Cultivating A Desperate Prayer Life

Thank you, Sean.

I am unbelievably grateful to be able to stand here before you today.

As a man of God, I'm grateful to be here.

I'm grateful because I remember walking these streets years ago with Sean,

praying and seeking God as to whether this was the place for him to plant.

And now to see all your faces out here is just a real blessing to my soul

that God would be so gracious and so kind as to build his church here in this community.

Amen?

And as Sean said, I would agree completely that Sean is one of my best friends,

a man I truly look up to and am grateful for his friendship,

grateful for him speaking into my life without hesitation.

And I am blessed by the words that he speaks.

I believe they are truly from God when he speaks.

So you are blessed to have him as your pastor.

Just to give you a quick update before we get into,

to give you a little bit about Salem and the church plan.

And since he asked me to, never asked a church planting pastor to tell you about his church plant

because he won't shut up.

So Salem, if you're not familiar with it, is a city of about 43,000 people.

It is a city that has probably 500 or so active practicing believers.

So do the math on that.

That is missions territory.

That's really less than 2%.

So it's a great place to plant a church.

There's tons of opportunity in Salem.

It is a very spiritual city.

People are actually very spiritually engaged in Salem.

So if there's 500 believers, there's three times that amount that are actively practicing witchcraft.

There are lots of people.

Yeah, there's a lot of covens there.

There's 20 plus covens in the city.

That's witches who practice witchcraft are in covens, like we're in churches.

There are probably another...

I don't even want to try and give a percentage.

People practicing paganism, neopaganism, and some other strange New Age type stuff, crystals.

Everything you can possibly think of is kind of in that city.

It's a great place to be.

Think of Paul in Ephesus.

It's a great place to be.

People are openly engaged in some sort of worship.

Not ours, and we're not preferable, and they don't like us there.

But God's opening doors for us.

So we're excited.

We've added two new families.

I'm hoping to have a third.

They keep telling me they're going to visit.

He's a non-believer.

He's fallen on some hard times, and I've been helping him walk through.

And I'm excited to see where that may go.

You could be praying for us.

So if I could give you a vision of something that God gave me in 2017 before I planted.

I was standing on a hill at the west end of Salem.

It's called Gallows Hill.

It's right near where they hung the witches.

It's the high ground.

You can look over the city.

And I was just really praying,

God, this is hard ground, and I don't know if we can do this.

And everything stands against us.

How are we going to do this?

And as I had my eyes closed, and I opened them,

and I was looking at a tree that was growing out of a rock.

Like the tree had split the rock and was growing out of it.

And God said, this is what I will do in Salem.

Just plant the seed.

Amen?

So, it's going to be hard ground.

It takes time.

But God is doing something in that city because God cares about people.

And there are people in that city that are called by his name.

They just don't know it yet.

And so, our job is to spread the gospel, to proclaim it,

and to be Christ's representatives in that city,

just like you are here.

And so, please pray for us that we're able to do that,

that we're able to proclaim the glorious gospel of Christ,

and that we do it faithfully and consistently.

Amen?

Amen.

Thank you.

So, our passage today is from Psalm 63.

Now, scholars believe that Psalm 63

springs out of the events from 2 Samuel 15-17.

And in those chapters,

the son of David, Absalom,

is conducting a coup against his father.

It's a coup that is five years or more in the making.

Years of deception

and well-thought-out lies,

years of cunning

were what is behind this coup.

As chapter 17 picks up,

David has abandoned Jerusalem.

Now, he's abandoned it to save it from the conflict.

He doesn't want warfare in the city.

And he's taken those who are loyal to him

into the wilderness

where both food and water are scarce.

Many of those who are following him

are now women and children.

Verse 29 of chapter 17

in 2 Samuel tells us that

the people were hungry

and weary

and thirsty

in the wilderness.

It is here that David

prepares to do battle against his son,

Absalom,

a son whom he loves.

And it is from this place

that Psalm 63

is written.

So let's

turn to Psalm 63

and I'll read that for us.

Psalm 63.

The Psalm of David

when he was in the wilderness

of Judah.

O God,

you are my God.

Earnestly I seek you.

My soul thirsts

for you.

My flesh

faints

for you.

As in a dry

and weary land

where there is no water.

So I have looked upon you

in the sanctuary

beholding your power

and your glory.

Behold,

your steadfast love

is better than life.

My lips

will praise you.

So I will bless you

as long as I live.

In your name,

I will lift up my hands.

My soul

will be satisfied

as with fat

and rich food.

And my mouth

will praise you

with joyful lips

when I remember you

upon my bed

and meditate upon you

in the watches

of the night.

For you

have been my help

and in the shadow

of your wings

I will sing for joy.

My soul

clings to you.

Your right

hand

upholds me.

But those

who seek

to destroy

my life

shall go down

into the depths

of the earth.

They shall be given

over to the power

of the sword.

They shall be

a portion

for jackals.

But the king

shall rejoice

in God.

All who swear

by him

shall exalt

for the mouth

of liars

will be stopped.

May God bless

the reading

and the hearing

of his word.

from today's passage.

I hope

to help us

understand

the psalm

from David's

perspective

and also

to understand

that this psalm

is included

in Scripture

in God's word

to be

instructive

for us

as well.

From the passage,

I hope to convince

you of three things.

I hope

to convince you

that you can

come before

God

with a desperate

spirit

or a desperate

heart.

That is

what David

did

and it is

what we

should be doing

as well.

From there,

I want to

encourage you

to remember

God

with an expectant

heart

because as

we see in

verses 2

through 7,

when we

remember

God,

our faith

is built.

We are able

to worship

God

and in the

worship of God,

even in difficult

circumstances,

our hungry

flesh

and our

thirsty

souls

will be

satisfied

and find

joy

in God's

presence.

And finally,

my desire

is to lead

you

and to

challenge

you

to rejoice

in God

with the

overcoming

King.

But before

we go

any farther,

please let me

take a moment

to submit

this message

to God,

to ask

Him

to guide

and give

power to

my words,

to ask

Him to

prepare

your hearts

and mine

to receive

the word

that He

would speak

to us

today

and that

He would

cause it

to transform

our thoughts

and actions

in the coming

week.

So Father,

You are

so good

to give

us Your

Word

to

faithfully

speak to

us

even

today

through

Your

Scripture.

Lord,

I just

want to

humbly

submit

this

message

to You

today

that You've

given me.

Lord,

I ask You

to change

it in

any way

You see

fit.

Lord,

Your

promise is

that Your

Word does

not go

out and

come back

void.

So Lord,

we ask

accomplish

all that

You

would.

Lord,

I pray

that today

You would

give us

eyes that

are seeing

and perceiving,

hearts

that are

understanding.

Lord,

and as

required,

Father,

through the

power of

Your

Holy Spirit,

that You

would give

us the

ability to

repent where

that's

necessary and

faith to

believe where

that's

necessary.

Lord God,

come and

do all that

You intend

today,

we pray.

In

Jesus'

name,

Amen.

In 2 Samuel

17,

David and

those who

are with

him are

in a

desperate

place.

As we

mentioned

earlier,

this passage

that we've

read in

Psalm 63

is rooted

in the

events of

Absalom's

conspiracy

and coup

to overthrow

his father.

things are

desperate

for David.

David has

left the

city with

a small

contingent of

faithful followers.

They have

left behind

almost everything

in the way

of supplies

because they

were completely

caught off

guard by

this turn

of events.

Absalom is

literally entering

the city with

an army behind

him as David

is going out

the other

gates on the

other side of

the city.

David hurries

his people

to the

only place

that he is

absolutely

familiar with,

the only

place that

David is

likely to

go when

he's being

pursued.

It's the

wilderness of

Judea.

He knows it

because he's

hidden there

before.

He's hidden

there before

from King

Saul,

Israel's

first king.

But now

the circumstances

are different.

When he went

the first time

it was as a

warrior fleeing

on his own.

And now

he's going

as a king

into a dry

and weary

land with

women and

children and

his entourage

with limited

supplies and

no clear

knowledge of

who he can

trust.

The world

has been

unturned

upside down

for him.

It is from

this place

that David

cries out

to God

in the

beginning

of his

psalm.

I cannot

imagine

David

having spent

a more

restless

night.

I can

imagine him

wrestling

with his

past.

How should

he have

dealt

differently

with

Absalom?

Wrestling

with his

doubts

has God

abandoned

me?

Is this

payment

from God

for the

blood on

my hands

for my

many years

as a

warrior?

I can

imagine

David

wrestling

with fears

on behalf

of his

other sons.

Will

Absalom

murder

them to

solidify

his place

on the

throne?

What

will happen

to those

who are

loyal to

me?

I can

imagine

David

wrestling

with his

fears for

the city

of Jerusalem,

his beloved

city.

What

will happen

to Jerusalem

if a

king who

does not

fear God

sits upon

the throne?

What

will happen

to Israel?

Israel?

I can

imagine

David

also

wrestling

with the

weight of

the

responsibility

for a

kingdom

and then

specifically

for those

who are

now with

him.

How

would he

feed

them?

How

would he

get them

water?

How

would he

shelter

them?

How

would he

protect

them?

who

were his

friends

and who

could he

trust?

All of

these

questions

and David

has no

answers.

He is

in the

wilderness

where there

is no

food,

where there

is no

water,

and there

is a

weariness

that finds

no rest.

I can

also

imagine

that Satan

is trying

to supply

lots of

answers because

that's what

he does.

I can

imagine that

Satan is

speaking words

of condemnation,

words of

abandonment,

words of

rejection by

God.

I can

imagine

that Satan

is speaking

words of

fear

and

despair

and

death.

Satan

is a

liar

and the

father

of

lies.

And I

can

imagine

that he

is actively

painting a

picture of

hopelessness for

David,

God's chosen

king.

Finally,

I can

imagine David

in the

gray light

of the

early dawn,

rising and

heading up to

the high

ground in the

wilderness to

seek God.

as a

day that

promises to

be hot

and dry

dawns.

I can

picture David

looking over

the wastelands

before him

and crying

out to

God,

Oh God,

you are my

God.

Earnestly I

seek you.

My soul

thirsts

for you.

My flesh

faints

for you.

as in a

dry and

weary land

where there

is no

water.

It is

from this

place of

deep

desperation

that David

turns to

God.

It is

from this

place of

hopelessness

that David

cries out.

It is

out of the

realization

that if

God

doesn't

work a

miracle,

he and

those with

him will

be

destroyed.

It is

out of

this

place of

soul

twisting,

gut

wrenching,

spiritual,

mental,

and emotional

agony

that David

cries out

like a

sponge that

has had all

the water

wrung out

of it and

is left

out to

dry in

the

noonday

sun.

David

is now

feeling

spiritually

and emotionally

dry

and brittle

and it

is from

the

barren

wilderness

of his

soul

that he

cries out,

Oh God,

you are

my God

earnestly

with great

desire,

with

desperation

I seek

you.

Friends,

you can bet

that with all

the events

that have led

to this

point,

the hopelessness

that appeared

to lay

before

David.

David's

cry

to God

was a

wholehearted

seeking

of God.

A

wholehearted

desperation

for God

to meet

him

and act

on his

behalf.

So,

my question

do is

this.

Can you

relate?

Have you

been in

the place

of desperation

and hopelessness

where you

had to

earnestly

seek

God?

Are you

in that

place

now?

Life

brings

circumstances

like this

as they

did with

David.

They

catapult

us from

our

kingdom

where we

are on

top of

everything

to the

wilderness

of

desperation

and they

do it

in the

blink of

an eye.

Things

like a

sudden

change

in your

visa

status.

A

dramatic

governmental

change

back

home

that

may

leave

you

very

unwelcome.

Maybe

it's

something

closer to

home

like

betrayal

from a

spouse

or a

close

friend.

A

child

incarcerated.

An

unexpected

diagnosis

of cancer.

The

loss of

your

job.

You get

the idea.

You can

fill in

your own

story

here.

And you

know how

quickly it

can unseat

you

from a

throne room

of abundance

and put

you in

the

unhospitable

wilderness

of desperate

weariness

where you

hunger

and you

thirst.

Let me

encourage you.

There is

hope

for us

here.

God

does not

reject

the

pleas

of a

desperate

heart.

God

doesn't

turn

his

back

on the

person

who

seeks

him

earnestly.

God

doesn't

ignore

the

soul

that

thirsts

for

him.

No.

The

history

of

Scripture

is

clear.

As

are the

Psalms.

Consider

Psalm 139.

We heard a

little bit

of that

earlier.

Psalm 139

reminds us

that God

is not

surprised

by our

circumstances.

He

is

acquainted

with

all of

our

ways.

He

hems

us

in

from

behind

and

before.

There

is

nowhere

that I

can

go

that I

can

get

away

from

the

Spirit

of

God.

There

is

nowhere

I

can

go

that

His

presence

will

not

be

there

with

me.

He

leads

me.

His

right

hand

holds

me.

And

even

though

I

may

be

in

a

place

of

physical,

spiritual,

and

emotional

darkness.

The

darkness

is like

light

to

God.

Your

desperate

plight

is not

hidden

from

God.

When

you cry

out in

desperation

to God,

He hears

you and

He knows

you

completely.

Consider

Psalm 23

where He

reminds us

that even

though we

walk through

the valley

of deep

darkness,

darkness,

God is

leading

us.

His

rod is

a symbol

of His

authority

and

leadership

even

in

deep

darkness.

His

staff

is a

symbol

of His

protection

over

us

even

in

deep

darkness.

He

leads us

through

deep

darkness

and

tells us

not to

fear

but to

trust

that He

is leading

us

through

that

valley

to

green

pastures

where our

hunger

will be

fulfilled

and

satisfied

where

our

thirst

will be

met

with

still

waters

where

our

souls

will

be

restored

friends

God

recognizes

and hears

our cries

of

desperation

so if

you're

in

this

place

let

me

encourage

you

not

to

hesitate

but

to

cry

out

to

God

in

desperation

make

your

plea

known

make

your

request

known

before

the

throne

of

mercy

and

grace

that

you

might

receive

mercy

and

grace

in

your

time

of

need

just

like

Hebrews

4.16

tells us

to do

when

he is

threatened

on

every

side

desperate

when

he is

physically

emotionally

and

spiritually

torn

David

turns

to

God

David

remembers

God

and as

he does

he remembers

God

with an

expectant

heart

so let's

look at

our

second

point

to see

how

remembering

God

affects

David's

actions

during

desperate

circumstances

let's

look again

at verses

2

through

7

David

says here

so I

have

looked

upon

you

in the

sanctuary

beholding

your

power

and

glory

because

your

steadfast

love

is

better

than

life

my

lips

will

praise

you

so I

will

bless

you

as

long

as

I

live

and

in

your

name

I

will

lift

up

my

hands

my

soul

will

be

satisfied

as

with

fat

and

rich

food

and

my

mouth

will

praise

you

with

joyful

lips

when

I

remember

you

upon

my

bed

and

meditate

on

you

in

the

watches

of

the

night

for

you

have

been

my

help

and

in

the

shadow

of

your

wings

I

will

sing

for

joy

in

this

section

we see

that as

David cries

out to

God

in raw

desperation

it is a

desperation

that is now

shaped by

the memory

of

God

David

knows

God

do you

know

God

are you

intimate

with

God

David

knows

God

this

psalm

comes

from the

later

half of

David's

life

a life

that has

been

marked

with

intimacy

towards

God

and so

in

desperation

David

remembers

God

and when

David

remembers

God

it is not

with doubt

but it

is with

expectation

born out

of years

of

desperation

and

dependency

and

deliverance

by God

David

first

remembers

God's

sanctuary

the place

where the

holy of

holies

is located

the place

where the

ark

of the

covenant

resides

it is

where the

mercy

seat

of

God

rests

it is

where the

presence

of the

living

creator

God

of

Israel

Yahweh

dwells

Israel's

God

in the

past

David

has danced

before the

ark

rejoicing

in God's

power and

presence

he has

sought

God's

power in

the

sanctuary

he has

prostrated

himself

in the

sanctuary

he has

experienced

God's

presence

there

David

thinks back

now to

the sanctuary

of God

where he

has experienced

God's power

power and

glory and

God's glory and

his actions

and his

expectations

let me say

that again

David thinks

back to his

time in the

sanctuary

he thinks

back of

God

about God

how he's

experienced

God's

power and

glory and

he lets

that shape

his

prayers

and his

actions

and his

expectations

guys when

you and I

come before

God in

desperation

having made

our desperate

plea

having made

your complaint

known before

God

then remember

God's

power and

glory

let your

heart

your mind

your soul

rest there

soak it

in

let it

build

your

faith

consider

God

remember

his

steadfast

love

and

faithfulness

remember

his mercy

and grace

remember

how it's

extended

to you

first

through Jesus

Christ

who called

you

who pursued

you

who gave

his life

for you

who redeemed

you

gave you

new life

promised

to never

leave you

and has

made

a way

for you

to be

with

him

and his

heavenly

father

for all

of

eternity

then

as your

hope

and faith

are built

let it

turn to

praise

yes

in the

middle

of your

desperation

when your

soul thirsts

and your

flesh is

ready

to faint

remember

the steadfast

love

of God

expressed

to you

in Jesus

Christ

and let

it lift

your heart

let it

lift

your mind

let it

lift

your soul

let it

lift

your voice

in praise

to the

living God

who knows you

who loves you

who gave his life

for you

remember

what Christ

has done

and let

remembering

dispel

your deep

darkness

let remembering

that God

knew you

before the

foundations

of the

earth

let

remembering

that he

sent Jesus

for you

that he

adopted

you in

love

let those

truths

dispel

the lies

of the

enemy

remember

that he

has given

you his

Holy Spirit

as a seal

and a guarantee

of your faith

and let that

memory

fill you

with fresh

hope

as light

shines

into your

darkness

remember

the nail

scarred

hands

those hands

which are

engraved

with your

name

for all

eternity

and remember

the name

that he

calls you

by

beloved

because

you

are

his

blood

bought

bride

you

are

his

beloved

let that

memory

of who

God is

and what

he has

done

leads you

to look

up

not only

with grateful

praise

but also

with

expectation

that God

is for

you

that he

hears

you

that he

knows

you

you

come

before

a throne

of mercy

and grace

not as

unknown

not as

forgotten

but as

beloved

when David

remembers

and meditates

on what

God has

done

in the

past

it

gives

him

faith

for

the

future

when

you

cry

out

to

God

in

desperation

when

you

earnestly

are

seeking

God

when

your

soul

is

parched

from

walking

in the

barren

wasteland

where

there

is

no

water

when

you

are

ready

to

faint

from

hunger

in

a dry

and

weary

land

the

dry

and weary

land

of your

own

personal

desperate

circumstances

remember

God

remember

what God

has done

in the

past

and let

it

fuel

your

prayers

let

it

fuel

your

faith

let

it

fuel

your

expectation

for

the

future

God

has

rescued

you

in

the

past

he

has

redeemed

you

in

the

past

he

has

delivered

you

in

the

past

surely

he

will

not

leave

you

now

surely

he

will

not

leave

you

desperate

now

surely

he

will

come

and

rescue

and

deliver

you

are

his

beloved

God

see

what

David

does

in

verse

5

the

desperate

plea

that

he

began

in

verse

1

from

his

soul

that

thirst

and

was

barren

thirst

and

in

a

barren

land

where

there

is

no

water

has

been

changed

to

praise

as

he

remembers

God's

steadfast

love

praise

is

then

turned

to

expectation

in

verse

5

where

David