3. The Praise in David’s Prayers Psalm 86:9-13

Text: “All nations whom Thou hast made shall come and worship before Thee, O Lord; and shall glorify Thy Name. For Thou art great, and doest wondrous things: Thou art God alone.”

Psalm 86:9.

Good morning, thankful Christian!  When another mere mortal is asked by you to do some task, and they do it – it is customary and reasonably good manners for you and I to thank that person for their service to us.

Praying to the Living Lord God Almighty, the Creator of Heaven and earth and all things, and receiving our petitions from His Omnipotent and Holy hand really should be inspiration to give Him all the praise, and all the thanksgiving we can possibly give.  This is what makes us truly ‘thankful Christians’.  Praise be to the Lord!

“Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His Holy Name. Bless the Lord, O may soul, and forget not all (or any) of His benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; Who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; Who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagles.”  (Psalm 103:1-5)

Verse 9. “All nations…shall come and worship before Thee, O Lord; and glorify Thy Name. When nations worship and obey the great and only Lord God, Jehovah: all is well with that nation.  When nations decline from Christian faith, and not only allow dust to gather on its Bibles, but actively seek to pervert and disobey the Law of the Lord God – they cannot be blessed by that same Lord God Almighty. Observable fact!

The Western nations have abandoned the Commandments of the Lord God Jehovah – and are, therefore, under His fiery judgement.  A Holy Lord God cannot bless sin!

Verse 10. “Thou art God alone. Alone wast Thou God before Thy creatures were; alone in Godhead still art Thou now that Thou hast given life to throngs of beings; alone forever shalt Thou be, for none can ever rival Thee.  True religion makes no compromises; it does not admit Baal or Dagon to be a god; it is exclusive and monopolizing, claiming for Jehovah nothing less than all. The vaunted liberality of certain professors of modern thought is not to be cultivated by believers in truth.  “Philosophic breadth” aims at building a Pantheon and piles a Pandemonium; it is not for us to be helpers in such an evil work.” (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page 364)

The First Commandment is: “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.” (Exodus 20:3)

“Jesus saith unto him (Thomas), I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.” (John 14:6)

Truly thankful Christians seek at all times to worship the Lord God in the revealed truth of His own God-breathed Word.  There is no such liberty given of God to worship Him in any other manner. God’s truth is a pure joy to all those whom the Spirit of God has quickened to know Christ in a ‘born again’ Spiritual experience.  Taking God at His own Word is a number one necessity for all who are elect of the Father, given to the Son; and quickened by God the Holy Ghost. Faith, God’s gift to His elect souls, enables true believers to receive the purity of God’s truth, and to be at all times truly thankful to Him for such an Eternal blessing.

“Sanctify them (the elect, genuine Christians) through Thy truth: Thy Word is truth.”     (John 17:17)

“The entrance of Thy Words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.” (Psalm 119:130)

“The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.” (Psalm 19:7-8)

There is nothing as satisfying to the Spiritually regenerated heart than seeking to teach others the Bible truths which God the Spirit teaches us.  If there exists no real soul’s desire to read and study and hear God’s truths revealed in our written KJV Bibles – it is wise to doubt one’s very Salvation. God’s Word brings Spiritual life to us, as we lie in Spiritual death, like the ‘valley of dried bones’ in Ezekiel’s vision. (Ezekiel 37:1-10)

“So I prophesied (spoke God’s Word) as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone…”(Ezekiel 37:7)

You and I receive faith to believe, God’s gift to ‘His people’, when we hear/read the inspired Word of the Lord God Jehovah.  We cannot ever be saved without hearing the Gospel of Christ, and Him Crucified for our sins.

We can never be Eternally found, if we never realise that we are, in fact, Eternally lost in sin and guilt before our Holy Lord God.

“So then faith cometh by hearing (reading), and hearing by the Word of God.”          (Romans 10:17)

After being so graciously delivered from the guilt, shame, and Eternal punishment for our vile sins against the Lord God – should it be any wonder that our profoundly thankful hearts continue to love God’s Word, and study to show ourselves approved in its teachings?

Verse 11. “Teach me Thy way, O Lord; I will walk in Thy truth. If the Lord God has saved us by Spiritual regeneration (born again); we shall always thereafter seek to know how He would have us live our lives for Christ Jesus – we are thankful to be taught how to walk in God’s truth. When we seek to walk in His truth, we are assured of God’s constant Presence, and "…in His Presence is fulness of joy, at His right hand there are pleasures for ever more." (Psalm 16:11)

Verse 12. “I will praise Thee, O Lord my God, with ALL my heart.  When my heart is one, I will give Thee all of it.  Praise should never be rendered with less than all our heart, and soul, and strength, or it will be both unreal and unacceptable.”  (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page 364)

Verse 13. “And Thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest Hell.  There are some alive now who can use this language unfeignedly, and he who pens these lines most humbly confesses that he is one.  Left to myself to indulge my passions, to rush onward with my natural vehemence, and defy the Lord with recklessness of levity, what a candidate for the lowest abyss should I have made myself by this time.” (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page 365.)

Thought: The author of this Bible Lesson was saved in cell nine, H Block 6, of the maximum-security Maze Prison, Northern Ireland, in 1979 – believe me, I am a most grateful and thankful Christian.  “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound…”