Imperative Pleading

“Make me know Your ways, O Lord.” Psalm 25:4-8 [NASB]

The psalmist in these verses was brave. He issued imperative statements to God. Instead of thinking of verses 4-8 and 14-20 as commands to God, we should consider them as pleas from someone who feared his enemies and his own sinfulness.

Consider this idea from today’s point of view. When a child goes to his or her parent and demands ice cream or a new toy, often that demand is unfilled. If that child calls out, “Help me!” recognition is there of who the parent has been for that child in the past and what the strong connection is between them, then issues forth in a cry or plea to do what the parent does better than the child, help.

The psalmist did that. His seven imperative statements in these four verses are cries for help. Why did he cry for help? He recognized his inability to help himself. More importantly, he recognized God could help him. How did the psalmist realize God could help him? He understood this because he had life experience with God before or knew of people who did. Either way, the psalmist knew about God-His ways, truth, salvation, faithfulness, love, mercy, kindness, compassion, and forgiveness.

The psalmist recognized something else about himself besides his lack of power, wisdom, and might, and he openly admitted it. He acknowledged his sins and transgressions-his turning away from God and his rebellious life. The psalmist knew he had turned away from God. That realization means he knew God. The hymn writer had a relationship with Him but had turned his back on God and walked in his own rebellious ways. We each do that. Paul said in Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”

These things established the basis for the psalmist’s plea. For what did he ask? Did he ask for a mansion or sports car? Did he ask for a big paycheck or huge inheritance? No, at that moment, and like most of us when our backs are against the wall, the psalmist recognized his departure from God and begged for God to restore him to a right relationship with Him.

In verse four, this sinful man, whose enemies chased him, begged God to help him recognize, acknowledge, consider, and confess God and His ways. This was the first step. It was a static request for the moment to help him see God, so he could return to a right relationship with Him. The psalmist did not ask God to help him only at that time. He asked God to “teach” him His paths. This teaching is not a static once-off event, but a dynamic event that God skillfully taught, and the psalmist practiced as he walked with Him daily in His ways and in the manner of life He led. The first thing the psalmist pleaded God for was to “know” His ways. Next, he asked God to “teach” him His paths. Many of us only want help to get unstuck from the hole we cannot escape. We are like the car with a tire bogged in the mud. We try everything to get the car out of the hole. We rev the engine so much in our attempt to get the car to move that we make the muddy hole deeper and we gain no traction. The psalmist understood in his heart he needed and wanted more than a band-aid to help him out for now. He recognized his need to walk with God and learn from him daily.

For what else did the psalmist plead to God? Consider he asked God to lead him in His paths in verse four. Recognizing the paths as God’s teaching him, he recognized the truths of God, true. God is faithful and truthful. The psalmist pleaded for God to bend, mold, and lead him in His truthfulness and faithfulness so he would become like Him. He recognized his sinfulness-his lack of faithfulness and integrity to God and other people. Once again, the psalmist pleaded for God to teach him-to walk with him daily teaching him and helping him put it into practice. This requires and creates a growing relationship with the Lord. The psalmist punctuated his desire for a relationship by the end of this verse when he said, “For You I wait all day long.” This hymn writer declared his desire to be with God and grow in his relationship with Him.

The psalmist recognized another thing so many people shutter themselves not to see. He recognized and admitted God is his salvation. This hymn writer said, God is his deliverance and rescue from sin and death. With this great “Ah Ha,” the desire of this hymn-singer’s heart echoed through history. “You, O God, are my salvation. You are my strength. Teach me Your ways. I desire to be with You daily.”

With verse six, the psalmist’s recognition of his sinfulness and God’s righteousness glared in his face. He begged God to remember His compassion and lovingkindness-His deep mercy and love, and His faithful kindness and favor. The psalmist realized He did not deserve God’s kindness and favor, but he begged God to remember who He has always been. God’s grace is written through the pages of history, from Adam until God’s kingdom comes. Many times, people deserved judgment for their hateful ways, but God had mercy on them, on us, and showed kindness instead of judgment. This kindness and mercy is of what the psalmist asked God to remember and apply it to himself and his own sinfulness.

Consider a child whose parent told her not to touch the vase from the time she could walk. As she grows and can reach the vase more easily, she keeps touching it. Each time, her parent said, “No.” Finally, she is big enough to pick it up, and then drop it. That is sin. Sin separates us from God and deserves punishment. All the times the parent said “No” when the child touched it is like when God gives mercy and kindness to the sinners. The psalmist pleaded for God to have mercy and kindness on him, the same mercy He showed to people from ages past-ancient days.

With verse seven, the psalmist begged God more. This verse is a negative reiteration of verse six. He stated it for emphasis. “Do not recall or consider the sins of my youth or the rebellious acts that broke Your trust in me,” he said. The psalmist knows he sinned. He recognized God’s righteousness and begged for His mercy and kindness. The hymn writer restated verse six with a twist. He did what every person and everything is supposed to do-bring glory to God. The psalmist said, “Remember and recall all your mercies and kindness from past generations and consider them with regard to me, not that I deserve Your mercy and kindness, but so that the nations may hear again how great, merciful, and kind You are.”

Consider this possibility. When you forgive your colleague at work repeatedly and the whole company knows the problem the colleague has given you, they consider you are justified to attack that person. Is it okay to attack or deride the person? You are justified according to humanly standards. Yet, you consider the person and what he or she did, and instead you forgive him/her again. What rings out from that action? Mercy. Kindness. Wonder. Who is the colleague who would forgive so many times? Does it have to do with his/her belief in God? This worker astounded his/her colleagues. What this worker did for the colleague who kept causing problems at work is what the psalmist asked God to do for him. Forgive him for his name’s sake. More importantly, he/she pointed toward God with his/her actions. The worker forgave his colleague for God’s name sake. God received the glory.

We don’t deserve help from God. We don’t deserve God’s forgiveness, mercy, compassion, love, salvation, or grace. It’s a good thing God doesn’t always give what we deserve. Paul said in Romans 10:13, “For whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” The psalmist realized he was not strong enough to defeat his enemies. He understood one band-aid would not fix the problem every day. The hymn writer recognized he needed God to walk with him daily teaching him. More importantly, the psalmist recognized his sinfulness and his need for salvation that can only come from God. He begged for God’s mercy, not because he deserved it, but because of God’s fame from the past and His glory now and forever. The psalmist asked for salvation because of who God is not because of who he was. That is the basis of our salvation. We come to God knowing He is the Savior and we are sinners. We come to Him repenting and asking for His divine forgiveness and mercy. He says come.

Lord, I do not deserve Your love or mercy. I do not deserve forgiveness for all I have done wrong against You and other people. Still, I come to You anyway asking for Your forgiveness and for salvation from sin and death. Lord, You are the Savior. Please save me, remake me, and walk with me daily teaching me Your ways. Amen.

On His Altar of Rest and Peace

I’ve come to know the depth of anguish for a loved one and friend who has walked away from God or never come to know Jesus’ saving power in his life. When a loved who once gave his/her heart to Christ later faces the spellbinding deception of Satan and turns away from God, family and friends watch and fall on their knees before the Lord asking Him to call and convict that person to return to Him. Months turn into years and before you know it 3, 5, and 10 years or more have passed, and still the loved one has not turned back to God.

When we get to this point, we feel we have said everything in our heart begging God to intercede for that person. We feel we have used every word in the English language to bring the person before God. Possibly we wonder why we should continue to pray, not because we give up or don’t care about the loved one, but because no more words can be spoken than we have already said to the Father.

Next we remember Jesus’ story of the insistent widow and understand we should not stop praying for this loved one. But what more can we say? How can we express anew our heart’s desire for the person to return to the Lord, their Salvation? We remember, too, the earnest prayers of a righteous person avails much (James 5:16). Because of our love for the person, our love for God, and our obedience and faithfulness to Him, we will continue to pray. But how do we pray when all the words have been said?

I have reached this point. After hearing people for years saying they have prayed for the salvation of a loved one for 5, 10, or 20 years, I wonder how they could be so faithful in praying. What I have learned in my own experience is we do it because of love-love of the person and love of God. I, like many with and before me, reached the mental impasse of what more can I say when I have exhausted the words of the English language.

At this point, I remember and realize words are unnecessary. Paul taught about this state of being unable to express our hearts to God. He said in Romans 8:26, “In the same way, the Spirit also helps our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” [NASB] Words are unnecessary for intercession with the Father. The love and intent of our hearts speaks louder than feeble and insufficient words from our mouths.

Another thing I learned as I reached this impasse goes alongside what Paul wrote. This lesson did not come from study or from someone’s wisdom. It came from desperation as I sought the Lord. At the point I realized I could not put adequately into words what I desired the Lord to do and felt stymied by words, I threw my all before Him. I mentally in prayer put my heart on the altar before Him, opened it for Him and said, “See…Hear.” This was all I could think to do. It was my fragrant aroma to Him.

As I consider these two things, isn’t this the ultimate expression of interceding for someone? True intercession for someone includes desperate love for the person and for God, and putting our all on the altar before Him. Our all is our heart and life. It includes everything we are and have. What would you give for your loved one to come to know the Lord as Savior or to return to the Lord?

If you have come to the end of words in prayer, you are at the end of yourself. This is desperate love of the person. When you seek God even at the end of words and place your heart on the altar, you show you desperately love God because you know He is faithful to His covenant with you. He loves you enough to listen and answer your prayers. God provides each believer with His Spirit for such times as these-when our love is great, our faith in God remains strong, and our feeble vocabulary runs out.

At this point, recall Jesus’ words, “Come to me all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:23 [NASB]) Jesus did not say this only to sinners. He said this to all people, believers and unbelievers. At the point where we lay down our lives by offering our hearts on the altar and exhausting our vocabulary in earnest prayer so the Spirit intercedes for us, we have come to the end of ourselves. We have begun to seek the rest and peace of Christ.

When our wills join God’s will, our energy comes exclusively from Him and originates and resides in Him alone. Why? Because of His love and faithfulness to us, His children. And, because of our sole reliance upon Him.

For whom have you been praying for months and years? Have you exhausted your words? Have you grown tired in intercession for him/her? Have you come to the end of what you know except that God is love and He is faithful? That is when you can rest in Him by laying your will, your heart, on His altar. His Spirit will intercede for you. God hears. He is busy at work bringing the person you love to Him for the first time. He is busy working to bring your loved one back to Him.

Allow your love for and trust in God to bring you to the end of your striving.

Accept His rest as you lay your will on the altar of His rest and peace.

Oh, Lord God, I am tired. I am weary. I am heartsore for a loved one. I have prayed, and I trust You will hear and answer my prayer because You love this person, too. You want a personal relationship with each person and will not give up on reaching out to and convicting lost and rebellious people. Today, I come to the end of myself and seek rest in You. I give what is left of myself to You. I give You my heart, my will, and my love. My loved one I give to You. No words are left that I have not used as I prayed. You know my heart of love for this person and for You. I seek my rest in You, trusting You. Amen.