June 8, 2025 • 31 mins
Jason Sterling June 8, 2025 Faith Presbyterian Church Birmingham, AL Bulletin
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
If you have a copy of God's Word, go to the center of
(00:02):
your Bible, open it up.
You should find the book ofPsalms.
We're going to be looking atPsalm 5 this morning.
We've been looking at variouspsalms this summer and the thing
I love about the psalms and thereason why we're just going to
keep coming back to them fromtime to time, is they normalize
(00:23):
struggle.
Is they normalize struggle?
The Psalms teach us to pray ourstruggles rather than fake our
way through our struggles.
This morning we're going tolook at Psalm 5.
It's another Psalm I mentionedthis last week.
40% of the Psalms are Psalms oflament, and so they tell us that
(00:47):
God's people were often sad.
40% of the Psalms are Psalms oflament.
We see another one this morningwith Psalm chapter 5.
Last week, psalm 4, we havebookends here Psalm 4 was a
Psalm for bedtime.
Psalm 5 is the flip side ofthat coin and it's a psalm for
(01:09):
first thing in the morning.
You know those feelings when youwake up in the morning and
immediately pressure hits you.
You start thinking about allthe things that are waiting for
you during the day and you justwant to pull the covers back
over your head and pretend likethe day is not starting.
You know that feeling.
(01:30):
This psalm puts voice to thatexperience.
David shows us how to start ourmost challenging days, and not
by ignoring the difficulty, butby bringing the difficulty to
the God who can do somethingabout them.
So follow along with me.
(01:52):
This is the word of God, psalm 5.
Give ear to my words, o Lord.
Consider my groaning, giveattention to the sound of my cry
.
My king and my God, for to youdo I pray, o Lord, in the
morning, you hear my voice.
In the morning, I prepare asacrifice for you and watch For
(02:14):
you.
Are not a God who delights inwickedness.
Evil may not dwell with you.
The boastful shall not standbefore your eyes.
You hate all evildoers.
You destroy those who speaklies.
The Lord abhors thebloodthirsty and deceitful man,
but I, through the abundance ofyour steadfast love, will enter
(02:36):
your house.
I will bow down toward yourholy temple in fear of you.
Lead me, o Lord ofrighteousness, because of my
enemies.
Make your way straight beforeme, for there is no truth in
their mouth.
Their inmost self isdestruction.
Their throat is an open grave.
(02:57):
They flatter with their tongue.
Make them bear their guilt, oGod.
Let them fall by their owncounsels because of the
abundance of theirtransgressions.
Cast them out, for they haverebelled against you.
But let all who take refuge inyou rejoice.
Let them ever sing for joy andspread your protection over them
(03:21):
.
For those who love, your namemay exult in you, for you bless
the righteous.
O Lord, you cover him withfavor as with a shield.
This is the word of God.
Let's pray and ask for the HolySpirit to help us this morning.
Father, may the words of mymouth and the meditation of my
(03:42):
heart be good and pleasing toyou.
O Lord, my rock and my redeemeryou have brought us here.
I pray that you would teach usand give us ears to hear Psalm 5
this morning.
We ask these things in Jesus'name, amen.
How do you start your mornings?
(04:02):
How do you start your mornings?
What is your morning routine?
Well, if you're like many of us, your morning routine probably
starts with a blaring alarmclock ringing in your ear.
Or perhaps your morning routineright after the alarm clock
(04:30):
sounds, maybe you reach for yourphone and you start scrolling
and you start checking email orlooking at social media or
looking at the news and youthink, start thinking about the
long list of everything that iswaiting for you during the day
ahead, within the first fewminutes of the morning.
We begin most of us by feelingthe weight and the pressure and
the stress of the day ahead.
(04:52):
We often start our days byreacting rather than starting
our days with intentionality.
Many of us I'm preaching tomyself this morning start our
days with panic rather thanpeace and priority.
(05:13):
David knows and knew aboutdifficult mornings.
He began his days with realenemies who were seeking to
destroy him.
He started his days withpolitical pressure and crisis
that could topple the kingdom atany moment.
He began his days by facinghuge decisions that affected
(05:38):
lots and lots of people.
The pressure was crushing andit was in many ways a matter of
life and death.
But David would begin the daywe see it here in Psalm 5 not
with a cup of espresso or shotof espresso that would be a lot
a cup, a shot of espresso orwith exercise.
(06:01):
He started started with prayerand prayer.
This prayer didn't just helphim survive.
It actually filled him withwisdom and confidence and joy
and an unshakable sense ofprotection.
We get a glimpse into thatmorning routine in Psalm 5, into
(06:23):
David's morning prayer, life,and in this prayer we get a
roadmap that takes us fromreaction and helps us take us
from reaction to beingintentional.
As we start the day in prayer.
It takes us from panic to aplace of peace and priority.
So, as we start the day, threethings that we need that we see
(06:47):
in this psalm.
We need one to approach God.
Secondly, to seek God'sguidance.
And lastly, to rejoice in whatGod provides.
So that's where we're headedApproach, seek and rejoice.
Let's look at those in turnapproach, seek and rejoice.
(07:08):
Let's look at those in turn.
Number one we need, as we startthe morning, to approach God,
and we see that David praysfirst thing.
Look at verse three oh Lord, inthe morning you hear my voice.
In the morning it's repeatedagain and in these first few
verses we learn a ton about thedifferent ways that we can come
to God in prayer.
(07:29):
Sometimes we come groaning,don't we?
Look at verse one?
Give ear to my words, o Lord,consider my groaning.
Think about that word.
A groan is a deep, wordlesssound that comes from deep
(07:51):
inside of you, when life knocksthe breath out of you and when
you are so overwhelmed with lifeand whatever it is that you're
facing that you can't even put aword to it.
It is that you're facing thatyou can't even put a word to it.
You can't find words to expresswhat you're feeling, and you've
experienced this.
You know what it's like to siton the side of your bed in the
(08:14):
morning and just take a deepbreath and all you can do is let
out a sigh.
Or maybe you're in the kitchenand you're holding your cup of
coffee and you're trying to pray, but you have no words for the
ache inside of your soul.
David is telling us here thatin those moments, in those
(08:37):
groans, that is not a failure inprayer, that is prayer.
Isn't that good news?
And it's even better news whenyou get to Romans 8 and the
apostle Paul reminds us that inthe middle of our heartbreak and
when the words run out and wehave no words, the Holy Spirit
(09:02):
takes those wordless groans andputs them into prayer to God,
the Father.
Sometimes we groan, sometimes wecry out.
Look at verse 2, give attentionto the sound of my cry.
This idea of crying out.
This is not a quiet, controlled, well-reasoned and thought out
(09:25):
and polite prayer at thebeginning of the morning, the
way we often think about prayer.
No, this idea of crying out.
It's more like yelling.
It's urgent, it's immediate,it's desperate.
It is simply saying God, pleasehelp me.
(09:49):
And again, david understandsthat that isn't just acceptable,
that that is actually what Godwants to hear from us.
And if you keep looking there,you'll note too.
He says my king and my God, toyou I pray.
That's important, very personal, and it also gets at the
(10:12):
relationship with God and whoGod is and the covenant
relationship he has with God.
Look at the words my itautomatically.
David is beginning his day andit puts him in the proper place.
He is submitting himself, he'swaking up, he's bowing the knee,
(10:33):
saying God, you're the king,I'm the creature, I submit to
you, I am under your authorityand your rule.
This is your world and you arein control.
And that's important for us toremember, especially as we start
(10:54):
a new day, to place ourselvesunder God's rule, reminding us
who we are and who he is.
And the other way we can come iswe can come prepared.
Look at verse three, so we cancry out and groan or come
(11:16):
prepared.
In the morning I prepare asacrifice for you.
And watch the new internationalversion.
I think it's clearer.
It says in the morning, I laymy request before you and wait
expectantly.
The word prepare is the imageof arranging or setting things
in order.
Sacrifice obviously points tothe temple where sacrifices were
(11:39):
made, and so the picture hereis of a priest carefully and
intentionally arranging wood fora sacrifice.
So you see what David is prayinghere.
He's saying that's what I dowith my prayers.
Sometimes I groan, I cry out.
Sometimes I carefully arrangethem, very deliberately and
carefully.
I present my request to God.
(12:02):
Here's the point.
Come as you are, just come,just start talking, just start
praying to God.
Come when you can't find thewords and all you can do is
groan.
Come.
Come when all you can do is cryout and yell Lord, help me.
(12:26):
Or come with carefully arrangedprayers.
David is saying wherever you are, whatever it is you're
struggling with, just come Firstthing in the morning, before we
reach for anything else.
Reach for God, who holds theworld and your life in his hands
(12:49):
.
Place yourself under hisprotection and his rule and his
care.
He is your king.
Secondly, not only do weapproach God at the beginning of
the morning and come as we are.
Approach God at the beginningof the morning and come as we
(13:09):
are.
Secondly, we seek his guidanceand help.
And so what does that look like?
What do we do when we come?
Verse 8, this is a great prayerto pray at the beginning of
every morning.
Lead me, o Lord, in yourrighteousness because of my
enemies.
Make your path or your waystraight before me.
So notice, david doesn't justsay bless me today, lord.
(13:33):
No, he has a very specificprayer for guidance in the midst
of very difficult circumstances, in the midst of everything in
his life that's pressing in onhim.
We had Wonder Lab last week andthe theme of Wonder Lab was this
hiking-camping theme.
If you're into hiking orcamping and you hike or camp for
(13:56):
several days, what do you do atthe beginning of each day?
You look at your compass.
It guides you, it shows you theway to go.
You get one degree off at thebeginning of the day.
By the end of the day you'remiles off course.
Prayer is much the same way.
(14:17):
It functions as a spiritualcompass of sorts.
It's the way that werecalibrate our heart and our
soul at the beginning of the day, before the day begins, we set
our heart in the direction ofGod.
Without it, we often thebusyness sweeps in, the to-do
(14:41):
list sweeps in and we lose ourway and get off course and we
turn inward and start relying onour own gifts and relying on
ourselves instead of relying onGod.
When we wake up in the morningand we have all these decisions
(15:01):
in front of us, even before theconflicts arise and the
temptations of the day come,david gives us a framework here.
Lead me today, lord, in yourrighteousness.
Lord, help me to see the nextright step to take.
Guide me in your way instead ofmy ways.
(15:26):
What does that look likepractically?
What is the righteous path?
What does that actually looklike?
Well, it looks like lots ofthings.
But in this Psalm, david ispraying specifically for God to
guide him in two areas.
One, to guide him with hisspeech and his words.
Did you see that?
(15:46):
Look at verse 9.
David describes his enemies.
The truth is not in their mouth.
Their throat is an open grave.
They flatter me with theirtongue the open grave.
Think about that image.
It's saying their words, hisenemies' words are like the
stench of death, bringing harmand destruction and decay,
(16:09):
rather than life and truth.
But here's what's astounding andremarkable the Apostle Paul
quotes this verse in Romans 3,verse 13,.
And he doesn't just apply it toDavid's enemies.
He applies it to you and heapplies it to me.
(16:31):
He applies it to all of us.
The scope expands from them tous.
You see the implication, don'tyou?
All of us and we know this,unfortunately have the capacity
to use our words to destroypeople and bring death rather
(16:54):
than life.
And so, as we begin our morning, that should be something on
our prayer list.
The way we use our words, prayerlist, the way we use our words,
whether it's text message,whether it's a social media post
or a face-to-face conversation,we are to pray that our words
(17:17):
would bring life rather thandeath.
Think about James 3, the tongue, our words, have the power to
set the entire course of ourlife on fire.
So every morning, god, wouldyou help me today with how I
speak and use my words.
(17:38):
May you fill them with graceand truth rather than the stench
of death.
Help me to speak life-givingwords to my family and to my
co-workers and to my friends.
The other thing and place weneed guidance is in our response
to injustice.
Look at verse 10.
(17:59):
David prays make them beartheir guilt, let them fall by
their own counsel, cast them out.
I mean, those are strong, verystrong words and strong language
, and we can spend a lot of timeon this.
I need to speak to it.
We're going to see this more aswe move through the psalms.
(18:22):
You see lots of this languagein the Psalms.
These are called imprecatoryPsalms and they often, if we're
honest, they make us veryuncomfortable Because when we
hear it it sounds very harsh andvindictive.
Again, lots to say.
I can't say everything.
Let me say a few things.
(18:44):
First, notice that David isn'tseeking personal revenge.
He could have he could havesent his army and destroyed them
.
He is seeking God's justice.
When we seek personal revenge,we're driven by wounded pride
(19:04):
and anger and the desire toretaliate.
And I'll show them or I'm goingto make them pay or I'm going
to do to them what they've doneto me.
But when David prays for God'sjudgment, he's actually
demonstrating remarkablerestraint and remarkable faith,
(19:27):
because he's actually puttingthe matter in God's hands.
David knows that his view ofthings is limited and that his
sense of justice is limited andit's tainted by sin and his own
emotion and his ownself-interest.
But he knows that God's justiceis perfect and Jesus shows us a
(19:53):
fuller picture of this when weget to the New Testament, 1
Peter, 2, verse 23,.
Listen to this when they hurledinsults at him, at Jesus, he
did not retaliate.
When he suffered, he made nothreats.
Instead, here it is heentrusted himself to the one who
(20:14):
judges justly.
Jesus absorbed the justice andthe judgment of God for our sin
and the judgment of God for oursin and, as a result, jesus
calls us to confront evil inthis world.
(20:34):
With a surprising response, andit takes lots of grace and lots
of Holy Spirit.
But Jesus in the New Testamentsays things like turn the other
cheek, give them the extra cloakor the extra clothing, Be
generous, go the extra mile.
(20:57):
The Apostle Paul says in Romans12, 21,.
Overcome evil with good, not bybecoming a doormat no, it's not
what it's saying or not byignoring injustice, but by
engaging evil differently, withextraordinary love, rather than
(21:20):
what's most natural for us,which is retaliation.
It's saying here trust God, whowill ultimately make all things
right.
Lastly, not only are we to seekGod's help and guidance and ask
(21:42):
and approach God in manydifferent ways.
Lastly, we see that we are torejoice in what God has done
through Jesus.
Look at verses four through six,very strong language again,
notice the word for.
So it's connected to what'salready been said in verses one
through three.
Why does David pray Verse four?
(22:03):
For you are not a God whodelights in wickedness.
Pray verse 4, for you are not aGod who delights in wickedness.
Like you're going to dosomething about evil.
It can't dwell with you.
And so you pray because youknow that God doesn't like
wickedness and evil.
I can groan, I can cry out,because I know God hates all of
that more than I do.
(22:25):
God cannot tolerate evil.
The arrogant look at thoseverses cannot stand before him.
The Lord abhors thebloodthirsty and deceitful.
You see where this is going.
You see where this is going.
We're in trouble, aren't we?
So what about us?
(22:48):
That's where the question goes.
What about the bloodthirstythoughts and the evil and the
wickedness and the deceit andall of those things, and the
arrogance that is inside each ofus?
That is inside each of us?
(23:09):
Well, david answers thatquestion because he holds up the
perfect holiness of God andsays God hates evil.
And then look at this remarkableverse in verse 7.
It's remarkable, but I, throughthe abundance of your steadfast
love not might not, I hope willenter your house and bow down.
(23:33):
Notice the contrast Evil cannotdwell with God.
The arrogance can't stay inyour presence.
And yet David says I can, I canenter your presence.
(23:54):
And yet David says I can, I canenter your house.
Then the question is, how in theworld is that possible?
Well, you see it in this phrasethrough the abundance of your
love.
That word there is the Hebrewword, hesed, which is God's
covenant love, and the Jesusstorybook Bible says that word
means God's forever, always andforever, never breaking love.
(24:18):
David here and this isimportant to understand he's not
saying I deserve access toGod's presence because I'm
better than all these otherenemies that I have.
He doesn't say that.
David doesn't say I'm differentthan the evildoers or I'm a
good man, I've lived a good life.
(24:40):
Now I can ask you to hear meand come into your house.
No, he pleads for mercy.
He acknowledges that he onlycomes through the steadfast love
of God.
God's covenant faithfulnessfinds its ultimate expression in
the Lord Jesus Christ.
David looked to the temple andthe sacrifices that the priests
(25:04):
would make to atone for his sin.
You and I look to Jesus, who isthe true and final temple, the
ultimate sacrifice and proof ofGod's love for his people.
We can approach God becauseJesus, who knew no sin, became
(25:30):
sin for us so that we mightbecome the righteousness of God.
Jesus satisfied the holyjustice of God on the cross and
clothed us with hisrighteousness and we can enter
into his house, into hispresence, not because of our
goodness and because we're goodenough, but because God, through
Jesus, was good enough for us.
(25:52):
We recognize that it's notabout our performance, but it's
about Christ and his perfectionand his perfect life that he won
for us and that we receive byfaith.
In the book A Praying Life, paulMiller writes this illustration
(26:19):
about our prayers and he saidimagine your prayer as a poorly
dressed beggar.
Prayer as a poorly dressedbeggar reeking of alcohol and
body odor and stumbling to thegates of the palace to meet the
great king.
And as you shuffle up to thebarred gate, the guards at the
(26:40):
gate suddenly hold their noseand stiffen because your smell
has preceded you and you startto stammer out a message, but no
one can quite understand it,and you say I want to see the
king.
They still can't quite fullyunderstand, but they're thinking
(27:01):
there's no way you get to seethe king in the shape you're in.
And then, before you leave, youmanage to stammer out and to
say and whisper Jesus, I come inthe name of Jesus and at the
name of Jesus, the palacesuddenly comes alive.
The guards straighten up.
(27:24):
The guards, who would havenothing to do with you, suddenly
bow to you, open up the gatesand let you in and the palace
lights come on.
You walk down the hall to thethrone room of the king and the
king sees you and starts runningdown the hall and takes you in
(27:44):
his arms and wraps his armsaround you.
That's the gospel.
That's what Jesus has done foryou.
That is why it's good news,good news indeed, and it is
amazing, isn't it?
And notice, very briefly, howDavid responds to this amazing
grace.
Look at the second half ofverse 7.
(28:04):
He doesn't say oh, whatever.
He doesn't say oh well, I thinkI'll go sin some more because I
know there's a sacrifice.
No, he bows down, he throwshimself down in humble worship
(28:30):
and it leads look at verse 11,it leads to joy, into singing.
And so tomorrow morning, the sunstarts to rise and your feet
hit the floor.
Instead of reaching for thebusiness of the day, what if you
(28:51):
reached for God?
Just start saying something,whether it's a groan or a yell
or crying out, or if yourprayers are perfectly arranged.
Come to God through the LordJesus Christ.
(29:14):
Ask Him to lead you tomorrow inall righteousness, as you think
about your speech and as youencounter people who have
treated you unfairly and poorly,and rejoice in Jesus and his
life, death and resurrection.
Because of him, you have accessto the very throne of God, not
(29:37):
because you are worthy, butbecause he is worthy.
Friends, jesus is better thanyou think and when we come to
God in the morning, it changeseverything about the way we
think about our day.
Let's pray, father.
Thank you for teaching us thismorning.
(29:58):
I pray that you would help usto come to you in the morning.
Sometimes we think we have tobe put together.
Convince us, we don't.
You just want us to come and Ipray, lord, that you would make
our path straight, that youwould help us as we speak words
(30:22):
to the people around us thisweek, that we'd speak words of
life to the people around usthis week.
That we'd speak words of life,lord, I pray that we would
choose love over revenge.
Help us, holy Spirit, to dothose things.
Thank you for Jesus, and it'sin his name we pray, amen.
If you have a copy of God's Word, go to the center of
(00:02):
your Bible, open it up.
You should find the book ofPsalms.
We're going to be looking atPsalm 5 this morning.
We've been looking at variouspsalms this summer and the thing
I love about the psalms and thereason why we're just going to
keep coming back to them fromtime to time, is they normalize
(00:23):
struggle.
Is they normalize struggle?
The Psalms teach us to pray ourstruggles rather than fake our
way through our struggles.
This morning we're going tolook at Psalm 5.
It's another Psalm I mentionedthis last week.
40% of the Psalms are Psalms oflament, and so they tell us that
(00:47):
God's people were often sad.
40% of the Psalms are Psalms oflament.
We see another one this morningwith Psalm chapter 5.
Last week, psalm 4, we havebookends here Psalm 4 was a
Psalm for bedtime.
Psalm 5 is the flip side ofthat coin and it's a psalm for
(01:09):
first thing in the morning.
You know those feelings when youwake up in the morning and
immediately pressure hits you.
You start thinking about allthe things that are waiting for
you during the day and you justwant to pull the covers back
over your head and pretend likethe day is not starting.
You know that feeling.
(01:30):
This psalm puts voice to thatexperience.
David shows us how to start ourmost challenging days, and not
by ignoring the difficulty, butby bringing the difficulty to
the God who can do somethingabout them.
So follow along with me.
(01:52):
This is the word of God, psalm 5.
Give ear to my words, o Lord.
Consider my groaning, giveattention to the sound of my cry
.
My king and my God, for to youdo I pray, o Lord, in the
morning, you hear my voice.
In the morning, I prepare asacrifice for you and watch For
(02:14):
you.
Are not a God who delights inwickedness.
Evil may not dwell with you.
The boastful shall not standbefore your eyes.
You hate all evildoers.
You destroy those who speaklies.
The Lord abhors thebloodthirsty and deceitful man,
but I, through the abundance ofyour steadfast love, will enter
(02:36):
your house.
I will bow down toward yourholy temple in fear of you.
Lead me, o Lord ofrighteousness, because of my
enemies.
Make your way straight beforeme, for there is no truth in
their mouth.
Their inmost self isdestruction.
Their throat is an open grave.
(02:57):
They flatter with their tongue.
Make them bear their guilt, oGod.
Let them fall by their owncounsels because of the
abundance of theirtransgressions.
Cast them out, for they haverebelled against you.
But let all who take refuge inyou rejoice.
Let them ever sing for joy andspread your protection over them
(03:21):
.
For those who love, your namemay exult in you, for you bless
the righteous.
O Lord, you cover him withfavor as with a shield.
This is the word of God.
Let's pray and ask for the HolySpirit to help us this morning.
Father, may the words of mymouth and the meditation of my
(03:42):
heart be good and pleasing toyou.
O Lord, my rock and my redeemeryou have brought us here.
I pray that you would teach usand give us ears to hear Psalm 5
this morning.
We ask these things in Jesus'name, amen.
How do you start your mornings?
(04:02):
How do you start your mornings?
What is your morning routine?
Well, if you're like many of us, your morning routine probably
starts with a blaring alarmclock ringing in your ear.
Or perhaps your morning routineright after the alarm clock
(04:30):
sounds, maybe you reach for yourphone and you start scrolling
and you start checking email orlooking at social media or
looking at the news and youthink, start thinking about the
long list of everything that iswaiting for you during the day
ahead, within the first fewminutes of the morning.
We begin most of us by feelingthe weight and the pressure and
the stress of the day ahead.
(04:52):
We often start our days byreacting rather than starting
our days with intentionality.
Many of us I'm preaching tomyself this morning start our
days with panic rather thanpeace and priority.
(05:13):
David knows and knew aboutdifficult mornings.
He began his days with realenemies who were seeking to
destroy him.
He started his days withpolitical pressure and crisis
that could topple the kingdom atany moment.
He began his days by facinghuge decisions that affected
(05:38):
lots and lots of people.
The pressure was crushing andit was in many ways a matter of
life and death.
But David would begin the daywe see it here in Psalm 5 not
with a cup of espresso or shotof espresso that would be a lot
a cup, a shot of espresso orwith exercise.
(06:01):
He started started with prayerand prayer.
This prayer didn't just helphim survive.
It actually filled him withwisdom and confidence and joy
and an unshakable sense ofprotection.
We get a glimpse into thatmorning routine in Psalm 5, into
(06:23):
David's morning prayer, life,and in this prayer we get a
roadmap that takes us fromreaction and helps us take us
from reaction to beingintentional.
As we start the day in prayer.
It takes us from panic to aplace of peace and priority.
So, as we start the day, threethings that we need that we see
(06:47):
in this psalm.
We need one to approach God.
Secondly, to seek God'sguidance.
And lastly, to rejoice in whatGod provides.
So that's where we're headedApproach, seek and rejoice.
Let's look at those in turnapproach, seek and rejoice.
(07:08):
Let's look at those in turn.
Number one we need, as we startthe morning, to approach God,
and we see that David praysfirst thing.
Look at verse three oh Lord, inthe morning you hear my voice.
In the morning it's repeatedagain and in these first few
verses we learn a ton about thedifferent ways that we can come
to God in prayer.
(07:29):
Sometimes we come groaning,don't we?
Look at verse one?
Give ear to my words, o Lord,consider my groaning.
Think about that word.
A groan is a deep, wordlesssound that comes from deep
(07:51):
inside of you, when life knocksthe breath out of you and when
you are so overwhelmed with lifeand whatever it is that you're
facing that you can't even put aword to it.
It is that you're facing thatyou can't even put a word to it.
You can't find words to expresswhat you're feeling, and you've
experienced this.
You know what it's like to siton the side of your bed in the
(08:14):
morning and just take a deepbreath and all you can do is let
out a sigh.
Or maybe you're in the kitchenand you're holding your cup of
coffee and you're trying to pray, but you have no words for the
ache inside of your soul.
David is telling us here thatin those moments, in those
(08:37):
groans, that is not a failure inprayer, that is prayer.
Isn't that good news?
And it's even better news whenyou get to Romans 8 and the
apostle Paul reminds us that inthe middle of our heartbreak and
when the words run out and wehave no words, the Holy Spirit
(09:02):
takes those wordless groans andputs them into prayer to God,
the Father.
Sometimes we groan, sometimes wecry out.
Look at verse 2, give attentionto the sound of my cry.
This idea of crying out.
This is not a quiet, controlled, well-reasoned and thought out
(09:25):
and polite prayer at thebeginning of the morning, the
way we often think about prayer.
No, this idea of crying out.
It's more like yelling.
It's urgent, it's immediate,it's desperate.
It is simply saying God, pleasehelp me.
(09:49):
And again, david understandsthat that isn't just acceptable,
that that is actually what Godwants to hear from us.
And if you keep looking there,you'll note too.
He says my king and my God, toyou I pray.
That's important, very personal, and it also gets at the
(10:12):
relationship with God and whoGod is and the covenant
relationship he has with God.
Look at the words my itautomatically.
David is beginning his day andit puts him in the proper place.
He is submitting himself, he'swaking up, he's bowing the knee,
(10:33):
saying God, you're the king,I'm the creature, I submit to
you, I am under your authorityand your rule.
This is your world and you arein control.
And that's important for us toremember, especially as we start
(10:54):
a new day, to place ourselvesunder God's rule, reminding us
who we are and who he is.
And the other way we can come iswe can come prepared.
Look at verse three, so we cancry out and groan or come
(11:16):
prepared.
In the morning I prepare asacrifice for you.
And watch the new internationalversion.
I think it's clearer.
It says in the morning, I laymy request before you and wait
expectantly.
The word prepare is the imageof arranging or setting things
in order.
Sacrifice obviously points tothe temple where sacrifices were
(11:39):
made, and so the picture hereis of a priest carefully and
intentionally arranging wood fora sacrifice.
So you see what David is prayinghere.
He's saying that's what I dowith my prayers.
Sometimes I groan, I cry out.
Sometimes I carefully arrangethem, very deliberately and
carefully.
I present my request to God.
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Here's the point.
Come as you are, just come,just start talking, just start
praying to God.
Come when you can't find thewords and all you can do is
groan.
Come.
Come when all you can do is cryout and yell Lord, help me.
(12:26):
Or come with carefully arrangedprayers.
David is saying wherever you are, whatever it is you're
struggling with, just come Firstthing in the morning, before we
reach for anything else.
Reach for God, who holds theworld and your life in his hands
(12:49):
.
Place yourself under hisprotection and his rule and his
care.
He is your king.
Secondly, not only do weapproach God at the beginning of
the morning and come as we are.
Approach God at the beginningof the morning and come as we
(13:09):
are.
Secondly, we seek his guidanceand help.
And so what does that look like?
What do we do when we come?
Verse 8, this is a great prayerto pray at the beginning of
every morning.
Lead me, o Lord, in yourrighteousness because of my
enemies.
Make your path or your waystraight before me.
So notice, david doesn't justsay bless me today, lord.
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No, he has a very specificprayer for guidance in the midst
of very difficult circumstances, in the midst of everything in
his life that's pressing in onhim.
We had Wonder Lab last week andthe theme of Wonder Lab was this
hiking-camping theme.
If you're into hiking orcamping and you hike or camp for
(13:56):
several days, what do you do atthe beginning of each day?
You look at your compass.
It guides you, it shows you theway to go.
You get one degree off at thebeginning of the day.
By the end of the day you'remiles off course.
Prayer is much the same way.
(14:17):
It functions as a spiritualcompass of sorts.
It's the way that werecalibrate our heart and our
soul at the beginning of the day, before the day begins, we set
our heart in the direction ofGod.
Without it, we often thebusyness sweeps in, the to-do
(14:41):
list sweeps in and we lose ourway and get off course and we
turn inward and start relying onour own gifts and relying on
ourselves instead of relying onGod.
When we wake up in the morningand we have all these decisions
(15:01):
in front of us, even before theconflicts arise and the
temptations of the day come,david gives us a framework here.
Lead me today, lord, in yourrighteousness.
Lord, help me to see the nextright step to take.
Guide me in your way instead ofmy ways.
(15:26):
What does that look likepractically?
What is the righteous path?
What does that actually looklike?
Well, it looks like lots ofthings.
But in this Psalm, david ispraying specifically for God to
guide him in two areas.
One, to guide him with hisspeech and his words.
Did you see that?
(15:46):
Look at verse 9.
David describes his enemies.
The truth is not in their mouth.
Their throat is an open grave.
They flatter me with theirtongue the open grave.
Think about that image.
It's saying their words, hisenemies' words are like the
stench of death, bringing harmand destruction and decay,
(16:09):
rather than life and truth.
But here's what's astounding andremarkable the Apostle Paul
quotes this verse in Romans 3,verse 13,.
And he doesn't just apply it toDavid's enemies.
He applies it to you and heapplies it to me.
(16:31):
He applies it to all of us.
The scope expands from them tous.
You see the implication, don'tyou?
All of us and we know this,unfortunately have the capacity
to use our words to destroypeople and bring death rather
(16:54):
than life.
And so, as we begin our morning, that should be something on
our prayer list.
The way we use our words, prayerlist, the way we use our words,
whether it's text message,whether it's a social media post
or a face-to-face conversation,we are to pray that our words
(17:17):
would bring life rather thandeath.
Think about James 3, the tongue, our words, have the power to
set the entire course of ourlife on fire.
So every morning, god, wouldyou help me today with how I
speak and use my words.
(17:38):
May you fill them with graceand truth rather than the stench
of death.
Help me to speak life-givingwords to my family and to my
co-workers and to my friends.
The other thing and place weneed guidance is in our response
to injustice.
Look at verse 10.
(17:59):
David prays make them beartheir guilt, let them fall by
their own counsel, cast them out.
I mean, those are strong, verystrong words and strong language
, and we can spend a lot of timeon this.
I need to speak to it.
We're going to see this more aswe move through the psalms.
(18:22):
You see lots of this languagein the Psalms.
These are called imprecatoryPsalms and they often, if we're
honest, they make us veryuncomfortable Because when we
hear it it sounds very harsh andvindictive.
Again, lots to say.
I can't say everything.
Let me say a few things.
(18:44):
First, notice that David isn'tseeking personal revenge.
He could have he could havesent his army and destroyed them
.
He is seeking God's justice.
When we seek personal revenge,we're driven by wounded pride
(19:04):
and anger and the desire toretaliate.
And I'll show them or I'm goingto make them pay or I'm going
to do to them what they've doneto me.
But when David prays for God'sjudgment, he's actually
demonstrating remarkablerestraint and remarkable faith,
(19:27):
because he's actually puttingthe matter in God's hands.
David knows that his view ofthings is limited and that his
sense of justice is limited andit's tainted by sin and his own
emotion and his ownself-interest.
But he knows that God's justiceis perfect and Jesus shows us a
(19:53):
fuller picture of this when weget to the New Testament, 1
Peter, 2, verse 23,.
Listen to this when they hurledinsults at him, at Jesus, he
did not retaliate.
When he suffered, he made nothreats.
Instead, here it is heentrusted himself to the one who
(20:14):
judges justly.
Jesus absorbed the justice andthe judgment of God for our sin
and the judgment of God for oursin and, as a result, jesus
calls us to confront evil inthis world.
(20:34):
With a surprising response, andit takes lots of grace and lots
of Holy Spirit.
But Jesus in the New Testamentsays things like turn the other
cheek, give them the extra cloakor the extra clothing, Be
generous, go the extra mile.
(20:57):
The Apostle Paul says in Romans12, 21,.
Overcome evil with good, not bybecoming a doormat no, it's not
what it's saying or not byignoring injustice, but by
engaging evil differently, withextraordinary love, rather than
(21:20):
what's most natural for us,which is retaliation.
It's saying here trust God, whowill ultimately make all things
right.
Lastly, not only are we to seekGod's help and guidance and ask
(21:42):
and approach God in manydifferent ways.
Lastly, we see that we are torejoice in what God has done
through Jesus.
Look at verses four through six,very strong language again,
notice the word for.
So it's connected to what'salready been said in verses one
through three.
Why does David pray Verse four?
(22:03):
For you are not a God whodelights in wickedness.
Pray verse 4, for you are not aGod who delights in wickedness.
Like you're going to dosomething about evil.
It can't dwell with you.
And so you pray because youknow that God doesn't like
wickedness and evil.
I can groan, I can cry out,because I know God hates all of
that more than I do.
(22:25):
God cannot tolerate evil.
The arrogant look at thoseverses cannot stand before him.
The Lord abhors thebloodthirsty and deceitful.
You see where this is going.
You see where this is going.
We're in trouble, aren't we?
So what about us?
(22:48):
That's where the question goes.
What about the bloodthirstythoughts and the evil and the
wickedness and the deceit andall of those things, and the
arrogance that is inside each ofus?
That is inside each of us?
(23:09):
Well, david answers thatquestion because he holds up the
perfect holiness of God andsays God hates evil.
And then look at this remarkableverse in verse 7.
It's remarkable, but I, throughthe abundance of your steadfast
love not might not, I hope willenter your house and bow down.
(23:33):
Notice the contrast Evil cannotdwell with God.
The arrogance can't stay inyour presence.
And yet David says I can, I canenter your presence.
(23:54):
And yet David says I can, I canenter your house.
Then the question is, how in theworld is that possible?
Well, you see it in this phrasethrough the abundance of your
love.
That word there is the Hebrewword, hesed, which is God's
covenant love, and the Jesusstorybook Bible says that word
means God's forever, always andforever, never breaking love.
(24:18):
David here and this isimportant to understand he's not
saying I deserve access toGod's presence because I'm
better than all these otherenemies that I have.
He doesn't say that.
David doesn't say I'm differentthan the evildoers or I'm a
good man, I've lived a good life.
(24:40):
Now I can ask you to hear meand come into your house.
No, he pleads for mercy.
He acknowledges that he onlycomes through the steadfast love
of God.
God's covenant faithfulnessfinds its ultimate expression in
the Lord Jesus Christ.
David looked to the temple andthe sacrifices that the priests
(25:04):
would make to atone for his sin.
You and I look to Jesus, who isthe true and final temple, the
ultimate sacrifice and proof ofGod's love for his people.
We can approach God becauseJesus, who knew no sin, became
(25:30):
sin for us so that we mightbecome the righteousness of God.
Jesus satisfied the holyjustice of God on the cross and
clothed us with hisrighteousness and we can enter
into his house, into hispresence, not because of our
goodness and because we're goodenough, but because God, through
Jesus, was good enough for us.
(25:52):
We recognize that it's notabout our performance, but it's
about Christ and his perfectionand his perfect life that he won
for us and that we receive byfaith.
In the book A Praying Life, paulMiller writes this illustration
(26:19):
about our prayers and he saidimagine your prayer as a poorly
dressed beggar.
Prayer as a poorly dressedbeggar reeking of alcohol and
body odor and stumbling to thegates of the palace to meet the
great king.
And as you shuffle up to thebarred gate, the guards at the
(26:40):
gate suddenly hold their noseand stiffen because your smell
has preceded you and you startto stammer out a message, but no
one can quite understand it,and you say I want to see the
king.
They still can't quite fullyunderstand, but they're thinking
(27:01):
there's no way you get to seethe king in the shape you're in.
And then, before you leave, youmanage to stammer out and to
say and whisper Jesus, I come inthe name of Jesus and at the
name of Jesus, the palacesuddenly comes alive.
The guards straighten up.
(27:24):
The guards, who would havenothing to do with you, suddenly
bow to you, open up the gatesand let you in and the palace
lights come on.
You walk down the hall to thethrone room of the king and the
king sees you and starts runningdown the hall and takes you in
(27:44):
his arms and wraps his armsaround you.
That's the gospel.
That's what Jesus has done foryou.
That is why it's good news,good news indeed, and it is
amazing, isn't it?
And notice, very briefly, howDavid responds to this amazing
grace.
Look at the second half ofverse 7.
(28:04):
He doesn't say oh, whatever.
He doesn't say oh well, I thinkI'll go sin some more because I
know there's a sacrifice.
No, he bows down, he throwshimself down in humble worship
(28:30):
and it leads look at verse 11,it leads to joy, into singing.
And so tomorrow morning, the sunstarts to rise and your feet
hit the floor.
Instead of reaching for thebusiness of the day, what if you
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reached for God?
Just start saying something,whether it's a groan or a yell
or crying out, or if yourprayers are perfectly arranged.
Come to God through the LordJesus Christ.
(29:14):
Ask Him to lead you tomorrow inall righteousness, as you think
about your speech and as youencounter people who have
treated you unfairly and poorly,and rejoice in Jesus and his
life, death and resurrection.
Because of him, you have accessto the very throne of God, not
(29:37):
because you are worthy, butbecause he is worthy.
Friends, jesus is better thanyou think and when we come to
God in the morning, it changeseverything about the way we
think about our day.
Let's pray, father.
Thank you for teaching us thismorning.
(29:58):
I pray that you would help usto come to you in the morning.
Sometimes we think we have tobe put together.
Convince us, we don't.
You just want us to come and Ipray, lord, that you would make
our path straight, that youwould help us as we speak words
(30:22):
to the people around us thisweek, that we'd speak words of
life to the people around usthis week.
That we'd speak words of life,lord, I pray that we would
choose love over revenge.
Help us, holy Spirit, to dothose things.
Thank you for Jesus, and it'sin his name we pray, amen.
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