The Prayer of the Righteous!
(Psalm 56)
This psalm was written by David when the Philistines overwhelmed him in Gath. Verses 1-7 indicate that David was overwhelmed! His enemies were many. They oppressed him every day to the point that he felt like they would swallow him up! (Sound familiar?)
He wrestled with the fear and failure of being God’s man. (That’s a real fear, isn’t it?) We want to do right, but wrong is all about us. Not only is it all around us, it attempts to make us feel like we are the ones who are wrong! Like David, the enemies of righteousness twist our words, (vs. 5). Their thoughts and evil plots are against us! What on earth do we do?
Pay attention to the following verses. Some of them recap verses 1-7. This is a great chapter in the Psalms. Look, listen and take courage. David acknowledges God’s attributes toward him and then directs affirmations toward God.
(vs. 8)
Thou tellest my wanderings: (God is all knowing!)
put thou my tears into thy bottle: (God cares and is concerned about me!)
are they not in thy book? (God keeps records of my heartaches!)
(vs. 9)
When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: (God fights my battles!)
this I know; for God is for me. (God is for me: He’s on my side!)
(verse 10)
In God will I praise his word: (Through the Creator I will praise His word!)
in the Lord will I praise his word. (In the Master I praise His word!)
(verse 11)
In God have I put my trust: (I’m counting on God for everything!)
I will not be afraid what man can do unto me. (I’m not afraid of life or its circumstances!)
(verse 12)
Thy vows are upon me, O God: (I’m committed to the Lord!)
I will render praises unto thee. (I worship the Lord through praise!)
(verse 13)
For thou hast delivered my soul from death: (God has saved my soul from Hell!)
wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, (God will keep me from failure if I ask Him!)
that I may walk before God in the light of the living. (Let the world see me walk with God!)
(Psalm 56:8-13)
BI – “God is totally committed to us and when we realize this and affirm our worship and commitment to Him, the forces of Hell cannot stop us from being Christ to the world!”
1. God’s Tender Attributes Toward David – (vs. 8-9)
• He is omniscient: He knows everything about me and amazingly, He still loves me!
• He cares about me so much that He puts my tears in a bottle! He counts them and keeps up with them!
• He makes a record of my disappointments and heartaches! They don’t take Him by surprise! He knows and cares and keeps up with what is happening in my life! Imagine that!
• He fights my battles! When I call on Him, when I am overwhelmed by the circumstances, frustrations, and failures in life; God goes to war on my behalf!
• He is on my side! He is on the side of the righteous. He is on the side of His children. He is on the side of what is good and right. Watch out enemies of God! He is on my side and against you! You do not want to be on the wrong side when retribution comes! Get on the right side and God will be on your side too! Don’t you want the living, moving, loving, all-powerful God on your side?
2. David’s Thoughtful Affirmations Toward God – (vs. 10-13)
• I will praise His Word! David said: His Word. That’s right, His Word! It’s the greatest source for life and liberty in this old world. It’s not only the greatest, it the only complete source. It’s my guide for faith and practice. It’s the lamp unto my feet and the light unto my path. It’s inspired, inerrant, infallible and able to make one wise unto salvation! It makes the man of God throughly furnished unto all good works. It is a rock upon which to stand. (I could go all day, but you get the point.) Praise Him for His Word!
• I will trust God completely and without reservation! Yes, in God have I put my trust! It doesn’t matter what happens in this world – and Brothers and Sisters it’s happening! I may not be able to trust my friends, (although I need to), my neighbors (although I’d like to), and myself (although I want to), but I can trust my God! He is God and He has never let me down! He’s come through when the door was closed! He’s come through when the path was dim! He’s come through when the clock ran out! I trust Him because He is God. I trust Him because He is my God!
• I will remain stalwart and unafraid of life’s circumstances! What can anyone or anything do to me without first going through Him? (Isn’t this this the lesson from the book of Job?) Mister or Maim, if you take on God and He allows you to get to me, well so be it! If He allows you to get to me it was because He has a purpose through that trial in forging me into the image and likeness of His Son! So, help yourself! Go ahead, but life doesn’t scare me because He is my God and He knows what you’re up to.
• I will stay focused on God and remain committed to Him! He has made vows to me and I have made vows to Him. He will never break the ones He made to me – if He could He’d be a liar, and my God is not a liar! I’m not perfect in this flesh, but I am complete in Christ! By His grace, and trusting Him to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day, I’m moving forward. I’m running the race! I reaching for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus! So, get out of the way if you don’t stand where I stand! I’m coming through! I’m not backing up for you or the likes of you! I’m not apologizing for my faith and I’m not going to avoid calling out His name. “JESUS is the sweetest name I know, and He’s just the same as His lovely name. And that’s the reason why I love Him so, for JESUS is the sweetest name I know!” If that offends you, get right with God! I’ll show you how. I’ll share His gospel and the love that He offers with you. I’ll pray for you, love you, and do anything I can to reach you for Christ, but I’m committed to Him and by His marvelous grace and infinite mercy, I’m all in!
• I will worship and sing praise to Him! It might not be politically correct to call on His name in public, but I am not a politically correct kind of person! I’m a born-again, blood bought, ransomed paid, believer in Jesus Christ! I’ve been delivered from sin’s penalty! I am being delivered from sin’s power, and praise God; am soon to be delivered from sin’s presence! So, you can’t stop me from singing praise to Him! I won’t hold back my praise to God because I don’t want the rocks to do it for me. Give the Lord a dong. Give praise unto Him. Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. Sing praise!
“I will sing praise, I will lift my voice. I will sing praise, I’ve made my choice. I will sing praise in all I do, I will sing praise to You. Whatever the storms that come my way, Whatever the trials I may face. You promised that You would see me through, So I will trust in You.”
Well, there you have it. What a psalm, right? Times are challenging. Times are changing. Times are trying, but God is the same, yesterday, today and forever, and He loves you with His unfathomable love!
God bless you and encourage you today in your walk with Him and ministry to Him.
