwells within as we live lives of worship worthy unto our King!

Let’s pray!

Benediction

(Based on Philippians 4:2-3, 2 Timothy 2:15)

“And now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ lead you to a devotion to prayer being watchful in it, that the Lord may use you this week as His workman approved and unashamed of Christ. Amen!”