Psalter reading for the morning is Psalm 142 and I'll encourage you to follow along as we read the Lord's Word together. I cry out to the Lord with my voice with my voice to the Lord I make my supplication. I pour out my complaint before him. I declare before him my trouble when my spirit was overwhelmed within me then you knew my path in the way in which I walk. They have secretly set a snare for me. Look on my right hand and see for there is no one who acknowledges me. Refuge has failed me. No one cares for my soul. I cried out to you, O Lord, I said you are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living. Attended to my cry for I am brought very low, deliver me from my persecutors for they are stronger than I. Bring my soul out of prison that I may praise your name. The righteous shall surround me for you shall deal bountifully with me. The Word of the Lord, thanks be to God. Amen, let us pray together. Lord Jesus, again we do thank you for this your word and we thank you for the experience of David and we thank you that you by your spirit inspired him and sustained him, upheld him, that this Psalm might be recorded for the benefit of your people. And we do ask again that the same spirit who inspired David might come now to us and help us that we might be instructed and encouraged by this your word. Father in heaven it was by your word that the worlds were created and it is by your word that the worlds are upheld. And so now may it be by your word that our lives are reshaped and reformed and brought a bit more closely into conformity with the Lord Jesus Christ who is life. We pray this in Jesus name. Amen. You may be seated. I want to bring to a conclusion this little series that we've done over these last few weeks wrestling with the matter of unanswered prayer. And I'll just say again that this was prompted by this passage in Genesis concerning Isaac and Rebecca and this anticipated long anticipated child and everybody has experienced something like what they experienced that prayer for something and delay in answering or a no in answering. And that's what we've been trying to wrestle with through these last few weeks. And what I want to do as we bring this to a conclusion is just ask the question how then should we pray or how should we then pray or how should we pray or gee then how should we pray. And I can't say everything that one might want to say about this I can't address every passage in the scriptures that might provide some information or some help or some insights into the answer to the question how should we then pray. So I'm not going to suggest for a moment that this is exhaustive but I do want to suggest to you that if you look at Psalm 142 and if you look beyond Psalm 142 across the Psalter and read the Psalms and read them carefully you'll find tremendous instruction about prayer and how we ought to be encouraged to pray because the Psalms are pretty largely prayers they were songs they were sung in worship that's something to remember about them that the things that are expressed in these Psalms the the joys the sadnesses the griefs the heartaches the hopes all of those things that are expressed in these Psalms these Psalms were sung in worship that in itself is pretty instructive that the whole range of human emotion a human longing a human desire the whole range of all of that finds legitimate expression in the context of corporate worship and so I'd encourage you to look at the Psalter and read the Psalms closely and carefully and I think you'll find tremendous instruction regarding prayer and I would say to you as we'll see in just a moment something that I suggested very strongly last week and that is that we never disconnect this from the finished work of Christ and so as you read the Psalms all of the Psalms and particularly Psalm 142 we'll want to see that prayer is always connected to the finished work of Christ but in looking specifically at Psalm 142 I think there are some important guidelines for our prayer and so this brings this little series to a close with what may be for some some simple reminders it may be for others that this is new and maybe very helpful as you think about your own prayer lives and I want to put this just in a series of simple questions as we think about how we ought to pray what should be characteristic of our prayers there are just a few simple questions that I want to ask and the first of them is this to whom do we pray to whom do we pray now the answer to that is probably a fairly obvious we pray as we said in our catechism question last week we pray to the one true God but what's striking about Psalm 142 and it's it's present in Psalm 140 it's present in Psalm 141 it's present in Psalm 143 is the particular designation for God in these Psalms there are lots of different designations for God really dozens of them in the scriptures sometimes God is referred to as the Lord at an eye sometimes he is referred to as Elohim this unusual plural form of the word God which describes God in his multi faceted being and character but the particular word that's used in Psalm 142 is the personal covenantal name for God it's translated in my Bible Lord in all capital letters capital L capital O capital R capital D and that word translates the word Yahweh and David in the midst of his extremity in this particular situation addresses God not as Adam and I not as Elohim not as a mighty king not as the Lord of glory not as the the creator God but he addresses him with his personal and covenant name to whom do we speak when we pray whom do we address when we pray do we understand that we're not addressing an abstraction do we understand that we're not addressing someone who is simply possessed of all of the attributes of divinity or of deity but we're addressing someone who has a name and that one has disclosed his name to his people and the stuff that sort of spins around that name all has to do with his love for his people and his redemptive purpose for his people I encourage you to look back at Exodus the third chapter the place where God first identifies himself with this particular name and you may remember the context you may remember the setting God has called Moses Moses had been taking care of these sheep on the backside of a mountain he had lived in Egypt he had grown up in Pharaoh's household but he had left Egypt he had left Pharaoh's household he had escaped and he'd been a shepherd for all of these 40 years and now in Exodus chapters two and three God is calling Moses to be his representative before Pharaoh he's calling him to be a Christ figure in behalf of his people he's calling him so that he might anoint him so that he might empower him so that Moses might go in his name and effect redemption effect salvation and deliverance for his people that's the context you see the context is God's interest in his people his concern for his people and his determination to look upon his people in the midst of their sufferings to hear their cries and to send them a deliverer and that deliverer is Moses so you pick up this interaction at verse 11 of chapter three Moses said to God who am I that I should go to Pharaoh it's really interesting to contemplate the psychology of this little exchange between Moses and God he sounds to sounds very self-deprecating you know I mean who am I I don't have gifts I don't have talents I don't have resources he's probably simply scared to death he's probably concerned for his skin he knows that if he goes back into Egypt there are wanted posters on all of the buildings and all of the villages and towns and cities all across Egypt but he asked the question who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt and so he that is God said I will certainly be with you and this shall be assigned to you that I have sent you when you have brought the people out of Egypt you shall serve God on this mountain and Moses said to God indeed when I come to the children of Israel and say to them the God of your fathers has sent me to you and they say to me what is his name what shall I say to them God said to Moses I am who I am this you shall say to the children of Israel I am Yahweh has sent me to you and more over God said to Moses thus you shall say to the children of Israel the Lord God of your fathers the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob has sent me to you this is my name forever and this is my memorial to all generations how would God have himself be identified by his covenant people with this personal name Yahweh and so when David comes before the Lord in Psalm 142 and he finds himself that the historical circumstance for David is that he's fleeing Saul he's running from Saul and he's hiding in a cave how does David approach God how does he appeal to him he appeals to him with this covenant name Lord Yahweh and in his mind is all of the might and the power but also all of the love and the affection and the compassion and the concern that God expressed for his people when they were oppressed by Pharaoh and held in bondage in other words he comes to one who has demonstrated himself in the past to be a God who cares about his folk who loves his people and who redeems his people and he comes to the Lord on the basis of that redemption you see he comes to him against the backdrop of God's having delivered him and brought him into covenant relationship with himself that's how God's people approach their God that's how God's people appeal to him and for those of us who live on this side of the cross those of us who live after the appearing of Jesus we approach God on the basis of that finished work there's a marvelous passage Romans chapter 5 this is this is one that ought to be tucked away in the databases of our brains for Paulus he is unpacking the gospel as he's explaining the gospel to these Christians in Rome and he in the first part of this letter has talked about the pervasiveness and the universality of sin that's what he deals with in chapters 1 and 2 and then in chapter 3 toward the end of chapter 3 having unpacked his doctrine of sin in this very concise passage beginning at verse 21 he unpacks the significance of the work of Jesus Jesus who is the propitiation for our sins Jesus the one who bears the wrath of God is our sin bearer so that God might remain just and yet because of the finished work of Jesus might be the justifier of those who have faith in Jesus those who have looked to Jesus after he's talked about Jesus then in chapter 4 he goes on to talk about the means by which we appropriate this finished work of Christ and its benefits and that means his faith we don't earn it it doesn't come to us by baptism or circumcision but we enjoy these benefits as we uphold our empty hands and receive from God what he alone can give a righteousness that comes not from us but that comes from him and is given to us through the finished work of Jesus and then look at what he says in verses 1 and following of chapter 5 therefore having been justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand how do we gain access into this environment of grace how do we gain access to the hope of the glory of God we gain access into this grace in which we stand by the finished work of Christ we gain access into the presence of the Father through what the Father has done in loving us the same way he loved Moses the same way he loved Israel the same way he loved David manifesting that love by securing their redemption and drawing them into covenant relationship with himself we gain free access into the presence of our covenant Lord by the finished work of Christ that's the one to whom we appeal that's the one we pray to I have stuck in my memory I think I've mentioned this use this illustration before stuck in my memory this little picture or this picture of little John Kennedy the son of the president standing in the Oval Office surrounded by the president and many of his cabinet and the impression that that leaves with me is is that is is just simply this that the son had some concern I'm sure it was a photo op but the impression that I'm left with as I look at that picture and remember that picture is that of a son who has something on his heart who has some concern some need and he knows who he is and all he knows is that he is the son of his father and it doesn't really occur to him that his father is the president of the United States but when he has a need he knows where to find his father and because his father is his father he is perfectly free to disrupt all of the affairs of government to bring all of the wheels of government to a screeching halt and rush into the presence of his father because he is his father son that he might make known to his father that thing that is in his heart that concern that he has why is he able to do that because he is the son of his father because they have a relationship that's the imagery of the New Testament that's really the imagery of the Old Testament that God brings us into this relationship with himself and because of that we have free access into his presence it's another thing about this that is really striking and really wonderful it's a fuller picture of this access that we have into the presence of the father and it is the picture the image of somebody else who has gone there before us who has preceded us into the presence of the father who is already there praying for us so that when we come into the presence of the Lord when we come into the presence of the father we're not there by ourselves you see it in the Old Testament if you look back at Exodus the 28th chapter verses 9 through 29 there is instruction given to the artisans in Israel and they're putting together the garments for the high priest let me just say parenthetically I've mentioned that I've been reading this book called Satisfy Your Soul one of the things that this book strongly encourages is meditation upon the scriptures not just reading the scriptures but meditation upon the scriptures not reading them for information but reading them quietly and in a way that anticipates that God might take this word which is living inactive and sharper than any two-edged sword and might use it to penetrate and pierce to the core of our beings and say things to us and do things in us through His word that might surprise us let me encourage you to meditate upon Exodus 28 because in that instruction that God gives to the artisans is they put together the garments for the high priest the instruction includes writing the names of the tribes of Israel upon stones those stones that become epilets on the shoulders of the high priest instruction that includes building a breastplate that the high priest wears over his heart and there are 12 stones upon that breastplate and each of those stones represents one of the tribes in Israel so that the high priest when he goes into the very presence of God has the names of the people of God upon his shoulders and has the representation of the people of God close to his heart he bears their names into the presence of that covenant lord you see when you when you bow before the father when you seek to come into the presence of the father know that there is one who has gone in there ahead of you and your name is not written on a piece of stone and you are not symbolized by a piece of rock but your names are written upon his heart and he bears each of your names into the presence of the father that he is your great high priest going there before you might besiege the father in your behalf before you ever get there you see it in Hebrews the second chapter of the ministry of Jesus the great high priest was fitting for him for whom are all things and by whom are all things in bringing many sons to glory to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings for both he who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one for which reason he is not ashamed to call them brethren saying I will declare your name to my brethren in the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to you Jesus goes before us and we join him in the presence of the father and the lord Jesus there sings the praises of God as our great high priest in the presence of the father and Hebrews 4 seeing then that we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens Jesus the son of God let us hold fast our confession but we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses but was in all points tempted as we are yet without sin so we may come boldly to the throne of grace so that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need the whom do we speak who is the one we address we address this covenant lord who was given you Jesus I could call out your names and I could say your names are etched into his hands written on his heart and he goes into the presence of the father before you even think to go there to pray for you so that when you get there he's there ahead of you and you unite your prayers to his that's the one you address the God who has drawn you into covenant relationship with himself the God who has given you Jesus to be your great high priest we must never forget who God is as we do this and let us not forget that he is the lord of glory we must not forget that he has shrouded in holiness that he has majestic beyond our wildest conceptions but we must never ever lose sight of the fact that he is our covenant lord he is the lover of our souls and we come before him in that security and with great confidence
so that's the one to whom we speak that's the one we address when do we come look back at Psalm 142 you come anytime you come all the time but you come particularly in times of perplexity you come particularly in times of hardship there's a funny thing that happens to us it's an odd thing that we think we have to get ourselves together in order to come into the presence of God that we have to get ourselves cleaned up that we have to have five consecutive days of good solid Bible study and quiet time before we're really fit to come into the presence of God we got to make sure there are any estrangements and any of our relationships we got to have everything as you know good questions we got to have everything done decently and in order so that we can then go into the presence of God look at when David goes into the presence of God he goes into the presence of God in the midst of trouble his life is in danger everything around him is uncertain he is insecure he is fearful fearful and you know the emotions that accompany an extraordinary sense of insecurity and you know that it's difficult to believe it's difficult to trust you know that it's hard to honor God when everything seems to be crashing down around you and it's precisely those times not after you've cleaned yourself up not after you've gotten your life in order not after you're strong in the faith but in the midst of your weakness and in the midst of uncertainty that's the time you come into the presence of the Father look at these sounds this is why I encourage you so much to read these sounds Psalm 140 just the one surrounding Psalm 142 Psalm 140 deliver me O Lord from evil men preserve me from violent men who plan evil things in their hearts they continually gather together for war they sharpen their tongues like a serpent the poison of asks is under their lips keep me O Lord from the hands of the wicked preserve me from violent men don't think for a moment that David is tucked away in some closet some place some ivory tower somewhere simply reflecting upon the kinds of circumstances that a person might be in which would prompt him to pray he's in the midst of those circumstances Psalm 141 Lord I cry out to you make haste to me give here to my voice when I cry out to you let my prayer be set before you was in sense there is emotion in these words hear my cry hear me when I cry out there's pain there's anguish in the voice of David we're so strong we're so together we put on such a good show for each other when our hearts are breaking there any surprise centers don't want to be here they don't have it together and they know what they they don't have it together why would they want to be in the midst of a bunch of folks who got it all together we're good solid Americans who have mission statements for their lives and who know exactly where they're going centers don't find a home in a place like that centers find a home in a place like Psalm 140 141 142 143 hear my prayer O God give here to my supplications in your faithfulness answer me centers find a home in a place like Psalm 88 read Psalm 88 there is not one note of hopefulness in Psalm 88 it's the most despairing Psalm in the whole of the Psalter probably the most despairing passage in all of scripture listen to how it ends your fierce wrath has gone over me your terrors have cut me off they came around me all day long like water they engulfed me all together loved one and friend you have put far from me and my acquaintances into darkness period end of sentence end of Psalm those are the circumstances in which people find that they're free to come into the presence of God I will correct what I just said if you look at Psalm 88 more closely you'll find that that note is there the note that is there is the covenant name of God Yahweh the Psalmist even in the midst of that great extremity uses that personal covenant name of God still the same Lord is there when do we come into the presence of God when do we approach this Lord of covenant faithfulness who's bound us to himself by the finished work of Christ we come in the midst of our weakness beloved we come in the midst of our broken heartedness and our confusion and our uncertainty and with all of our doubts and our fears what is the great invitation of Jesus the great invitation come to me all you who are strong and purposeful and to me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest take my burden upon you my burden is easy my yoke is light you will find rest for your souls God stands before his people calling upon them summoning them to come to him in the midst of their weakness in the midst of their circumstances that are difficult and hard and so we come before the Lord the Lord of covenant faithfulness the one who is bound us to himself and by the finished work of Christ we come to him in the midst of our extremities how do we come we come honestly versus four and five look on my right hand and see there is no one who acknowledges me refuge has failed me no one cares for my soul I cried out to you oh Lord I said you are my refuge my portion in the land of the living this goes hand in hand with when we come we come in the midst of our extremities and we come honestly we come forth rightly that's how Job came into the presence of God Job came before the Lord if you look at Job 9 the first 13 verses or so Job came before the Lord acknowledging who the Lord was verse 3 if one wished to contend with him he could not answer him one time out of a thousand God is wise in heart and mighty in strength he removes the mountains he overturns them in his anger he shakes the earth out of its place and its pillars trembled he commands the sun and it does not rise Job knew who God was he knew that he was the Lord of glory he had regard for him and yet you read the book of Job and you see how thoroughly honest how thoroughly forthright he was remember the prayer of Abraham when Abraham interceded in behalf of Sodom and Gomorrah again and again and again he came back he had regard for God he didn't treat him lightly didn't treat him as a distant cousin or a buddy who had a lot of resources he had regard for him he respected the dignity of his being and yet he was bold to come back to him again and again what if there are 50 righteous in the city what if there are 35 what if there are 25 what if there are 20 what if there are 10 again and again and again he came back
Hannah for Samuel in the first chapter wept poured out her heart in anguish before the Lord so impassioned was her plea that Eli thought she was drunk which he unburdened herself forthrightly honestly the Apostle Paul 2 Corinthians 12 8 and following describes that he came back to the Lord again and again and again that the Lord might hear his cries about this thorn in the flesh this infirmity that humbled him that broke him and he came forthrightly he came honestly and even Jesus
came honestly and forthrightly before the Father in the garden pleading with the Father that the cup of the Father's judgment might pass from him an anguish of his own soul he did what the Psalmist did came before him honestly forthrightly freely so who is the one to whom we look we look to the Lord this Lord of covenant faithfulness when do we come we come in the midst of our extremities he's glad to receive us how do we come we come honestly forthrightly pouring out before the Lord the anguish of our hearts and then there's one last thing that ought to characterize our praying and that we need to keep in mind and that is that when the Lord responds as he does he may delay it may be a long time but when the Lord responds then it falls to us to give thanks just as David did some 142 verse 7 bring my soul out of prison so that I may praise your name David anticipated the Lord's hearing his prayer responding to his prayer and David then anticipated offering thanks to the Lord for his goodness it's a great exercise for us folks to take some time and now is a good time to do it even here before we come to the Lord's table it's a great exercise for us to take time and to reflect upon the many ways in which the Lord has responded to us the many ways in which the Lord has answered prayers it's a great exercise to rehearse before the Lord the account of your own conversion or if you don't remember when you became a Christian if you're one of those very fortunate people who never knows at time when you didn't believe in Jesus then it's a great exercise to come before the Lord and thank him for a godly parent or godly parents and to thank him that you grew up in a safe place rather than a dangerous place to thank him that he brought your soul out of prison and to praise his name for this unspeakable work of grace that he's affected in your life so who's the one before whom we come who's the one we address we address the Lord of covenant faithfulness when do we come we come in the midst of our extremities how do we come we come honestly and then when the Lord has hurt us may we be people who are thankful let's pray together Lord Jesus we give you thanks for this great work which you have done being faithful to the Father who commissioned you to secure our salvation oh lord Jesus by your spirit would you press home to us that we are sons and daughters that we are privileged beyond our wildest expectations or beyond what we could believe and oh lord look with favor upon these your people you know their extremities you know their heart aches you know their doubts and fears you know their weaknesses you know their sins I praise you and thank you that none of it turns you away from us but amazingly you are not ashamed to call us brothers and sisters amazingly you are pleased to take up residence in our midst and lead us in singing the praises of our Father the Lord look with favor upon these your people and as we come to this your table I do pray that our hearts would be greatly encouraged and I do ask you now that you grant us your spirit so that as we pray this prayer of confession these prayers might be from our hearts might be the sincere expressions of our own grief and sorrow and sadness at our own sin but our own gladness that we're forgiven and free here is now as together lord we confess our sins to you