Psalm 25 Guide Us o Thou Great Jehovah (3)
v15-22 Is It Ok To PRAY About The Same Thing More Than Once?
Have you heard about the care-alert-smart-dialler? It is a pendant, designed to be worn around the neck by a frail person--usually someone living alone, who is thought vulnerable--likely to need speedy assistance at some time whether having had a fall, become acutely ill or facing some other crisis.
The pendant has a button on it, which, when pressed, sends a signal to the base-unit of the person's phone and a call is made to the first of a series of five pre-programmed numbers of family or friends of the person, alerting them that the person is in trouble. That's the purpose of the "smart dialler" to alert someone that the person needs help.
Sometimes the first family member isn't available so a call is made to the second contact in the series of five.
The "smart dialler" doesn't give up after the first attempted contact because it is programmed to keep trying until someone is contacted.
When you or I face a crisis and we've prayed about it, thoughtfully, earnestly, passionately, one time, are we meant to stop to conclude that it would be impertinent or lacking in trust to continue?
For the sake of our spiritual digestion, I have divided up Psalm twenty-five into three messages. We have seen that David was facing a time of crisis in his life, he tells us that. We have been reminded that whatever the situation around us when we pray we are to begin with God (declaring our humble dependence upon Him), remembering that it's because of His Grace that we can come (confessing our offences to Him) affirm our need for Guidance by Him and express reverence for Him.
Sometimes, I think, we passionately address Him once, perhaps twice, about a particular situation which grieves or concerns us, only to stop praying because we let ourselves come to think praying is pointless. We have no clear word or providence from God indicating to us we should stop praying but we stop anyway.
What would happen if the "smart dialler" stopped dialling after two contacts were uncontactable and the third, fourth and fifth were not tried? Potential disaster!
Now some very spiritual person may be already thinking, didn't our Lord warn against "vain repetition" in prayer? Yes He did as our reading from Matthew’s gospel makes clear, but that was publicly showy, verbally rhythmic, mindless mantra-type repetition of certain phrases over and over again with the aim of losing oneself in the emptying experience of prayer: is that what we see in this psalm? Well, let's look at the balance of this psalm to answer that question.
Today's section of the psalm – the psalm presumably being offered to God as one concentrated act of worship -- is a restatement of David's already-uttered sentiments but re-stated with intensified emphasis.
15 My eyes are ever toward the Lord,
For He shall pluck my feet out of the net.
16 Turn Yourself to me, and have mercy on me,
For I am desolate and afflicted.
17 The troubles of my heart have enlarged;
Bring me out of my distresses!
18 Look on my affliction and my pain,
And forgive all my sins.
19 Consider my enemies, for they are many;
And they hate me with cruel hatred.
20 Keep my soul, and deliver me;
Let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in You.
21 Let integrity and uprightness preserve me,
For I wait for You.
22 Redeem Israel, O God,
Out of all their troubles!
(1) The Reaffirming Of Trust v15
"My eyes are ever toward the Lord,
For He shall pluck my feet out of the net."
We're reminded again by these words that to trust is not simply to repeat true strings of words but it's to be personally oriented/centered in the one/the thing we trust.
David was looking up in the expectation that God was looking down:
-- 2 Chron 16:8-9: "...when you relied on the LORD, He Delivered them into your hand. For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts
are fully committed to Him."
When God’s People trust, then they can lay hold of God’s Promises but when they’re being unfaithful they lose assurance even though He remains Faithful
-- Psalm 123: "I lift up my eyes to you, to you whose throne is in heaven.
As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, till he shows us his mercy.
Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us, for we have endured much contempt.
We have endured much ridicule from the proud, much contempt from the arrogant."
David is confident that God would Deliver his feet from “the net” prepared for him.
What "net" was David asking to be released from? Perhaps the "net" of flattery
-- Prov 29:5: "Whoever flatters his neighbour
is spreading a net for his feet."
Certainly he knew this proverb:
"If a man digs a pit, he will fall into it;
if a man rolls a stone, it will roll back on him." (Prov 26:27).
Do you ever think God is bored by your praise, your expressions of confidence in Him, your expression of love to Him?
Please think again! He is enthroned upon the praises of His People, He loves your fellowship and is pleased when you express your dependence on Him and confidence in Him!
(2) The Repeated Cry For Help v16-18:
"Turn Yourself to me, and have mercy on me,
For I am desolate and afflicted.
The troubles of my heart have enlarged;
Bring me out of my distresses!
Look on my affliction and my pain,
And forgive all my sins."
As David continues being aware of his circumstances, his feelings of inadequacy and need grow in intensity: now our God KNOWS all about our specific precise need before we call but a part of His mysterious dealing with us is that He Invites us to seek Him with drawn-out wholehearted, clinging faith.
Remember Jacob who would not let the Angel of God go unless He Blessed him? Have we ever prayed "Lord, Unless YOU Intervene in this situation I don't know how to handle it?"
David was traumatised within because of his contrition over his sin and still aware of his sin which is why I tend to think this psalm addresses issues after Absalom's rebellion; however, he felt in need of God's Reassurance and Help when facing his enemies.
-- Psalm 34:6: "This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles."
How wonderful when you and I feel our need of God like this!
It is so easy to feel that we can be self-sufficient due to the technology available and because of our relative comfort but to experience a daily, personal dependence on God especially regarding those difficulties we all have is priceless.
(3) The Renewed Plea For God's Preservation v19-22:
"Consider my enemies, for they are many;
And they hate me with cruel hatred.
Keep my soul, and deliver me;
Let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in You.
Let integrity and uprightness preserve me,
For I wait for You.
Redeem Israel, O God,
Out of all their troubles!"
David prays for God's activity to begin and continue, he is not ashamed to ask for God's particular Protection for himself and then extend it to include the godly Israelites.
n Psalm 34:7: "The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them."
So is it wrong to pray, repeatedly, especially for personal things? Not if your prayer is like that contained in Psalm 25! Be like the widow whom Jesus Commends for her regular repeat ed prayers.