2. An Acknowledgement of God's Power Psalm 31:2

Text:  “Bow down Thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be Thou may strong Rock, for an house of defence to save me.”

                                                                                                                     Psalm 31:2.

Good morning, prayerfully dependant Christian!  Knowing how utterly weak you and I are, and believing with all our hearts in the Sovereign and Almighty power of our Lord God Jehovah - we acknowledge both God’s Sovereign power and our total dependence on Him.  In prayerful sincerity, therefore, we cry out unto Him for His Salvation and delivering strength.  ‘Lord God Almighty, we fully acknowledge Thy power and our full dependence upon Thee, through Christ Jesus Thy Son, our Saviour.  Amen.’

“And He said unto me (the apostle Paul), My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness.  Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak (and acknowledge my weakness before God), then am I strong (in the full strength of the Living Lord God Almighty).” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

If we are fully dependent upon the Lord God for our every need; then we are assured of His strength and Divine provision.  If we presume to be self-dependant - then we will very quickly learn the Proverb: ‘Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.’ (Proverbs 16:18)

The wise practice of ‘reverent and serious reasoning’ with the Lord God in prayer continues in verse two of our selected Psalm 31:.

Verse 2.  “Bow down Thine ear.  Listen to my complaint.  Put Thy ear to my lips, that Thou mayest hear all that my feebleness is capable of uttering.  We generally put our ear near to the lips of the sick and dying that we may hear what they say.  To this the text appears to allude.”  (Adam Clarke 1766-1832)

Mankind, because of Adam’s Fall into sin in Eden’s Garden, is born in Adam’s sin and iniquity and therefore, commences life and the process of dying on the day of his/her birth!  As soon as we issue from the womb of woman, we commence our journey towards eventual death.  Thus, the Psalmist cries out to the Living Lord God to hear the prayer of one who is travelling on the road to certain death.  Praise God, in Christ Jesus, death is not the end.  In Him, death merely commences the reality of Eternal life in Heaven with our Saviour, Christ Jesus.  Hallelujah!  Our prayers are heard!

“O Death, where is thy sting?  O grave, where is thy victory?  The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the Law.  But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”  (1 Corinthians 15:55-58)

Verse 2.  “…Deliver me speedily…”  ‘Prayerfully dependant Christians’ are most conscious of our need for God’s speedy deliverance from sin, from the ever-present temptations of the world, flesh, and Devil.  We are continually in need of deliverance, for the enemies of our souls and our witness and testimony for Christ are never slack in seeking to try to pull us down and trap us in the vices that the world employs.  For a ‘speedy deliverance’ we must therefore send up ‘speedy prayers’ to God.  A prayer- less Christian is at all times a powerless Christian, if a true Christian at all!

“Call upon Me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.”  (Jeremiah 33:3)

Verse 2.  “…Be Thou my strong Rock.  It was not for the mere practice of building that many strove hard and worked diligently to create great fortified castles throughout the recent history of modern man.  War, violence, and danger have been a constant companion of mankind since the Fall into sin of our created progenitors, Adam and Eve.  In times of personal threat and danger, mankind yearns to have a mountain of rock enveloping him/her; somewhere to be kept safe from the threat of impeding harm.  There has never been a castle keep that has been more safe than being ‘…kept by the power of God through faith unto Salvation… In Christ, we are Eternally secure.   (1 Peter 1:3-8)

Verse 2.  “…For an house of defence to save me.  How very simply does the good man pray, and yet with what weight of meaning!  He uses no ornamental flourishing; he is too deeply in earnest to be otherwise than plain; it were well if all who engage in public prayer would observe the same rule.”  (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page 148)

“Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech.”    (2 Corinthians 3:12)

When walking on the waves with Jesus, and beginning to sink because of his doubt, Peter did not commence a long discourse with the Lord Jesus, hindered by great flowery speech.  Peter cried out, “‘Lord, save me!’  And immediately Jesus stretched forth His hand, and caught him, and said unto him, ‘O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?’”  (Matthew 14:29-32)

Thought:  Acknowledging our weakness in plain prayers to God, assures us of His Divine and ever-given help.  Pray on, prayerfully dependant Christian!