Learn How to Pray!

Sign-up for the "How To Pray The Bible" membership e-mail series! Just fill in your information Below to get started. Learn how to Pray with the Master Teacher.

Saturday, October 14, 2006

Let Us Learn To Pray In The Dark!

Psalms 30:1-5 says:

1 I will extol thee, O LORD; for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me.
2 O LORD my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.
3 O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
4 Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.
5 For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.



The great things the Lord has done for us, both by His providence and by His grace, bind us in gratitude to do all we can to advance His kingdom among men, though the most we can do is but so little.

God's saints in heaven sing to Him; why shouldn’t the ones on earth do the same? Not one of all God's perfections carries in it more terror to the wicked, or more comfort to the godly, than His holiness. It is a good sign that we are in some measure partakers of His holiness, if we can heartily rejoice at the remembrance of it.

Our happiness is bound up in the Divine favor; if we have that, we have enough, whatever else we want; but as long as God's anger continues, so will the saints' weeping continue.

Psalms 30:6-12 says:

6 And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved.
7 LORD, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled.
8 I cried to thee, O LORD; and unto the LORD I made supplication.
9 What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?
10 Hear, O LORD, and have mercy upon me: LORD, be thou my helper.
11 Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;
12 To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.



When things are well with us, we are very apt to think that they will always be so. When we see our mistake, we start to think with shame on our physical security as our foolishness. If God hides His face, a good man is troubled, though no other calamity happens to him. But if God, in wisdom and justice, turns from us, it will be the greatest folly if we turn from Him. No; let us learn to pray in the dark!

The sanctified spirit, which returns to God, will praise Him, will be still praising Him; but the services of God's house cannot be performed by the dust; it cannot praise Him; there is none of that appliance or working from the grave, for it is the land of silence. We ask correctly for life, when we do so that we may live to praise Him.

In due time God delivered the psalmist out of his troubles. Our tongue is our glory, and never more so than when employed in praising God. He will persevere to the end in praise, hoping that he will shortly be where this will be the everlasting work.

But let us all beware of physical security. Neither outward prosperity, nor inward peace, here, are sure and lasting. The Lord, in His favor, has fixed the believer's safety firm as the deep-rooted mountains, but he must expect to meet with temptations and afflictions. When we grow careless, we fall into sin, the Lord hides His face, our comforts droop, and troubles assail us.

No comments: