The Whole Point In Asking

“«To the chief Musician upon Neginah, [A Psalm] of David.» Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock [that] is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, [and] a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah.” (Ps 61:1-4 AV)

The first three verses are easy.  It is that fourth verse that is a challenge.  But that fourth verse is the whole point.  Going to the rock that is higher the us without trusting that rock is pointless.  The whole point of David’s prayer is learning to trust.  Passage is particularly vivid when we remember he is fleeing from Saul and periodically dwelt in caves.  When he is asking for a rock that is higher than him, he is asking for something literal.  He is asking for God’s provision that is greater than the threat facing him.  David is seeking answers.  He must resolve to trust.  Otherwise, whatever answer God provides will not be proficient.  He will see some flaw in whatever answer God gives and seek something better.  There is a point where we have to learn to trust.  This is difficult.  Sometimes we want a miracle when a miracle really isn’t necessary.  Sometimes we want the entire problem solved in one fell swoop when the answer comes incrementally.  We have to learn to trust!

I used a PowerPoint slide the other day of a ram on a boulder surrounded by wolves.  The title of the message was pitfalls of captivity.  My passage was psalm 137.  There were four pitfalls: Discouragement, Loss, Unrealistic Expectations, and Unforgiveness.  The opening slide is what comes to mind when reading the passage above.  The ram could go only so far.  There was no higher boulder.  There was no mountain to ascend.  There was no tree to climb or ladder that went into eternity.  He stood upon the boulder, looking down at what surrounded him.  He was confident.  He was not terrorized by what stood before him.  Most of us are like that cat that climbs the tree when faced with eminent danger.  We can’t get high enough.  We scurry up the tree higher and higher until we realize there is no place higher to go to.  Our tails remain between our legs and we are staring at the threat as though it could climb as well as us.  We have some faith.  We don’t have all faith.

David prayed.  David knew the purpose of that prayer.  It was faith.  Asking for answers to prayer with wavering faith is a guarantee of failure.  The LORD will not answer if, when He does, we are looking for a different answer.  We have to believe that He will answer, and the answer He sends is sufficient for the moment.  David had several rocks in his life.  He had a high place to which he fled when Absalom wished him dead.  God provided the place David needed at the time he needed it.  Our challenge is not the rock.  Our challenge is trust in that rock.  If we are not resolved to trust before we seek, nothing God provides will do.  This is the point of David’s prayer.  He makes the vow to remain in the tabernacle of God and trust Him, come what may.  He has already vowed to trust.  That is his life’s purpose.  He made a habit of it.  David could kill Goliath because he learned at an early age to trust God.  Therefore, today’s message is simple.  If we are going to ask God to intervene, we must do so with a heart of trust.  Otherwise, there is no point and whatever God sends will never be enough.