The Success Prayer

The great king David was about to give up his throne, so he calls the congregation together and prays. I think that prayer has implications to us today

1. The first thing we notice in the pray is that David gives credit where credit is due (vs. 10-13)

- David had a great reign; he defeated Saul, the Philistines, and other invaders, he began preparations for the temple, and so on

a. but David gives credit where credit is due by ascribing to God things that may have been attributed to himself

- God works in spite of us. In fact, everything good that is accomplished in this church, is because of God.

- This also has a Monday morning application as we go out into the world. One of the things we see is that often our words, attitudes, and lives are a living gospel for others to see. This becomes even more effective when we give credit where credit is due. When we are salt and light, people take notice, and one of the best things we can do is use these opportunities to point people in God’s direction

b. another way David gives credit where credit is due is by knowing that greatness and success are granted by God

- inside the church this correlates to knowing that we can’t do anything great unless God is in it. In the recipe of success for the church, God is the key ingredient.

- outside of the church this means putting God first in areas of your life where you want success. Do you want a successful marriage, be a good parent, influence your school, job, friends, family, whatever? Go to God. Remember that with God its not ability that counts, its availability. Look at the life of David

2. The second thing we notice is that David thanks God for the opportunity to Give and Serve (vs. 14-17)

- what a prayer, "thanks for letting me give as much as I do"

- many times we twist this around and say "why should I do this?"

a. again, two important points. The first is that David recognizes that all things come from God.

- we are not just talking about money here. This is the three T’s: Time, Talent, and Treasure. . . when we recognize that all these things come from God, we see the importance of using them wisely. When we don’t use these, its not the church we are depriving, it is God. Malachi makes it plain and says "You are robbing God". Lets be honest, every week people steal by not giving back to God what He deserves

b. a second point is that David recognizes the importance of having the right mindset

- the old saying that God loveth a cheerful giver, but also accepteth from a grouch

- what are our motivations? Why do we do the things we do? Is it out of guilt? Hunger for power? Desire to do things the way we want instead of how God wants them? It says that "God judges the heart". I encourage each of you to judge your own heart. I don’t care what you’re doing in the church, if you don’t have integrity, if you don’t have the right mindset, you better get back on the right path

3. The Third thing we see is that David prays that the people stay on the right course (vs. 18&19)

a. prays for the people and leaders

b. prays they finish the work that has been started

- while we may not be building a temple, we certainly have a job to do- i.e., win the world for Christ. Like the temple, it is expensive, time-consuming, and requires the work of many people.