WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.459 I pray that you will bless our time in your word and bless our time of prayer and worship. 00:00:03.859 --> 00:00:07.759 We are privileged to come before you and thank you that we are accepted in Christ. 00:00:07.980 --> 00:00:08.980 We pray in Christ's name. Amen. 00:00:10.620 --> 00:00:13.040 All right, let's read Psalm 74. 00:00:19.379 --> 00:00:21.879 Sorry, my internet's a slow. 00:00:25.879 --> 00:00:26.500 I got it. 00:00:26.500 --> 00:00:27.480 It's the old-fashioned book. 00:00:27.480 --> 00:00:28.560 One more chance. 00:00:28.559 --> 00:00:28.919 Yeah, okay. 00:00:29.820 --> 00:00:30.239 Thanks, Sean. 00:00:30.320 --> 00:00:30.439 Yeah. 00:00:32.119 --> 00:00:32.519 Thanks. 00:00:34.199 --> 00:00:36.679 Oh, God, why do you cast us off forever? 00:00:37.359 --> 00:00:39.859 Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture? 00:00:40.700 --> 00:00:43.259 Remember your congregation, which you have purchased of old, 00:00:43.500 --> 00:00:45.560 which you have redeemed to be the tribe of your heritage. 00:00:46.379 --> 00:00:48.219 Remember Mount Zion, where you have dwelt. 00:00:49.000 --> 00:00:50.799 Direct your steps to the perpetual ruins. 00:00:51.079 --> 00:00:53.399 The enemy has destroyed everything in the sanctuary. 00:00:53.960 --> 00:00:56.960 Your foes have roared in the midst of your meeting place. 00:00:56.960 --> 00:00:59.320 They set up their own signs for signs. 00:00:59.880 --> 00:01:02.719 They were like those who swing axes in a forest of trees. 00:01:03.560 --> 00:01:06.359 And all this carved wood they broke down with hatchets and hammers. 00:01:06.760 --> 00:01:08.620 They set your sanctuary on fire. 00:01:09.180 --> 00:01:12.460 They profaned the dwelling place of your name, bringing it down to the ground. 00:01:12.459 --> 00:01:15.919 They said to themselves, we will utterly subdue them. 00:01:16.419 --> 00:01:19.139 They burned all the meeting places of God in the land. 00:01:19.919 --> 00:01:21.500 We do not see our signs. 00:01:21.939 --> 00:01:23.919 There is no longer any prophet. 00:01:24.399 --> 00:01:26.539 And there is none among us who knows how long. 00:01:26.540 --> 00:01:30.180 How long, O God, is the foe to scoff? 00:01:30.620 --> 00:01:32.760 Is the enemy to revile your name forever? 00:01:33.600 --> 00:01:35.520 Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand? 00:01:36.020 --> 00:01:38.260 Take it from the fold of your garment and destroy them. 00:01:38.520 --> 00:01:39.000 Psalm 74. 00:01:40.080 --> 00:01:44.740 Yet God, my king, is from of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth. 00:01:45.440 --> 00:01:46.860 You divide the sea by your might. 00:01:47.200 --> 00:01:49.380 You broke the heads of the sea monsters on the waters. 00:01:49.800 --> 00:01:51.460 You crushed the heads of Leviathan. 00:01:52.000 --> 00:01:54.180 You gave them as food for the creatures of the wilderness. 00:01:54.180 --> 00:01:56.580 You split open springs and brooks. 00:01:56.880 --> 00:01:58.340 You dried up ever-flowing streams. 00:01:58.940 --> 00:01:59.720 Yours is the day. 00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:00.860 Yours also the night. 00:02:01.360 --> 00:02:03.440 You have established the heavenly lights and the sun. 00:02:04.060 --> 00:02:05.800 You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth. 00:02:06.340 --> 00:02:07.540 You have made summer and winter. 00:02:08.800 --> 00:02:11.159 Remember this, O Lord, how the enemy scoffs, 00:02:11.460 --> 00:02:13.200 and a foolish people reviles your name. 00:02:13.939 --> 00:02:16.280 Do not deliver the soul of your dove to the wild beasts. 00:02:16.840 --> 00:02:18.800 Do not forget the life of your poor forever. 00:02:19.659 --> 00:02:20.700 Have regard for the covenant, 00:02:20.699 --> 00:02:24.280 for the dark places of the land are full of the habitations of violence. 00:02:24.839 --> 00:02:26.799 Let not the downtrodden turn back in shame. 00:02:27.379 --> 00:02:29.060 Let the poor and needy praise your name. 00:02:30.119 --> 00:02:30.979 Arise, O God. 00:02:31.319 --> 00:02:32.159 Defend your cause. 00:02:32.679 --> 00:02:35.259 Remember how the foolish scoff at you all the day. 00:02:35.899 --> 00:02:37.539 Do not forget the clamor of your foes, 00:02:38.060 --> 00:02:39.959 the uproar of those who rise against you, 00:02:40.060 --> 00:02:41.019 which goes up continually. 00:02:42.599 --> 00:02:43.099 Thanks, Sean. 00:02:43.099 --> 00:02:49.699 So one thing I've learned in marriage, 00:02:50.079 --> 00:02:51.639 in being married to Carolyn specifically, 00:02:51.919 --> 00:02:53.799 is that she's an expert negotiator. 00:02:55.099 --> 00:02:56.379 I told her I was going to talk about this. 00:02:56.859 --> 00:02:57.379 That's very short. 00:02:58.079 --> 00:03:01.740 So she's very good at understanding her desires. 00:03:01.879 --> 00:03:02.560 It's like a Venn diagram. 00:03:03.000 --> 00:03:04.859 And then another person's desires. 00:03:05.240 --> 00:03:06.579 And what's the overlap, right? 00:03:06.719 --> 00:03:11.139 And then she can argue logically based on that position, right? 00:03:11.139 --> 00:03:14.419 So that makes me afraid for when Caladria's a teenager. 00:03:15.559 --> 00:03:19.879 But it's not always a bad thing, right? 00:03:19.959 --> 00:03:21.500 It's not always manipulative. 00:03:21.779 --> 00:03:23.159 Not saying that Carolyn is. 00:03:23.699 --> 00:03:26.919 But I bring that up because we see something similar here. 00:03:27.099 --> 00:03:28.299 When the psalmist is praying to God, 00:03:28.739 --> 00:03:34.579 he is using certain logic with God 00:03:34.579 --> 00:03:37.019 and God motivations in his prayer, right? 00:03:37.279 --> 00:03:38.500 He needs God's help. 00:03:38.500 --> 00:03:41.599 But he doesn't just say, like, help me, God. 00:03:41.680 --> 00:03:44.780 But he says, because of who you are 00:03:44.780 --> 00:03:47.900 and because of these things that you care about, 00:03:48.360 --> 00:03:50.360 please help us, right? 00:03:50.979 --> 00:03:54.180 So there are a couple points that I want to bring out of the psalm. 00:03:54.280 --> 00:03:59.240 One is how to pray prayers with God's motivations on our minds. 00:03:59.659 --> 00:04:02.460 And second is praying patiently in faith 00:04:02.460 --> 00:04:04.759 while waiting for God to move, right? 00:04:04.800 --> 00:04:05.819 So two things to keep in mind. 00:04:05.819 --> 00:04:08.319 So let's take a closer look at this psalm 00:04:08.319 --> 00:04:10.680 as well as a few other examples of prayer in the Bible. 00:04:11.579 --> 00:04:16.199 In verse 1, the psalmist, he reveals that he feels 00:04:16.199 --> 00:04:18.339 that he and those around him have been rejected. 00:04:18.980 --> 00:04:21.719 So in seeking to move God in prayer, 00:04:22.079 --> 00:04:23.180 he brings up a few points. 00:04:23.539 --> 00:04:27.300 One, God has a long relationship with Israel, right? 00:04:27.740 --> 00:04:29.839 God is theirs and they are God, 00:04:29.899 --> 00:04:30.839 so they belong to one another. 00:04:30.839 --> 00:04:35.739 Two, the devastation done by the enemy to God's sanctuary, right? 00:04:35.759 --> 00:04:38.099 It talks about the sanctuary being burned down. 00:04:38.259 --> 00:04:39.219 God should care about that. 00:04:39.959 --> 00:04:42.839 And three, the taunting words of the enemy. 00:04:43.099 --> 00:04:44.179 So verse 22 says, 00:04:44.819 --> 00:04:47.279 remember the mocking from the foolish all the day. 00:04:48.099 --> 00:04:52.739 It's like, it's as if I were to challenge LeBron James 00:04:52.739 --> 00:04:55.139 to like a basketball game and like start taunting him. 00:04:55.259 --> 00:04:57.399 Be like, I can dunk all over your face, right? 00:04:57.500 --> 00:04:58.639 Let's play one-on-one. 00:04:58.639 --> 00:05:02.919 And I feel like, you know, his kids at some point might be like, 00:05:03.039 --> 00:05:06.019 dad, you got to play this fool because like he's talking all this trash, right? 00:05:06.079 --> 00:05:09.319 Like, because it's wrong that I would challenge LeBron James 00:05:09.319 --> 00:05:10.360 because he's so much better than me. 00:05:11.719 --> 00:05:13.500 So we see that in this psalm. 00:05:14.439 --> 00:05:18.899 There are a couple other places, well, many places where this comes up, 00:05:18.939 --> 00:05:23.759 but a couple others to point out in terms of examples of God-motivating prayer. 00:05:23.919 --> 00:05:26.639 So there's one in Exodus 32, if you guys will turn there with me. 00:05:26.639 --> 00:05:29.699 So Exodus chapter 32. 00:05:31.539 --> 00:05:32.939 This is when the Israelites, 00:05:34.199 --> 00:05:37.419 after their amazing deliverance from Egypt by God's power, 00:05:38.259 --> 00:05:40.159 they make a golden calf, right? 00:05:40.199 --> 00:05:40.939 Very bad decision. 00:05:41.459 --> 00:05:43.579 So if you guys go down to verse 9, 00:05:43.579 --> 00:05:47.000 this is after the golden calf, 00:05:47.099 --> 00:05:48.259 and the Lord said to Moses, 00:05:48.259 --> 00:06:02.120 But Moses implored the Lord his God and said, 00:06:02.120 --> 00:06:04.939 O Lord, why did your wrath burn hot against your people, 00:06:05.439 --> 00:06:08.800 whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 00:06:09.480 --> 00:06:12.540 Why should the Egyptians say, with evil intent did he bring them out, 00:06:12.800 --> 00:06:15.780 to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth? 00:06:16.480 --> 00:06:20.660 Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people. 00:06:21.459 --> 00:06:24.000 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, 00:06:24.000 --> 00:06:26.620 to whom you swore by your own self and said to them, 00:06:26.699 --> 00:06:28.920 I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven. 00:06:29.399 --> 00:06:32.060 And all this land that I promised I will give to your offspring, 00:06:32.660 --> 00:06:33.860 and they shall inherit it forever. 00:06:34.480 --> 00:06:38.279 And the Lord relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people. 00:06:38.279 --> 00:06:42.659 So what does Moses say here to motivate God? 00:06:42.899 --> 00:06:44.139 He brings up a couple points. 00:06:44.899 --> 00:06:47.679 One, he points out God's glory against the Egyptians. 00:06:48.299 --> 00:06:52.159 He doesn't want the Egyptians to think God hated these people. 00:06:52.239 --> 00:06:53.639 He brought them out simply to kill them. 00:06:54.079 --> 00:06:56.319 So Moses is saying, don't let them think that. 00:06:57.039 --> 00:07:01.500 And another, he says, God, remember your promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 00:07:01.839 --> 00:07:04.699 Remember what you swore and keep to your word. 00:07:05.500 --> 00:07:07.859 So he brings up these two things. 00:07:08.279 --> 00:07:11.719 Another example is in Daniel chapter 9. 00:07:12.379 --> 00:07:13.799 So if you guys can flip there. 00:07:14.500 --> 00:07:21.219 In this chapter, Daniel is figuring out, as he reads God's word, 00:07:21.619 --> 00:07:24.179 about the return of the Israelites to the promised land. 00:07:24.639 --> 00:07:27.779 And so right now, the Israelites are scattered from the land 00:07:27.779 --> 00:07:29.599 because of their unfaithfulness to God. 00:07:30.519 --> 00:07:34.959 And in chapter 9, verse 17, 00:07:34.959 --> 00:07:38.659 Daniel prays. 00:07:38.660 --> 00:07:42.720 Now, therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant 00:07:42.720 --> 00:07:46.080 and to his pleas for mercy and for your own sake, O Lord. 00:07:46.580 --> 00:07:49.740 Make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate. 00:07:50.380 --> 00:07:52.460 O my God, incline your ear and hear. 00:07:53.020 --> 00:07:56.360 Open your eyes and see our desolations and the city that is called by your name. 00:07:56.360 --> 00:08:01.660 For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, 00:08:02.379 --> 00:08:03.939 but because of your great mercy. 00:08:04.639 --> 00:08:05.480 O Lord, hear. 00:08:05.800 --> 00:08:06.460 O Lord, forgive. 00:08:07.180 --> 00:08:08.699 O Lord, pay attention and act. 00:08:09.500 --> 00:08:12.120 Delay not for your own sake, O my God, 00:08:12.480 --> 00:08:15.040 because your city and your people are called by your name. 00:08:15.040 --> 00:08:20.420 So similarly, Daniel appeals to a couple things. 00:08:20.520 --> 00:08:21.700 He appeals to God's character. 00:08:21.960 --> 00:08:24.879 He points out that God is great in mercy, right? 00:08:24.920 --> 00:08:26.520 It's not because of good things that they've done, 00:08:26.660 --> 00:08:28.240 but because God himself is merciful. 00:08:28.500 --> 00:08:29.360 So that's God's character. 00:08:30.160 --> 00:08:32.879 And another thing is, again, God's glory. 00:08:32.879 --> 00:08:36.360 He's saying, look, we, your people, bear your name. 00:08:36.720 --> 00:08:39.980 So because of that, because you're connected to us, 00:08:40.180 --> 00:08:42.200 hear us and save us. 00:08:42.200 --> 00:08:46.400 So we still see those examples. 00:08:47.140 --> 00:08:52.280 Something to notice about all of these is they're God-motivating prayers, 00:08:52.460 --> 00:08:56.540 and though they align with what these people want, 00:08:56.720 --> 00:08:59.140 it is personal and communal blessing. 00:08:59.620 --> 00:09:02.379 But it's not ultimately selfish, right? 00:09:02.420 --> 00:09:08.840 It's not self-centered, but it's other-centered and specifically God-centered, right? 00:09:08.879 --> 00:09:11.220 And again, with people, it can be manipulative, right? 00:09:11.220 --> 00:09:16.360 If I were to say to Brian, like, Brian, you need a vacation. 00:09:16.700 --> 00:09:18.240 Like, let's go to Florida, right? 00:09:18.920 --> 00:09:20.279 It'd be so much fun. 00:09:20.340 --> 00:09:23.040 We can have so much fun on the beach and all this stuff, 00:09:23.080 --> 00:09:24.700 when, like, really, I just need a car. 00:09:24.960 --> 00:09:27.560 Like, I need his car, and I want him to drive, something like that, right? 00:09:27.600 --> 00:09:30.100 So it's not like that where I'm trying to get into his head. 00:09:30.100 --> 00:09:35.580 But here we see that these people really care about God, right? 00:09:35.820 --> 00:09:39.920 They, the psalmist, he really cares that enemies are mocking him. 00:09:39.960 --> 00:09:41.019 He's like, that's wrong. 00:09:41.139 --> 00:09:42.139 They should not be doing that. 00:09:43.120 --> 00:09:46.560 Moses really cares about what the Egyptians would say about God, 00:09:46.940 --> 00:09:49.899 and it'd be wrong for them to think that God intended evil. 00:09:49.899 --> 00:09:56.439 And then Daniel, he's confident in who God is when he appeals to his mercy, right? 00:09:56.500 --> 00:09:57.740 He says, I know you're merciful. 00:09:59.959 --> 00:10:02.240 So let's think about this for our lives. 00:10:02.879 --> 00:10:04.720 A question of application is, 00:10:05.539 --> 00:10:09.799 what keeps you from caring about God and being motivated by his desires? 00:10:09.799 --> 00:10:15.279 Maybe it's a preoccupation with your own worries or your own desires. 00:10:16.120 --> 00:10:17.979 It's hard to take our minds off of that. 00:10:18.719 --> 00:10:19.679 Maybe it's a lack of time, 00:10:20.120 --> 00:10:23.019 because it takes time to get to know people, right? 00:10:23.779 --> 00:10:28.379 To read God's word, to know who he is, what he's done. 00:10:28.979 --> 00:10:32.579 And I know for me, I could definitely spend more time 00:10:32.579 --> 00:10:34.899 understanding God's likes and dislikes. 00:10:36.419 --> 00:10:38.079 God's quality is God's goals. 00:10:38.080 --> 00:10:40.160 So that's one question. 00:10:40.940 --> 00:10:42.060 Another question is, 00:10:42.420 --> 00:10:47.379 what are some things on God's heart that we can use as prayer points, right? 00:10:49.660 --> 00:10:51.980 So one thing that we saw is God's glory. 00:10:52.740 --> 00:10:55.340 He's worthy that people know him, so we can pray for that. 00:10:55.800 --> 00:10:56.900 He's loving and forgiving. 00:10:57.360 --> 00:11:00.560 He gave his own son to die for us, and people should know him, right? 00:11:01.060 --> 00:11:02.160 God is who we need. 00:11:03.379 --> 00:11:05.300 Another is the end of sin. 00:11:05.299 --> 00:11:08.419 God is sovereign over all creation. 00:11:08.899 --> 00:11:13.559 And the fact that this world has hurt and injustice. 00:11:13.939 --> 00:11:15.259 It has wickedness and rebellion. 00:11:16.399 --> 00:11:18.279 That there's malice and sickness. 00:11:18.559 --> 00:11:20.939 These things should not exist with God in control. 00:11:21.159 --> 00:11:22.539 So we can pray for these things. 00:11:22.539 --> 00:11:28.579 And a last point of application, a final question. 00:11:29.139 --> 00:11:31.819 What can we pray about for Trinity, right? 00:11:32.459 --> 00:11:37.379 What are some things that we can push for on God's agenda based on who he is? 00:11:37.980 --> 00:11:41.159 So, I mean, just connected to what we just talked about, 00:11:41.559 --> 00:11:45.019 connected to the end of sin is asking for our sanctification, right? 00:11:45.019 --> 00:11:47.480 We can say, God, you sent your son to die for us. 00:11:47.839 --> 00:11:49.059 Don't let that be in vain. 00:11:49.419 --> 00:11:52.559 Can you please make us pure because of what he's done for us? 00:11:54.279 --> 00:11:58.659 And connected to God's glory, we can pray that we would be an evangelistic church. 00:11:58.899 --> 00:12:00.859 We would go out and share the gospel. 00:12:01.739 --> 00:12:03.459 Because there's a lot of people here, right? 00:12:03.500 --> 00:12:06.079 We can say, God, there's tons of people here in East Cambridge who don't know you. 00:12:06.799 --> 00:12:08.219 And that's wrong, right? 00:12:08.220 --> 00:12:16.379 So, that's on the point of praying God-motivating prayers. 00:12:16.860 --> 00:12:23.840 And then finally, just a very smaller, much smaller point on continuing and not being discouraged in prayer. 00:12:24.040 --> 00:12:26.639 In this psalm, there's actually no deliverance, right? 00:12:27.060 --> 00:12:28.120 That we see here. 00:12:28.639 --> 00:12:29.560 Psalmist just praying. 00:12:30.019 --> 00:12:31.200 He's asking God for help. 00:12:31.200 --> 00:12:33.780 But we don't see God moving. 00:12:34.320 --> 00:12:44.040 And so, I think that's a lesson for us that prayer is done in hope and faith, right? 00:12:44.120 --> 00:12:46.500 Even when things are hard, even when we don't see the results. 00:12:47.240 --> 00:12:53.560 So, let's continue to persevere in prayer as we seek to know and love God. 00:12:53.559 --> 00:12:56.279 Brian, could you lead us? 00:12:56.279 --> 00:12:56.699 Any more?