When Danger Drives Us to Prayer The Psalmist says that God hates all workers of iniquity and will destroy liars and abhor the bloody, violent, and deceitful man! Wow! Is that me talking or is this the Word of God? Friends, this is the Word of our God. How can the Psalmist speak this way about God in a Psalm that focuses on prayer!? Are these the rantings of a pagan thug or backwoods bully who could not or would not forgive? Is God nothing more than a dirty tormenter who seeks to intimidate his enemies? No, a thousand times no! The great question remains: how does God hate all workers of iniquity and how can he love the world (John 3:16) at the same time? Psalm 5 is a great devotional psalm that relates to the believer’s heart relationship with God. Yet it contains some very hard language that shocks the soul. Why? Because the Psalmist was in a desperate struggle for survival. He knew either one of two things would happen. Either his enemies would kill him, or God would have to deal with his enemies and take them out. And the Psalmist is depending and trusting in God to destroy his enemies. David is not personally retaliating! He is driven to God in prayer to depend totally on Him for protection, direction, and survival. This is the first of the so-called imprecatory Psalms, where the writer recognizes God’s wrath against the ungodly sinners. (Other imprecatory Psalms are 12, 35, 37, 58,59, 69, 79, 83, 109, 139, and 140.) What is the reason for these imprecatory prayers? They exist because there have always been wicked people on the earth who devise mischief and destruction against God’s people. If you spent many days in a struggle for life itself, of actually fleeing from those who seek to kill you, then you might pray more like this, too. David spent years running from Saul. Now his son Absalom seeks his throne and his death. Psalm 35:1, 6; Fight against them that fight against me…let their way be dark and slippery. Psalm 37:17, The arms of the wicked shall be broken. Psalm 58:3: The wicked are estranged from the womb…break their teeth, O God, in their mouth. Psalm 139:19; Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men. The fact is this: man is a very rebellious being against the love and light of God. God is love, but God is light. There are many who set themselves against the Lord and His Word, who hate Him, His promises, and His people. Some see Him only as Love, others only as Light, but He is perfect Love and glorious Light. The Scripture is full of strong language against those who are not saved. John the Baptist called the religious hypocrites a “generation of vipers” who faced “wrath to come” (Matthew 3:7). Jesus Himself called them whited sepulchers, full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness (Matthew 23:27). Perhaps our problem is we do not see the sinfulness of sin, the awfulness of rebellion against God. We don’t hate sin enough to get upset at the wickedness that is around us. Have we become accustomed to sin? Are we drawn into its pleasure? Have we forgotten the infernal warfare that rages around us? We are soldiers in an army and there is an enemy! The enemy is real, a roaring, deceiving, accusing lion that will not cease in seeking to destroy unstable souls. And this is precisely why we need to pray. Desperately! Prayerlessness is one of Satan’s main strategies. Satan daily whispers to us: “Don’t call on Him or depend on Him. You are too busy. You are young and strong, clever and energetic, you can do it yourself!” As I read this Psalm, I see David realizing that his only hope is God, and he knows that if God hears his prayer, that is enough. His enemies are in trouble if God hears his crying voice! What is behind this prayer and so much our praying is the reality of enemies in the world who want us destroyed. There is a devil who seeks to destroy you. Perhaps the enemies are those of your own household. Or they are from your old ceremonial, dead, religion that had nothing of Christ and His eternal life. Danger and discomfort and the reality of enemies drives the believer to prayer. If this Psalm also was written at the time when David was fleeing from Absalom, as this Psalm was along with Psalm 3-4, so we learn anew that no amount of danger or discomfort should keep us from our time of fellowship with God. Early should we seek the Lord! Let Danger Drive Us to the Lord! Notice these thoughts regarding prayer in times of danger.
David’s prayers contained words that spilled over from the meditation of his heart. He also uses this word “meditation” in Psalm 39:3 when he states: My heart was hot within me, while I was musing the fire burned; then spake I with my tongue. Meditation causes the heart to burn and the words to spill forth in fervency and power. Silent meditations give birth to meaningful words in prayer. This shows us that prayer is an activity of the mind and the soul. Prayer is not just letting go of our tongue and babbling and cackling in gibberish. Bring with you words! Praying in the Spirit is praying in words that relate to the spiritual battle in which you are engaged. I say this because many are teaching today that your private prayer language is tongues speaking. Friends, may I lovingly say that this is a gross error. No where are we told to babble in private! This is actually a pagan and heathen practice that has made its way into the Christian church by way of the pagan mystery religions. When you pray, Jesus said that you are not to use vain repetition as the heathen (Matthew 6:7). The Prophet Hosea says, Take with you words, and turn to the Lord: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously (Hosea 14:2). When we pray, we ought to meditate upon the awesome power of God and His mighty holy nature. Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed by thy name!
As mentioned, the meditation gave him a voice, and it also built a fire in his soul. Notice the fervency of verse two: Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray. The one fervent in prayer uses his voice! James 5:16b says, The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. What are some examples of fervent prayer that God answers in Scripture? Elijah prayed over the dead Shunamite son and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived (1 Kings 17:20-22). He prayed and fire fell from heaven (1 Kings 18:36-38). Elijah cast himself upon the ground and put his face between his knees and prayed seven times for the rain to fall! (1 Kings 18:41-46).)
“In the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee…” This word “direct” is a very interesting word. It means to arrange or set or lay in order, to set forth (a legal case), set something in its place. It is a word that is used of the priests who arranged the pieces of the animal sacrifice in order upon the altar. It is used of setting a table to make the food look appetizing and the utensils arranged. The first reference to this word in Scripture is Genesis 14:8 when kings arranged themselves to go into a battle. The last time this word is used in the Hebrew Scripture, Joel 2:5, is also the context of battle order. So David recognizes that prayer is a spiritual warfare, and he is arranging his prayers as a captain would arrange his army on the battlefield. David is submitting himself as a soldier in the army of His God. I am arranging my prayer to you, O Lord, so that you can set me forth into your battle and be victorious! The second place this word is used in Scripture is in Genesis 22:9 when Isaac laid the wood in order upon the altar upon which he laid Isaac. So David lays himself as wood to be thoroughly consumed by God. This word is used again in Exodus 27:21 for the ordering of the oil in the candlestick. David’s prayers were like the sweet oil that brought light into the darkness. Oil is a symbol for the Holy Spirit, and so we need to direct our prayers to God IN THE SPIRIT. Exodus 27:20-21: In Exodus 40:4, and 23, this word is used for the setting in order of the bread upon the table of showbread. God wanted the bread laid out in a particular way, and this teaches us to be mindful of our prayers. We must pray the way the Lord has taught us and not what the flesh leads us, or what is popular or acceptable. We must pray in Spirit and in truth. There is a subjective aspect to our worship and prayer, it must be with heart and feeling, with soul and might. But there is an objective aspect to our prayer, we must pray according to truth, according to the truth of God’s Word and the truth of God’s person. In Leviticus 1:7,8,12 and in Leviticus 6:12 we see that God was concerned with the order of the wood and of the animal and how it was laid upon the altar. Everything was done in order. Like a restaurant arranges the food in a buffet table. It is done in a neat and orderly arrangement so that it looks appealing and appetizing. We do all sorts of things in order. Baseball has a batting order, and that order must be followed. All of this to emphasize the point that our prayers are part of our warfare and spiritual sacrifice to the Lord, and that we must do things decently and in order. We must pray with all our might in an orderly and acceptable way. And this kind of praying can expect an answer. Just as a well ordered army will win the battle, and a well ordered sacrifice will be accepted of the Lord, so a well ordered prayer will be heard. That is why David says, I will direct and arrange my prayer in order, with all my power, and then I will look out for the answer! I will spread out my prayer like the wood and animal upon the altar, and I will expect to receive the answer by fire from heaven to answer my prayer according to your riches in glory!
David recognizes in these verses the reality of wickedness in his world. God is not neutral toward sin. He pleads against the foolish, the workers of iniquity, the ungodly workers and talkers, the violent deceivers all around him. David was not being overly harsh or judgmental. He was being realistic. Many people are dying and going to hell that deliberately and repeatedly disobey God oblivious of the consequences. God hates sin in some sort of a perfect way, and because sin is closely associated with the sinner, that He also hates the workers of iniquity. God hates the murderers of children and the violent abusive fathers who kill their wives. And do not forget this fact. David’s enemies were seeking to kill him. David was not seeking to kill his enemies. He was trusting in God to deal with them. He was not spiteful or revengeful. Now here are some verses you will never hear the feel good evangelicals like Joel Osteen quote. They are too negative for him to deal with, but they are as much a part of the Bible as John 3:16! Psalm 11:5-7: David recognizes that God is light and has no fellowship with the works of darkness, and in humility, he prays that he would be humble in the presence of God. Whereas love draws and unites, hatred separates and keeps distant. David realizes that many hated God and hated him because he sought to love and serve the Lord. There are many verses in the Scripture that deal with those who hate God. Psalm 139:21-24: Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? 22I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies. 23Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: 24And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 25:19; Consider mine enemies; for they are many; and they hate me with cruel hatred. (My comment: A hatred that led them to violence.) Psalm 38:19: But mine enemies are lively, and they are strong: and they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied. Psalm 44:7; But thou hast saved us from our enemies, and hast put them to shame that hated us. Psalm 68:1; Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him. God’s hatred is a holy and perfect hatred. His hatred causes him to be opposed to and separate from sin and the sinner. Psalm 5:7 says: But as for me! I will come to you because of the multitude of your mercy and in the fear of the Lord will I worship toward You, O Lord! This is the proper approach to God: by mercy and in fear. The humility we need in prayer is to realize that God has no pleasure in a man’s wickedness. We need mercy to pray and we need to have a reverence in our heart to Him.
What a tender finish to this tough minded Psalm! David began his devotions seeking for help and ended them by seeking blessing for the righteous, and those that seek the Lord. Rejoice and shout for joy! The word speaks of a ringing cry and a great shout for joy. This would be like the noise that a cricket or grasshopper makes. “Joyful” means to jump for joy. This is the emotional response of the righteous brought about by the victory God gives. The Christian life is not a dead, emotion-less walk. It is a walk of exciting joy, of thrilling adventure, and praise to God. Let whatever danger you face to drive you to the throne of grace, to order your prayer to God, and may you find joy as the result! |