American Reformation Church Prayer Journal 74
ARC Prayer Meeting:
This past Sunday we officially ended the ARC mark of love. What started as a couple of sermons on God’s love morphed into a series that lasted over half a year. Of course, dealing with the topic of God’s love is inexhaustible and in so many ways we just scratched the surface. Next week, God willing, I’ll do one more sermon on God’s love to summarize the series.
The last phrase tackled this past Sunday from 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 was “Love never fails.” In a world filled with constant failure, it is good to know there is another constant; it is one that never fails and that is God’s love. God is love and God is eternal and thus His love is everlasting. The only way God’s love will end is if God ends and good luck with that notion.
In the sermon we dealt with the plague of failure. The fear of failing is high on the list of the different phobias that lurks within the human heart. Biblical prayers that address failure focus on seeking God's guidance, forgiveness, and strength to overcome setbacks. We ask God to help us overcome our sins and find His plentiful redemption. These kinds of prayers acknowledge our human imperfections. At the same time, these prayers acknowledge God's faithfulness and ability to work through our weaknesses. Examples include prayers for forgiveness, guidance, and turning failure into a testimony of God's saving grace.
Probably, the most famous prayer in the Bible that highlights man’s abject failure and sin, while seeking the forgiveness of God is David’s confession in Psalms 51. David acknowledged his transgression and prayed that God would blot all his iniquities. And then this jewel from his unfeigned lips, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation” (Psalms 51:10-12).
Though David fell hard, he was not utterly cast down. The Lord upheld him with His mighty hand. Here is another prayer from David along the same lines, “Look on me and answer, Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall. But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord's praise, for he has been good to me” (Psalms 13:3-6).
Some of the accusations against David was there was no help available to him from God from those who had increased to trouble him. Most knew of his abject failure and sin and were mightily inspired to remind David and condemn him. No use of praying David. God is done with you. We will have our way with you. David did not agree with that assessment. No sir, my God is my shield, my glory, and the one who lifts my bowed head of shame. He will arise on my behalf and save me and thus He called upon the Lord and brethren we should do the same.
