God Hears
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
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Have you ever struggled with the feeling that God is not listening to you when you pray? Have you ever had those moments or maybe seasons in life even where it feels like you are crying out to God for rescue and for help but there just doesn’t seem to be any response or change?
I’m sure most of us here if we’re honest can say, “yes.”
Early on in my journey of following Christ I really struggled with prayer. I hadn’t yet learned of the persistency that needs to come in prayer, the humility that’s needed, the kingdom-mindedness that should be the lens by which we pray and so early on I grew deeply frustrated with God because I would pray and ask for something and nothing would happen.
I for sure deeply misunderstood the nature and purpose of prayer and to a large degree misunderstood the character and nature of God. I was treating him more as a genie in a lamp that is supposed to grant my wishes right away when I ask them. Well, shockingly, my self-centered, egotistical prayers were not answered and so I grew deeply frustrated and adopted a philosophy of prayerlessness because I was tired of being disappointed.
Of course, for many of us as well, there may be moments or seasons where we feel we are praying in the right spirit, with humility and kingdom-mindedness and yet still feel unheard and so as time passes by more desperation enters our prayers to be heard.
Isn’t it comforting to know that David, a man after God’s own heart, a man used greatly by God experienced this desperation as well?
Psalm 28 is a prayer of David’s to be heard. In this psalm you sense David’s growing desperation that his God would judge rightly and fairly and not drag him away with the wicked because of false accusations that were being hurled against him.
This psalm hinges on verses 3-5. He’s terrified that God will drag him off, or file him away with the wicked, those who have rejected God. We don’t know the historical details surrounding the nature of this prayer, and so what’s helpful for us as we read it today is that it gives us a pattern for how to approach God in our weakness, our hurting, our fear.
So, I’ve broken this prayer down into three main sections:
1. David’s desperation.
2. David’s plea.
3. David’s strength.
Let’s look at:
Number 1.
David’s Desperation.
David’s Desperation.
Verse 1,
Psalm 28:1-2, To you, O LORD, I call; my rock, be not deaf to me, lest, if you be silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit. Hear the voice of my pleas for mercy, when I cry to you for help, when I lift up my hands toward your most holy sanctuary.
Let’s make sure we frame this prayer out correctly. David is not talking about literal deafness. There’s no fear or concern that God would literally not be able to hear him. What he’s talking about is God’s disposition to him. His worry is that God will give him the cold shoulder and not respond to his desperate cries.
When I was in junior high one of my teachers made it clear to our class that if we want to ask for anything we need to begin that request by saying, “May I”, not “Can I”? If you started a sentence out with “Can I” there would be no response whatsoever.
And this took some time for us to learn. There were several times I would walk up to his desk during a study hall and ask, “Can I go to my locker.” And at first, since I didn’t pick up on things quickly, he would just stare off into the distance like I wasn’t even there. So, I’d just stand there for several seconds awkwardly knowing that he heard me, “why isn’t he responding?” and so I’d ask again, “Can I go to my locker?” No response, and then it would dawn on me, I asked wrong…” May I go to my locker.” To which he would quickly respond, “Of course.”
He heard; he just wasn’t responding. He wasn’t deaf, but his disposition toward me was one of absence and coldness.
This was David’s fear. David wasn’t asking wrongly, like I was with my teacher, but his growing desperation led him to fear that God would not respond to his cries for help and righteous justice.
And so, it’s here that we want to rest in the character and nature of God. You see, when fear, and worry, and anxiety begin to creep into our hearts, and they do, don’t they, far more often than we would like. When lies begin to swirl around in our minds that God doesn’t care, or your problems aren’t worth his trouble, it’s here that we want to rest in the character of God.
Psalm 139:4 says, Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether.
God knows what we need before we even ask it. And so, we battle fear, worry and anxiety with the truth that God knows us and our needs. He is not absent, he is not distant, he is not cold toward his children.
Psalm 8:3-4 says, When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?
There is no problem, trial or difficulty that is too small and insignificant for God to help with. Yes, God has created the universe out of nothing, yes, he upholds it all by the word of his power, yes, he is mighty and our feeble minds cannot fathom or comprehend his greatness and yet, he deeply cares for and loves his children and desires for them to come to him in prayer in spirit of confident desperation.
Desperate because we need him; confident because he is mighty.
Number 2.
David’s Plea.
David’s Plea.
This here is the heart of David’s prayer and the reason for it. David‘s plea is that accusations that are coming his way will be found before God to be false and that God will judge rightly, fairly, and justly.
Listen to verses 3-5 again,
Psalm 28:3-5, Do not drag me off with the wicked, with the workers of evil, who speak peace with their neighbors while evil is in their hearts. Give to them according to their work and according to the evil of their deeds; give to them according to the work of their hands; render them their due reward. Because they do not regard the works of the LORD or the work of his hands, he will tear them down and build them up no more.
You can hear the plea in David’s voice, “Do not drag me off with the wicked.”
This fear of David’s makes me think, unfortunately of the many stories I’ve read of men and women who had been falsely accused, convicted and sentenced for crimes they did not commit.
In 1990, a man by the name of Jonathan Fleming was convicted of murdering his friend even though there was evidence at the time that he was not even in the state in which the crime took place. It was one person’s testimony of claiming to see him at the scene which convicted him even though the witness recanted her testimony before the sentencing took place. He ended up spending over 20 years in prison until finally it was overturned because of the clear evidence that he was innocent.
David’s plea to God the righteous judge is, “Don’t drag me off with the wicked.” Judge rightly, fairly and justly.
Now we may think here for a moment, “Why would David even question the fairness of God?” “Of course, he’s going to judge fairly.” “How could he even doubt God for a second?” “What’s wrong with him?”
But before we fall into the trap of judgmentalism, how often do we question the character and justness of God? In the midst of suffering and pain, do we not feel at times that God is not there? That he’s absent? That the suffering you’re going through isn’t fair? That he’s not showing love? Don’t we at times fail to trust in the goodness and sovereignty of God?
When we sin, do we understand that what we’re doing in that moment is believing a lie about God? We’re believing that he is not good and for our good; that he’s not our treasure, there’s something better than him. We’re believing that God is withholding something good from us.
And so, David’s prayer here is one of authenticity and genuineness. David’s asking God to render judgment based upon his works and his accuser’s works, and his belief and his accuser’s belief.
This isn’t a works-based salvation teaching at all. He’s saying, what Jesus himself and the New Testament apostles affirm; a true follower of God is known by their works.
John 13:35, By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.
Ephesians 2:10, For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
James 2:18, Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
A changed and transformed heart by the power of God through faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ results in a changed and transformed life.
I wish we could park here longer but I’ll just say this. We need to differentiate between a true disciple of Jesus and what I’ll just call a “cultural Christian.”
A disciple of Christ is one who takes up their cross daily and follows Jesus. A disciple is one who loves God with all their heart, soul, and mind and loves their neighbor as they do themselves. A disciple is radically generous, whose character and reputation are known as full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
A “cultural Christian” is one who’s learned the language of religion and can easily give off a superficial impression of godliness but there’s nothing really in their lives that show they belong to Christ other than church attendance. They’re not really interested in pursuing one another in community. They don’t serve with the intention of building up the church, and if they do serve it’s more about recognition and people pleasing. They’re hiding unconfessed sin or are just completely unaware of any sin to be repented of. They don’t want to be uncomfortable; they view the church as a hobby or club they belong to and not as a body they are a part of.
And my burden here for you, for us is that very few will take what was just said and examine their hearts.
David is differentiating between a follower of God and the wicked. And there’s tendencies in all of us to drift away from God and so we need to be daily on guard confessing and repenting of sin.
Thankfully, our God is a just and righteous God who does no wrong and is always right.
This leads to number 3:
David’s Strength.
David’s Strength.
Check out verses 6-7,
Psalm 28:6-7, Blessed be the LORD! For he has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy. The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.
Ultimately, David’s prayer culminated in the rest, hope and strength of his God. Though his heart, feelings and emotions sought to lead him to believe a lie about the character and nature of God, eventually he found his footing on the foundation of God’s faithfulness.
David continues in verses 8-9,
Psalm 28:8-9, The LORD is the strength of his people; he is the saving refuge of his anointed. Oh, save your people and bless your heritage! Be their shepherd and carry them forever.
David was God’s anointed king of Israel and because God helped the king and was a refuge for him, all of God’s people were helped and kept secure because of God’s faithfulness. As the king is protected, so goes the kingdom.
We look today to a better King. The King of kings.
Jesus, like David faced false accusations. He was labeled a glutton and a drunkard, a terrorist, a blasphemer. He was even accused of being demon-possessed. On the night he was arrested he was treated as a criminal. He was beaten, tortured, and nailed to a cross, a shame in and of itself. He was crucified in-between two insurgents.
On the night of his arrest, Jesus prays in the garden of Gethsemane for strength and help from God his refuge and shield. It was the purpose and plan of God that Jesus would die for the sins of his people, yet God the Father did not ultimately abandon His Son. And three days after Jesus died God raised him from the dead and he is now highly exalted and at the right hand of the Father.
And now, you and I, all those who are followers of Christ are helped and held secure because God has exalted his anointed Son, the King of kings. As goes the King, so goes the kingdom.
This ultimately should shape our prayers. Our confidence and strength does not come from our ability to perform or obey but rests in Christ the King who has gone before us and purchased our freedom and victory at the cross. And so, pray with confidence. Since Jesus has gone before us and is our true and faithful King, our God hears our pleas for mercy, our cries for help. He is not deaf; he is not silent. He hears and he responds.