I have always been fascinated by the beautiful relationship that David shared with God. Every Psalm shows the intimacy of this relationship. There must be a reason why God calls this man - A man after my own heart. A friend once advised to meditate on a psalm every night before going to sleep and I should say this practise has blessed me immensely in my walk with God. This has also helped me find out more about this relationship they shared and apply them as much as possible in my life.
Last night I read from Psalm 54. This is a small Psalm with just about 8 verses. I was very sleepy last night and I could not wait to just finish writing a few notes on the Psalm and go to sleep. It was a hurried read - more of a ritual following than a read to find out what God had to teach me through this Psalm. God does have his own sense of humor. What he taught me through this Psalm, drove all sleep away and I could not wait to share this with everyone. This Psalm is a beautiful prayer and also a beautiful example of how we ought to pray during times of trouble. I was so excited by what I had read that my sleep had gone and I had to share this.
I have to go through this verse by verse to show you how David prayed when he was in trouble and how we need to apply this form of prayer in our lives too.
Step 1:
Verses 1, 2 - Save me, O God, by your name; vindicate me by your might. Hear my prayer, O God; listen to the words of my mouth.
David calls out to God. First point in any situation is to call out to God. Call out to God alone. Don't be calling out to others and looking upto others. Look upto God alone. Call out to God in anything. God hears and He is in control over everything and so He is the only one who could really help. There is a verse in the Bible which says that those who don't call on God are evildoers (Psalm 53:4). Can you believe that?? It is so important to God that His children call on Him and call out to Him.
Step 2:
Verse 3 - Strangers are attacking me; ruthless men seek my life— men without regard for God. Selah
David presents his problem to God. Let me fill you on the background. Here Saul, the King of Israel is after David's life. He has sent his army in search of David to find him. David cries out this prayer from his hiding. Okay now back to where we were. Tell God what the problem is. Its so tempting to share things with our friends but this may lead us to start slandering. Its always best to tell God alone what the problem is. We could ask our friends to stand with us in prayer but just think of it, is it any good describing all our woes to them. Just tell them to God and let it be.
Step 3:
Verse 4 - Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.
David trust God completely. Look at the words David uses - SURELY. He is very sure that God will help Him. He trusts God completely. We need to trust God completely. Don't let a shadow of doubt come in. When devil tries to sow his seed of doubt, resist him firmly and say like David - Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.
Step 4:
Verse 5 - Let evil recoil on those who slander me; in your faithfulness destroy them.
David tells God what he wants. He not only tells God what the problem is. He also tells God what he wants. Its always the best when God's will is done but its also good in letting God know what we want. He definitely knows even before we ask but its more of a father- child relationship when we talk to our father and tell him what we want as well.
Step 5:
Verse 6 - I will sacrifice a freewill offering to you; I will praise your name, O LORD, for it is good.
After David tells God what the problem is and tells God what he wants, he starts praising God. That is, he has committed the problem in God's hands and knows God will take care and so starts praising God. Its like I am waiting for something to happen and I tell God that I want this to happen and even before it happens, I start praising God. Praising Him shows that I am trusting Him. After handing things over to God, mopping and crying and worrying is like taking the problem back from his hands to our hands and we don't want to do that. So just forget about your problem and start praising God.
Step 6:
Verse 7 - For he has delivered me from all my troubles, and my eyes have looked in triumph on my foes.
Last night I read from Psalm 54. This is a small Psalm with just about 8 verses. I was very sleepy last night and I could not wait to just finish writing a few notes on the Psalm and go to sleep. It was a hurried read - more of a ritual following than a read to find out what God had to teach me through this Psalm. God does have his own sense of humor. What he taught me through this Psalm, drove all sleep away and I could not wait to share this with everyone. This Psalm is a beautiful prayer and also a beautiful example of how we ought to pray during times of trouble. I was so excited by what I had read that my sleep had gone and I had to share this.
I have to go through this verse by verse to show you how David prayed when he was in trouble and how we need to apply this form of prayer in our lives too.
Step 1:
Verses 1, 2 - Save me, O God, by your name; vindicate me by your might. Hear my prayer, O God; listen to the words of my mouth.
David calls out to God. First point in any situation is to call out to God. Call out to God alone. Don't be calling out to others and looking upto others. Look upto God alone. Call out to God in anything. God hears and He is in control over everything and so He is the only one who could really help. There is a verse in the Bible which says that those who don't call on God are evildoers (Psalm 53:4). Can you believe that?? It is so important to God that His children call on Him and call out to Him.
Step 2:
Verse 3 - Strangers are attacking me; ruthless men seek my life— men without regard for God. Selah
David presents his problem to God. Let me fill you on the background. Here Saul, the King of Israel is after David's life. He has sent his army in search of David to find him. David cries out this prayer from his hiding. Okay now back to where we were. Tell God what the problem is. Its so tempting to share things with our friends but this may lead us to start slandering. Its always best to tell God alone what the problem is. We could ask our friends to stand with us in prayer but just think of it, is it any good describing all our woes to them. Just tell them to God and let it be.
Step 3:
Verse 4 - Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.
David trust God completely. Look at the words David uses - SURELY. He is very sure that God will help Him. He trusts God completely. We need to trust God completely. Don't let a shadow of doubt come in. When devil tries to sow his seed of doubt, resist him firmly and say like David - Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.
Step 4:
Verse 5 - Let evil recoil on those who slander me; in your faithfulness destroy them.
David tells God what he wants. He not only tells God what the problem is. He also tells God what he wants. Its always the best when God's will is done but its also good in letting God know what we want. He definitely knows even before we ask but its more of a father- child relationship when we talk to our father and tell him what we want as well.
Step 5:
Verse 6 - I will sacrifice a freewill offering to you; I will praise your name, O LORD, for it is good.
After David tells God what the problem is and tells God what he wants, he starts praising God. That is, he has committed the problem in God's hands and knows God will take care and so starts praising God. Its like I am waiting for something to happen and I tell God that I want this to happen and even before it happens, I start praising God. Praising Him shows that I am trusting Him. After handing things over to God, mopping and crying and worrying is like taking the problem back from his hands to our hands and we don't want to do that. So just forget about your problem and start praising God.
Step 6:
Verse 7 - For he has delivered me from all my troubles, and my eyes have looked in triumph on my foes.
David does positive confession here. He believes and not just praises but he also positively confesses that he has been delivered and he has been triumphant. I have read this in books written by Paul Yongi Cho and Joyce Meyer and also heard sermons from Prophet. Bernard Ankoma regarding the same. We need to positively confess. If I am sick, I pray and ask for healing and even if I don't feel I'm healed. I believe in my heart and I start confessing that I am healed. It must have looked stupid when David running for his life says - I am triumphant and am delivered from all my troubles and foes. But yet, that is what he did. This is what made him stand out from the crowd and this is what made him a man after God's heart.
To summarise.......
1. Call out to God.
2. Tell God what your problem is.
3. Trust God and tell Him you trust Him.
4. Tell God what you want. You have told Him your problem but also tell Him what you want.
5. Now that everything has been committed to God and He has taken over. Start praising.
6. Start positively confessing that victory (healing, deliverance, blessing......) is yours. Amen!!
Acts 13:22 - After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: 'I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.'
To summarise.......
1. Call out to God.
2. Tell God what your problem is.
3. Trust God and tell Him you trust Him.
4. Tell God what you want. You have told Him your problem but also tell Him what you want.
5. Now that everything has been committed to God and He has taken over. Start praising.
6. Start positively confessing that victory (healing, deliverance, blessing......) is yours. Amen!!
Acts 13:22 - After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: 'I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.'
You may not know but today is Aug. 20 th 2008 and I believe this post was for me . I'm going through so much and my heart is so heavy but God has already saved me . I will praise him now becasue his blessing is here .
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