Sept 5 - Psalm 17:1

O LORD, hear my plea for justice.

Listen to my cry for help.

Pay attention to my prayer,

for it comes from an honest heart.

Psalm 17:1

“Pay attention to my prayer because __________.”

How does David fill in that blank? It’s the way we all ought to fill in that blank.

And yet we don’t.

Our hearts aren’t honest and clean. We knowingly break his commandments. And yet in the very areas of our rebellion, we still expect God to bless us.

•      Even as unmarried couples move in together, they ask God to bless their relationship.
•      Even as husbands cheat on their wives, they beg God to bless them with greater joy.
•      Even as a wife refuses to forgive, she prays that God will improve her marriage.
•      Even as children lie to their parents, they pray for more freedom.
•      Even as parents fail to spend time with their children, they ask God to fix their child.
•      Even as good churchgoers refuse to tithe, they want God to give them financial blessings.
•      Even as people refuse to take care of their bodies, they beg God to heal them.
•      Even as employees are lazy and ungrateful, they ask God to help them get a promotion and a raise.
•      Even as nice people fudge on their taxes, they complain to God about how life is not fair.
•      Even as good Christians fail to spend time daily in prayer, they expect God to snap to attention when a need arises.

Ouch. Hopefully some of those struck close to home.

Indeed, hopefully this list encouraged you to examine your own life and add a few more. Confession is often the beginning of greater healing and richer blessing.

God’s second greatest desire is to bless us. He yearns to answer our prayers. He wants to fill our lives with love, joy, and peace. But his second purpose never trumps his first.

God’s first and greatest desire is relationship. But we can’t fully know him when we aren’t even honest with ourselves.

Therefore, while most lives are always filled with incredible general blessings – we’re surrounded by the beauty of creation and good people made in God’s image – our Lord may withhold specific blessings until we yield our lives to him. Indeed, he may break us before he blesses us.

In today’s Psalm, David had a serious request – “9 protect me from wicked people who attack me.” Nevertheless, before he prayed, David first examined his heart. Indeed, this future king engaged in a three-step process before assuming it was proper to make a request to God. Obviously, we might do well to follow his advice …

      Review: Before praying, David searches his own heart. Now, it might sound prideful and presumptuous if any of us say, like David, “1 my prayer … comes from an honest heart.” But let’s remember that few people in history yielded their spirit to God like David did. And let’s assume that before he prayed, “1 O LORD … listen to my cry for help … for it comes from an honest heart,” David actually examined his heart to determine if there were areas that were impure.

      Repent: Do you know the difference between confession and repentance? Confession is acknowledging that we have sin. Repentance is acknowledging our sin and taking active steps to turn from it. When David says, “3 I am determined not to sin in what I say,” he’s acknowledging his temptation to use his tongue to curse and lie and tear down others, but he repents from this desire, determining not to speak in this manner.

      Recommit: In addition to confessing his sins, David confesses his faith! And it is an active faith, not a passive faith. David praises God, saying, “I am praying to you because I know you will answer.” In the midst of David’s trials, he is recommitting himself to faith … by doing what? Praying in confidence! In spite of hard circumstances, David’s prayer is an act of recommitment to God. Furthermore, in stating his desire to “4 follow [God’s] commands” and “stay[] on [God’s] path,” David is recommiting too.

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who needs to

review, repent, and recommit

… daily