Praying From the Heart
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Introduction
Introduction
David is well known for the Psalms he has written. Most Psalms are songs or hymns, tonight we come to a Psalm that is explicitly listed as a prayer. Many read the exploits of David’s life and desire the victories he experienced throughout his life. Those victories however were born out of a devotional life to the Lord a life of prayer. Prayer that comes from the heart.
This Psalm is a model prayer for us. It teaches us what it means to pray from the heart to God. It is a prayer that calls upon God to act and makes arguments in its appeal to the Lord. It is not simply a rote recitation of needs and wants. David shows us that his focus is on why God should answer. It displays a knowledge of God a closeness with God. The arguments in prayer are not to persuade an unwilling God to come act, but rather the arguments cause the one praying to thoughtfully think through what they are asking that they might sharpen their requests.
This Psalm of David shows a rather remarkable trust in God, a lack of confidence in himself, as well as a look towards his glorious heavenly hope. Spurgeon said this of David “David would not have been a man after God’s own heart if he had not been a man of prayer. He was a master in the sacred art of supplication.” As master in the privilege of prayer, we can look to David and this model prayer and glean what it means to pray from the heart.
1 Lord, hear a just cause; pay attention to my cry; listen to my prayer— from lips free of deceit. 2 Let my vindication come from you, for you see what is right. 3 You have tested my heart; you have examined me at night. You have tried me and found nothing evil; I have determined that my mouth will not sin.
4 Concerning what people do: by the words from your lips I have avoided the ways of the violent. 5 My steps are on your paths; my feet have not slipped. 6 I call on you, God, because you will answer me; listen closely to me; hear what I say.
7 Display the wonders of your faithful love, Savior of all who seek refuge from those who rebel against your right hand. 8 Protect me as the pupil of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings 9 from the wicked who treat me violently, my deadly enemies who surround me.
10 They are uncaring; their mouths speak arrogantly. 11 They advance against me; now they surround me. They are determined to throw me to the ground. 12 They are like a lion eager to tear, like a young lion lurking in ambush.
13 Rise up, Lord! Confront him; bring him down. With your sword, save me from the wicked. 14 With your hand, Lord, save me from men, from men of the world whose portion is in this life: You fill their bellies with what you have in store; their sons are satisfied, and they leave their surplus to their children.
15 But I will see your face in righteousness; when I awake, I will be satisfied with your presence.
A Heart Set On God
A Heart Set On God
1 Lord, hear a just cause; pay attention to my cry; listen to my prayer— from lips free of deceit. 2 Let my vindication come from you, for you see what is right.
This psalm is strophic which means it is separated into thoughts like paragraphs. Alongside that David wrote this psalm using parallelism to communicate his heart. This first strophic thought communicates that David is praying from the heart to God because heart is set on God. To pray from the heart to God our heart like David’s must first be set on God. The first verse is using synthetic parallelism which develops a meaning from one line to the next.
LORD Yahweh hear a just cause, pay attention to my cry, listen to my prayer: three times David calls out to God. David has a cause, there is something troubling his heart to cause him to cry out and in this David’s is set on the Lord and turns to Him in prayer. Prayer for David was as natural to him as breathing. This one was particularly urgent and fervently crying out.
What builds upon these calls from David is that David calls on God to come hear pay attention and listen to him - because what he is speaking and sharing is not corrupt or deceitful. This thing you need to hear Lord comes from lips that are free from deceit. As parent I know the howl of a child who is upset with another child and comes in the room with their case and their indignation. After sharing and getting the attention of either I or their mother and we go to handle things, then we come face to face with the other side and soon learn that what we were told is not how it played out. Those calls to us would be calls from deceitful lips - David is calling to God and declaring his lips free from deceit.
Unlike my wife and I though God knows whats true and not. This would be a rather audacious claim from David knowing that God is all-knowing and all-seeing - omniscient God. The second verse is another parallel where David expands this thought of his heart being set on God. This parallel is synonymous now. This omniscience of God is precisely why David is set on God and coming to Him. David wants the Lord to judge and decide this matter. In fact I see David coming and basically laying it all down before God and saying You handle this all. David says let my vindication come from You LORD, for You SEE what is RIGHT. A heart that is set on God trusts their problem to the Lord’s judgement. Saying God I do not want to take matters into my own hands but rather trust You and will wait for Your presence to vindicate me. This heart set on God desires to know that it is God and their own self.
A Clean Heart Before God
A Clean Heart Before God
3 You have tested my heart; you have examined me at night. You have tried me and found nothing evil; I have determined that my mouth will not sin.
The next strophe or paragraph/thought in David’s prayer is verse 3 all by itself. This expresses how David can boldly come before God it is because his heart was clean before the Lord. Again using synthetic parallelism David develops this idea of a clean heart with each statement.
You have tested my heart, you have examined me at night and you have tried me… You have tested my heart David says. Speaking of God having put David’s heart to the test in order to ascertain the nature. To reveal the imperfections and faults or other qualities. David says Lord you have already uncovered the nature of my heart. David also says to the Lord - You Lord have examined me at night. Examined - looked, inspected and spent some time with. Much like a doctor examining a patient - you cannot get a proper examination without spending time with someone. David is saying Lord you have visited me for a brief and unspecified amount of time at night. Night is when one’s heart is especially open to be scrutinized. David finally adds that the Lord has tried him as well. To try something is to test by refining. This is in reference to a refiner who tries metal to test the quality or purity of it.
In all these - the testing, examining and the trying David says God has found nothing evil. At each step nothing was found that was evil. Not in the intentions or the motives of the heart and not in the desires not anywhere in the heart was anything evil found.
David was able to come through under such scrutiny because he determined that his mouth will not sin. David was resolved not to sin - even with his mouth. Does this mean David was free from sin? No we know David sinned - Bathsheba for one (Adultery), Uriah (Murder) and Abimelech (lying - causing much death). Ray Comfort would say something to David along these lines - “By your own admission you are a lying murdering adulteress at heart and based on the law of God are destined for hell.” It would be true - so how is it David has passed the examination of God?
The same way anyone does - you must confess and repent and deal with your sin before God.
18 “Come, let’s settle this,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are crimson red, they will be like wool.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
When you have dealt with your sin before God then you can come before God with a clean heart. A heart clean before God does not hide from but invites God to test and probe.
2 Test me, Lord, and try me; examine my heart and mind.
10 Yet he knows the way I have taken; when he has tested me, I will emerge as pure gold.
A Heart For God’s Word
A Heart For God’s Word
4 Concerning what people do: by the words from your lips I have avoided the ways of the violent. 5 My steps are on your paths; my feet have not slipped. 6 I call on you, God, because you will answer me; listen closely to me; hear what I say.
David continues on in his prayer before God with 3 more synthetic (building upon the idea) parallelisms. Each of the next three verses is its own parallel.
David says in concerning what people do, concerning the doings of people, the workings of men. In other words David says that when considering the deeds of men - the evil deeds of men. The norm for people is to have deeds that are evil and sinful. David says he has avoided the ways of the violent - other translations say the ways of the destroyer - referring to the wicked or the wicked one. David is looking around and seeing that in terms of the wicked one and the wicked deeds going on around him that he was treading on enemy territory. There is an old adage that says when in Rome… … but David says I have avoided and I have been kept from the ways - the lifestyle, the practices of the destroyer.
14 Keep off the path of the wicked; don’t proceed on the way of evil ones. 15 Avoid it; don’t travel on it. Turn away from it, and pass it by.
How? I am sure we all would like to know
David gives us the answer - it is by the words from God’s lips. His word - scripture as we know is the very word of God and it is through the word of God David says he has kept off the pathways of the violent, wicked and evil.
11 I have treasured your word in my heart so that I may not sin against you.
David continues on and says because of your word my steps are not on the path of the violent, but they are on your paths Lord. David says my steps, my footsteps, my life steps, my decisions are on your paths.
11 Because of my adversaries, show me your way, Lord, and lead me on a level path.
8 so that he may guard the paths of justice and protect the way of his faithful followers.
Then David also acknowledges the firm footing he has in the pathway of the Lord. He says my feet have not slipped. The word paths could be translated wagon tracks - the divets in the ground, walking in those could keep your feet from slipping around. David says in your well worn paths led by your word I am not wavering nor am I being shaken off the path.
11 My feet have followed in his tracks; I have kept to his way and not turned aside.
David then says I call on you God because you will answer me - therefore listen closely to me and hear what I have to say. David had God’s word and lived by it - knowing God’s word meant David knew God’s character and that is how he could boldly call out to God because he knew from God’s word that God would answer.
3 Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and incomprehensible things you do not know.
15 When he calls out to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble. I will rescue him and give him honor.
2 I called to the Lord in my distress, and he answered me. I cried out for help from deep inside Sheol; you heard my voice.
One who has a heart for God’s word knows if they call on the Lord He WILL answer them
A Heart That Knows God’s Love
A Heart That Knows God’s Love
7 Display the wonders of your faithful love, Savior of all who seek refuge from those who rebel against your right hand. 8 Protect me as the pupil of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings
9 from the wicked who treat me violently, my deadly enemies who surround me. 10 They are uncaring; their mouths speak arrogantly.
11 They advance against me; now they surround me. They are determined to throw me to the ground. 12 They are like a lion eager to tear, like a young lion lurking in ambush.
After declaring that because he knows Gods word and knows from it that He will answer David brings his request. David calls on the Lord to display the wonders of His faithful love.
10 All the Lord’s ways show faithful love and truth to those who keep his covenant and decrees.
5 For you, Lord, are kind and ready to forgive, abounding in faithful love to all who call on you.
David calls God to display His love in such a way as to inspire wonder for all who receive, or see it the display. Faithful love speaks to covenantal loyal and unfailing love. In history and experience and also in Scripture God has shown Himself to be a God who shows love fro those who seek Him.
Being Savior is a wondrous demonstration of God’s love. All who seek refuge find salvation in the loving arms of the Lord God. Those seeking refuge who desire to get away from those who rebel against God’s might and sovereignty. David knows God’s saving love.
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
As protector of the the innocent and righteous God shows and demonstrates His wondrous love. David says protect me as the pupil of your eye. The eye is the most vulnerable and therefore the most keenly protected. We say today the apple of one’s eye - one’s treasure.
The reflex of the eye is the fastest of the body. The eye can close itself in 1/10,000 of a second, and scripture states that the speed at which our eye closes is the speed at which the Lord protects those who are His.
Hide me in the shadow of your wings - knowing the Lord brings one under the protection of His wing as a mother bird guards her young and shields them from danger.
7 How priceless your faithful love is, God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
God’s love protects us from the wicked, from our enemies. When we look to see our enemy they are as David describes uncaring (closed up their fat) and they speak arrogantly. The advance against us and we feel surrounded. They are determined only to do us in and throw us down to the ground. Ready to pounce and tear into us. a heart that knows Gods love knows that is spectacularly wondrous and also faithful.
A Heart that Hopes in the LORD
A Heart that Hopes in the LORD
13 Rise up, Lord! Confront him; bring him down. With your sword, save me from the wicked. 14 With your hand, Lord, save me from men, from men of the world whose portion is in this life: You fill their bellies with what you have in store; their sons are satisfied, and they leave their surplus to their children.
15 But I will see your face in righteousness; when I awake, I will be satisfied with your presence.
David confident in the Lord’s love and the protection it provides now comes to ask God to rise up in these final two strophes - the final two thoughts that look to the Lord David speaks on who he looks to now and who he looks to for his future as well.
Rise up Lord confront hims and bring him down - with your sword (your word) and save me from the wicked. With your hand save me from men - the men of the world whose portion is in this life. David says save from the wicked by your sword - word - it is by His word that God will deliver David and by His word that it is sure. David’s heart hopes in the LORD as he only look to the Lord for help and he only desires the Lord. David says save me from the men of the world whose portion is in this life. These are men who do not trust and hope in the Lord - their hope is in their bellies and the things of this world.
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
The one who loves the world only has their portion in this life.
David shows that his hope and his desire is beyond this life. I will see your face in righteousness - when I awake. I will be satisfied in your presence. David was confident and hoped for the the day when he would see the Lord’s face - face to face. His hope is in the Lord for this isnt merely contact with God but uninhibited fellowship with the LORD God. Why because he knew he would be clothed in righteousness that would bring him into the presence of God. When I wake - speaks of his knowing and hoping in the Lord for life after death. A heart that hope in the Lord will not be disappointed in death.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Throughout his prayer David focused on God and also the truth of eternity and the promise of eternal deliverance and being in the presence of God, this wasnt to the exclusion of his present day. For us we do not ignore present day and only look to the future, but its both the present and the future we trust to the God whom we pray to from our hearts that are set upon Him, cleansed by Him, desires His word, knows His love and hopes in Him. In a real sense we can enjoy those things described by David now. Closer fellowship with God, His righteousness in our life, being truly awake and living according to His pathways, conforming us to His image. Remember eternal life can start now - by turning our hearts more towards Him as we seek Him from our heart.
You and I as God’s children look out on a world that is against us. We are like the little boy playing in a vacant lot who saw a big old weed growing there and decided to pull it out of the ground. As he was pulling, a man happened by, stopped, and watched him. The little fellow would pull on one side and grunt, then get on the other side and pull. Finally, with one great supreme effort the little fellow pulled, the roots of the weed gave way, and he fell back with a bump. For a few moments he set there, shocked. The man who had been watching him said, “Son that was a mighty big pull.” The boy replied, “It sure was ‘cause the whole world was pulling against me.” My friend, that is the position of the child of God today, but we have a resource and a recourse by coming to our Heavenly Father. This is what our Lord did while He was on earth, and so did David when He was in real danger.
David set himself apart from what men of the world lived for he would only be satisfied in this
This—and perhaps only this—would make David satisfied. The implication is that he would never be satisfied until:
• He saw God’s face, enjoying unhindered relationship with Him.
• He received God’s righteousness.
• He awoke to and lived in heaven’s reality.
• He was conformed into God’s likeness.