DAVID'S PRAYER FOR REVIVAL

When I use the word “revival” what do I mean? It has become a word associated with a series of local church meetings or a style of music and preaching. But David’s use of revival is rather simple.

The word is used in the following ways in the Bible:

Genesis 7:3: “Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.”

Genesis 6:19: “And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female.”

Genesis 45:27: “And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them: and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived:”

It means to bring back to life or to maintain life. Revelation 3:2 says, “Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.”

One of the great revival passages in the Bible is taken from Psalm 85:

“To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah. Lord, thou hast been Favourable unto thy land: Thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob. Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, Thou hast covered all their sin. Selah. Thou hast taken away all thy wrath: Thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger.

Turn us, O God of our salvation, And cause thine anger toward us to cease. Wilt thou be angry with us for ever? Wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations?

Wilt thou not revive us again: That thy people may rejoice in thee? Shew us thy mercy, O Lord, And grant us thy salvation. I will hear what God the Lord will speak: For he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: But let them not turn again to folly. Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; That glory may dwell in our land.

In Psalm 51, everyone knows what David did— everyone. And it was not just bad— it was really bad. It was bad for anyone to have done that. However, it was really bad that David did it. He was known as a man after God’s own heart, the sweet psalmist of Israel, and God’s choice for a king over wicked Saul. Though his sin was private, his reaping was very public.

However this wonderful Psalm is an insight into what makes David great. Sin does not make anyone great, and however hard we try, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. For the last 300 years, people have quoted the literary expression, “To err is human; to forgive divine.”

Because we have a sin nature which leads to the committing of sins, we all need Psalm 51 experiences in our lives.

Psalm 51 KJV 1900

To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bath-sheba. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: According unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: And my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, And done this evil in thy sight: That thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, And be clear when thou judgest. Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; And in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: And in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; That the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, And blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; And renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; And take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; And uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; And sinners shall be converted unto thee. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: And my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. O Lord, open thou my lips; And my mouth shall shew forth thy praise. For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: Thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: A broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: Build thou the walls of Jerusalem. Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: Then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.

David’s Part

He acknowledged what He needed

mercy-

Psalm 51:1: “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: According unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.”

the word for mercy here means

our definition of mercy has the idea of someone withholding something— i.e. God withholds His judgment— but that is impartially true.

David is not asking for God to vacate His wrath; He is asking God to act kindly to him. This is what we would call “grace.” Grace in the Bible refers to that which God does for us in spite of what we deserve. We DESERVE God’s judgment, but mercy says “I’ll withhold what you deserve,” and even more, “I’ll grant you what you need. In grace, I’ll extend favor and acceptance.”

If David’s prayer were only for the withholding of judgment, the Psalm would end at verse 1, but a withholding God is not the God of the Bible— mercy and grace.

Genesis 19:19: “Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die:”

Hebrews 4:16: “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

cleansing-

Psalm 51:2: “Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin.”

ash me continually and thoroughly

QUESTION: Did David fall instantaneously into sin, or did it happen gradually? So, here, was not David asking for a repeated washing, seeing that sin had gradually been allowed to gain a stronghold in his life?

Alfred Barnes: “The one sin against Bathsheba, served to show the Psalmist the whole mountain of his iniquity, of which that foul deed was but one falling stone. He desires to be rid of the whole mass of his filthiness, which though once so little observed, had then become a hideous and haunting terror to his mind.”

He acknowledged what he had done

Psalm 51:3: “For I acknowledge my transgressions: And my sin is ever before me.”

David is willing to say— this is my problem. This is what I have done. The Devil did not make me do it. The world couldn’t compel me to do it. I acknowledge MY transgression.

He acknowledged against whom he had sinned

Psalm 51:4 “Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, And done this evil in thy sight: That thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, And be clear when thou judgest.”

God’s Role

You want mercy? Is that what you asked for? Well, there is more mercy in Jesus than sin in us! Look at the delivery the cargo ship of God’s love brings to David!

Psalm 51:7: “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean:

Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”

Psalm 51:8: “Make me to hear joy and gladness; That the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.”

Psalm 51:9: “Hide thy face from my sins, And blot out all mine iniquities.”

Psalm 51:10: “Create in me a clean heart, O God; And renew a right spirit within me.”

Psalm 51:11: “Cast me not away from thy presence; And take not thy holy spirit from me.”

Psalm 51:12: “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; And uphold me with thy free spirit.” (After a hard fall, you are more conscious of the pain of falling. David prays, Lord, keep me from falling.”

Psalm 51:15: “O Lord, open thou my lips; And my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.”

The Sign of Revival

What kind of man comes to Psalm 51?

broken

sinful

hurting

guilty

hopeless

empty

What kind of man leaves Psalm 51?

an accepted man

a forgiven man

a singing man

a hopeful man

a clean man

a renewed man

a restored man

To what do we owe the difference? GOD’S MERCY AND GOD’S GRACE!