Psalm 5: Prayer unlocks the answer you need
David’s
face pictured despair. Although he ruled Jerusalem, the city of David, he couldn’t
figure out answers to every knotty problem in his kingdom. He turned to God, bowing before the King of kings in worship, and seeking God’s
help.
What
responsibilities have fallen into your lap? Are you a parent or a team manager?
I don’t
know one person on this earth who has all the answers. Scars, dilemmas, and complications
slow us down, or an impasse stops us in our tracks.
Did you
know Christians enjoy undeserved privileges with God? Jesus, the Son of God,
hears our prayers and presents them in perfect form to his God. We have access
to God’s throne room, where Jesus sits beside his Father. Can you imagine it? He’s
listening and interpreting your prayers today.
David
prayed morning and night and waited with expectation for the Lord’s reply.
Since he knew God, he relied on his mercy amidst his many weaknesses and
failings.
A
righteous God doesn’t delight in evil or dwell with the wicked. In the world we
inhabit, many dismiss God as a feeble myth or deride Him, exemplifying sheer
arrogance. God has a strong aversion towards lying, murder, and stealing. What
consequence would David endure if he was guilty of these crimes?
Have you
tried to please God by adhering to strict rituals, helping the poor, attending worship
services, or trying to be honest? If God weighed your good with your evil on a
scale, how would he judge you? Have you ever lied or stolen anything? Who
hasn’t?
“All have sinned and fallen short of God’s
glory.” Romans
3:23.
One sin excludes us from heaven. Who, then, may enter? Along with David, we need God’s mercy. Jesus paid the
price for our sin at his crucifixion because he was God’s perfect sacrifice,
given in love.
God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who
believes in him won’t perish but will have eternal life. John
3:16.
Do you recognize we are all sinners who need
God’s forgiveness? Have you accepted Jesus as your Savior? God’s greatest
desire for you is that you understand and embrace his son’s death and
resurrection as ample payment for your sins. We deserved God’s wrath, but Jesus
substituted himself and suffered our punishment. When the Lord Jesus Christ
forgives us, we have access to God’s presence, free of our sin. God makes us new
and righteous with the life of Christ.
David offered sacrifices to the Lord, according
to Moses’ law, and God, in mercy, forgave him. He entered God’s house and bowed down towards his
holy temple, knowing he needed wisdom to serve his nation, to guide both the
wicked and the godly. Evil men had lied to him, plotted destruction, their
mouths as deadly as an open grave, hungry to devour and destroy the king. They were
worthy of God’s wrath because they had sinned against God more than they had
wronged David. He had sinned, but he had confessed his sin and received God’s
forgiveness.
Have you
found refuge and protection in the Lord Jesus Christ? Although David lived
prior to the Lord Jesus’s earthly life, he expected him to come to earth in the
fulness of time. God had promised him a greater king would sit on his throne,
the ruler of an everlasting kingdom. The Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, has
built a kingdom in men, women, and children’s hearts. Although he rules the
world, his leadership is through love and service to individual souls. On Calvary’s
cross, he gave his life, and we enter his kingdom because we love and
appreciate his vicarious sacrifice.
In the
story of Ruth, she asked Boaz to spread his cloak over her as a sign he would
consider her as his bride. She needed a husband who would protect her. When we
belong to Jesus, he is our bridegroom who protects us because his church is his
bride, and he loves us. Ephesians 5:25-33.
Jesus fills me with pure joy beyond my circumstances and problems. I rejoice when I hear his name, and I reflect on his love and goodness. If I’m introspective, I wallow in my sin, but when I lift my eyes to Jesus, he assures me he has attributed his righteousness to me, and God will never condemn me. Romans 8:1.
His favour surrounds me as a shield. David’s problems didn’t dissolve in an instant, but his faith protected him from despair.
We may extinguish Satan's flaming arrows of fear, worry, and condemnation with the shield of faith, Ephesians 6:16b. The sword of the Holy Spirit protects us while we rest in God’s grace, mercy and loving favour.
Seek
God’s kingdom first, and all these things will be provided for you. Matthew
6:33 CSB.
For, surely, O Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favour as with a shield.
Psalm 5:12.
Image: King David Playing the Harp (1622) by Gerard van Honthorst
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