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Psalm 63:6-8
The Bible Teaching Commentary
5) Uplifting prayers reflect on God’s past marvelous works
Paul J. Bucknell
Psalm 63:6-8: Prayer is public and loud. But it also is necessarily quiet and calm. If you are one of these people that need to keep running to stay awake, then you will miss out on one of the most touching times of meditative prayer God has for you.
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Introduction Psalm 63:1-11
1) Sincere prayers (Psalm 63:1a).
2) Powerful prayers (Psalm 63:1b).
3) Great prayers (Psalm 63:2).
4) Affectionate prayers (Psalm 63:3-5).
5) Uplifting prayers (Psalm 63:6-8).
6) Faith prayers (Psalm 63:9-11).
Study Questions on Psalm 63
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When I remember Thee on my bed, I meditate on Thee in the night watches, For Thou hast been my help, And in the shadow of Thy wings I sing for joy. My soul clings to Thee; Thy right hand upholds me.
I can remember times when I cannot hold back my tears when I think about the goodness of the Lord to me. It might be at night when I am readying for bed or when I get up in the morning. Some people are woken in the middle of the night. I seem to still sleep through these sessions.
It is funny that the night I first prepared this that I actually woke up in the middle of the night. I thought it was morning. It was I think 1:30 a.m. I was already to get up but after I looked at the clock, I said this is crazy. I went back to sleep. It was only a few days later that I realized that might have been the Lord waking me up but forgot what I had just read!
The pattern of meditative prayer is much the same as praise prayer. It starts with remembering the Lord. I suppose it often ends that way too. Our lives are far too fast-paced. The only way I can get around the distractions of life is to get up before trucks and cars and children are moving.
We need to realize that meditative prayer is a choice. Part of it is just going over what has happened. David probably smiles at seeing all the Israelites faces shocked when a little stone brings a great giant down. That was God. Or maybe he is thinking about how God arranged a wife for him. Maybe it was the time that Saul had him lead troops out and he came back victorious, knowing full well that the victory was of the Lord. He even might have been thinking about how many times he eluded King Saul and the army’s grasp by God’s grace. It was only because of God. Thinking on past works of God encourage and strengthen our faith for the future. Perhaps you are wishing you had faith like this or that person. Let me advise you to start where David did. Start by telling God how great He was when He did this and that in your life. A spiritual journal is very helpful here.
I honestly believe people don't’ evangelize because they haven’t thought much about God’s greatness. They forgot what God has done for them. They are too busy trying to make ends meet. David says, “For Thou has been my help.” He knows. He doesn’t let himself forget and neither should we. You see God wants to link our prayers to His answers so that we are helped along in this process.
Do you see this building here? Well it is an encoded answer to prayer and testimony to God’s grace. It has nothing to do with our loans. It has nothing to do with our great plans. Last year we heard about a big hike in the lease of our past place. We didn’t even have money for that higher rent. Well here we are a year later debt free in a building that we couldn't find for ten years. Unless you slow down and meditate on the sequence of events, it doesn’t touch you. It is as if God didn’t do anything great.
The wilderness is a wonderful place to catch up on the great works of God. I suggest that you begin to set apart time on Sunday to reflect on God’s greatness. If you are with other saints, share some great things God has done and then pray giving thanks to Him. Ask Him to do even greater things so that you all can praise God more! People who can only talk about movies and actors have missed the real stage of God’s glorious works.
Adoration leads to security. Why? Because after remembering how God has taken care of you, how can one worry? “And in the shadow of Thy wings I sing for joy.”
Adoration leads to deeper commitment? How? When we review the way God has worked, we are more convinced of His goodness and power and want to have a deeper part in the works of God. “My soul clings to Thee; Thy right hand upholds me.”
Meditation then is prayer just like true praise and worship in song. Meditation focuses on what has been and creates great expectation on what will be. Biblical mediation is always centered around the great works of God especially seen in Christ. Vain meditation is on nothing, emptiness and void. Vain mediation is also when a man thinks about how great he is apart from God. He is deluded and he will draw dangerous conclusions in his mind. But biblical meditation always arises with praise on God’s glorious works. We have one more lesson on prayer.
Continue on : 6) Faith prayers enable one to face difficult situations with courage (Psalm 63:9-11). Study Questions
1) Sincere prayers often derive from desperate circumstances (Psalm 63:1a).
2) Powerful prayers openly reveal their dependence upon God (Psalm 63:1b).
3) Great prayers always result from an encounter with God (Psalm 63:2).
4) Affectionate prayers respond to God’s love with adoration (Psalm 63:3-5).
5) Uplifting prayers reflect on God’s past marvelous works (Psalm 63:6-8).
6) Faith prayers enable one to face difficult situations with courage (Psalm 63:9-11).
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