Persevering Prayer

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Psalm 28

Perhaps no other text illustrates the teaching of Psalm 28 better than Luke 18:1-8.  And this story speaks to the realities of the 28^th Psalm.  Sometimes we are not willing to persevere in our prayers and requests before God.

Psalm 28 shows us how to persevere in prayer.  Let us take note of David’s prayer so that we can pray more effectively!

1. The Prayer to be Heard. Verse 1
   1. Yearning to hear from and be heard by God. -Verse 1 and 2
      1. Satan tempts Christ and says And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.Matthew 4:3. Then Christ quotes Deut 8:3 and says It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.  Is this how we view our relationship with God?  Lord, I need you more than my next meal, I need you more than anything else.  Our prayers do not get answered more because we do not persevere in faithful praying.  We don’t want it bad enough.
      2. David says if God does not hide Him in the crag of the rock he will fall into the pit of Sheol.  Is this how we pray?  Crying out to God for help at the bottom of the pit?  Desperation.
      3. Do we really pray like this? —Perhaps that is why we do not see more answers to prayer.
   2. The Necessary Heart’s Attitude-Verse 2
      1. David is not arrogant and proud but humble, contrite and broken before God.  Does this describe us in prayer or are we blasé?
   3. The Basis of David’s Prayer-Verse 2
      1. “I lift up my hands towards your holy sanctuary” speaks of the mercy seat of God.  The blood atonement.  David is saying “I am a death deserving sinner who is coming to you in prayer through the blood of the atonement.”
      2. Charles Spurgeon captured something of this model approach to God when he wrote, “We stretch out empty hands, for we are beggars; we lift them up, for we seek heavenly supplies; we lift them towards the mercy seat of Jesus, for there our expectation dwells.”
2. A Plea for God’s Justice. Verses 3-5
   1. Notice David’s humility-“do not dray me off with the wicked…”-Verse 3.  He knows that if he doesn’t hear from and be heard by God then his fate will be the same as the wicked.
   2. Notice the description of the wicked-
      1. “which speak peace to their neighbours, while evil is in their hearts.”
      2. “Give them according to their work, and according to the evil of their deeds: give them according to the work of their hands; render to them their due reward.” 
      3. “Because they regard not the works of the LORD, nor the works of his hands, he will destroy them, and build them up no more.”  
3. The Praise to God. Verses 6-9
   1. David then breaks forth into a lengthy praise.  A praise that takes up the majority of the Psalm.  Question:  When we know that God will destroy the hypocrites and pray accordingly do we praise God?
   2. While praying for God’s justice to be done always remember your own sinfulness in Verse 6.
   3. David prayer was in faith-He hath heard, and I am helped, I will praise Him. David prays in faith, nothing wavering and God answers him mightily
   4. Where are the Nine?  See Luke 17:11-18.  David is not like the 9.
   5. Pray that others would see the same answers to prayer we have-Verse 9

Conclusion: This Psalm really encapsulates within 9 short verses the kind of prayer God answers. Our prayers must be desperately intense, humble, contrite, with a strong note of Divine Justice but without self-righteous legalism. And finally, our prayers must be in faith and include praise to God and concern for God to answer the prayers of others