Book The Essentials of Effective Prayer: page 9-10
Scripture reference: Psalm 4:1-5
Once again David was
clearly in a stressful situation. How
did he respond?
He called on God.
What did he expect God
to do in regard to his prayer? On what
did David base his expectation?
David expected God to
hear Him because David was abiding (The Lord has set apart the godly man for
Himself [v3]. Our study on holiness
helped us to see that God sets us apart.)
What did you learn
about God from this passage?
- God does indeed hear!
- He is my righteousness. Without Him, I am apt to act rashly, based on emotion, rather than righteously, based on the character of God.
This word
righteousness is the same word used for using accurate weights and
measures. It can sometimes be translated
just.
What did you observe
about our emotions in connection with prayer, according to verse 4 and 5? What choice do we have other than denying our
emotions or giving in to them? Explain
your answer.
In this passage, David
calls on the God of his righteousness (v1).
He writes out steps to help him work through this situation
practically….
- Tremble-- do not deny your emotions.
- Do not sin-- do not let your emotions lead you to do something… well, emotional :-)
- Meditate in your heart-- stop and think.
- Be still-- don't make a move until your emotions are no longer guiding you.
- Offer the sacrifices of righteousness-- do what you know (not feel but know) is right, based on the righteousness of God.
- Trust in the Lord-- believe that the Lord (not your emotional reaction) will deal with this situation.
David was facing a
situation where man was not treating him with justice, so He called on the God
of his justice/righteousness and reminded himself in verse 5 to offer
sacrifices of justice/righteousness. It
certainly is a sacrifice (meaning it's hard!) to do what is right even when
others around you are doing what is wrong.
How can you apply what
you have just learned about prayer the next time you encounter a stressful
situation?
I can choose not to
sin when my emotions overwhelm me and, instead, be still and do what I know
(not feel) is right (my current-day parlance for "offer the sacrifices of
righteousness") as I trust (have confidence) in the Lord to bring me through
a circumstance where I am being wronged.
Linda
Moderator
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