In Psalm 89 the psalmist doesn’t just bring a request, he brings an argument. He is comparing the character and promises of God on the one hand with his situation on the other to show-up the discrepancy between these two realities. And he is bringing this before God as an appeal. It might seem presumptuous to argue a case before God. It would seem to imply that God owes us something and that we need to convince him of that. In the other religions of the time, people never dared to expect anything from their gods. Their prayers, therefore, lack any firm ground for them to expect anything to happen. I have read through many prayers from the ancient pagan religions, and I have not found anything like the arguments of the psalm writers. What’s the difference? The difference is that we pray to a God who has bound himself to us by a covenant of grace through Jesus Christ. No other ‘god’ ever claimed to do such a thing. By this covenant the one true God has promised to bless us, even though we don’t warrant or deserve it. And he wants us to take him at his word and trust him. This means that, when we pray, he wants us to appeal to his promises. Too often we pray as though God had not promised anything. Too often we pray as though God is ambivalent towards us. This is not faith. In Psalm 89 the psalmist appeals to God’s covenant with David to move God to action. How much greater claim do we have in the person and work of Christ!
What promises of God do you need to appeal to at the moment?
Read Psalm 89
