Approaching God: The Art of Prayer and Faith
Summary
In our journey of faith, we often find ourselves in need of guidance on how to approach God in prayer. Today, we reflect on the profound lessons from Psalm 70:5, where David exemplifies the art of supplication. David, a master in the sacred art of prayer, teaches us through his words and actions how to approach God with humility, urgency, and faith.
First, we see the soul confessing its state of poverty and neediness. This confession is not just a formality but a necessary step in approaching God. It is a stripping away of pride and self-sufficiency, acknowledging our utter dependence on God. Confession is the gateway to receiving God's grace, as it aligns our hearts with the truth of our condition and opens us to His mercy.
Next, we observe the soul pleading with God. David's plea is not a mere repetition of words but a heartfelt argument presented before God. He uses the attributes of God—His justice, mercy, and faithfulness—as the foundation of his plea. This teaches us that effective prayer involves reasoning with God, reminding Him of His promises, and holding onto His character.
The urgency in David's prayer is palpable. He cries out for God to make haste, recognizing the immediacy of his need. This urgency is a reflection of a soul that understands the gravity of its situation and the necessity of divine intervention. It is a reminder that our prayers should be fervent and persistent, driven by a deep awareness of our need for God.
Finally, we see the soul grasping God, holding onto Him with both hands. David declares God as his help and deliverer, demonstrating a faith that clings to God despite circumstances. This is the essence of prayer—an unwavering trust in God's ability to deliver and provide.
As we reflect on these aspects of prayer, let us be encouraged to approach God with a heart of confession, a spirit of pleading, an urgency for His presence, and a faith that holds fast to His promises.
Key Takeaways:
- Confession as a Gateway to Grace: Confession is essential in our relationship with God. It is not merely an admission of guilt but a recognition of our need for His grace. By acknowledging our sins and shortcomings, we open ourselves to the transformative power of God's mercy. [03:22]
- Pleading with God: Effective prayer involves presenting our case before God, using His attributes and promises as our foundation. Like David, we must learn to reason with God, reminding Him of His faithfulness and holding onto His character. [20:07]
- Urgency in Prayer: Our prayers should reflect the urgency of our need for God. Recognizing the immediacy of our situation compels us to cry out to God with fervency and persistence, trusting in His timely intervention. [34:16]
- Faith's Grasp on God: True prayer is an act of faith that clings to God despite circumstances. By declaring God as our help and deliverer, we demonstrate an unwavering trust in His ability to provide and deliver. [39:01]
- Perseverance in Supplication: The blessings that come from persistent prayer are often the most profound. As we persevere in supplication, we align ourselves with God's will and open the door to His abundant blessings. [47:33]
Youtube Chapters:
- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:16] - Introduction to Prayer
- [01:05] - David as a Model of Prayer
- [01:54] - The Soul Confessing
- [03:22] - Importance of Confession
- [04:54] - Sincere Confession Before God
- [09:27] - Acknowledging Our Need
- [11:22] - God's Sovereign Grace
- [14:19] - The Source of All Blessings
- [19:33] - The Soul Pleading
- [20:07] - Using Pleas in Prayer
- [23:04] - Faith's Abundant Pleas
- [30:47] - Necessity as a Plea
- [34:16] - The Soul's Urgency
- [39:01] - Grasping God in Faith
- [47:33] - Perseverance in Prayer
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide
Bible Reading:
- Psalm 70:5
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Observation Questions:
1. What does David confess about his condition in Psalm 70:5, and why is this significant in the context of prayer? [01:54]
2. How does David express urgency in his prayer, and what phrases does he use to convey this urgency? [02:10]
3. In what way does David demonstrate his faith in God as his help and deliverer in Psalm 70:5? [02:30]
4. How does the sermon describe the role of confession in approaching God, and why is it considered a necessary step? [03:22]
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Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the act of confessing one's neediness and poverty before God align with the concept of humility in prayer? [03:04]
2. What does the sermon suggest about the importance of using God's attributes and promises as a foundation for our pleas in prayer? [20:07]
3. How does the urgency in David's prayer reflect a deeper understanding of his need for divine intervention, and how might this apply to our own prayer lives? [34:16]
4. In what ways does the sermon illustrate the idea of faith clinging to God despite circumstances, and how can this be a model for our own faith journey? [39:01]
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Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a time when you felt spiritually needy or impoverished. How did you approach God in prayer during that time, and what was the outcome? [03:22]
2. Consider the attributes of God that you find most comforting. How can you incorporate these attributes into your prayers to strengthen your pleas before God? [20:07]
3. Think about a situation in your life that requires urgent prayer. How can you express this urgency to God while maintaining faith in His timing and provision? [34:16]
4. Identify a promise from Scripture that you can hold onto in your current circumstances. How can this promise shape your prayers and strengthen your faith? [22:13]
5. How can you cultivate a habit of confession in your daily prayer life, and what impact might this have on your relationship with God? [03:22]
6. Reflect on a time when you felt like giving up on a prayer request. What kept you persevering, and how can you apply that perseverance to your current prayer life? [47:33]
7. How can you encourage others in your small group to approach God with humility, urgency, and faith in their own prayer lives? [39:01]
Devotional
Day 1: Confession as the Path to Divine Grace
Confession is more than an admission of guilt; it is a profound acknowledgment of our need for God's grace. By confessing our sins and shortcomings, we strip away pride and self-sufficiency, opening ourselves to the transformative power of God's mercy. This act of humility aligns our hearts with the truth of our condition, allowing us to receive God's grace. Confession is the gateway to a deeper relationship with God, as it invites His presence and mercy into our lives. [03:22]
"For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: 'I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.'" (Isaiah 57:15, ESV)
Reflection: What specific area of your life do you need to confess to God today, acknowledging your need for His grace and mercy?
Day 2: Pleading with God through His Promises
Effective prayer involves presenting our case before God, using His attributes and promises as our foundation. Like David, we must learn to reason with God, reminding Him of His faithfulness and holding onto His character. This approach to prayer is not about manipulating God but about aligning our requests with His will and character. By pleading with God in this way, we deepen our relationship with Him and grow in our understanding of His nature. [20:07]
"Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool." (Isaiah 1:18, ESV)
Reflection: What promise of God can you hold onto today as you present your needs before Him in prayer?
Day 3: Urgency in Our Prayers
Our prayers should reflect the urgency of our need for God. Recognizing the immediacy of our situation compels us to cry out to God with fervency and persistence, trusting in His timely intervention. This urgency is not about panic but about a deep awareness of our dependence on God and the necessity of His presence in our lives. By approaching God with urgency, we demonstrate our faith in His ability to act and our trust in His perfect timing. [34:16]
"Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord! O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy!" (Psalm 130:1-2, ESV)
Reflection: What pressing need in your life requires you to approach God with urgency and fervency today?
Day 4: Faith's Unyielding Grasp on God
True prayer is an act of faith that clings to God despite circumstances. By declaring God as our help and deliverer, we demonstrate an unwavering trust in His ability to provide and deliver. This faith is not blind but is rooted in the knowledge of God's character and His past faithfulness. Holding onto God in faith means trusting Him even when the outcome is uncertain, believing that He is working all things for our good. [39:01]
"Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation." (Habakkuk 3:17-18, ESV)
Reflection: In what area of your life do you need to declare your trust in God as your help and deliverer today?
Day 5: Perseverance in Supplication
The blessings that come from persistent prayer are often the most profound. As we persevere in supplication, we align ourselves with God's will and open the door to His abundant blessings. Perseverance in prayer is not about wearing God down but about developing a deeper relationship with Him and growing in our faith. Through persistent prayer, we learn to trust God's timing and His plan for our lives, knowing that He is faithful to answer in His perfect way. [47:33]
"And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" (Luke 18:7-8, ESV)
Reflection: What long-standing prayer request can you continue to bring before God with perseverance and faith today?
Quotes
If any of us would learn the sacred art and mystery of prayer, it is well for us to study the Productions of the greatest masters of that science. I am unable to point out one who understood it better than did the psalmist David. So well did he know how to praise that his Psalms have become the language of good man in all ages, and so well did he understand how to pray that if we catch his spirit and follow his mode of prayer, we shall have learned to plead with God after the most prevalent sort. [00:49:33]
Confession is absolutely needful to The Sinner when he first seeks a savior. It is not possible for thee, o Seeker, to obtain peace for thy troubled heart till Thou shalt have acknowledged thy transgression and thine iniquity before the Lord. Thou mayest do what thou Wilt, I even attempt to believe in Jesus, but Thou shalt find that the faith of God's elect is not in thee unless Thou Art willing to make a full confession of thy transgression and lay be thy heart before God. [00:03:16]
We do not usually think of giving charity to those who did not acknowledge that they need it. The physician does not send his medicine to those who are not sick. The blind man and the gospels had to feel his blindness and to sit by the wayside begging. If he had entertained a doubt as to whether he were blind or not, the Lord would have passed him by. He opens the eyes of those who confess their blindness, but of others he says, because ye say we see, Therefore your sin remaineth. [00:03:56]
Let me speak especially to you who desire to find peace with God and salvation through the precious blood. You will do well to make your confession before God very Frank, very sincere, very explicit. Surely you have nothing to hide, for there is nothing that you can hide. He knows your guilt already, but he would have you know it, and therefore he bids you confess it. Go into the details of your sin and your secret acknowledgments before God. [00:04:54]
Faith's art of wrestling is to plead with God and say with holy boldness, Let It Be thus and thus for these reasons. Hosea tells us of Jacob at Jabbok that there he spake with us, from which I understand that Jacob instructed us by his example. Now the two pleas which Jacob used were God's precept and God's promise. First, he said, thou sest unto me, return unto thy country and to thy Kindred, as much as if he put it thus, Lord, I am in difficulty, but I have come here through obedience to thee. [00:21:07]
Faith will plead all the attributes of God. Thou Art just, therefore spare thou the Soul For Whom The Savior died. Thou Art merciful, blot out my transgressions. Thou Art good, reveal thy bounty to thy servant. Thou Art immutable, thou Hast done thus and thus to others of thy servants, do thus unto me. Thou art faithful, can thou break thy promise, can thou turn away from thy Covenant? Rightly viewed, all the Perfections of deity become pleased for faith. [00:23:04]
Faith moreover pleads the performances of God. She looks back on the past and says, Lord, thou did deliver me on such and such an occasion. Will thou fail me now? She moreover takes her life as a whole and pleads thus, after so much Mercy past, will thou let me sink at last? Hast thou brought me so far that I may be put to shame at the end? She knows how to bring the ancient mercies of God and make them Arguments for present favors. [00:28:47]
We may well be urgent with God if, as yet, we are not saved, for our need is urgent. We are in constant Peril, and the Peril is of the most tremendous kind. Oh sinner, within an hour, within a minute, thou mayest be where hope can never visit thee. Therefore cry, make haste, oh God, to deliver me, make haste to help me, oh Lord. Yours is not a case that can bear lingering. You have not time to procrastinate, therefore be urgent, for your need is so. [00:34:16]
When you cannot live longer without a savior, the Savior will come to you, and you shall rejoice in him. Brethren, members of this church, as I have said on another point, the same truth holds good with you. God will come to bless you and come speedily when your sense of need becomes deep and Urgent. Oh, how great is this Church's need. We shall grow cold, Unholy, and worldly. There will be no conversions, there will be no additions to our numbers. [00:39:01]
I desire to feel a spirit of urgency within my soul as I plead with God for the due of his grace to descend upon this church. I'm not bashful in this matter, for I have a license to pray. Begging is forbidden in the streets, but before the Lord, I am a licensed beggar. Jesus has said men ought always to pray and not to faint. You land on the shores of a foreign country with the greatest confidence when you carry a passport with you. [00:47:33]
The sweetness of the Bible lies in the possessive pronouns, and he who is taught to use them as the psalmist did shall come off a conqueror with the Eternal God. Now, sinner, I pray God thou mayest be helped to say this morning to the Blessed Christ of God, Thou Art my help and my deliverer. Perhaps you mourn that you cannot get to that length, but poor soul, hast thou any other help? If thou Hast, then thou canst not hold two helpers with the same hand. [00:51:56]
When Faith hath a will, she always finds a way, and she will win the day when all things forbode defeat. Faith's pleas are singular, but let me add Faith's pleas are always sound, for after all, it is a very telling plea to urge that we are poor and needy. Is not that the main argument with Mercy? Necessity is the very best plea with benevolence, either human or Divine. Is not our need the best reason we can urge if we would have a physician come quickly to a sick man? [00:30:47]
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