Prayer for Mercy, with Meditation on the Excellencies of the Lord
A Prayer of David.
“Bow down Your ear, O Lord, hear me; For I am poor and needy. Preserve my life, for I am holy; You are my God; save Your servant who trusts in You! Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I cry to You all day long. Rejoice the soul of Your servant, for to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You. Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications. In the day of my trouble I will call upon You, for You will answer me.
Among the gods there is none like You, O Lord; nor are there any works like Your works. All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, and shall glorify Your name. For You are great, and do wondrous things; You alone are God.
Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name. I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and I will glorify Your name forevermore. For great is Your mercy toward me, and You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.
O God, the proud have risen against me, and a mob of violent men have sought my life, and have not set You before them. But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.
Oh, turn to me, and have mercy on me! Give Your strength to Your servant, and save the son of Your maidservant. Show me a sign for good, that those who hate me may see it and be ashamed, because You, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.”
“Bow down Your ear, O Lord, hear me; For I am poor and needy. Preserve my life, for I am holy; You are my God; save Your servant who trusts in You! Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I cry to You all day long. Rejoice the soul of Your servant, for to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.” Once more, David is under attack in some form and is crying to God for help and deliverance. Notice David’s premises: he is poor, needy, holy, and trusting in God to save him. We can understand David’s statements about being poor and needy, but how can David claim to be holy? Holiness is a matter for God to handle, and David is trusting that God has made him holy because he has consistently followed God.
“For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You. Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications. In the day of my trouble I will call upon You, for You will answer me.” David is not basing his pleas on his own righteousness but on God’s goodness and mercy. Notice David says that God is ready to forgive and abundant in mercy to ALL those who call upon Him. God does not play favorites; God stands just as ready to forgive and deliver us as He was to forgive and deliver David. David has already spent years fending off attacks from wild animals with God’s help; this experience allows him to confidently say that God will answer his cries for deliverance.
“Among the gods there is none like You, O Lord; nor are there any works like Your works. All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, and shall glorify Your name. For You are great, and do wondrous things; You alone are God.” Here David is referring to the entire pantheon of pagan deities worshiped by the nations surrounding Israel. Sadly, many of the Israelites have gotten involved in such worship also, particularly when it involves fertility rites with sex with ritual prostitutes of either sex. But David knows that these deities are actually demons whose power is nothing compared to the power of the One True Living God.
“Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name. I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and I will glorify Your name forevermore. For great is Your mercy toward me, and You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.” What does David mean when he asks God “unite my heart to fear Your name?” Oswald Chambers points out that many of us have spiritual measles; we look really good in spots, but only in those spots. David is begging God to help him to be whole-hearted in his worship.
“O God, the proud have risen against me, and a mob of violent men have sought my life, and have not set You before them. But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.” For much of David’s life, he has been surrounded by jealous men who would love to eliminate him. But David knows that God’s nature is totally different, and he is counting on God’s mercy and truth.
“Oh, turn to me, and have mercy on me! Give Your strength to Your servant, and save the son of Your maidservant. Show me a sign for good, that those who hate me may see it and be ashamed, because You, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.” So many times, we would love to have God show us some kind of sign indicating that He is really interested in our lives. We also hope for God to do something that will cause our critics to retreat in confusion.
APPLICATION: What do you do when you beg God for a sign and nothing seems to be happening? This last week, I operated on two young people, both of whom were draining feces from their abdomens. In each case, I did my very best; nevertheless, the repairs seem to have failed. In both cases, I begged God for healing, and I continue to do so. God knows I am not begging Him to do something so that I will appear successful; my only concern is for these two teens to heal and go home.
If you are familiar with David’s life, you know that he had many close calls and was nearly captured and killed many times. David remains a hero of faith because he continued to trust God even when things appeared hopeless.
Decades ago, there was a popular song entitled “I Never Promised You a Rose Garden.” God has never promised us that things will run smoothly simply because we are following Him. Sometimes it seems that the more we pray, the worse things get. But eventually God delivered David from his trials, and God continues to make a way for us as well. So I persist in prayer, trusting that God loves my patients more than I possibly can and that He WILL heal as only He can.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to trust You, even when things appear bleakest. Thank You for Your abundant mercy, Your goodness, and Your grace. Please move in our hearts and lives, doing signs and wonders as only You can. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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