Why Are My Prayers So Foggy?

You don’t have to look very far in the Bible to notice warnings against wealth and power. The Bible does not say that wealth and influence are sins, but the fog that they can produce around our hearts is what we are to be on guard against. Sometimes great worldly power can fool our hearts into thinking that all our needs can be met apart from the power and mercy of God. This fog can only be navigated by the guiding light of God’s Word, made visible through His Spirit. Perhaps this is why God inspired 2 Samuel 23-24, to remind us of our need of Him, regardless of our bank balance or position on the corporate ladder.

David was not lacking in military strength. In the second section of 2 Samuel 23 we are introduced to David’s Mighty Men. This is a group of 30 plus men who are utterly devoted to protecting and obeying their King. Three of them in particular are especially powerful and intimidating. These three are so devoted to the Lord’s anointed that they were willing (and able by the way) to break into the Philistine camp and bring David a cool cup of water from the well of Bethlehem. The rest of the mighty men were no slouches either. They were responsible for some of the most courageous and heroic acts in the history of Israel! Anyone who became an enemy of the mighty men would have been shaking in their boots.

How does David respond to such power? He takes a census. He counts the people in his army. Why? Doesn’t he know how God has caused the victory in the past, whether by many or by few? Has he forgotten about the young boy who killed a skilled warrior-giant with a stone and sling shot? David’s mind was foggy and the fog was caused by power. We don’t know exactly how David sinned by taking the census, through motive or pride, but we do know that God was greatly offended. So offended that he causes a pestilence to destroy 70,000 men! This fog can also blind us from the consequences of our sin.

Let me ask you; How devoted are you to your King? What are you willing to risk for His pleasure? Are you experiencing fog in your life? Have to tried to convince yourself that you could get rid of things (which have control over you) in your life without a problem? Why have you not rid yourself of them up to this point? How do you respond when you are clearly convicted of sin? We see at the end of the book of 2 Samuel the Lord was moved by prayer to end the plague in Israel. How are your prayers…foggy? Join us this week as we consider these last two chapters of 2 Samuel, asking God to give us clean hands and pure hearts that we not lift our soul to another besides Him!

The Return of the King

What do you love most? What do you spend most of your time thinking about? What causes you the most grief and sadness? What brings you the most joy? The answers to these questions may uncover the true loyalties of your heart. Often we are more inclined to hurt and reject those things in our lives that we love the most, for things that can only harm and destroy us. Has this been the case with you?

This week at Redeemer, we will consider David’s Return from 2 Samuel 19 . Absalom’s revolt has been put down, and the rightful king is now to be restored! The justice of Yahweh as prevailed and David’s kingdom has been preserved. Yet, David’s reaction to this victory is one of mourning and sadness. Absalom is dead! The people were so impacted by David’s grief that they did not celebrate at all, but “went in stealth into the city that day…” What does David’s response tell us about his heart? Remember, this is his son! Shouldn’t he be in mourning? Joab (Absalom’s killer) seems to think otherwise as he rebukes David for loving those who hate him and hating those who love him (verse 6).

How should we think about these things? Where should our greatest loyalty and love reside? Think on the words of Jesus when he said “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me (Matthew 10:37) .” It seems that if David’s loyalty were first to Yahweh, these consequences in his life would have never come to pass. Now, that is easy to say from this side of history, but what about you? Are you a follower of Jesus Christ…a disciple? Perhaps it is easy to say yes when things are easy and stress–free. But, have you noticed that our hearts are most exposed at times of loss or failure? When those times come, what will be revealed about you? What is a victory for you? Join us this week as we ask the Lord to make his thoughts our own, and His ways our ways!

College Football and Humility?

This year in the final USA Today coaches poll, there was one vote for Virginia Tech as the number two team in the country. It seemed rather strange to many people to see this team so highly ranked, until it was revealed that this vote came from Frank Beamer, the head coach at Virginia Tech. Many people think the system is unfair, since the coaches have such a vested interest in the rankings. Based on the Coach’s desire to be highly ranked, they seem to be unable to give an objective evaluation. Can you relate to this sort of inner conflict?

Recently at Redeemer, we have studied the life of David, a man that clearly was prone to wonder from the clear Words of God. However, he seems to always come back to God in brokenness and repentance. This sort of life, characterized by humility and contrition, results in a realistic and (much more importantly) biblical view of oneself. David viewed life through the lenses of God’s grace, as we will see this Sunday as we consider Guidance from God in the Uncertainty of Life, from Psalm 25. Notice the ways David expresses his need for this powerful God in this text:

O my God, in you I trust; (verse 2); for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long (verse 5); Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O LORD! (verse 7); Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way. (verses 8-9)

David seems to be assuming a need for God’s direction; God’s insight; God’s approval. Let me ask you, do you view yourself as this needy? Are you pleading for guidance from the Lord in this way? Are you satisfied with you own self-evaluation of your marriage, attitudes and motivations? Have you asked for the evaluation of others? The beautiful thing about the gospel is that it answers David’s prayer in verse 11: ” For your name’s sake, O LORD, pardon my guilt, for it is great.” This is the good news! We don’t have to life a perfect life, but trust in the One who did! However, this gospel does not operate in a vacuum, or without interaction with other believers (the local church!). How is the Lord sanctifying you by means of the local church? How aggressively are you pursuing humility and the loving, gentle evaluations of others? Are you ranking yourself too highly? So, if you’re in the Houston area, Join us this week as we seek to humble ourselves and thereby draw the gaze of the Creator of the universe!

The Statues We Build

Consider Colossians 3:16: “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God .” As we have thought through 2 Timothy, we have seen how the Word produces in us thankfulness that is unlike the thankfulness of the world. After all, Paul was in prison, about to be executed and yet he was thankful (and even rejoicing) for the gospel. We’ve seen that biblical success really has nothing to do with a life that is free from suffering, shame and failure. Thus, struggles, failures and valley’s will most certainly come–How will we survive?

The Apostle Paul was not the first to endure suffering and failure. We’ve seen how these things characterized David’s life, and yet he was continually rescued and sustained by God. We’ve seen David’s great sin and the consequences of that sin come to the surface over and over again. David’s own son conspired against him and caused him to flee Jerusalem. Yet, all the while, Yahweh was working for David, despite his failures and inadequacies. We’ve seen Yahweh thwart the counsel of those who sought David’s life and protect him when enemies were knocking on the door !

This Sunday, we will be considering Absalom’s Demise from 2 Samuel 18 . David had given clear instructions that Absalom was not to be hurt. Would Joab follow these instructions, or carry out his own will? If Absalom were to perish, how would he be remembered? We’ll see that he had already set up a monument for himself. Will this be how people remember this man who was to be the heir of the throne? How will you be remembered? Are you spending time building statues dedicated to yourself? Maybe this will become more clear as you think on these questions this week: “What am I most thankful for? What is it that I can’t do without? Could I survive without this thing or this person? And then, is this treasure that I cannot part with Jesus Christ?”

How Do Sinners Respond to Evil?

How do circumstances impact your journey of faith? Have you been through anything lately that reminded you of a particular consequence for a past failure or sin? Do you treat people differently because they are nice to you, or because they are typically rude and unresponsive? Is there consistency in your attitude of service, or do people avoid talking with you during challenging times in your life? Circumstances will always be changing and there will always be valleys waiting just around the corner of recent victories. David understood what it meant to be victorious in battle and in the eyes of Almighty God. He also knew, perhaps more closely, the valleys in life that seem unending and dark.

This week at Redeemer, we will be considering David’s Enemies, from 2 Samuel 16. It’s hard to image what David is going through. His son has seemingly evacuated him from his throne and now he is on the run. He first meets up with a fellow who seems to be seeking out the best for David. We learn later that Ziba was actually deceiving the king for his own gain. David then meets up with someone who is cursing him and throwing dirt and stones at him! What a welcome! Despite the zeal of his companions, David exhibits mercy and recognizes that much of what this foul man accuses him of is in fact true. David has been humbled and broken by his sin and is ready to seek the Lord’s justice, instead of his own.

I wonder how you react when someone wrongs you? Do you immediately begin to think of the shortcomings of that person, or the ways in which you are spiritually superior to him or her? How should we respond to those who hate us and hurl insults at us for the sake of the Gospel? Many believe that this incident inspired David to write Psalm 7. Take note of David’s introspection when he is cursed in Psalm 7:3-5:

O LORD my God, if I have done this, if there is wrong in my hands, 4 if I have repaid my friend with evil or plundered my enemy without cause, 5 let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it, and let him trample my life to the ground and lay my glory in the dust. Selah

How do you respond to your enemies? Consider the words of the Lord Jesus, who said:

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matt. 5:11-12)