BIG IDEA: ADVOCATES FOR SPIRITUAL REVIVAL MUST ALSO
PRAY FOR PERSONAL PROTECTION
INTRODUCTION:
David certainly qualifies as an Advocate for Spiritual Revival
I. (:1-2) ADVOCATES FOR SPIRITUAL REVIVAL MUST SEEK GOD’S EAR IN PRAYER AS PART OF THEIR DAILY SACRIFICE OF WORSHIP
A. Listen to My Prayer
“O Lord, I call upon Thee; hasten to me!
Give ear to my voice when I call to Thee!”
B. Liken My Prayer to an Offering
“May my prayer be counted as incense before Thee;
The lifting up of my hands as the evening offering.”
He associates his pattern of petitioning God for protection to the pattern of regular offerings administered each evening by the priest
II. (:3-4) ADVOCATES FOR SPIRITUAL REVIVAL NEED GOD’S PROTECTION AGAINST THE TEMPTATIONS OF BITTERNESS AND COMPROMISE
A. God’s Protection Against the Temptation of Bitterness
“Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;
Keep watch over the door of my lips.”
When God is not responding like we would like or as quickly as we would like, it is easy to become bitter and say the wrong thing.
B. God’s Protection Against the Temptation of Compromise
“Do not incline my heart to any evil thing.
To practice deeds of wickedness With men who do iniquity;
And do not let me eat of their delicacies.”
III. (:5) ADVOCATES FOR SPIRITUAL REVIVAL NEED TO REMAIN RESPONSIVE TO REPROOF FROM THE RIGHTEOUS AND COMMITTED TO THEIR GOAL OF REPROVING WICKEDNESS
A. Responsive to Reproof from the Righteous
“Let the righteous smite me in kindness and reprove me;
It is oil upon the head; Do not let my head refuse it”
B. Committed to the Goal of Reproving Wickedness
“For still my prayer is against their wicked deeds.”
IV. (:6-7) ADVOCATES FOR SPIRITUAL REVIVAL HOPE IN THE
POWER OF GOD TO CHANGE MEN’S HEARTS
A. Hope that People Will Become Responsive to the Word of God
“Their judges are thrown down by the sides of the rock,
And they hear my words, for they are pleasant.”
B. Hope that Fruit Will Be the Result of the Work of Sowing the Seed
“As when one plows and breaks open the earth,
Our bones have been scattered at the mouth of Sheol”
“When their leaders are condemned, and their bones are strewn across the ground,
then these men will finally listen to me and know that I am trying to help them.”
V. (:8-10) ADVOCATES FOR SPIRITUAL REVIVAL TAKE REFUGE
IN THE LORD’S PROTECTION
A. Actively Looking to the Lord for Protection
“For my eyes are toward Thee, O God, the Lord;
In Thee I take refuge; do not leave me defenseless.”
B. Avoiding all Traps by virtue of the Lord’s Protection
“Keep me from the jaws of the trap which they have set for me,
And from the snares of those who do iniquity”
C. Advocating the Demise of the Wicked from a Position of Safety
“Let the wicked fall into their own nets, While I pass by safely.”
* * * * * * * * * *
DEVOTIONAL QUESTIONS:
1) Would we be more careful and devote more energy to our prayers if we viewed them as a worshipful sacrifice offered up to God? Are our prayers sweet incense or grating protestations?
2) How are we doing in the area of self-control of our tongue? Do we find it difficult to guard what we say? Study James 4. The tongue has the potential to do much harm among our Christian brothers and sisters. What practical steps can you take in seeking the Lord to guard your mouth? On the other hand are we willing and courageous enough to take a stand against “wicked deeds” where God wants us to? (Especially in the area of committing ourselves to pray for spiritual revival?)
3) How do we accept reproof and correction from others? Are we immediately defensive and do we argue and strike back or can we listen objectively and see the kindness of our friends in their desire to help us. What can we learn from the imagery of precious oil poured upon the head (vs. 5)?
4) Are we able to maintain hope that the power of God can work in people’s hearts? (Especially in the hearts of those people that seem to us so unlikely to respond to the gospel.) Remember the NT analogy that a seed abides alone unless it falls into the ground and dies – in which case it is able to bear fruit.
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