1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:02,120 I do hope you all have your Bible open 2 00:00:02,120 –> 00:00:04,680 at second Samuel chapter seven the passage 3 00:00:04,680 –> 00:00:06,620 that has been read for us. 4 00:00:06,620 –> 00:00:08,960 The title today is how to pray 5 00:00:08,960 –> 00:00:11,280 and this is the last in our series 6 00:00:11,280 –> 00:00:15,880 that’s run over these last weeks in the life of David. 7 00:00:15,880 –> 00:00:19,780 Throughout the Bible there are some marvelous examples 8 00:00:19,780 –> 00:00:24,780 of the prayers of people who knew how to pray. 9 00:00:25,600 –> 00:00:28,020 And in this chapter we have one of the most 10 00:00:28,020 –> 00:00:32,320 marvelous examples in all of the Old Testament scripture. 11 00:00:32,320 –> 00:00:33,680 The prayer of David. 12 00:00:33,680 –> 00:00:36,820 And we’re going to look at it together today 13 00:00:36,820 –> 00:00:39,340 because it is loaded with wisdom 14 00:00:39,340 –> 00:00:41,459 and it is full of practical help. 15 00:00:41,459 –> 00:00:43,119 I want to draw out for you today 16 00:00:43,119 –> 00:00:46,380 some things that you can practice this week 17 00:00:46,380 –> 00:00:50,439 that may be a means of deepening your own prayer life 18 00:00:50,439 –> 00:00:54,220 and making your own prayers more effective. 19 00:00:54,220 –> 00:00:57,299 And so we’re going to speak at a very practical level today 20 00:00:57,340 –> 00:00:59,060 as we apply what we learned 21 00:00:59,060 –> 00:01:01,139 from this part of the Word of God. 22 00:01:01,139 –> 00:01:04,379 Let me just whet your appetite with verse 27 23 00:01:04,379 –> 00:01:05,220 where David says, 24 00:01:05,220 –> 00:01:08,839 “‘Therefore your servant has found courage 25 00:01:08,839 –> 00:01:12,120 “‘to pray this prayer to you.” 26 00:01:12,120 –> 00:01:16,620 So here we’re being told how David found courage to pray. 27 00:01:16,620 –> 00:01:18,540 In other words, how he got to the place 28 00:01:18,540 –> 00:01:20,239 where he actually had the faith 29 00:01:20,239 –> 00:01:25,139 and the sheer nerve to ask God for what he did. 30 00:01:25,139 –> 00:01:27,900 How did he get there, and how can you get there? 31 00:01:27,900 –> 00:01:31,720 That’s what’s before us from the Bible today. 32 00:01:31,720 –> 00:01:34,660 So, we’re going to walk through these verses together, 33 00:01:34,660 –> 00:01:38,919 and we begin at verse 18 where we read these words, 34 00:01:38,919 –> 00:01:43,919 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord. 35 00:01:44,260 –> 00:01:47,220 Now, whenever you see the word then in the Bible, 36 00:01:47,220 –> 00:01:50,940 it’s always worth pausing to ask the question when, 37 00:01:50,940 –> 00:01:54,900 because then is telling us about a particular situation 38 00:01:54,900 –> 00:01:56,660 in which something happened. 39 00:01:56,660 –> 00:02:00,080 When was it that David went in and sat before the Lord? 40 00:02:00,080 –> 00:02:01,860 Well, as we’ve seen in these last weeks, 41 00:02:01,860 –> 00:02:05,300 it was after God had spoken to him. 42 00:02:05,300 –> 00:02:08,839 God had given the marvellous promise through Nathan 43 00:02:08,839 –> 00:02:13,839 to David, and then, having heard the word of God, 44 00:02:14,100 –> 00:02:17,339 David goes in and seeks the Lord in prayer. 45 00:02:17,339 –> 00:02:20,919 Now, that reminds us of something absolutely foundational, 46 00:02:20,919 –> 00:02:24,520 that prayer is always a response to the word of God. 47 00:02:24,899 –> 00:02:29,679 Then, King David went in and sat before the Lord. 48 00:02:29,679 –> 00:02:34,679 Prayer is a believing response to what God has said to us. 49 00:02:34,940 –> 00:02:37,619 And if you let him, therefore, speak to you, 50 00:02:37,619 –> 00:02:39,600 you will be in a better position to know 51 00:02:39,600 –> 00:02:42,839 how you should then speak to him. 52 00:02:42,839 –> 00:02:45,240 In other words, listening to what God says to you 53 00:02:45,240 –> 00:02:49,979 in his word will help you to know how to pray. 54 00:02:49,979 –> 00:02:52,080 And so, very simply, I want to commend to you, 55 00:02:52,160 –> 00:02:54,639 and I know many of you will be doing this already, 56 00:02:54,639 –> 00:02:57,880 always pray with an open Bible. 57 00:02:57,880 –> 00:03:00,199 And before you set out in prayer, 58 00:03:00,199 –> 00:03:02,559 read a few verses from the scripture. 59 00:03:02,559 –> 00:03:05,839 Cultivate that habit, and you will find 60 00:03:05,839 –> 00:03:08,720 that what God says to you in his word 61 00:03:08,720 –> 00:03:13,720 is a stimulus to what you say back to him in prayer. 62 00:03:14,339 –> 00:03:18,039 It’s rather like the choke on an engine. 63 00:03:18,039 –> 00:03:19,960 That’s the first Sunday in November, 64 00:03:19,960 –> 00:03:21,199 so it’s a good time to mention 65 00:03:21,199 –> 00:03:24,300 starting up the snowblower, if you have a snow blower. 66 00:03:24,300 –> 00:03:26,399 And when you start up a small engine, 67 00:03:26,399 –> 00:03:29,639 you wanna apply the choke because it needs 68 00:03:29,639 –> 00:03:32,240 a little bit of help to get that thing going. 69 00:03:32,240 –> 00:03:34,360 Once it’s up and running, you don’t need the choke, 70 00:03:34,360 –> 00:03:36,759 but when you’re trying to get it started, 71 00:03:36,759 –> 00:03:39,479 you need to give it all the help that it can get. 72 00:03:39,479 –> 00:03:42,199 Well, to get started in prayer, 73 00:03:42,199 –> 00:03:44,100 you need all the help you can get, 74 00:03:44,100 –> 00:03:47,479 and God gives that to you in his word. 75 00:03:47,479 –> 00:03:50,000 And because prayer is a response to God’s word, 76 00:03:50,000 –> 00:03:53,320 if you will pray with an old Bible, you will be helped, 77 00:03:53,320 –> 00:03:55,720 you will be warmed in your heart, 78 00:03:55,720 –> 00:03:58,639 and God’s word to you will help you get going 79 00:03:58,639 –> 00:04:00,940 in what you are to say to him. 80 00:04:00,940 –> 00:04:04,440 So then, as God had spoken to him, 81 00:04:04,440 –> 00:04:09,440 King David went in and sat before the Lord. 82 00:04:11,279 –> 00:04:12,500 He sat. 83 00:04:13,679 –> 00:04:15,139 What’s the significance of that? 84 00:04:15,139 –> 00:04:18,000 There are many postures for praying in the Bible, 85 00:04:18,040 –> 00:04:20,880 and none of them, of course, are mandated. 86 00:04:20,880 –> 00:04:23,100 What’s the significance of him sitting? 87 00:04:23,959 –> 00:04:26,820 At other times, we may kneel, 88 00:04:26,820 –> 00:04:28,959 and there are examples of that in Scripture. 89 00:04:28,959 –> 00:04:32,880 What’s the significance of sitting rather than kneeling? 90 00:04:32,880 –> 00:04:36,359 I suggest to you, you can sit for longer 91 00:04:36,359 –> 00:04:37,359 than you can kneel. 92 00:04:38,359 –> 00:04:40,239 A very good thing to kneel in prayer, 93 00:04:40,239 –> 00:04:41,820 but there’s probably, for most of us, 94 00:04:41,820 –> 00:04:44,100 a limited amount of time that we’re able to do that 95 00:04:44,100 –> 00:04:46,980 before pain begins to creep in. 96 00:04:47,640 –> 00:04:49,220 The fact that David sat, 97 00:04:49,220 –> 00:04:52,019 actually, this is in the Hebrew word that is used here, 98 00:04:52,019 –> 00:04:54,980 indicates that he stopped, 99 00:04:54,980 –> 00:04:58,660 he paused, he reflected. 100 00:04:58,660 –> 00:05:01,619 Having listened to the awesome promise of God, 101 00:05:01,619 –> 00:05:04,540 he slowed down, 102 00:05:04,540 –> 00:05:06,959 and he sat in the presence of the Lord. 103 00:05:06,959 –> 00:05:08,820 That reminds us that prayer is not only 104 00:05:08,820 –> 00:05:11,660 a response to all that God has said, 105 00:05:11,660 –> 00:05:14,380 it is a response to all that God has done. 106 00:05:14,380 –> 00:05:15,619 That’s why David says, 107 00:05:15,660 –> 00:05:17,679 “‘When he sat before the Lord, 108 00:05:17,679 –> 00:05:19,660 “‘Who am I, oh Lord, 109 00:05:19,660 –> 00:05:24,399 “‘And what is my house that you have brought me thus far?’ 110 00:05:24,399 –> 00:05:26,600 And so David begins to call to mind 111 00:05:26,600 –> 00:05:28,899 as he enters into prayer, 112 00:05:28,899 –> 00:05:30,500 all that God has done for him 113 00:05:30,500 –> 00:05:33,140 and all the way that God has brought him. 114 00:05:33,140 –> 00:05:38,140 He was born the eighth son of an obscure family 115 00:05:38,279 –> 00:05:40,140 in an out of the way village 116 00:05:40,140 –> 00:05:42,959 that was known by the name of Bethlehem. 117 00:05:42,959 –> 00:05:45,019 He was a shepherd. 118 00:05:45,019 –> 00:05:49,359 There is no path by which you can get 119 00:05:49,359 –> 00:05:52,420 from being a shepherd to being a king. 120 00:05:52,420 –> 00:05:53,839 You know, it just doesn’t work like this, 121 00:05:53,839 –> 00:05:55,420 that if you work hard as a shepherd, 122 00:05:55,420 –> 00:05:57,640 you get promoted to being a king. 123 00:05:57,640 –> 00:06:00,920 I mean, this man had no royal blood in his veins. 124 00:06:00,920 –> 00:06:03,399 He was not born a prince. 125 00:06:03,399 –> 00:06:05,119 He’s in an obscure family. 126 00:06:05,119 –> 00:06:07,500 He’s the youngest of all sons. 127 00:06:07,500 –> 00:06:09,019 There is no way that he can get 128 00:06:09,019 –> 00:06:12,079 to where he has come by his own hard work 129 00:06:12,079 –> 00:06:13,519 or by his effort. 130 00:06:13,519 –> 00:06:14,660 There’s only one way 131 00:06:14,700 –> 00:06:16,459 that this shepherd has become a king, 132 00:06:16,459 –> 00:06:18,600 and that is the extraordinary blessing 133 00:06:18,600 –> 00:06:21,579 of God upon his life. 134 00:06:21,579 –> 00:06:24,059 And David sits and he ponders 135 00:06:24,059 –> 00:06:26,540 what the Lord has done for him. 136 00:06:26,540 –> 00:06:28,579 Now, as we reflect on this, 137 00:06:28,579 –> 00:06:29,420 I want you to see, 138 00:06:29,420 –> 00:06:32,820 here’s the first thing that you can practice 139 00:06:32,820 –> 00:06:35,899 in regards to deepening your own prayer life. 140 00:06:35,899 –> 00:06:38,179 What is David doing at this point? 141 00:06:38,179 –> 00:06:39,339 Surely, he’s doing this, 142 00:06:39,339 –> 00:06:43,380 he is cultivating a spirit of thanksgiving. 143 00:06:43,459 –> 00:06:46,140 And he’s doing it by bringing to mind 144 00:06:46,140 –> 00:06:49,739 the many past blessings of the Lord on his life. 145 00:06:49,739 –> 00:06:51,420 Who am I, oh Lord God, 146 00:06:51,420 –> 00:06:52,579 and what is my house, 147 00:06:52,579 –> 00:06:56,359 that you have brought me thus far? 148 00:06:57,779 –> 00:07:02,779 Lord, your kindness is the only explanation 149 00:07:03,459 –> 00:07:06,220 of the good that has happened in my life. 150 00:07:07,179 –> 00:07:10,059 You brought me from where I was, 151 00:07:10,059 –> 00:07:13,519 and you laid hold of me as I was, 152 00:07:13,519 –> 00:07:16,100 and you have brought me to where I am, 153 00:07:16,100 –> 00:07:19,299 and you have made me what I am. 154 00:07:19,299 –> 00:07:20,859 And without you, 155 00:07:20,859 –> 00:07:24,320 none of this good would ever have happened in my life. 156 00:07:26,100 –> 00:07:27,500 Now, that’s very significant 157 00:07:27,500 –> 00:07:30,779 because I’m sure that David was not beyond the temptation 158 00:07:30,779 –> 00:07:33,220 that will come to us as well. 159 00:07:33,220 –> 00:07:34,820 That where blessing comes into our life, 160 00:07:34,820 –> 00:07:37,420 we are tempted to take the credit for it. 161 00:07:38,299 –> 00:07:39,700 I mean it’s not inconceivable 162 00:07:39,700 –> 00:07:43,420 that David might have been thinking like this, 163 00:07:43,420 –> 00:07:47,320 well, much blessing has come into my life 164 00:07:47,320 –> 00:07:50,579 and I’ve been put in this position as the king. 165 00:07:50,579 –> 00:07:52,019 Why has it happened? 166 00:07:53,279 –> 00:07:56,380 Well, I suppose I was the one who killed Goliath. 167 00:07:57,339 –> 00:07:59,299 And I certainly did honor the Lord 168 00:07:59,299 –> 00:08:02,940 by not taking advantage of Saul’s weakness 169 00:08:02,940 –> 00:08:05,619 and vulnerability when I could have taken his life. 170 00:08:06,359 –> 00:08:08,660 And after all, I have been very patient, 171 00:08:08,660 –> 00:08:11,720 have I not, for seven years out in the sticks in Hebron 172 00:08:11,720 –> 00:08:15,140 while only one tribe received me and recognized me. 173 00:08:16,100 –> 00:08:19,000 But there’s not a hint of pride with David here. 174 00:08:20,160 –> 00:08:22,760 The natural condition of the sinful heart 175 00:08:22,760 –> 00:08:27,040 is to proudly take credit for all that is good to self 176 00:08:27,040 –> 00:08:29,480 and give blame to God for all that is bad, 177 00:08:29,480 –> 00:08:32,840 and there’s nothing like that in David here at all. 178 00:08:32,840 –> 00:08:35,359 Prayer will never flow from the heart 179 00:08:35,359 –> 00:08:37,039 that takes credit to itself. 180 00:08:38,000 –> 00:08:40,799 David says all that has come to me 181 00:08:40,799 –> 00:08:43,359 has come from the goodness of your hand, 182 00:08:43,359 –> 00:08:45,840 and what do I have that I did not receive? 183 00:08:46,700 –> 00:08:49,219 And prayer flows from this humble heart 184 00:08:49,219 –> 00:08:52,640 that has a fresh awareness of the many blessings 185 00:08:52,640 –> 00:08:55,520 of God poured into the life. 186 00:08:55,520 –> 00:09:00,099 Who am I that you have brought me this far? 187 00:09:01,000 –> 00:09:04,840 So here’s what you can do when your own heart is cold, 188 00:09:04,919 –> 00:09:07,719 like starting the engine with a choke. 189 00:09:07,719 –> 00:09:11,219 You bring to mind the many blessings of your life 190 00:09:11,219 –> 00:09:12,840 and what God has done for you. 191 00:09:12,840 –> 00:09:14,159 Do you have gifts and talents? 192 00:09:14,159 –> 00:09:16,320 Where did they come from? 193 00:09:16,320 –> 00:09:17,880 Have doors opened for you? 194 00:09:17,880 –> 00:09:20,280 Who opened the doors? 195 00:09:20,280 –> 00:09:22,059 Has success been given to you? 196 00:09:22,059 –> 00:09:24,099 From whose hand did it come? 197 00:09:24,979 –> 00:09:26,960 Are there people who love you? 198 00:09:26,960 –> 00:09:29,960 Who gave that marvelous gift to you in your life? 199 00:09:29,960 –> 00:09:31,640 Do you have love to give to others? 200 00:09:31,640 –> 00:09:35,000 Is it not because you first have been loved? 201 00:09:35,000 –> 00:09:37,679 What do you have that you did not receive? 202 00:09:38,880 –> 00:09:42,099 And then as you think about all that God has given to you 203 00:09:42,099 –> 00:09:43,840 in his kind providence, 204 00:09:43,840 –> 00:09:47,280 add to that all that is yours in Jesus Christ. 205 00:09:47,280 –> 00:09:50,539 Your many sins have been forgiven. 206 00:09:50,539 –> 00:09:54,479 You were adopted into the family of God, 207 00:09:54,479 –> 00:09:58,119 the wrath of God that is ahead of millions 208 00:09:58,179 –> 00:10:00,159 is behind you forever 209 00:10:00,159 –> 00:10:02,320 and you will never see it. 210 00:10:02,320 –> 00:10:04,679 And ahead of you is the most glorious 211 00:10:04,679 –> 00:10:06,900 and unclouded joy 212 00:10:06,900 –> 00:10:08,760 for all eternity. 213 00:10:10,000 –> 00:10:12,739 Well, David calls to mind 214 00:10:12,739 –> 00:10:15,280 the sense of the goodness of God 215 00:10:15,280 –> 00:10:18,799 and praise begins to rise up from 216 00:10:18,799 –> 00:10:19,719 within him. 217 00:10:20,799 –> 00:10:21,659 And again, 218 00:10:23,380 –> 00:10:27,559 David was not beyond the temptation 219 00:10:27,559 –> 00:10:30,780 to slide, at this point in his life, 220 00:10:30,780 –> 00:10:32,739 into self pity, 221 00:10:33,619 –> 00:10:35,820 feeling sorry for himself. 222 00:10:36,900 –> 00:10:38,380 I mean, as we’ve followed this story 223 00:10:38,380 –> 00:10:39,619 over these last weeks, 224 00:10:39,619 –> 00:10:43,739 it would not have been entirely surprising 225 00:10:43,739 –> 00:10:45,679 if, at this point, David was saying, 226 00:10:45,679 –> 00:10:46,679 well, here I am 227 00:10:46,679 –> 00:10:49,599 and I’ve got all this burden of responsibility. 228 00:10:50,640 –> 00:10:54,320 Everything seems to be on my shoulders. 229 00:10:54,320 –> 00:10:56,460 And I’ve been opposed 230 00:10:56,460 –> 00:10:59,340 and I’ve been misrepresented 231 00:10:59,340 –> 00:11:01,080 and God has closed the door 232 00:11:01,080 –> 00:11:03,979 on the thing that I really wanted to do for him 233 00:11:03,979 –> 00:11:05,900 and now he’s given me this assignment, 234 00:11:05,900 –> 00:11:07,440 which is much more difficult 235 00:11:07,440 –> 00:11:09,380 than what I had envisioned for myself. 236 00:11:09,380 –> 00:11:11,140 I wanted to put up the temple. 237 00:11:11,140 –> 00:11:13,659 I’ve got to fight all these wretched wars. 238 00:11:15,020 –> 00:11:19,280 But there’s nothing remotely like that here in David. 239 00:11:20,280 –> 00:11:23,119 What does he do when God closes a door 240 00:11:23,119 –> 00:11:25,960 on what he most wanted to offer to the Lord? 241 00:11:26,820 –> 00:11:29,460 He goes in and he sits before the Lord 242 00:11:29,460 –> 00:11:32,580 and he counts his blessings. 243 00:11:34,059 –> 00:11:34,880 Now, I’m saying to you, 244 00:11:34,880 –> 00:11:35,940 and this is very practical, 245 00:11:35,940 –> 00:11:37,659 if there’s disappointment in your life, 246 00:11:37,659 –> 00:11:39,500 here is something for you to do this week. 247 00:11:39,500 –> 00:11:40,500 You take an hour. 248 00:11:41,619 –> 00:11:42,820 You go and sit. 249 00:11:44,099 –> 00:11:46,200 You go and sit in the presence of the Lord 250 00:11:46,200 –> 00:11:49,780 with an open Bible and you take a notebook and a pen 251 00:11:49,780 –> 00:11:53,460 and you start writing down the many blessings 252 00:11:53,460 –> 00:11:55,179 that God has poured into your life 253 00:11:55,219 –> 00:11:56,840 from your birth onwards. 254 00:11:56,840 –> 00:11:59,099 Ask Him to help you bring them to mind. 255 00:12:01,179 –> 00:12:02,859 And you will find that it is not long 256 00:12:02,859 –> 00:12:04,659 before pages are being filled 257 00:12:04,659 –> 00:12:06,780 with the goodness and mercy of God 258 00:12:06,780 –> 00:12:09,359 to you in the course of your life, 259 00:12:09,359 –> 00:12:11,419 in His kind providence to you. 260 00:12:12,619 –> 00:12:15,619 And then through His Son, your Savior, 261 00:12:15,619 –> 00:12:18,020 Jesus Christ. 262 00:12:18,020 –> 00:12:20,859 Count your blessings, as an old hymn puts it, 263 00:12:20,859 –> 00:12:22,820 name them one by one 264 00:12:22,859 –> 00:12:26,059 and it will surprise you 265 00:12:26,059 –> 00:12:27,979 what the Lord has done. 266 00:12:29,119 –> 00:12:32,219 So, David is cultivating this spirit of thanksgiving. 267 00:12:32,219 –> 00:12:34,140 He does it by looking at past blessings, 268 00:12:34,140 –> 00:12:35,380 but he doesn’t stop there. 269 00:12:35,380 –> 00:12:38,940 He also counts the future promises of God 270 00:12:38,940 –> 00:12:40,280 that have been made to him. 271 00:12:40,280 –> 00:12:41,619 Verse 19. 272 00:12:41,619 –> 00:12:44,260 This was a small thing in your eyes, oh Lord. 273 00:12:44,260 –> 00:12:47,260 You have spoken also of your servant’s house 274 00:12:47,260 –> 00:12:50,380 for a great while to come. 275 00:12:50,380 –> 00:12:53,179 Not only Lord, have you piled one blessing 276 00:12:53,179 –> 00:12:55,700 on top of another in my life already, 277 00:12:55,700 –> 00:12:58,479 but you have stored up great good gifts 278 00:12:58,479 –> 00:13:00,380 that are yet ahead of me. 279 00:13:01,119 –> 00:13:02,840 And in Jesus Christ, 280 00:13:02,840 –> 00:13:06,039 you have been given this gift of everlasting life. 281 00:13:06,039 –> 00:13:07,419 You are his child, 282 00:13:07,419 –> 00:13:11,960 and you have the most glorious future of unclouded joy. 283 00:13:13,400 –> 00:13:17,239 And not only does he call to mind these many past blessings 284 00:13:17,239 –> 00:13:20,000 and these wonderful future promises, 285 00:13:20,359 –> 00:13:25,000 the future for you in Jesus Christ is glorious. 286 00:13:25,919 –> 00:13:28,239 But then he calls to mind 287 00:13:28,239 –> 00:13:33,239 and marvels at God’s inexplicable grace. 288 00:13:33,760 –> 00:13:35,559 Verse 20. 289 00:13:35,559 –> 00:13:39,880 And what more can David say to you? 290 00:13:39,880 –> 00:13:44,719 For you know your servant, oh Lord God. 291 00:13:46,460 –> 00:13:49,239 That word no here 292 00:13:49,239 –> 00:13:54,239 has the sense of being singled out, laid hold of, 293 00:13:56,460 –> 00:14:00,739 it’s rather like the those he foreknew 294 00:14:00,739 –> 00:14:03,919 in Romans and chapter eight in the New Testament. 295 00:14:04,859 –> 00:14:06,859 He’s really asking this question 296 00:14:06,859 –> 00:14:09,059 as he thinks of all of these blessings, 297 00:14:09,059 –> 00:14:11,419 why has this come to me? 298 00:14:12,539 –> 00:14:15,640 Why have all of these good gifts been poured into my life 299 00:14:15,640 –> 00:14:17,059 that are gifts that have been poured 300 00:14:17,059 –> 00:14:18,979 into my life that have not been poured 301 00:14:19,020 –> 00:14:20,359 into the lives of others? 302 00:14:20,359 –> 00:14:21,340 Why me? 303 00:14:21,340 –> 00:14:25,280 Why have I received all of this good from your hand 304 00:14:26,380 –> 00:14:29,719 and does he marvel at God’s inexplicable grace? 305 00:14:29,719 –> 00:14:32,739 Why was this love pitched on me? 306 00:14:34,900 –> 00:14:37,700 There’s a marvelous statement in verse 21, 307 00:14:37,700 –> 00:14:42,559 because of your promise 308 00:14:42,559 –> 00:14:46,299 and according to your own heart, 309 00:14:46,299 –> 00:14:48,960 you have brought about all this greatness 310 00:14:49,020 –> 00:14:51,179 to make your servant know it. 311 00:14:52,119 –> 00:14:53,840 Now notice that God’s grace, 312 00:14:53,840 –> 00:14:56,179 this is a very important verse in the Bible, 313 00:14:56,179 –> 00:15:01,179 God’s grace flows from his own heart 314 00:15:01,479 –> 00:15:05,140 and it is made known by his promise. 315 00:15:05,140 –> 00:15:08,820 Because of your promise and according to your heart, 316 00:15:08,820 –> 00:15:12,239 God’s grace flows from his heart 317 00:15:12,239 –> 00:15:15,619 and it is made known by his promise. 318 00:15:16,280 –> 00:15:20,760 Now if like David you find yourself from time to time 319 00:15:20,760 –> 00:15:24,799 asking the question, why was I chosen? 320 00:15:24,799 –> 00:15:29,799 Why did all this blessing in Jesus Christ come to me? 321 00:15:31,440 –> 00:15:35,059 Why when thousands are outside of Jesus Christ 322 00:15:35,059 –> 00:15:37,380 have I been brought in? 323 00:15:37,380 –> 00:15:42,380 If you find yourself as a Christian asking that question, 324 00:15:42,559 –> 00:15:45,099 you will never get beyond the answer 325 00:15:45,119 –> 00:15:46,900 that David gives here 326 00:15:46,900 –> 00:15:51,619 when he speaks about grace being out of God’s own heart. 327 00:15:53,280 –> 00:15:58,280 God’s love for you is because of God’s love for you. 328 00:16:00,539 –> 00:16:01,679 You can’t get beyond that. 329 00:16:01,679 –> 00:16:03,880 You can’t get beyond the mystery 330 00:16:03,880 –> 00:16:08,280 of the unfathomable love of God for you, 331 00:16:08,280 –> 00:16:11,340 that fountain of his own heart. 332 00:16:11,340 –> 00:16:14,940 When God speaks about his love for his people Israel, 333 00:16:15,119 –> 00:16:18,619 how he chose them out of all the nations, 334 00:16:18,619 –> 00:16:22,099 why did God love Israel? 335 00:16:22,099 –> 00:16:25,460 This question is raised in Deuteronomy 7 336 00:16:25,460 –> 00:16:26,539 and verse seven. 337 00:16:26,539 –> 00:16:27,679 And you go through, 338 00:16:27,679 –> 00:16:29,640 was it because they were more numerous? 339 00:16:29,640 –> 00:16:33,739 Was it because these people were stronger and so forth? 340 00:16:33,739 –> 00:16:35,020 And the answer is, no no no. 341 00:16:35,020 –> 00:16:37,200 Why did God love this people? 342 00:16:38,500 –> 00:16:40,820 And the answer that’s given in Deuteronomy 7 343 00:16:40,820 –> 00:16:42,179 and verse seven is simply this, 344 00:16:42,619 –> 00:16:45,580 it was because the Lord loved them. 345 00:16:47,140 –> 00:16:48,380 Why did God love you? 346 00:16:49,820 –> 00:16:51,340 It was because the Lord loved you. 347 00:16:51,340 –> 00:16:53,679 You cannot get further than that. 348 00:16:54,900 –> 00:16:57,900 And to all eternity, brother, sister, and Christ, 349 00:16:57,900 –> 00:17:00,719 you will find yourself gazing into this mystery 350 00:17:00,719 –> 00:17:05,719 that the heart of God is a fountain of love for you 351 00:17:06,079 –> 00:17:08,880 and you will, for all eternity, 352 00:17:09,000 –> 00:17:12,060 marvel at this inexplicable grace. 353 00:17:14,099 –> 00:17:18,579 If you ask the question, why was I chosen? 354 00:17:18,579 –> 00:17:21,180 Why did God set his love on me? 355 00:17:21,180 –> 00:17:23,739 You can never get beyond the heart of God. 356 00:17:23,739 –> 00:17:26,260 He loves you because he loves you. 357 00:17:28,979 –> 00:17:30,859 But if you ask a different question, 358 00:17:32,260 –> 00:17:37,020 not why was I chosen, but how can I know if I was chosen? 359 00:17:37,020 –> 00:17:38,479 And that’s an important question 360 00:17:38,540 –> 00:17:40,000 that many people ask. 361 00:17:41,040 –> 00:17:44,380 If you ask the question, how can I know if I was chosen, 362 00:17:44,380 –> 00:17:48,719 the answer lies in looking to God’s promise, 363 00:17:48,719 –> 00:17:50,040 and that’s why it’s so important 364 00:17:50,040 –> 00:17:52,699 that these two are brought together in this verse. 365 00:17:54,680 –> 00:17:57,959 It is because of your promise 366 00:17:57,959 –> 00:18:01,660 that God made his servant David to know it. 367 00:18:03,880 –> 00:18:05,819 John Calvin, who seems like a good person 368 00:18:05,819 –> 00:18:08,079 to quote on this particular subject, 369 00:18:08,140 –> 00:18:10,780 raises the question in a sermon 370 00:18:10,780 –> 00:18:14,400 that he preached on these very verses from 2 Samuel. 371 00:18:14,400 –> 00:18:17,900 And he raises the question, 372 00:18:17,900 –> 00:18:21,439 how can I know if I am among the elect? 373 00:18:22,420 –> 00:18:26,140 How can I know if God has chosen me? 374 00:18:26,140 –> 00:18:30,140 How can I know if I am really a child of God? 375 00:18:30,140 –> 00:18:31,819 That’s a very important question. 376 00:18:32,839 –> 00:18:34,219 And he gives this answer. 377 00:18:35,199 –> 00:18:39,579 Let us learn to begin with the word, 378 00:18:39,579 –> 00:18:42,459 which is clear to us. 379 00:18:42,459 –> 00:18:45,900 And when we want to know if we are children of God, 380 00:18:45,900 –> 00:18:47,619 let us remember that it says 381 00:18:47,619 –> 00:18:52,619 that whoever believes in the son of God will never die. 382 00:18:55,020 –> 00:18:57,459 In other words, if you’re asking the question, 383 00:18:57,459 –> 00:19:01,140 how can I know if I am among the people of God, 384 00:19:01,140 –> 00:19:03,959 how can I know what the heart of God is towards me, 385 00:19:03,959 –> 00:19:07,839 you answer that question by looking at the promise 386 00:19:07,839 –> 00:19:10,260 and by believing the promise, he continues, 387 00:19:10,260 –> 00:19:11,640 let us realize then 388 00:19:11,640 –> 00:19:14,959 that God grants this privilege to all creatures 389 00:19:14,959 –> 00:19:18,199 that he will accept them as his own children 390 00:19:18,199 –> 00:19:20,119 in Jesus Christ. 391 00:19:20,119 –> 00:19:23,479 Let us realize that in believing the gospel, 392 00:19:23,479 –> 00:19:25,119 we are made participants 393 00:19:25,119 –> 00:19:30,119 in all the blessings of the son of God. 394 00:19:31,599 –> 00:19:33,560 In other words, 395 00:19:33,560 –> 00:19:38,500 the word of God reveals the heart of God 396 00:19:38,500 –> 00:19:41,540 to those who believe the promise. 397 00:19:41,540 –> 00:19:46,199 The word of God reveals the heart of God 398 00:19:46,199 –> 00:19:49,579 to those who believe his promise. 399 00:19:49,579 –> 00:19:53,439 And if you will believe the promise, 400 00:19:53,439 –> 00:19:57,780 you can be sure that God has set his love upon you 401 00:19:57,780 –> 00:20:01,160 and that you are indeed his child. 402 00:20:01,479 –> 00:20:04,439 It’s a very, very wonderful verse 403 00:20:04,439 –> 00:20:09,439 that gazes into the mystery of God’s unprovoked love, 404 00:20:09,939 –> 00:20:12,140 the source of all things 405 00:20:12,140 –> 00:20:15,660 and tells us that it is through the promise 406 00:20:15,660 –> 00:20:17,660 and believing the promise 407 00:20:17,660 –> 00:20:22,660 that we may know that we are in this marvelous love. 408 00:20:23,640 –> 00:20:26,920 And so, here’s David and he’s cultivating a sense 409 00:20:26,920 –> 00:20:30,599 of God’s great mercy and goodness towards him 410 00:20:30,640 –> 00:20:34,020 and he does it by bringing to mind past blessings 411 00:20:34,020 –> 00:20:36,359 and future promises 412 00:20:36,359 –> 00:20:41,359 and gazing at the mystery of God’s inexplicable grace 413 00:20:43,699 –> 00:20:45,900 and I want to commend that to you 414 00:20:45,900 –> 00:20:48,439 because you will find when your own heart is cold 415 00:20:48,439 –> 00:20:52,020 that cultivating a spirit of thanksgiving 416 00:20:52,020 –> 00:20:55,719 is what will get you going in prayer 417 00:20:55,719 –> 00:20:57,219 and that’s what we find here. 418 00:20:58,880 –> 00:21:00,099 Then, where do you go from there? 419 00:21:00,099 –> 00:21:03,099 You cultivate a spirit of thanksgiving 420 00:21:03,099 –> 00:21:05,660 and then here’s the second thing that flows from that. 421 00:21:05,660 –> 00:21:10,099 You widen your prayer to include others. 422 00:21:10,099 –> 00:21:13,180 Notice how having pondered and reflected on 423 00:21:13,180 –> 00:21:14,380 in the presence of the Lord 424 00:21:14,380 –> 00:21:18,239 the past blessings, future promises and inexplicable grace, 425 00:21:18,239 –> 00:21:22,500 now David moves out from God’s kindness to himself 426 00:21:22,500 –> 00:21:26,000 and widens his prayer to God’s people Israel, 427 00:21:26,040 –> 00:21:29,900 who is like your people Israel, verse 23, 428 00:21:29,900 –> 00:21:32,140 The one nation on earth 429 00:21:32,140 –> 00:21:35,380 whom God went to redeem to be his people. 430 00:21:35,380 –> 00:21:38,219 Now you notice how there’s a widening that’s going on here. 431 00:21:38,219 –> 00:21:41,959 David began in verse 18 with who am I? 432 00:21:41,959 –> 00:21:46,959 Now in verse 23, he’s saying who is like your people, Israel 433 00:21:47,739 –> 00:21:50,400 and that tells us that as our heart is warmed 434 00:21:50,400 –> 00:21:52,660 with the knowledge of the mercy of God, 435 00:21:52,660 –> 00:21:57,560 prayer opens a window on the wider world. 436 00:21:57,560 –> 00:22:01,800 And while prayer at its best is always personal, 437 00:22:01,800 –> 00:22:06,699 prayer at its best is always more than personal as well. 438 00:22:07,719 –> 00:22:09,959 So reflecting on these past blessings, 439 00:22:09,959 –> 00:22:12,760 future promises and inexplicable grace, 440 00:22:12,760 –> 00:22:14,959 now brings David to think about those 441 00:22:14,959 –> 00:22:16,819 who share the same blessings. 442 00:22:16,819 –> 00:22:19,599 That’s the point of him speaking about Israel 443 00:22:19,599 –> 00:22:23,180 who are brought into these many blessings of the Lord. 444 00:22:24,260 –> 00:22:27,619 But it doesn’t even stop there, his prayers go even wider 445 00:22:27,619 –> 00:22:30,339 because he is thinking also now about those 446 00:22:30,339 –> 00:22:33,260 who have not yet enjoyed the many blessings 447 00:22:33,260 –> 00:22:36,420 that David and Israel are privileged to share. 448 00:22:36,420 –> 00:22:39,699 And that’s the significance of verse 19, 449 00:22:39,699 –> 00:22:42,099 where David says that the promise of God’s blessing 450 00:22:42,099 –> 00:22:46,760 is for the instruction of mankind, 451 00:22:46,760 –> 00:22:51,719 mankind, the whole of the human race. 452 00:22:51,719 –> 00:22:54,500 Or as Doctor Walt Kaiser translates this, 453 00:22:54,500 –> 00:22:58,140 he has made a special study of this part of the scripture 454 00:22:58,140 –> 00:23:01,219 and he translates that phrase, the instruction of mankind, 455 00:23:01,219 –> 00:23:04,719 for the benefit of mankind. 456 00:23:04,719 –> 00:23:07,300 In other words, this marvelous promise of the Messiah 457 00:23:07,300 –> 00:23:10,660 that will be fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ 458 00:23:10,660 –> 00:23:13,880 is for the whole human race, 459 00:23:13,880 –> 00:23:16,000 for people of every background, 460 00:23:16,000 –> 00:23:18,760 for people who have not known anything of the privileges 461 00:23:18,760 –> 00:23:21,920 that have been given to David and indeed to Israel, 462 00:23:21,920 –> 00:23:25,380 and David’s heart is expanding in prayer 463 00:23:25,380 –> 00:23:27,420 as he thinks of how he is blessed. 464 00:23:27,420 –> 00:23:29,020 He begins to intercede, too, 465 00:23:29,020 –> 00:23:32,479 for those who have not yet known the blessing that is his. 466 00:23:34,920 –> 00:23:39,099 Now I wonder if you’ve ever noticed how this widening 467 00:23:40,160 –> 00:23:44,280 is clearly and repeatedly taught, 468 00:23:44,280 –> 00:23:46,199 not only here in the Old Testament, 469 00:23:46,199 –> 00:23:49,839 but in the Lord’s Prayer itself 470 00:23:49,839 –> 00:23:53,239 as our Lord Jesus teaches us how to pray. 471 00:23:53,239 –> 00:23:58,239 Our Father, give us this day our daily bread, 472 00:24:00,060 –> 00:24:03,040 not give me this day my daily bread, 473 00:24:03,040 –> 00:24:07,560 give us this day our daily bread. 474 00:24:07,560 –> 00:24:08,599 You see the widening? 475 00:24:08,599 –> 00:24:10,040 What’s happening there? 476 00:24:10,040 –> 00:24:14,319 Lord, I’m bringing to you the need that I have today, 477 00:24:15,219 –> 00:24:18,280 but there are others who also have need today 478 00:24:18,280 –> 00:24:20,500 and I pray for them as well. 479 00:24:21,800 –> 00:24:25,760 Forgive us our trespasses. 480 00:24:25,760 –> 00:24:28,020 Lord, there is forgiveness that I need, 481 00:24:28,020 –> 00:24:33,020 cleansing that I need today, and I ask for this. 482 00:24:33,239 –> 00:24:36,199 And there are others too who also need 483 00:24:36,199 –> 00:24:37,680 to find your forgiveness 484 00:24:37,719 –> 00:24:40,380 and I pray that they will find it also. 485 00:24:41,920 –> 00:24:46,920 Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. 486 00:24:48,800 –> 00:24:52,800 Lord, whatever temptation you may allow me to face today, 487 00:24:52,800 –> 00:24:54,479 let me never be in a position 488 00:24:54,479 –> 00:24:58,319 where it overwhelms me by its power. 489 00:24:58,319 –> 00:25:01,439 And Lord, exercise the same guarding care 490 00:25:01,439 –> 00:25:03,479 towards my brother and sister 491 00:25:03,479 –> 00:25:05,880 who faces the same temptation.” 492 00:25:06,880 –> 00:25:09,239 You see, it’s always us, 493 00:25:09,239 –> 00:25:10,060 not me, 494 00:25:10,060 –> 00:25:14,719 it’s us because of the widening of prayer 495 00:25:14,719 –> 00:25:16,819 that comes to those who are very aware 496 00:25:16,819 –> 00:25:20,760 of God’s blessing in their own life. 497 00:25:20,760 –> 00:25:23,959 So here are some very practical things. 498 00:25:23,959 –> 00:25:26,280 Cultivate a spirit of thanksgiving. 499 00:25:26,280 –> 00:25:28,520 We’ve seen how to do that. 500 00:25:28,739 –> 00:25:33,739 Widen your prayers to include and to embrace others. 501 00:25:34,020 –> 00:25:36,400 And then here is the third thing 502 00:25:36,400 –> 00:25:38,160 that I have found so helpful 503 00:25:38,160 –> 00:25:39,459 over many years now 504 00:25:39,459 –> 00:25:41,339 in my own prayer life. 505 00:25:41,339 –> 00:25:44,540 And many of you will have found this already 506 00:25:44,540 –> 00:25:46,500 and others of you, 507 00:25:46,500 –> 00:25:48,160 this may be fresh and new 508 00:25:48,160 –> 00:25:49,859 and I want to commend it to you. 509 00:25:49,859 –> 00:25:51,339 It’s never seen anywhere, 510 00:25:51,339 –> 00:25:53,160 I think, more clearly in the Bible 511 00:25:53,160 –> 00:25:55,540 than in these verses before us today 512 00:25:55,540 –> 00:25:57,439 and it’s this. 513 00:25:57,500 –> 00:26:02,020 To turn God’s promises into prayer. 514 00:26:03,260 –> 00:26:06,479 And notice especially verse 25. 515 00:26:21,699 –> 00:26:23,260 Now these words, 516 00:26:23,260 –> 00:26:25,859 do as you have spoken, 517 00:26:26,020 –> 00:26:28,839 really get to the heart of Christian praying. 518 00:26:30,099 –> 00:26:31,699 What are we doing when we pray? 519 00:26:31,699 –> 00:26:34,280 We are asking God to fulfill 520 00:26:34,280 –> 00:26:36,780 what He has already promised. 521 00:26:36,780 –> 00:26:39,839 Do what you have spoken. 522 00:26:40,660 –> 00:26:43,359 And I want you to see that this is 523 00:26:43,359 –> 00:26:46,859 how David prays all the way through here. 524 00:26:46,859 –> 00:26:47,979 Verse 25. 525 00:26:47,979 –> 00:26:51,900 Oh Lord, confirm forever the words you have spoken. 526 00:26:52,939 –> 00:26:57,939 So, Lord, you have said this and what I’m asking 527 00:26:58,060 –> 00:27:01,040 is that you will do what you have said. 528 00:27:01,040 –> 00:27:02,760 Or verse 27. 529 00:27:02,760 –> 00:27:04,839 For you, Oh Lord the God of Israel, 530 00:27:04,839 –> 00:27:08,119 have made this revelation to your servant saying, 531 00:27:08,119 –> 00:27:09,920 I will build you a house. 532 00:27:09,920 –> 00:27:12,119 Therefore, your servant 533 00:27:12,119 –> 00:27:15,540 has found the courage to pray this prayer to you. 534 00:27:15,540 –> 00:27:18,280 In other words, David’s saying, Lord, 535 00:27:18,280 –> 00:27:20,180 if you had not said this, 536 00:27:20,180 –> 00:27:22,739 I would never have had the nerve to ask it. 537 00:27:23,800 –> 00:27:25,660 But because you have said it, 538 00:27:25,660 –> 00:27:27,920 therefore I’m asking that you will do it. 539 00:27:29,599 –> 00:27:30,859 And verse 28, 540 00:27:30,859 –> 00:27:34,199 you have promised this good thing to your servant now. 541 00:27:34,199 –> 00:27:36,859 Therefore, may it please you to bless 542 00:27:36,859 –> 00:27:38,140 the house of your servant 543 00:27:38,140 –> 00:27:40,619 so that it may continue forever before you. 544 00:27:40,619 –> 00:27:42,000 So you see the pattern. 545 00:27:42,000 –> 00:27:43,479 It’s all the way through the prayer. 546 00:27:43,479 –> 00:27:44,800 What is David doing? 547 00:27:44,819 –> 00:27:46,900 He’s taking what God has said 548 00:27:46,900 –> 00:27:49,500 and he’s turning it into his own prayer. 549 00:27:49,500 –> 00:27:51,300 He’s taking the promises 550 00:27:51,300–> 00:27:55,859 and he’s turning them into prayers. 551 00:27:55,859 –> 00:27:57,280 Now you may say at this point, 552 00:27:57,280 –> 00:27:58,119 why do that? 553 00:27:58,119 –> 00:27:59,020 What’s the point? 554 00:27:59,020 –> 00:28:02,719 Why would someone pray what God has already promised? 555 00:28:03,599 –> 00:28:05,300 And the answer is 556 00:28:05,300 –> 00:28:09,260 because prayer is how God’s promises are delivered? 557 00:28:09,640 –> 00:28:14,420 Prayer is how God’s promises are delivered. 558 00:28:16,180 –> 00:28:19,000 Prayer stands in the gap 559 00:28:19,000 –> 00:28:21,180 between what God has said 560 00:28:22,140 –> 00:28:24,339 and what you experience. 561 00:28:25,280 –> 00:28:28,239 Is there a gap between what God has said 562 00:28:28,239 –> 00:28:30,439 and what you experience in your life? 563 00:28:30,439 –> 00:28:33,099 That’s where prayer goes. 564 00:28:33,099 –> 00:28:35,040 In that gap. 565 00:28:35,040 –> 00:28:37,359 And the whole point of what we do when we pray 566 00:28:37,400 –> 00:28:39,560 is we say, Lord, this is what you’ve promised. 567 00:28:39,560 –> 00:28:41,640 Here’s the reality of my experience. 568 00:28:41,640 –> 00:28:44,040 Do what you have spoken. 569 00:28:44,040 –> 00:28:45,260 Or as Mary put it, 570 00:28:45,260 –> 00:28:49,260 let it be to me, according to your word. 571 00:28:50,280 –> 00:28:54,300 That’s exactly the heart of what prayer is. 572 00:28:55,199 –> 00:28:57,319 Faith takes what God has promised 573 00:28:57,319 –> 00:29:00,479 and turns it back to him in prayer. 574 00:29:00,479 –> 00:29:04,119 And this is another reason why I commend to you 575 00:29:04,160 –> 00:29:08,599 the practice of always praying with an open Bible. 576 00:29:08,599 –> 00:29:10,900 Always read some verses from the Bible 577 00:29:10,900 –> 00:29:12,959 before you pray because you will find 578 00:29:12,959 –> 00:29:16,280 that the Bible itself, as you read your way through 579 00:29:16,280 –> 00:29:20,280 one part after another, will suggest to you 580 00:29:20,280 –> 00:29:24,199 what it is that you might pray on any particular day. 581 00:29:25,900 –> 00:29:30,459 Perhaps the best way to illustrate this 582 00:29:30,459 –> 00:29:32,400 is to ask the question, 583 00:29:33,359 –> 00:29:36,459 how are you going to stay fresh 584 00:29:37,640 –> 00:29:42,640 in praying for someone you love every day for 50 years? 585 00:29:44,660 –> 00:29:46,000 How are you gonna do that? 586 00:29:47,239 –> 00:29:48,760 Lord, bless him. 587 00:29:50,920 –> 00:29:52,920 Lord, bless him. 588 00:29:52,920 –> 00:29:56,199 Lord, really bless him today, Lord, bless him. 589 00:29:56,199 –> 00:29:57,459 Well, that’s four days’ worth. 590 00:29:57,459 –> 00:30:00,459 How are you going to keep going for the next 50 years, right? 591 00:30:01,420 –> 00:30:04,020 How are you going to avoid sliding into 592 00:30:04,020 –> 00:30:07,459 what our Lord Jesus describes as vain repetition? 593 00:30:10,540 –> 00:30:12,719 Well, let me suggest to you that 594 00:30:12,719 –> 00:30:14,540 if you have the Bible open 595 00:30:14,540 –> 00:30:17,140 and if you do what David is doing here, 596 00:30:17,140 –> 00:30:19,199 understand that prayer is a response 597 00:30:19,199 –> 00:30:20,719 to the word that God has spoken, 598 00:30:20,719 –> 00:30:24,119 you will find that the Bible suggests to you 599 00:30:24,979 –> 00:30:27,300 something that you can pray. 600 00:30:27,300 –> 00:30:29,540 And if follow the promptings of scripture, 601 00:30:29,540 –> 00:30:33,420 you will find that there is always something fresh 602 00:30:33,420 –> 00:30:35,040 that arises from the Word of God 603 00:30:35,040 –> 00:30:37,219 that you can pray for people that you love. 604 00:30:38,920 –> 00:30:40,880 Now let me be as practical as I can here. 605 00:30:40,880 –> 00:30:43,199 So let me just give you an example from my own experience. 606 00:30:43,199 –> 00:30:44,619 Here’s what I’m doing at the moment. 607 00:30:44,619 –> 00:30:48,319 I’m reading my way through some of the psalms. 608 00:30:48,319 –> 00:30:51,439 So let me give you six days worth 609 00:30:51,439 –> 00:30:53,880 of suggestions from the Bible 610 00:30:53,880 –> 00:30:56,520 that have come to me just from reading these psalms 611 00:30:56,520 –> 00:30:57,939 over these last days. 612 00:30:58,920 –> 00:31:02,939 Psalm 20, I picked up verse four. 613 00:31:02,939 –> 00:31:07,319 May He grant your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans. 614 00:31:09,000 –> 00:31:12,140 And that prompts me to pray for someone that I love, 615 00:31:12,140 –> 00:31:16,339 that the desires of their hearts may be wonderfully fulfilled 616 00:31:16,339 –> 00:31:19,319 good desires that have not yet been realized 617 00:31:19,319 –> 00:31:21,880 and to pray on the basis of that verse 618 00:31:21,880 –> 00:31:25,859 that God very graciously would bring such to pass. 619 00:31:25,859 –> 00:31:28,660 The next day, Psalm 21. 620 00:31:28,660 –> 00:31:33,239 You make him glad with joy in your presence. 621 00:31:33,239 –> 00:31:35,599 That prompts me to pray for someone that I love 622 00:31:35,599 –> 00:31:39,239 that they will know the presence of the Lord in that day 623 00:31:39,239 –> 00:31:41,439 and that there will be a particular joy 624 00:31:41,439 –> 00:31:44,280 that comes from that presence. 625 00:31:44,280 –> 00:31:47,260 Next day, Psalm 22. 626 00:31:47,260 –> 00:31:48,560 That’s all about suffering 627 00:31:48,560 –> 00:31:51,339 and late in the psalm comes this verse. 628 00:31:51,339 –> 00:31:54,619 From you, that’s from the suffering person 629 00:31:54,660 –> 00:31:58,420 comes my praise in the great congregation. 630 00:31:58,420 –> 00:32:01,939 From the suffering person comes praise to God 631 00:32:01,939 –> 00:32:04,500 in the great congregation. 632 00:32:04,500 –> 00:32:06,839 That prompts me to pray for someone 633 00:32:06,839 –> 00:32:09,219 who is going through a difficult time 634 00:32:09,219 –> 00:32:11,500 that what will come out of that 635 00:32:11,500 –> 00:32:14,140 will be something that will be for the glory of God 636 00:32:14,140 –> 00:32:15,939 and will be for the great strengthening 637 00:32:15,939 –> 00:32:17,500 and encouragement of others. 638 00:32:17,500 –> 00:32:19,739 The scripture prompts me to pray that way. 639 00:32:20,640 –> 00:32:23,900 Next day, Psalm 23. 640 00:32:23,920 –> 00:32:26,420 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. 641 00:32:26,420 –> 00:32:30,660 He makes me to lie down beside green pastures. 642 00:32:31,880 –> 00:32:34,140 He leads me beside still waters. 643 00:32:34,140 –> 00:32:36,619 That’s going to prompt me to pray 644 00:32:36,619 –> 00:32:39,819 for someone I love who’s hard-pressed, 645 00:32:39,819 –> 00:32:42,560 who lives under relentless demands 646 00:32:42,560 –> 00:32:45,819 and needs to find a settled peace 647 00:32:45,819 –> 00:32:49,619 and to be renewed and even to be restored in spirit. 648 00:32:49,619 –> 00:32:52,780 Lord do that what you have said for them. 649 00:32:52,839 –> 00:32:57,839 Next day Psalm 24 who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? 650 00:32:57,939 –> 00:33:02,099 He who has clean hands and a pure heart. 651 00:33:02,099 –> 00:33:05,459 He will receive the blessing of the Lord. 652 00:33:05,459 –> 00:33:08,699 And so that’s going to prompt me to pray for myself. 653 00:33:08,699 –> 00:33:13,099 A clean heart, a cleansing of heart, a cleansing of hands 654 00:33:13,099 –> 00:33:16,400 and then to pray that for another person 655 00:33:16,400 –> 00:33:20,339 that they too may be kept from that 656 00:33:20,339 –> 00:33:22,680 which would sully the heart or the hands 657 00:33:23,099 –> 00:33:24,939 and that therefore the blessing of God 658 00:33:24,939 –> 00:33:26,579 may be known in their life. 659 00:33:28,280 –> 00:33:33,280 And next day Psalm 25, O my God in you I trust. 660 00:33:33,300 –> 00:33:35,959 So here’s the scripture suggesting clearly 661 00:33:35,959 –> 00:33:38,239 that I pray for someone I love 662 00:33:38,239 –> 00:33:41,119 that they will have strong faith 663 00:33:41,119 –> 00:33:42,939 and here’s a prayer that I can take 664 00:33:42,939 –> 00:33:45,719 from the very Word of God and turn it back 665 00:33:45,719 –> 00:33:47,760 to the Father as prayer. 666 00:33:47,760 –> 00:33:49,819 Now this is very simple. 667 00:33:49,819 –> 00:33:52,560 What I’m saying is that if you will open the Bible 668 00:33:52,739 –> 00:33:55,180 and whatever that is, it doesn’t need to be the Psalms. 669 00:33:55,180 –> 00:33:56,819 You work your way through the Gospels 670 00:33:56,819 –> 00:33:58,699 and you’re just taking a section at a time, 671 00:33:58,699 –> 00:34:01,459 you will find something that you can turn into prayer. 672 00:34:01,459 –> 00:34:04,380 What God has said and you bring it back to him 673 00:34:04,380 –> 00:34:08,060 And I’m saying to you that if you will do this 674 00:34:08,060 –> 00:34:12,820 You will always have something fresh to ask of the Lord. 675 00:34:12,820 –> 00:34:16,000 You will not be into vain repetition. 676 00:34:16,000 –> 00:34:18,679 You will be praying about the things that matter most 677 00:34:18,679 –> 00:34:23,679 and you will have the confidence of praying 678 00:34:23,919 –> 00:34:26,000 knowing that what you’re asking for 679 00:34:26,000 –> 00:34:28,280 is what God has already spoken. 680 00:34:28,280 –> 00:34:30,360 You are coming to God and you are saying 681 00:34:30,360 –> 00:34:33,399 on behalf of another person and on your own behalf, 682 00:34:33,399 –> 00:34:36,520 do as you have spoken. 683 00:34:37,780 –> 00:34:40,320 Years ago, I came across a sermon 684 00:34:40,320 –> 00:34:42,620 preached by Charles Haddon Spurgeon. 685 00:34:43,719 –> 00:34:47,199 It was called Order and Argument in Prayer. 686 00:34:47,199 –> 00:34:50,399 If you want to read it, you can easily look it up online. 687 00:34:50,399 –> 00:34:54,699 Spurgeon, Order and Argument in Prayer 688 00:34:54,699 –> 00:34:58,520 and it was a sermon based on Job 23 689 00:34:58,520 –> 00:35:02,159 where Job said, oh, that I might know where to find God 690 00:35:02,159 –> 00:35:07,159 and he says, I would lay my case before him 691 00:35:07,320 –> 00:35:10,419 and I would fill my mouth with arguments 692 00:35:11,979 –> 00:35:14,560 and Job is suggesting, in other words, 693 00:35:14,639 –> 00:35:18,000 that when we come before God in prayer, 694 00:35:18,000 –> 00:35:23,000 we come to God in the same way as a lawyer would come 695 00:35:23,679 –> 00:35:28,679 and present his or her case in a court of law. 696 00:35:28,800 –> 00:35:30,620 What does a lawyer do? 697 00:35:30,620 –> 00:35:33,239 A lawyer presents a case, 698 00:35:33,239 –> 00:35:35,979 the lawyer presents arguments, 699 00:35:35,979 –> 00:35:38,679 the lawyer gives reasons. 700 00:35:38,679 –> 00:35:43,479 She quotes legal precedent for a particular verdict. 701 00:35:44,879 –> 00:35:47,340 If you’re lawyer says to you, 702 00:35:47,340 –> 00:35:49,040 now when we go into court, don’t worry, 703 00:35:49,040 –> 00:35:50,080 we’re just gonna go in there, 704 00:35:50,080 –> 00:35:51,340 we’re just gonna ask the judge, 705 00:35:51,340 –> 00:35:53,860 tell him what we want and see what he thinks about it. 706 00:35:53,860 –> 00:35:56,739 You want to get a different lawyer 707 00:35:56,739 –> 00:35:59,500 because that’s not how it works. 708 00:35:59,500 –> 00:36:03,439 The way it works is that the lawyer prepares a case 709 00:36:03,439 –> 00:36:05,639 and gives reasons and gives arguments 710 00:36:05,639 –> 00:36:09,939 and sets out precedent and Job says, 711 00:36:09,939 –> 00:36:12,639 Oh, that I might lay my case before the Lord 712 00:36:12,659 –> 00:36:17,560 and fill my mouth with arguments. 713 00:36:17,560 –> 00:36:21,340 Well, you may say, yeah but we don’t come to God 714 00:36:21,340 –> 00:36:23,340 as coming before a judge, 715 00:36:23,340 –> 00:36:26,620 we come to God as children before a father. 716 00:36:27,780 –> 00:36:28,820 Have you ever listened 717 00:36:28,820 –> 00:36:30,820 to how children come before a father? 718 00:36:30,820 –> 00:36:35,820 Dad can I have ice cream now because you said 719 00:36:36,659 –> 00:36:39,139 and then something will follow 720 00:36:39,139 –> 00:36:41,100 that is something that was said 721 00:36:41,379 –> 00:36:46,379 children know intuitively how to present a case, 722 00:36:46,739 –> 00:36:48,320 how to give an argument. 723 00:36:49,459 –> 00:36:51,459 Now here’s what I want us to end today. 724 00:36:52,379 –> 00:36:55,659 The clenching argument when we come before God 725 00:36:55,659 –> 00:36:59,060 is always the person and work 726 00:36:59,060 –> 00:37:01,899 of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 727 00:37:03,080 –> 00:37:05,219 Actually, you may already be in the habit 728 00:37:05,219 –> 00:37:09,560 of coming presenting in his name, 729 00:37:09,580 –> 00:37:12,080 and you may not even have thought about what you’re doing, 730 00:37:12,080 –> 00:37:14,760 but perhaps when you finish praying, 731 00:37:14,760 –> 00:37:16,159 you say something like this 732 00:37:16,159 –> 00:37:20,719 for Jesus’ sake, amen. 733 00:37:20,719 –> 00:37:23,379 Why do you say for Jesus’ sake, amen? 734 00:37:23,379 –> 00:37:27,820 Because intuitively, you know 735 00:37:27,820 –> 00:37:29,639 that God is committed to doing 736 00:37:29,639 –> 00:37:32,399 whatever glorifies the person of Christ 737 00:37:32,399 –> 00:37:35,479 and whatever advances the work of Christ. 738 00:37:35,479 –> 00:37:38,459 And when you pray for Jesus’ sake, 739 00:37:39,459 –> 00:37:43,600 well, then you really have the ear of the Father. 740 00:37:43,600 –> 00:37:45,459 And that is why our Lord Jesus said, 741 00:37:45,459 –> 00:37:50,199 truly whatever you ask of the Father in my name, 742 00:37:50,199 –> 00:37:51,620 will he will give it to you. 743 00:37:52,959 –> 00:37:54,820 Asking in the name of Jesus 744 00:37:54,820 –> 00:37:56,719 clearly means that whatever we ask, 745 00:37:56,719 –> 00:37:59,120 we submit to his sovereign will 746 00:37:59,120 –> 00:38:01,040 and to his ultimate authority. 747 00:38:01,040 –> 00:38:03,979 But what Jesus is saying is when you come in my name, 748 00:38:03,979 –> 00:38:07,540 you have the courage to be able 749 00:38:07,540 –> 00:38:12,260 to ask of God and to do that with confidence. 750 00:38:13,159 –> 00:38:14,899 Jesus Christ is as it were, 751 00:38:14,899 –> 00:38:17,860 the clinching argument for every person 752 00:38:17,860 –> 00:38:19,899 who draws near to God in his name. 753 00:38:19,899 –> 00:38:21,959 And that’s why the apostle says 754 00:38:21,959 –> 00:38:26,340 that all the promises of God find their yes in him, 755 00:38:26,340 –> 00:38:28,020 in Jesus Christ. 756 00:38:28,020 –> 00:38:30,459 How can you be sure of God’s promises? 757 00:38:31,459 –> 00:38:36,219 How can you know that God’s promises are actually yours? 758 00:38:37,100 –> 00:38:40,199 And the answer is you look to Jesus Christ. 759 00:38:40,199 –> 00:38:41,919 You put your trust in him 760 00:38:42,979 –> 00:38:47,979 and everyone of God’s promises will be yes for you. 761 00:38:48,580 –> 00:38:49,780 Now let’s pray together. 762 00:38:52,419 –> 00:38:55,679 Father, we thank you that our speaking to you 763 00:38:56,379 –> 00:39:01,179 rises out of your speaking first to us 764 00:39:01,179 –> 00:39:06,179 and speaking supremely in and through your son Jesus Christ. 765 00:39:08,000 –> 00:39:11,080 Thank you that as we come to you we’re able to say 766 00:39:11,080 –> 00:39:14,780 I need no other argument. 767 00:39:14,780 –> 00:39:17,020 I bring no other plea. 768 00:39:17,919 –> 00:39:22,919 It is enough that Jesus died and that he died for me. 769 00:39:23,899 –> 00:39:26,459 And so as we come to the table 770 00:39:26,459 –> 00:39:29,639 that our Lord invites us to today, 771 00:39:29,639 –> 00:39:34,639 we come in his name, we come for his sake, 772 00:39:35,459 –> 00:39:38,939 we come seeking his honor and his glory, 773 00:39:38,939 –> 00:39:43,699 and we come humbly to offer ourselves a new and afresh 774 00:39:43,699 –> 00:39:48,139 as his servants, redeemed by grace, 775 00:39:48,139 –> 00:39:50,620 and we thank you in his name. 776 00:39:50,620 –> 00:39:53,159 Praying for his sake, amen.