God Hears Us When We Call to Him! -- Psalm 86:1-13
God Hears Us When We Call to Him! -- Psalm 86:1-13
By Pastor Lee Hemen
April 26, 2020
I can remember my mother asking me, “Young man, did you hear what I said?” Of course no matter if I did or not the correct answer was always “yes”. Being distracted is the profession of teenage boys and unfocused believers. It is good to know therefore that God is never distracted and always hears us when we call to him.
David, in this Psalm, was crying out to the Lord and if we just read what David says we might think that perhaps God had been distracted. The reason we would think this is because we often are distracted ourselves in how we talk with God, listen to him, and how we follow through with what he asks. David comes to the Lord asking that God hear him when he calls to him, let’s discover what this means…
READ: Psalm 86:1-13
It is a curious thing but when we all of sudden need help we are often willing to humble ourselves in order to get a quick response thinking that we can perhaps fool God. However we can never fool the Lord and in fact we learn from David that…
I. God hears us when we call to him in honesty! (Vv. 1-5)
Hear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. Guard my life, for I am devoted to you. You are my God; save your servant who trusts in you. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long. Bring joy to your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you.
1. David uses the word “hear” several times throughout this Psalm. It is the idea that David desires God to listen to his prayer. David is almost being like a small child who cries out in the middle of the night for their parent to come and comfort them. David cries out “Hear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.” David realizes that he cannot be dishonest with the Lord. God knows if he is lying or not and whether or not David truly needed him. Therefore David humbles himself as being “poor and needy”. David’s earnest desire is that the Lord would “Guard [his] life”. That God would protect him in the midst of his trials. God is the only one David could go to with his fear and in his fear David admits his need and that he is “devoted” to the Lord. At this time David realizes his total dependence has to be firmly in the Lord his God. “You are my God; save your servant who trusts in you.” In his need of the moment David understands that there is only one who truly would come to his aid even when perhaps he did not deserve God’s help so David prays “Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long.” Evidently David was suffering from his sin the consequences of which had come home to roost and now David only knew sorrow. This is why David requests God to “Bring joy to your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.” And in his suffering because of his sin David knows that he has to be truthful with the Lord and admit his sin. As he prays he tells God that “You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you.” It is there the petitioner can find joy and know God cares. David reminds us that God hears us when we call to him in honesty!
EXAMPLE: I do not know about you but I dislike it when people have hidden agendas. Often they cannot be honest with others and they cannot be honest with their selves. God hates dishonesty. This is why when we come to him we must come to him with all that we are. Over the years as a pastor I have listened to some of the lamest excuses from folks about their relationship with the Lord. It makes me want to yell, “Just be honest!” David teaches us that God hears us when we call to him in honesty!
God knows our heart. He knows our inner most thoughts. He is never fooled by our words, false deeds, or inconsistent lifestyle. David learns not only should he be truthful with the Lord but that…
II. God hears us when we call to him for mercy! (Vv. 6-10)
Hear my prayer, O LORD; listen to my cry for mercy. In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me. Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord; no deeds can compare with yours. All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, O Lord; they will bring glory to your name. For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God.
1. Again, David asks God to “Hear my prayer” and to “listen to my cry for mercy.” David needed the Lord’s undeserved love. That’s what mercy is all about. David was in personal distress. “In my day of trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me.” Just like we sometimes do David felt that no one would listen or that no one would care that was facing a day of trouble. It’s like someone once told me, “Pastor, no one wants to hear about your problems!” But that is not true! God always does. He never tires of us coming to him whether it is in the good times or our troubled times. David knew God would answer him. Curiously David declares openly that “Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord; no deeds can compare with yours.” David wasn’t advocating that there were actually other gods but rather that those who believed in other gods than the Lord God should know that those made of wood, stone, or clay could not compare to the Living God. Their supposed deeds were mere fables whereas God’s deeds were real and David could testify to the fact. The truth was that eventually “All the nations” with those false gods would “come and worship before you, O Lord” and “they will bring glory to your name”! Not only was David testifying about the mercy and might of God, to grant him mercy but those nations which God had made with their mythical manmade gods would eventually have to glorify the Lord! David affirms, “For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God.” It is because of God’s greatness and who he is that he grants us his grace. David teaches us that God hears us when we call to him for mercy!
EXAMPLE: We are willing to go to God for mercy but we often think he may not be listening to our cry for help. It always amazed me but when our daughter was little, even if she just kind of whimpered in her sleep, my wife could wake up out of sound sleep, jump out of bed, and be at her crib in seconds. Loving parents respond to the cries of their children no matter how soft and David teaches us that our loving God hears us when we call to him for mercy!
Abraham Lincoln is credited with the saying, “You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.” I’ve learned that you can’t fool the Lord at any time; he knows when we are being insincere. And here we learn from David that…
III. God hears us when we call to him with all that we are! (Vv. 11-13)
Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths of the grave.
1. Finally David gets down to what he truly desires as the outcome of his prayer to the Lord. Later in this Psalm we learn that arrogant and ruthless men were seeking David’s life. They didn’t care that he was God’s chosen. David however knows that God is “a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness”. This is an absolute truth that we all should write on our heart of hearts. And it is in this truth that David comes and asks God “Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.” David, even with all his sin and faults, wanted to learn from the Lord, to walk in his truth with an undivided heart. Far too many folks try to fool the Lord thinking they can pull the spiritual wool over him. In doing so they show a contempt and total disregard for whom God is. Not David, he wanted to “fear” even the very name of God. David understood that words mean nothing without action. Out of his fear, out of his entire being David tells the Lord, “I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.” David only considered himself the “son of a maidservant” before the Lord, even though he was king of Israel. David desired a “sign” of God’s “goodness” towards him so that his “enemies would see it and be put to shame”. In this he could confidently say, “For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths of the grave.” David knew without a doubt that God hears us when we call to him with all that we are!
EXAMPLE: The other day as I was sitting in my living room some kids came walking by and the youngest was screaming at the top of her lungs for her mother. I mean it was not just loud; it was piercing in the extreme. Her older sister stopped in the middle of the street and being a bit annoyed and being the older sister she hollered back, “Why are you yelling so loud?” The little girl responded, “I just want mom!” You know what? When a person truly needs the Lord, God knows it. And here David teaches us that God hears us when we call to him with all that we are!
Conclusion:
God hears us when we call to him in honesty! God hears us when we call to him for mercy! God hears us when we call to him with all that we are!
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This article is copyrighted © 2020 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.
By Pastor Lee Hemen
April 26, 2020
I can remember my mother asking me, “Young man, did you hear what I said?” Of course no matter if I did or not the correct answer was always “yes”. Being distracted is the profession of teenage boys and unfocused believers. It is good to know therefore that God is never distracted and always hears us when we call to him.
David, in this Psalm, was crying out to the Lord and if we just read what David says we might think that perhaps God had been distracted. The reason we would think this is because we often are distracted ourselves in how we talk with God, listen to him, and how we follow through with what he asks. David comes to the Lord asking that God hear him when he calls to him, let’s discover what this means…
READ: Psalm 86:1-13
It is a curious thing but when we all of sudden need help we are often willing to humble ourselves in order to get a quick response thinking that we can perhaps fool God. However we can never fool the Lord and in fact we learn from David that…
I. God hears us when we call to him in honesty! (Vv. 1-5)
Hear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. Guard my life, for I am devoted to you. You are my God; save your servant who trusts in you. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long. Bring joy to your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you.
1. David uses the word “hear” several times throughout this Psalm. It is the idea that David desires God to listen to his prayer. David is almost being like a small child who cries out in the middle of the night for their parent to come and comfort them. David cries out “Hear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.” David realizes that he cannot be dishonest with the Lord. God knows if he is lying or not and whether or not David truly needed him. Therefore David humbles himself as being “poor and needy”. David’s earnest desire is that the Lord would “Guard [his] life”. That God would protect him in the midst of his trials. God is the only one David could go to with his fear and in his fear David admits his need and that he is “devoted” to the Lord. At this time David realizes his total dependence has to be firmly in the Lord his God. “You are my God; save your servant who trusts in you.” In his need of the moment David understands that there is only one who truly would come to his aid even when perhaps he did not deserve God’s help so David prays “Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long.” Evidently David was suffering from his sin the consequences of which had come home to roost and now David only knew sorrow. This is why David requests God to “Bring joy to your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.” And in his suffering because of his sin David knows that he has to be truthful with the Lord and admit his sin. As he prays he tells God that “You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you.” It is there the petitioner can find joy and know God cares. David reminds us that God hears us when we call to him in honesty!
EXAMPLE: I do not know about you but I dislike it when people have hidden agendas. Often they cannot be honest with others and they cannot be honest with their selves. God hates dishonesty. This is why when we come to him we must come to him with all that we are. Over the years as a pastor I have listened to some of the lamest excuses from folks about their relationship with the Lord. It makes me want to yell, “Just be honest!” David teaches us that God hears us when we call to him in honesty!
God knows our heart. He knows our inner most thoughts. He is never fooled by our words, false deeds, or inconsistent lifestyle. David learns not only should he be truthful with the Lord but that…
II. God hears us when we call to him for mercy! (Vv. 6-10)
Hear my prayer, O LORD; listen to my cry for mercy. In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me. Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord; no deeds can compare with yours. All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, O Lord; they will bring glory to your name. For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God.
1. Again, David asks God to “Hear my prayer” and to “listen to my cry for mercy.” David needed the Lord’s undeserved love. That’s what mercy is all about. David was in personal distress. “In my day of trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me.” Just like we sometimes do David felt that no one would listen or that no one would care that was facing a day of trouble. It’s like someone once told me, “Pastor, no one wants to hear about your problems!” But that is not true! God always does. He never tires of us coming to him whether it is in the good times or our troubled times. David knew God would answer him. Curiously David declares openly that “Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord; no deeds can compare with yours.” David wasn’t advocating that there were actually other gods but rather that those who believed in other gods than the Lord God should know that those made of wood, stone, or clay could not compare to the Living God. Their supposed deeds were mere fables whereas God’s deeds were real and David could testify to the fact. The truth was that eventually “All the nations” with those false gods would “come and worship before you, O Lord” and “they will bring glory to your name”! Not only was David testifying about the mercy and might of God, to grant him mercy but those nations which God had made with their mythical manmade gods would eventually have to glorify the Lord! David affirms, “For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God.” It is because of God’s greatness and who he is that he grants us his grace. David teaches us that God hears us when we call to him for mercy!
EXAMPLE: We are willing to go to God for mercy but we often think he may not be listening to our cry for help. It always amazed me but when our daughter was little, even if she just kind of whimpered in her sleep, my wife could wake up out of sound sleep, jump out of bed, and be at her crib in seconds. Loving parents respond to the cries of their children no matter how soft and David teaches us that our loving God hears us when we call to him for mercy!
Abraham Lincoln is credited with the saying, “You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.” I’ve learned that you can’t fool the Lord at any time; he knows when we are being insincere. And here we learn from David that…
III. God hears us when we call to him with all that we are! (Vv. 11-13)
Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths of the grave.
1. Finally David gets down to what he truly desires as the outcome of his prayer to the Lord. Later in this Psalm we learn that arrogant and ruthless men were seeking David’s life. They didn’t care that he was God’s chosen. David however knows that God is “a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness”. This is an absolute truth that we all should write on our heart of hearts. And it is in this truth that David comes and asks God “Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.” David, even with all his sin and faults, wanted to learn from the Lord, to walk in his truth with an undivided heart. Far too many folks try to fool the Lord thinking they can pull the spiritual wool over him. In doing so they show a contempt and total disregard for whom God is. Not David, he wanted to “fear” even the very name of God. David understood that words mean nothing without action. Out of his fear, out of his entire being David tells the Lord, “I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.” David only considered himself the “son of a maidservant” before the Lord, even though he was king of Israel. David desired a “sign” of God’s “goodness” towards him so that his “enemies would see it and be put to shame”. In this he could confidently say, “For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths of the grave.” David knew without a doubt that God hears us when we call to him with all that we are!
EXAMPLE: The other day as I was sitting in my living room some kids came walking by and the youngest was screaming at the top of her lungs for her mother. I mean it was not just loud; it was piercing in the extreme. Her older sister stopped in the middle of the street and being a bit annoyed and being the older sister she hollered back, “Why are you yelling so loud?” The little girl responded, “I just want mom!” You know what? When a person truly needs the Lord, God knows it. And here David teaches us that God hears us when we call to him with all that we are!
Conclusion:
God hears us when we call to him in honesty! God hears us when we call to him for mercy! God hears us when we call to him with all that we are!
----
This article is copyrighted © 2020 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.
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