Faith and Prayer: David's Response to Adversity

I said unto the Lord Thou Art my God, hear the voice of my supplications oh Lord oh God the Lord the strength of my salvation thou Hast covered my head in the day of battle I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of The Afflicted and the right of the poor surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name the upright shall dwell in thy presence. [00:00:01]

David was exceedingly troubled by all this malice on the part of his enemies, he was a man who would have liked to go through the world at peace with everybody even when Saul tried to hunt him to the death you remember that he would not lift his hand against his adversary even when he might have slain him when at night he stood looking at his sleeping Foe and abishai said to him God hath delivered thine enemy into thine hand this day now therefore let me Smite him I pray thee with the spear even to the Earth at once and I will not smite him the second time. [00:02:47]

He betook himself to his knees he began to pray Deliver Me Oh Lord from the evil man preserve me from the violent man and again in the next Psalm he said Lord I cry unto thee make haste unto me give ear unto my voice when I cry unto thee he found his remedy for all the stings of falsehood in Drawing Near to the Living God he was a wise man thus to bathe his wounds in that bath which which alone could take the venom out of them by a prayerful drawing nigh to the most high and he mingled great faith with his prayer. [00:04:00]

Notice that sixth verse I said unto the Lord Thou Art my God that is a grand way to talk and then further on in the 12th verse I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the affli Ed he has no question about the matter no hesitation he does not say I hope he will but I know he will I am confident of it and that makes him say in the last verse surely he felt so certain about it that he could say surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name. [00:04:47]

I said unto the Lord Thou Art my God what was The Possession It was the Lord himself I said unto the Lord Thou Art my God the word Lord here means Jehovah you see that it is in capital letters and wherever our translators print the word Lord thus they mean Jehovah I said unto Jehovah the only living and true God Thou Art my God this is a wonderful speech for David to make Thou Art my God in opposition to the gods of the Heathen. [00:08:09]

I said unto Jehovah Thou Art my God I have taken thee unto myself as much as if no other man ever trusted Thee I feel that I could stand alone and acknowledge thee to be the god of the whole earth I said to my my heart all that God is is henceforth mine he has given himself to me in the Covenant wherein he said I will be their God and he is as much mine as if he belonged to nobody else yay as fully as completely and as entirely mine if I am a believer in him as if I were his only child his only chosen his only redeemed one. [00:09:19]

Have you dear friend ever said to the Lord Thou Art my God have you said it well I have hoped it says one oh but I want you to get much beyond that till with with full Assurance helped of the Holy Spirit you can say it is so my faith has grasped my God and I have dared to say it say it at the mercy seat to say it when I stood at the foot of the cross and I expect to say it before long when I stand before Jehovah's throne above Thou Art my God I put in my claim I dare do no otherwise I could not let thee go without claiming thee as my own. [00:11:47]

I said unto Jehovah Thou Art my God men said that I had a devil but I said Thou Art my God they said I was a cast away but I said Thou Art my God they said I was without a friend but I said unto Jehovah Thou Art my God they said of me everything they could think of that was bad and they would have said worse things if they could have thought of them and after they had done their worst and said all they could say I said unto Jehovah Thou Art my God. [00:14:48]

Hear the voice of my supplications oh Lord from which I gather that his prayers were frequent he puts the word in the plural hear the voice of my supplications he did not in those days of trouble pray once and have done with praying but he prayed again and again and again and again and again and again when you have double trouble take care that you have double prayer when men speak worst against you then speak most with your God multiply your supplications as God multiplies your tribulations hear the voice of my supplications oh Lord importunate prayers will prevail. [00:16:24]

Oh God the Lord the strength of my salvation thou Hast covered my head in the day of battle as much as to say thou Hast done this for me before will thou not do the same again as thou Hast begun with me do not leave off with me till thou has taken me to the country where there are no more battles and where my head shall be covered with a crown of glory and need not be covered with a helmet to ward off the enemy's sword. [00:20:48]

I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of The Afflicted and the right of the poor if a man is oppressed if he is slandered if he is evil spoken of let him just say to himself God will see to this he is the judge of all the Earth and shall not he do right do not meddle with the case yourself leave it in the Lord's hands our proverb says if you want a thing done well do it yourself but if it is anything which has to do with your own character let me tell you that this is the worst proverb that ever was invented. [00:25:15]

Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name they are down in the dumps today they are troubled and burdened despised and made to cry but says David surely they shall give thanks unto thy name praise is assured by gratitude there shall come a day when their gratitude shall be so great that they shall be obliged to give thanks unto God on account of all that he has done for them surely they shall God will so Astound them by his delivering Mercy that they shall be compelled to speak up and to speak out and give thanks unto the name of the Lord. [00:28:48]