Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Why I Can Pray the Prayer of David


Hear a just cause, O Lord; attend to my cry! 
Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit! 
Psalm 17:1

Good old David.  Lips free of deceit.  What a man of God!  He knew at this time in his life that he could pray this prayer and make that confession.

You have tried my heart,
you have visited me by night,
you have tested me,
and you will find nothing.  
Psalm 17:3

His heart was pure!  He could go to God in earnest and know that God would find no deceit in him.

I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress...
I have avoided the ways of the violent.
My steps have held fast to your paths;
my feet have not slipped. 
Psalm 17:3b, 4-5

My, my, sometimes my purpose fails me.  It is a rare thing that I can say with David, as in verse 3, "You will find nothing."
Keep me as the apple of your eye; 
hide me in the shadow of your wings.
  Psalm 17:8

Oh, I can pray that, alright!  I never want to be out of God's sight.  It's a scary world away from Him.

Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword,
from men by your hand, O Lord, 
from men of the world whose protion is in this life. 
Psalm 17:13b, 14

I often pray this prayer, "Deliver me, O lord"!  But all too often I find myself (as David did, by the way) wandering from my Divine Protector by having lips full of deceit, by transgressing with my mouth, by slipping with my feet.

As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; 
when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness. 
Psalm 17:15

Why could David pray this same type of prayer even after he had sinned with Bathsheba and  had her husband murdered?  He belonged to the God of Israel, with faith that someday the King of Kings and Lord of Lords would come to this earth and deliver all mankind.

Why can I pray the prayer of David?  Because I, too, have found forgiveness through the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, who died for my sins and declares me righteous in Him.  And what's more, He provides cleansing from sins as I daily confess them (hate them as God does and turn away).  1 John 1:9
For this I am eternally grateful, and it fills me with the desire to please Him in every way.

Praying that you, also, may pray the prayer of David,
Gloria

2 comments:

Angelia

I too want Him to keep me in His eye but to find nothing and keep my mouth from transgressing.. hmm..thatd be rare. Thankful for the promise of forgiveness

Heather's Blog-o-rama

This is really good :) :) You know, I like David, because he messed up bad and still God called him a man after HIS own heart :) :) Isn't that good? Have a great week :) Love and hugs from the ocean shores of California, Heather :)

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