Prayer with Confidence in Final Salvation
A Prayer of David.
“Hear a just cause, O Lord, attend to my cry; give ear to my prayer which is not from deceitful lips.
Let my vindication come from Your presence; let Your eyes look on the things that are upright.
You have tested my heart; You have visited me in the night; You have [examined]tried me and have found [nothing evil]nothing; I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.
Concerning the works of men, by the word of Your lips, I have kept away from the paths of the destroyer. Uphold my steps in Your paths, that my footsteps may not slip.
I have called upon You, for You will hear me, O God; incline Your ear to me, and hear my speech. Show Your marvelous lovingkindness by Your right hand, O You who [deliver]save those who trust in You from those who rise up against them.
Keep me as the [pupil]apple of Your eye; hide me under the shadow of Your wings, from the wicked who oppress me, from my deadly enemies who surround me. They have closed up their fat hearts; with their mouths they speak proudly. They have now surrounded us in our steps; they have set their eyes, crouching down to the earth, as a lion is eager to tear his prey, and like a young lion lurking in secret places.
Arise, O Lord, confront him, cast him down; deliver my life from the wicked with Your sword, with Your hand from men, O Lord, from men of the world who have their portion in this life, and whose belly You fill with Your hidden treasure. They are satisfied with children, and leave the rest of their possession for their babes.
As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.”
David’s life is in crisis once more and he is begging God for deliverance. “Hear a just cause, O Lord, attend to my cry; give ear to my prayer which is not from deceitful lips. Let my vindication come from Your presence; let Your eyes look on the things that are upright. You have tested my heart; You have visited me in the night; You have [examined]tried me and have found [nothing evil]nothing; I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.” Face it, many times we can do the right thing and still suffer in doing so. When trouble comes, we must ask ourselves if our cause is just and if our prayers are honest. If God visits us at night when all is quiet and tests us, will we be found righteous? Are we so careful with our statements that we have not said anything that can be held against us?
“Concerning the works of men, by the word of Your lips, I have kept away from the paths of the destroyer. Uphold my steps in Your paths, that my footsteps may not slip.” If we insist on our own way, we are likely to fail. But if we constantly refer to God’s Word as our guide, we can avoid destructive paths. At the same time, we need God to keep us in the right way so that we do not make fatal mistakes.
“I have called upon You, for You will hear me, O God; incline Your ear to me, and hear my speech. Show Your marvelous lovingkindness by Your right hand, O You who [deliver]save those who trust in You from those who rise up against them.” Does God have to be reminded of His responsibilities to us? Absolutely not! But we, on the other hand, need constant reminders of our need for God’s mercy and grace and for his deliverance. Why is David so confident that God will hear his prayer? All those years David has spent herding sheep in the wilderness, he has had to depend on God as his only source of help. As David has protected his father’s flocks from lions and bears, he has been practicing for the day he will face the giant Goliath. Many times we grumble and complain as we endure difficulties, never realizing that God is preparing us for something far greater.
“Keep me as the [pupil]apple of Your eye; hide me under the shadow of Your wings, from the wicked who oppress me, from my deadly enemies who surround me. They have closed up their fat hearts;
with their mouths they speak proudly. They have now surrounded us in our steps; they have set their eyes, crouching down to the earth, as a lion is eager to tear his prey, and like a young lion lurking in secret places.” Make no mistake! David’s enemies are very real and extremely dangerous. David is begging God to protect him as if he were the pupil of one of God’s eyes. David’s enemies are lurking in secret places, waiting to see how they can destroy him.
“Arise, O Lord, confront him, cast him down; deliver my life from the wicked with Your sword, with Your hand from men, O Lord, from men of the world who have their portion in this life, and whose belly You fill with Your hidden treasure. They are satisfied with children, and leave the rest of their possession for their babes.” Even as David is pleading for deliverance, he is also wondering why “men of the world” enjoy good fortune and large families to whom they can leave rich inheritances.
“As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.” Here David is avowing that when he dies, he will rise out of his mortal body to see God’s face and be reborn in God’s likeness. All believers share this same hope.
APPLICATION: During our missionary careers, we have observed a great deal of suffering. Being falsely accused and misunderstood is one of the most painful experiences anyone can undergo. Many times, we have found ourselves echoing the words of this psalm as we have begged for God’s deliverance. One of the things that has helped us endure has been the examples of patience under pressure that our Ghanaian friends have exhibited. One friend was awarded a trip to Japan, only to have the trip snatched away by a superior, who then manipulated to have our friend’s government appointment terminated. God delivered our friend from that situation, giving him a far better position in a thriving company with great benefits.
But what if we are not delivered? David avows, “As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.” No matter what life throws at us, if we perpetually honor God, love Him, and serve Him, when we die, we WILL see His face and we WILL awake in His likeness. As I am writing this, a friend’s elderly mother is dying. This wonderful lady came out of an animist background to become a strong Christian. For years, this humble woman has been an inspiration and an encouragement to all around her. Our friend’s heart is breaking; yet, he knows that not only will his mother see God, but he too will join her one day in God’s presence. This assurance is our hope and our future.
God has sent His Son Jesus Christ into the world to die for our sins so that those of us who believe in Him will be justified by that blood sacrifice. Flawed as he was, David still functioned as prophet, priest, and king. If you will confess your sins and ask God to forgive you, He will do so freely. Why wait? The Ruler of the Universe wants to be your friend. You will never get a better offer anytime or anywhere.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, we confess that we have sinned and that nothing we can do is good enough to earn our way into Your heaven. Please forgive us our sins and help us to follow You all the days of our lives so that when we die, we will be with You in heaven forever. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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