What is the secret to finding an audience with God? In Psalm 70, David cries out to Him in a raw string of words, that captures the essence of effective prayer. We see in his desperation, four distinct attitudes, which bring from his soul, the faith needed to trust God for his deliverance.
Outline:
I. Confess-“Yet, I am poor and needy”- emptying ourselves before God, knowing our limitations, and his Divine power. Only an empty shell can be filled with knowledge of God. The battle for dominion of the heart begins with laying down our self sufficiency-the birth pangs of faith.
II. Plead- “Come quickly to me, O God” - the language of heaven is not words, but an ache of the soul, wanting audience with God. It grows with our confession. When we are barren and emptied, our response can only be a beggar’s plea – the birth of faith.
III. Urgency-“O, Lord do not delay” - Not only is our soul pleading, but it demands action now! Faith has taken flight, and has the audacity to try and coax God into speeding up His answer. Here we often falter; our theology has no room for this kind of bold proclaimation, yet if we do not grow weary, faith will take wings.
IV. Grasp- “You are my help and my deliverer” – Our faith has taken us into the holy of holies to grasp the promises of God. Reach out and take hold, as Jacob did at Jabbok, When our soul holds onto the eternal purposes of God, it is in itself our greatest reward - faith fully known.
Prayer is not neatly formed theological prose, but a soul hungering for Divine utterance. The language of heaven is desperation.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment