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Saar Fellowship
Psalm 86 - Request, Response, Result
Today we take a sideways step and look at Psalm 86, a Psalm David wrote at a time of grief and suffering. In 2 Samuel 1.17-27, last week, we saw David pouring out his grief over Saul, Jonathan and others in a lament. Today, how do we take these feelings to God?
Locations & Times
Saar Fellowship
Friday 10:00 AM
Last week we also said that grieving is ok, being sad, outwardly is ok.
We looked at the shortest verse in the Bible, John 11.35, Jesus wept, and we said that, interestingly, this is past tense, finished, whereas everyone around Him was weeping, ongoing, continuous...
Losing the plot is not part of the plan for us as Christians when we are sad, when we experience loss, or trouble, hardship or suffering…
Rather, we are to seek the Lord, pray, go to Him with arms wide open, looking for the wonderful, amazing, restoring and reviving grace and mercy that He so freely gives us.
We looked at the shortest verse in the Bible, John 11.35, Jesus wept, and we said that, interestingly, this is past tense, finished, whereas everyone around Him was weeping, ongoing, continuous...
Losing the plot is not part of the plan for us as Christians when we are sad, when we experience loss, or trouble, hardship or suffering…
Rather, we are to seek the Lord, pray, go to Him with arms wide open, looking for the wonderful, amazing, restoring and reviving grace and mercy that He so freely gives us.
Today, then, we take a sideways step from our study through 2 Samuel, to see just what David did at a time of intense emotion; last week he was lamenting, this week, we see what follows a lament…
We can take this Psalm, this cry to God, and graft it into our lives as a template for the inevitable tough times that will come our way.
Tough times will come our way.
When they do, we have something to do...
David’s response is sensible, heartfelt, and based on an understanding of the One who he is petitioning.
We can take this Psalm, this cry to God, and graft it into our lives as a template for the inevitable tough times that will come our way.
Tough times will come our way.
When they do, we have something to do...
David’s response is sensible, heartfelt, and based on an understanding of the One who he is petitioning.
Today, Psalm 86.
Through the Psalms, we learn about the importance of prayer and the acknowledgment of pain, as well as the power of praise and fulfilment of prophecy.
Charles Spurgeon said about this Psalm,
'It savours of David. The man of sincerity, of ardor, of trials, of faults, and of great heart, pleads, sobs, and trusts through all the verses of this psalm.'
'It savours of David. The man of sincerity, of ardor, of trials, of faults, and of great heart, pleads, sobs, and trusts through all the verses of this psalm.'
David thought carefully in his prayer, and presented both requests and reasons to God.
Evangelist, preacher and leading Bible scholar G.Campbell Morgan said
“The psalm is unique in its method of urging a petition upon the ground of some known fact.”
Evangelist, preacher and leading Bible scholar G.Campbell Morgan said
“The psalm is unique in its method of urging a petition upon the ground of some known fact.”
Sometimes ambiguity in Scripture is a bad thing, but, here, is it bad?
Here, this is good, because it allows to see our need in David’s need.
It doesn't diminish the need that David had, or mean that we are discounting the original intention of the Scripture, rather, that we are taking the principle at hand and applying it to our lives.
It allows us to know that we can approach God, confidently, and on the same basis, for whatever our need is.
Here, this is good, because it allows to see our need in David’s need.
It doesn't diminish the need that David had, or mean that we are discounting the original intention of the Scripture, rather, that we are taking the principle at hand and applying it to our lives.
It allows us to know that we can approach God, confidently, and on the same basis, for whatever our need is.
God wants us to pray.
He has created prayer as a means by which we can enjoy Him, confess our sin, ask Him to meet our needs, and align our wills with His. One kind of prayer is guaranteed to be granted. When we call upon the Lord in humble repentance, He is eager to justify and forgive us.
He has created prayer as a means by which we can enjoy Him, confess our sin, ask Him to meet our needs, and align our wills with His. One kind of prayer is guaranteed to be granted. When we call upon the Lord in humble repentance, He is eager to justify and forgive us.
When considering prayer, even though the Lord knows and hears all, He has given some circumstances in which He will not listen to our prayers.
Can you think of any?
Can you think of any?
God is holy and desires us to be holy as He is.
When He knows that we are seeking that holiness as well, He is delighted to answer our prayers in ways that continue our spiritual growth.
When He knows that we are seeking that holiness as well, He is delighted to answer our prayers in ways that continue our spiritual growth.
Do we petition God with careful thought, do we think about what we are praying?
Faith Factor
Perfect faith. This is presenting our requests to God and resting easy that God is on the job, that God has taken care of it, that it is already done.
https://www.amazon.com/Faith-Factor-F-Chapin-Marsh/dp/1582750467
Why would we not throw ourselves at the feet of the One who is all these things, so proven in helping those who love Him…?
For us, then, we fall under these words of Theologian James Montgomery Boice,
‘Most of us, when we pray, are concerned about deliverance and help and guidance and such things. But we are not nearly as concerned to be taught God’s way and to be helped to serve him with an undivided heart.’
‘Most of us, when we pray, are concerned about deliverance and help and guidance and such things. But we are not nearly as concerned to be taught God’s way and to be helped to serve him with an undivided heart.’
Everything we have ever done with God at our side, behind us, making straight our paths is a signpost, a promise, a map of the fact that He will never leave us, will never forsake us, will never stop loving us.
Every past experience of God’s goodness to us is a promise of His continued blessing.
Why not share thoughts like this with your friends this week?
Every past experience of God’s goodness to us is a promise of His continued blessing.
Why not share thoughts like this with your friends this week?
We have a Father who wants to swap our worries for His peace, we also have a Father who has a plan for us, too...
A Father who has been working out His good and perfect plan from the foundation of the world.
A plan He came to die for.
It's unstoppable, unshakeable, unbreakable.
A Father who has been working out His good and perfect plan from the foundation of the world.
A plan He came to die for.
It's unstoppable, unshakeable, unbreakable.
We were saved through justification...
we are being saved through sanctification, and, ultimately,
we will be saved through our glorification when we see Him face to face.
we are being saved through sanctification, and, ultimately,
we will be saved through our glorification when we see Him face to face.
So, request grace, mercy, and help from God, respond with praise, thanksgiving and love for Him in your heart and with your words, then, rest easy in perfect faith that He has already done what you asked for, because, you, Lord, have helped us and comforted us in our times of sadness and suffering.
Go this week with peace of mind that the result is already taken care of, and be a blessing to those around you.
We love you and we are here to support you!
Go this week with peace of mind that the result is already taken care of, and be a blessing to those around you.
We love you and we are here to support you!