Praying to God Outside of the Box

Praying Through the Bible #63

TEXT: Psalm 84:8-9

We are in a series of messages titled “Praying Through the Bible: A Series on Every Passage and Verse Regarding Prayer in the Bible”. The purpose of this series is to encourage and motivate you to pray to the God of the Bible. We highlighted over 500 verses and passages in the Prayer Motivator Devotional Bible. So far, we have done 62 messages in this series.

This is message #63, titled “Praying to God Outside of the Box”

In Canada, there is a village along the Rideau (RI-DOH) Lake system. This village now only has a population of about a hundred people, but it was once a bustling town centered around a series of rapids flowing between two lakes. Because of the difference in elevation between the lakes, a dam and a lock had to be built in this town. The dam held back the water and created a fast-flowing series of rapids that provided the energy to run mills. Farmers from miles around came to the town to use these mills, and it grew, quickly becoming one of the most important towns along the Rideau.

The importance of the town was inseparable from the dam. It was this dam that held back the water, confining it and then allowing it to be released with the power to drive the mills. Without the dam, the town would have been no more important than any of the others along the canal.

Many Christians, whether we admit it or not, whether we actually realize it or not, have dammed God up. We have erected barriers around who we believe God is and what we believe God can do. And, it is this tendency that causes us not to pray big prayers or to pray and not really expect our prayers to be answered.

Today, I want us to see from this passage how that when we pray, we need to see God, not for Who we have made Him out to be or for Who we feel comfortable praying to, but as the God Who the Bible says He is — God outside of the box.

1. We must see God as the eternal Creator. The authors of this psalm are identified as “the sons of Korah.” They are the descendants of the third son of Aaron, the head of the priestly tribe of Levi. During the reign of king David, they became great leaders in choral and orchestral music in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple during the reign of King Solomon.

2. We must see God as the committed Covenantor. The sons of Korah pray, “O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob.” They address God as the “God of Jacob.” Jacob was one of the patriarchs of the Hebrew race. Some in the Old Testament often prayed to God as the “God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” What did it mean for the sons of Korah and others to refer to God as the “God of Jacob”?

3. We must see God as our personal protector. In verse 9, we read, “Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed.” The sons of Korah have shifted the focus of the prayer from a broad perspective to a very specific perspective. First, they addressed God as the creator and controller of the universe, then they addressed God as the committed covenantor of the children of Israel, now, they address God as the personal protector of “thine anointed.” The ‘anointed’ one referred to in this verse is likely King David or King Solomon. The psalmists are asking God’s protection upon the king.

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