Heart of a Psalmist - Worshipping Christ Through The Psalms

“ Forgive the rebellious sins of my youth; look instead through the eyes of your unfailing love, for you are merciful, O Lord.”(7)

David is asking God to see him not as he once was, but through the lenses of forgiveness, unfail- ing love and mercy. This is the New Testament ‘position’ of all those who belong to Christ. “ So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.” (Rm. 8:1)

II TEACHING HIS WAY - The Promises of God- (8-15)

God’s self-disclosure is such an important part of prayer. This is where we remind ourselves of who he has claimed to be and what he has claimed he will do for those who come to him with the three es- sential qualities of humility, obedience and respect. 1. Humility- “ He leads the humble in what is right,…” (9) 2. Obedience- “ The Lord leads…those who keep his covenant and obey his decrees.” (10) 3. Fear (deep reverential respect)- “ …those who fear the Lord? He will show them the path they should choose.” (12)

Those who humbly obey and respect the Lord can rely upon these attributes and promises of God when they pray.

• The promise of his goodness- “ The Lord is good and does what is right:…”(8) • His promise to restore- “ …he shows the proper path to those who go astray.”(8)

• His promise to instruct us- “ He leads the humble in what is right, teaching them his way.”(9) • His promise to guide us- “ The Lord leads with unfailing love and faithfulness all those who keep his covenant and obey his decrees.”(10) • His promise to forgive us- “ For the honor of your name, O Lord, forgive my many, many sins.” (11) • His promise to direct our decisions- “ Who are those who fear the Lord? He will show them the path they should choose.”(12) • His promise to prosper us- “ They will live in prosperity…”(13) • His promise to bless our children- “ …and their children will inherit the Promised Land. ” David had lost all of his children to the Amalekite raiders but through God’s help, he recovered every one of them. Even though some of our family members may be far from the Lord, we can trust him to fulfill this verse in their lives. • His promise of friendship- “ Friendship with the Lord is reserved for those who fear him. With them he shares the secrets of his covenant.”(14) Jesus told his covenant disciples: “ Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.”(Jn. 15:15) • His promise to rescue us- “ My eyes are always looking to the Lord for help, for he alone can res- cue me from the traps of my enemies.”(15) Each phrase of David’s prayer expresses his problem and deep despair coupled with a petition for help and mercy. The problem and the petition need to be expressed together; God is there for us. • (16) The petition- “ Turn to me and have mercy on me,” The problem- “ for I am alone and in deep distress.” David was alone when he returned to Ziklag. His distress level was immeasurable as even his loyal army was talking about stoning him. • (17) The problem- “ My problems go from bad to worse. “ The Petition – “ Oh, save me from them all!” His situation had continually worsened. He had fled to King Achish of Gath to escape Saul. He almost went to war against his own countrymen with the Philistines only to return to his city and find everything destroyed and all the families of his soldiers captured by the Amalakites. This was an emotional and spir- itual basement. • (18) The problem- “ Feel my pain and see my trouble.” The petition- “ Forgive all my sins.” David blames no one else for his predicament except his own failures before God. Christ did feel the pain for our sins upon the cross. III TURN TO ME - The Petitions of David- (16-22)

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