You can make aggressive demands of the God who unconditionally chose you.
Psalm 143 (NIV)
A psalm of David.
1 LORD, hear my prayer,
listen to my cry for mercy;
in your faithfulness and righteousness
come to my relief.
2 Do not bring your servant into judgment,
for no one living is righteous before you.
3 The enemy pursues me,
he crushes me to the ground;
he makes me dwell in the darkness
like those long dead.
4 So my spirit grows faint within me;
my heart within me is dismayed.
5 I remember the days of long ago;
I meditate on all your works
and consider what your hands have done.
6 I spread out my hands to you;
I thirst for you like a parched land.
7 Answer me quickly, LORD;
my spirit fails.
Do not hide your face from me
or I will be like those who go down to the pit.
8 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
for to you I entrust my life.
9 Rescue me from my enemies, LORD,
for I hide myself in you.
10 Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God;
may your good Spirit
lead me on level ground.
11 For your name’s sake, LORD, preserve my life;
in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble.
12 In your unfailing love, silence my enemies;
destroy all my foes,
for I am your servant.
Canons of Dordt
Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election
Article 1 - God's right to condemn all people
Since all people have sinned in Adam
and have come under the sentence of
the curse
and eternal death,
God would have done no one an injustice if it had been his will
to leave the entire human race in sin and under the curse,
and to condemn them on account of their sin.
As the apostle says:
“The whole world is liable to the condemnation of God” (Rom. 3:19),
“All have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23, NABRE), and
“The wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23).
Summary
It's been often said that the Psalter is the prayer book of the Bible, and Psalm 143 is a good example of why it is, and it serves as a guide for how you can pray as well. The angst David cries out to God with is palpable. We don't know the specifics of the burden pressing down on David as he prayed these words, but that's a blessing, since otherwise we might feel like our needs should rise to some level of significance before we could pray the way David does here.
This psalm also helps us see that not every prayer must fit into the AAA format that so many other Biblical prayers do. Although David appeals to God's faithfulness and righteousness, he really doesn't formally acknowledge who God is in this prayer, either at the beginning or elsewhere. Instead, he just cries out to the LORD, and begs Him to listen.
Look at how aggressively David, inspired by the Holy Spirit, addresses the LORD: He demands that God hear, listen, answer, not hide and destroy all of my foes. If it weren't for psalms like this one, we might think it sinful to give such bold instructions to God, but David here helps us to see that not only may we do so, but that we're actually invited to do so.
The reason David could pray this way at times was because he knew the LORD so well. In so many other Psalms, David does nothing but acknowledge God's attributes in praise and worship. David would never consider theology to be dry, dull or boring; rather, David's solid theology deepened His relationship with God in such a way that David could cry out to Him as David dwelled in the darkness, thirsting for God like a parched land.
Dig Deeper
It's David's understanding of himself that grabs our attention today. David asks God to not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you. David here understands the reality of our sinful condition, and that all that anybody deserves from God is judgment.
That's what makes this doctrine of unconditional grace so amazing! It means exactly what it says: The grace God extends to you is in no way conditioned upon your actions or behavior. If it was, none of us would qualify for it.
God's grace to you is purely the product of His unfailing love. Remember, whenever you see that phrase in your English Bible (sometimes it's rendered steadfast love) it's translating the Hebrew word ḥěʹ·sěḏ, which is the love that God has covenantally (legally) obligated Himself to.
In other words, God's electing love in your life is unconditional as it relates to your actions, but is instead fully conditioned upon the covenant He has entered into to be your God.
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who has obligated Himself to us in His ḥěʹ·sěḏ and has unconditionally chosen us to belong to Him;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray the words of v10: Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Mark 3
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