Worship in WORD:
Ps 28:6-29:1
6 Praise be to the Lord,
for he has heard my cry for mercy.
my heart trusts in him, and
I am helped.
and I
will
give thanks to him in song.
8 The Lord is the strength of his people,
a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.
9 Save your people and bless your
heritance;
be their shepherd and carry them forever.
A Psalm of David.
NIV
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Ps 28:6-9
6 Praise the Lord!
For he has heard my cry for mercy.
7 The Lord is my strength and shield.
I trust him with all my heart.
He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.
I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.
8 The Lord gives his people strength.
He is a safe fortress for his anointed king.
9 Save your people!
Bless Israel, your special possession.
Lead them like a shepherd,
and carry them in your arms forever.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®,
copyright © 1996, 2004
by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers.
All rights reserved.
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Ps 28:6-9
6 Blessed be the LORD,
because he hath heard the voice of my supplications.
7 The
LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am
helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise
him.
8 The LORD is their strength,
and he is the saving strength of his anointed.
9 Save thy people, and bless
thine inheritance: feed them also, and lift them up for ever.
KJV
|
Ps 28:6-9
6 Blessed be the Lord!
For he has heard the voice of my pleas for
mercy.
7 The Lord is my strength and
my shield;
in him my heart trusts, and I am helped;
my heart exults,
and with my song I give thanks to him.
8 The Lord is the strength of his people;
he is the saving refuge of his anointed.
9 Oh, save your people and bless your heritage!
Be their
shepherd and carry them forever.
ESV
|
I. Minor Key: vv. 1-5
A. Pleas
(vv. 1- 3)
1.
Hear Me! - v. 1
2.
Have Mercy! – v. 2a
3.
Help! – v. 2b
B.
Imprecation (vv. 4-5)
II. Major Key: vv. 6-9
A. Praise
(vv. 6-8)
B. Supplication (v. 9)
Ver. 9. This is a prayer for the church militant, written in short words, but full of weighty meaning. We must pray for the whole church, and not for ourselves alone. Save thy people. Deliver them from their enemies, preserve them from their sins, succour them under their troubles, rescue them from their temptations, and ward off from them every ill. There is a plea hidden in the expression, "thy people:" for it may be safely concluded that God's interest in the church, as his own portion, will lead him to guard it from destruction.
(from The Treasury of David, Biblesoft formatted electronic database Copyright © 2014 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)
David resumes his prayer in verse 9 after his praise in
verses 6-8. That is not to say that this Psalm cannot be considered a prayer from
beginning to end. For who says we cannot be diverted in our praying by a
realization of God’s greatness and goodness and express that while we are
praying? It is from such diversions that praise may arise in our souls.
Yet how often is it that our “diversions” in prayer are in
reality distractions and daydreaming rather than a heightened sense of God’s
presence, power, and glory?
As I see it, there is a fourfold aspect to David’s
supplication in verse nine. Four separate but interrelated petitions. These are:
1. Preserve
2. Pour out
3. Provide
4. Protect
Let us look at each of these individually and mine a few thoughts from
each. I say “a few,” for indeed there are deeper veins of great treasure
that can be dug out than what I see here at the present depth I am at.
1. Preserve: Oh, save your people... ESV
In the present text and in the context of the day in which this was
written and prayed, David was not talking about eternal salvation, but
deliverance from the temporal physical (war, torture) and spiritual (idolatry,
syncretism) harm of Israel’s surrounding enemies. Nevertheless, since all
Scripture is inspired and profitable for all generations – and in keeping with
the efficient use of the Word of God based on the progressive nature of His revelation
– then one is not in error in making this a reasonable prayer concerning
dangers facing God’s people in all generations. Furthermore, it is not
unreasonable to think of salvation in its ultimate sense pertaining to “those”
spoken of in Romans 8:30:
And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also
justified; those he justified, he also glorified. NIV
“Those” being all the chosen in Christ, who in the resurrection will be
fully glorified and enjoy “an eternal weight of glory (2 Cor. 4:17-18).”
As Israel had its enemies, so the church has its enemies as well, both
individually and collectively as the body of Christ. These are found in the
world ( the unredeemed society), the flesh (the ungodly self), and the devil
and his minions (the unholy supernatural). O
Therefore, we too can pray for deliverance from evil and the evil one (Mt. 6:13). For ourselves, and other believers as well. We can also pray for salvation
from physical harm (2 Cor. 1:8-11) that comes in the form of
pestilence or persecution. But we must be prepared for God to deliver us in His time and
in His own way and for His own purposes (2 Cor. 12:7-10). In the storms of life, we must
realize that God may halt the tempest or choose to just hold us amidst the tumult.
But the Lord not only preserves us from falling prey to our enemies here
on earth. He also keeps us for all eternity from falling away from our secure
standing as a child of God (Romans 8:28-39; 1 Peter 1:5). Salvation is not just a past experience, but a present and
future one as well. We can testify that we have been saved (justified), are
being saved (sanctified), and will be saved (glorified) – see Heb. 10:1-14. We persevere as the saints of God because
of the preservation of our Almighty God.
of the saints
is really
The preservation
of the saints
R. C. Sproul had this to say concerning the
perseverance of the saints:
I think this little catchphrase, perseverance
of the saints, is dangerously misleading. It suggests that the perseverance
is something that we do, perhaps in and of ourselves. I believe that saints do
persevere in faith, and that those who have been effectually called by God and
have been reborn by the power of the Holy Spirit endure to the end. However,
they persevere not because they are so diligent in making use of the mercies of
God. The only reason we can give why any of us continue on in the faith is because
we have been preserved. So I prefer the term the preservation of the saints,
because the process by which we are kept in a state of grace is something that
is accomplished by God. My confidence in my preservation is not in my ability
to persevere. My confidence rests in the power of Christ to sustain me with His
grace and by the power of His intercession. He is going to bring us
safely home.
(From an article written by RC Sproul: TULIP
and Reformed Theology: Perseverance of the Saints)
In light of all this, I do not believe it is wrong for us to pray for the
salvation (in terms of the sanctifying work of the Spirit) even of those who
have already been saved. Do we not ask the Father to “give us this day our
daily bread” (Mt. 6:11; Lk 11:3)? We pray this not only for ourselves personally but for each other. If
we ask for that which sustains our life physically and without which we will
die, then would it not also be reasonable to pray for ourselves individually
and for each other as well that God would preserve us body, soul, and spirit
for time and eternity (1 Thess. 5:23; Jude 24)? For without Gods preserving power and
provision, that is, His gracious hand and giving heart, we would all fall away
and perish. Ultimately, though, we know we are only agreeing with our Lord and Savior
who sits at the right hand of his Father interceding on behalf of His brethren.
Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through
him, because he always lives to intercede for them.
Heb 7:25 NIV
But consider what Donald Grey
Barnhouse says in his Expositions on Romans:
Thus we have been identified with
Christ in His present work of intercession. Having been made righteous through
His blood, we, because we are in an exalted position, must pray for others.
Never is a Christian more like Christ
than when he is selflessly encompassing needy hearts with intercession,
committing them to the Father’s love and grace. If we have been born again, we
have been baptized into the intercession of Christ, and our lives must be
ever-flowing fountains of prayer. This does not mean leaving the world for
monastic contemplation. Rather, we pray without ceasing in the midst of the
world. Our prayer may be no more than a quick glance toward God, but He sees
and knows. In this way we live His life of love and service toward others.
(from Romans: Expositions of Bible
Doctrines © 1966 by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. All rights reserved.)
I will stop here for now and address the second petition which relates back to the first and expands beyond it as well.
In the meantime, reflect on what I have written. Do you agree with me? If you
do, how and for whom do you need to be praying for today in this matter?
Worship in Witness:
Our lives
ebb and flow, there are high tides and low tides. Days of glory and days of
grief. Each has its purpose. Faith grows in times of grief, and gratitude grows
in times of comfort and rest. Unfortunately, many complain when grieved and
become complacent when comforted, and things are good.
I have
learned that it’s okay to complain. God
will patiently listen, but I must not wallow in my pain. Instead, I must turn
my plaintive cries into hopeful praise – that confident trust amid the rising
tide of troubles that will turn into a tidal wave if we let it.
Such was my
experience the other day when I went out shopping for parts to fix my daughter’s dryer. A melancholic feeling came over me, and the
seafloor seemed to drop out from under me. When this occurred, however, I did
not complain. Instead, I recognized that the whelming flood of sadness that
follows me was seeking to drown me, and remained calm. I told myself not to let
this feeling overwhelm me. I began to fight against melancholy’s undertow by treading
water in the presence of my faithful God. Then I began swimming sideways out of
the undercurrent of sorrow that sought to pull me under. I did this through
prayer and praise. As I felt the current subside, I swam to the shore safely as
I was borne along by the waves of God’s grace.
Worship in Song:
In the
Hands of the Potter by Casting Crowns
I still remember when I heard You call me by
name
I'd follow You anywhere, knew I could trust You in anything
But now sorrow beats down on me, waiting for You to come through
I'm all alone with my questions, I'm dry and cracked open
And I thirst for You
I'd follow You anywhere, knew I could trust You in anything
But now sorrow beats down on me, waiting for You to come through
I'm all alone with my questions, I'm dry and cracked open
And I thirst for You
And as I fall apart
Come flood this desert heart
Fall like the rain, Living Water
And I know Your way is best
Lord, help me find my rest
And I'll be the clay
In the Hands of the Potter
Come flood this desert heart
Fall like the rain, Living Water
And I know Your way is best
Lord, help me find my rest
And I'll be the clay
In the Hands of the Potter
My world is spinning, my life seems so out of
control
Nailed, scarred hands tell the story of love that will never let go of me
Through the sunshine or rain, I know where my hope is found
What You started in me, I know You will complete from the inside out
Nailed, scarred hands tell the story of love that will never let go of me
Through the sunshine or rain, I know where my hope is found
What You started in me, I know You will complete from the inside out
And as I fall apart
Come flood this desert heart
Fall like the rain, Living Water
And I know Your way is best
Lord, help me find my rest
And I'll be the clay
In the Hands of the Potter
Come flood this desert heart
Fall like the rain, Living Water
And I know Your way is best
Lord, help me find my rest
And I'll be the clay
In the Hands of the Potter
My world is breaking me, Your love is shaping
me
And now the enemy is afraid of what You're making me
When my world is breaking me, Your love is shaping me
And now the enemy is afraid of what You're making me
My world is breaking me, Your love is shaping me
And now the enemy is afraid of what You're making me
And now the enemy is afraid of what You're making me
When my world is breaking me, Your love is shaping me
And now the enemy is afraid of what You're making me
My world is breaking me, Your love is shaping me
And now the enemy is afraid of what You're making me
And as I fall apart
Come flood this desert heart
Fall like the rain, Living Water
And I know Your way is best
Lord, help me find my rest
And I'll be the clay
In the Hands of the Potter
Come flood this desert heart
Fall like the rain, Living Water
And I know Your way is best
Lord, help me find my rest
And I'll be the clay
In the Hands of the Potter
And I'll be the clay
In the Hands of the Potter
In the Hands of the Potter
Songwriters: Mark Hall / Jonathan Smith
In the Hands of the Potter lyrics © Capitol
Christian Music Grou
Video: https://youtu.be/88X4aVTk2rA
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