Praying when Defeated

 Read Psalm 60. 

2 Samuel 8:14 states, "And the LORD gave victory to David wherever he went," but not this time. 

While David engaged in battle in the north, an invasion occurred in the south.  Defeat was not in something he experienced very often.  Because he depended upon God for decisions and direction, this failure pointed to a spiritual problem. 

1. His feelings. (vv.1-5)

In prayer, David poured out his honest emotions.  He felt God had rejected the nation.  He sensed God was angry with them.  The circumstances were hard and stunned them.  The LORD knew all this a long time before David realized it.  Prayer is not for God's benefit but for ours.  It is a good thing to release those emotions to God.  But to stop there is mere complaining against the LORD and not helpful.  There was more to his prayer. 

2. His facts. (vv.6-8)

David knew the word of God.  He was able to quote God's own words back to Him in prayer.  Praying according to God's will is dependent upon knowing what God has said.  "And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.  And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him." (1 John 5:14-15) 

3. His faith. (vv.9-12)

If God does not intervene there is no one else to whom he can turn.  He prayed for help.  He prayed for deliverance.  He prayed with confidence that the LORD would lead them to victory. 

No matter how bad the situation, there is always hope for those who have placed their faith in the LORD.

"With God we shall do valiantly."

 

How can you sing at a time like This?

 Read Psalm 59. 

It is hard for most people to imagine the stress of living under the threat of assassination every day.  Saul sent hit men to watch David's house and wait for an opportunity to kill him.  David was Saul's son-in-law and the house was where Saul's daughter lived.  How insane Saul had become! 

In his prayer, David revealed his understanding of all involved.  He had done nothing wrong to warrant this.  The root sin of his pursuers was pride (v.12).  They breathed out lies and accusations believing that there would be no accountability for their words or actions. 

"But you, O LORD..." (v.8). God did not miss a word.  He witnessed everything.  The LORD never lost control of the situation for them, nor for the surrounding nations that rejected accountability to Him. 

Thoughts of God's care and concern caused David to begin to rejoice in verses 16-17.  How could he sing at a time like this?  What was there to be glad about? 

1. God's power.

The enemy is no match for God.  Our hope is not in our strength and ability but His.  We reach a point where we say, "I cannot handle this."  That is when we gladly lay down our concerns at His feet and cast our total dependence on Him. 

2. God's love.

His love is steadfast, faithful, and does not change.  His love for us is not dependent upon our circumstances or our behaviors.  Even when we were sinners and estranged from Him, it was His love that sent Jesus to die and pay for our sin.  We are His very own twice; once by creation and second by redemption.

3. God's protection.

When He allows us to experience some difficult days, they should remind us of our inability and to depend upon His all-sufficient grace.  The LORD is more than able to take care of His property. 

"I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning."  Now, that is the way to start a new day!

Can morality be Legislated?

 Read Psalm 58. 

The purpose of law is not to legislate morality but to protect the nation from immorality and injustice.  Originally, judges and those who make decisions on behalf of the people were ordained by God to be His representatives on earth.  Pretending to be neutral, or amoral, will lead to the destruction of a society 100% of the time.  It is only when right judgments are made that the people benefit and the nation is spared. 

Without belief in accountability to God, without knowledge of and adherence to His word, decision-makers are left to themselves and their passions to deem what is right or wrong for the culture.  Depending upon the culture, laws to govern judgments are made by fiat from a ruler, a type of majority from a legislature, or a majority of votes from the people.  This can have devastating results for those who have been mistreated, criminalized, or who merely wish to live quiet, peaceful, unhindered lives. 

Anything goes.  Everything becomes acceptable...unless you are a committed follower of Jesus.  Christian worldviews are publicly denounced as unacceptable and ridiculed.  Why does this happen?  Behind immorality and injustice is the Evil One who energizes and directs all things against the knowledge of God. 

Humanism depends upon the so-called innate goodness of mankind.  The Bible teaches us the opposite.  In David's descriptions of these unjust judges, he denounced them as devising wrongs, creating violence, and that they were wicked from birth.  As judges, he declared them to be deaf and dangerous.  His graphic and brutal prayer was that God would stop their mouths, de-fang their power, and cause them to suddenly be gone. 

In verse 11, David reaffirmed the certainty that the righteous before God will be rewarded and that God is the ultimate Judge of all things. 

"He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:8)

How to pray in a Crisis

 Read Psalm 57. 

David found a remote cave where he would be safe from the pursuit of King Saul and his army.  But this hiding place could not provide the inner peace and security he truly needed.  For that he turned to God. 

1. He prayed for mercy. (v.1)

Mercy is not receiving what we deserve.  God is a God of mercy.  In His loving-kindness to us He forgives us and protects us.  Not because we deserve it but because that is who He is. 

2. He prayed for God to fulfill His purpose. (vv.2-4)

This situation did not catch God by surprise.  He is able to use the evil deeds of others to complete His purpose and plan for our lives. 

3. He prayed for God to be exalted. (v.5, 11)

The ultimate purpose of life and every circumstance is to bring glory to the LORD.  We do not always know how that will happen or when.  The quest for the believer is do nothing that would distract from God receiving His rightful glory and full credit for the outcome. 

In the meantime, David reaffirmed his personal commitment to the LORD.  While outside there was the threat of death, inside his faith was stable.  He began to sing praises to God.  In addition, he wanted everyone around him to hear what God had done for him.

When there seems no way Out

 Read Psalm 56. 

This song recounts the time David ran from Saul's attempts to kill him, only to find himself taken captive by the Philistines (1 Samuel 21).  As the enemy held their prize catch, they daily waited and plotted how they would destroy him. 

Afraid?  Yes.  Humanly speaking, he faced certain death.  The mighty warrior cried. 

In those times when our faith in God is all we have we discover (or learn anew) that God is all we need! 

Here are some of his insights from having gone through this near death experience.

1. Fear and Faith. (vv.3-4)

These are opposites and in the middle of a crisis a believer can have both at the same time.  Fear causes us to focus on all the bad stuff that could happen and destroy our hope.  Faith looks beyond the circumstances to what the all-powerful God of heaven can do.  David's commitment was, "When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.  In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid." 

2. Tossing and Tears. (vv.8-11)

Picture him pacing in his imprisonment during the day, tossing and turning at night, weeping over the situation.  Yet, his faith in the LORD strengthened him with two truths.  First, God sees the personal suffering of people and keeps exact records.  The imagery is that He counts every tear and stores them up for that day of reward and rejoicing in His presence.  Second, God is not mad at him.  God is not the enemy.  He is on our side.  Nothing happens in the life of the believer that does not come through the filter of the Father.  His goal is our good and His glory.  (Romans 8:28) 

3. Light and Life. (vv.12-13)

What can a person do who is feeling, or perhaps literally, trapped?  David discerned there were a several important things for him to practice while he waited on God.

-"I must perform my vows to you, O God."

It was time to behave like one who believed in the LORD.  God expected it of him.  He needed to do it.  Others were watching to see how he would respond.

-"I will render thank offerings to you."

It was time to praise God, even when he did not feel like it.  In the book of Acts, Paul and Silas sang praises to the LORD when they were jailed and God performed multiple miracles as a result.  There is power in praise.

-He visualized his deliverance, not his demise.  Notice how he speaks of his deliverance in the past tense as if it already took place.  That is confident faith.  And, why would God deliver him?  So that this faithful man could continue to live for the Lord. 

Hard circumstances?  Yes.  But we keep on going, not somehow, but in His strength, in His light, in His life.

There is hope!

Peace in a time of Crisis

 Read Psalm 55. 

Someone once said, "Adversity on all sides in one of God's ways of getting our full attention." 

Everyone has experienced what David describes in this Psalm as he pleads for mercy.

-I am restless

-I moan

-My heart is in anguish

-The terrors of death have fallen upon me

-Fear and trembling come upon me

-Horror overwhelms me 

His wish is that he could escape by just flying away to some safe place of peace.  But running from problems only compounds and complicates them.  David is being painfully honest about his feelings, but that does not move him at all from his faith in the LORD.  God will deal with those that caused the problem.  In the meantime... 

1. "Cast your burden on the LORD..." 

Literally, that means to "throw it down".  When someone says, "I cannot handle this", they are correct.  When life is too much for us, it is not too much for Him.  We must cast our dependence on the One is who bigger than our problems.  Our human nature keeps straining to pick them back up. 

2. "...and he will sustain you."

God is more than able to take care of that which concerns us.  He will provide not always what we want but what is needed.   His plans are designed to bring glory to Himself through us.  The process, though painful, is an opportunity for us to grow spiritually and demonstrate to others what true faith in God looks like. 

3. "...he will never permit the righteous to be moved."

The Apostle Paul urged believers to not be anxious about anything but to pray instead.  He wrote that the result would be "the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:7)  When this is true, people will look at us and say, "I do not know how you can be so calm during this crisis."  It won't make sense to them.  That is an open door to share our faith.

What to do when trapped in Distress

 Read Psalm 54. 

Do not miss the inscription of the song. 

David ran for his life from King Saul.  He found refuge in the Wilderness of Ziph.  In this rugged terrain of mountains and hills, there were natural caves.  The Ziphites were of the tribe of Judah, like David.  Surely, he would be safe surrounded by kinfolks. 

But in 1 Samuel 23:19-20, the Ziphites went straight to Saul to report David's hiding place, complete with directions on how to get there!  King Saul wasted no time in pursuing and surrounding David.  If ever there was a time to feel betrayed and panic, this would have been it. 

What did David do when it looked as if there was no way out?  He looked up.  God is more powerful than any army.  He is able to overrule any and all human authorities.  It was a simple matter for the Lord to cause a Philistine uprising at that exact same time, prompting Saul to retreat. 

1. David cried out to God. (vv.1-3)

His first response to the crisis was prayer. 

2. David knew that his life was ultimately in God's hands. (vv.4-5)

In a battle it helps to have an army.  But the help he truly needed was not more warriors on his side.  "God is my helper."  It was his faith in the LORD that sustained him. 

3. David took action steps in response to God's deliverance. (vv.6-7)

How many times God has answered prayer for someone only to see them go back to life as usual?  This robs God of His glory!  Not so of David.

-He presented to the LORD a freewill offering.  He called it a sacrifice.  This was over and above his tithe.

-He publicly expressed his gratitude to God for this answer to prayer and for what the LORD had done.

-And, he wrote this song for the entire nation to sing. 

Today, over 3,000 years later, we read and identify with him.  When surrounded by problems and distress, the God of heaven waits for our dependence on Him. 

"Call to me and I will answer you..." (Jeremiah 33:3)