A PSALM OF RENEWAL AND REVIVAL
On the Sunday evening before special services dedicated to
renewal and revival, it is good to turn to one of the Prayers of David
and let him help us express and focus our need and our desire.
Psalm 40
This Psalm speaks both of "waiting" and of "seeking."
It is good and right to actively seek God, and most of the time
way we well may know how to go about seeking Him. But even when we
are seeking God, we need to admit that in reality God is the active
party in any genuine renewal. Before we sought God, He was seeking
us! Before we were thinking of Him, He was thinking of us! Our
renewal always begins when we decide to listen, to be quiet, to wait
for God, Who is already speaking.
David tells us that he waited patiently for the LORD; and God
turned and heard him. This Psalm is full of certainty and praise!
Incidentally David tells us what every believer needs to receive:
I. THE NEED FOR A FIRM PLACE TO STAND . . .
(2)"He ... gave me a firm place to stand." "He set my feet upon a
rock..."
There are some things that we know that do not need to be proved. But
in the profusion of learning, and the explosion of knowledge in our
day, many people have lost their spiritual certainty. And then they
cannot regain it by listening to the same people that introduced them
to God, because they are listening to human explanations, or
obscurantism, or anything except listening to God!
Still, however it is lost, it is a tragic thing to lose
spiritual certainty! It is a tragedy when all you have is a slippery
slope or a miry pit of destruction when you need solid rock on which
to stand! I’M TALKING ABOUT SPIRITUAL CERTAINTY! KNOW-SO SALVATION!
IS IT STILL POSSIBLE IN 1990?
I don’t know quite how to say this: I alluded to it in the
sermon this morning, in that Rev. Tom Nees says he never has to prove
God’s existence or the reality of sin in the ghetto. We would say in
our arrogance that the reason is because they are not as educated or
sophisticated as we are. ’If they knew all that we know, etc. ’
I’m glad for the study of epistemology, that study of how we
know. It is humbling to realize that even in the common ideas of life,
we hardly ever all see things the same, and probably none of us is
ever "right" about the details of the facts.
What this means is when I talk to you about GOD, and explain Him,
I can never be sure that (1) I am right, or (2) that you hear what I
say the way I meant it; or (3) that if you do what I say it will make
any difference in your life.
But there is all the difference in the world when God talks to
you through me, or by any means that He has at His disposal-- and you
are listening-- and when God gets through to you. When God speaks,
and you hear-- you can take it to the bank!
People who have been "talked into" cheap grace, and who never
"wait patiently for God" may wonder about the "knowing" aspect of
salvation. Call it a witness. or call it assurance, we need to know
God, and know that we know God. It is possible today! But we have to
get this firm place to stand on God’s terms!
II. THE NEED FOR A NEW SONG TO SING . . .
(3)"He put a new song in my mouth"
A "revival" that simply beats us around the ears with new
"oughts" and "shoulds" is something I can do without. I can recall
many times as a lad when all I got out of revival was the scare of my
life. And I even remember a few since I have been pastor where I
wondered if anyone else felt as guilty as I did.
But I would like to remember the joy of first love of God; I
would like to do more than stand against the evils of our day, I would
like to be so full of the love of God that "Many will see and fear and
put their trust in God."
I suppose (I think) that cheerless and dull gray religion is
better than none at all, especially if there is any spiritual life at
all in it. But somehow the very first casualty in the process of
slipping away from God is genuine JOY!
We do not have any lack of religious excitement, or interesting
seminars, or things to do to keep busy for the Lord. But David says
that when he waited on the Lord he began to sing again! The song had
left, evidently, but God gave David a new song of praise! The world
can be changed by a people of God that are singing His new song of
praise!
I’M TALKING ABOUT JOY, NOW! WE GET IT BY WAITING PATIENTLY
(INTENTLY, ON PURPOSE) FOR WHAT GOD HAS TO SAY!
III. THE NEED FOR A TASK THAT DELIGHTS
Yes, there are things that we must leave in order to follow
after Jesus. [Some people didn’t hear me quite clearly a week or so
ago when I spoke of ’leaving all to follow Jesus.’ I did NOT say that
Jesus would require us to sell our homes and follow Him. But I did
say that there must be a willingness to leave all in order to be near
Him.] I suppose there are some "sacrifices" that are necessary.
But clearly the Psalmist isn’t into long-faced, sorrowful lists
of things he has given up.
(6) "Sacrifice and offering you did not require" he writes "but my
ears you have pierced." He goes on, "Burnt offerings and sin
offerings you did not require. Then I said, ’Here I am, I have
come-- To do Your will, O God is my desire (delight!); your law is
within my heart.’"
Many scholars believe that the "ear piercing" has to do with the
ceremony prescribed in Exodus and again in Deuteronomy when a slave
was being set free, and he didn’t want to leave his master’s
house. When a servant became a love-slave his ear was pierced, and he
became a permanent family member; his "ear was pierced."
Romans 12:1 makes provision for believers to become "love-
slaves" of God-- to say, make me Your servant forever! I delight to do
Your will, O God!
CONCLUSION:
What I am trying to express, or to let God express to me and
through me this "revival eve," is the possibility that we can raise
our level of the experience of spiritual reality if we will wait
"patiently" (intently, on purpose) for our God.
You are some of the best people I know. I do not
un-Christianize any of you. But again and again we need to break
through to refreshing and reviving in the Lord.
And while the "waiting on the Lord" sounds passive, it needs to
be done deliberately. It is obvious that we cannot "schedule revival"
and say to God:
"All right now, Sovereign of the Universe, between
Tuesday and Sunday of next week we would like You to bless
us up a little-- not too much, now-- because we have very
full schedules. But bless us enough to keep us out of hell,
if there is one, and make us real nice people, and bless our
relationships and keep us pretty comfortable. Amen"
But perhaps we can say:
"Lord God, We walk through whirling mists and hear shouting
voices. Please help us make sure our feet are on the solid rock.
"And, Heavenly Father, We are full of causes and agendas and
burdens; please help us remember the old songs of praise, and, if You
would, give us a new song of praise that will lift us toward You.
"And, Lord, Help us to love You so much that serving You will be
our delight and our joy!
"You have promised that if we seek You we shall surely find You!
With the Psalmist we pray, ’May all who seek You rejoice and be glad
in You!’
"We will do our best to clear the way to begin this week. You
come as You see fit, for we wait patiently for You. Turn to us, and
hear our cry! In Jesus’ name, Amen."
