PRAYER THAT EXTOLS THE GOODNESS OF GOD


A. "O HOW GREAT IS THY GOODNESS WHICH THOU HAST LAID UP FOR THEM THAT FEAR THEE; WHICH THOU HAS WROUGHT FOR THEM THAT REST IN THEE BEFORE THE SONS OF MEN" - PSALMS 51:1-2
  1. This prayer by the Psalmist:
    1. Shows that he was well informed of the blessings God has in store for them that seek his face in prayer
    2. It reveals the great incentive of his prayer life
  2. What a flood of light our opening text sheds upon the great significance of earnest prayer:
    1. Man is altogether dependent upon his Maker and Redeemer - "For without Me, ye can do nothing" - John 15:5
    2. That is why Satan seeks to blind us to the importance of prayer
B. THE PRAYER LIFE SHOULD NEVER BE ONE SIDED
  1. It is a serious mistake when we think of prayer:
    1. As mere seeking, although that is proper
    2. Prayer should include extolling the goodness of the Lord, "O how great is Thy goodness which Thou hast laid up for them that fear thee"
    3. It should magnify the Lord - "Let thy name be magnified" - 2 Sam. 7:26; I Chron. 17:24; "Say, let the Lord be magnified" - Ps. 35:27; "Say continually, the Lord be magnified" - Ps. 40:16; 70:4; said Mary, "My soul doth magnify the Lord" - Luke 1:46
  2. Note some of the great incentives for prayer:
    1. It places the wealth of the God of the universe at the disposal of God's children
    2. Paul speaks of "the riches in glory" - Col. 1:26-27; "Exceeding great riches" - Eph. 2:7; - "the unsearchable riches of Christ" - Eph. 3:8
    3. No other being in all the universe, save God in Christ Jesus, could give to the world these startling invitations, "Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none beside Me" - Is. 45:22; "Come unto Me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" - Matt. 11:28-30
    4. What a privilege and what an honor it is to worship God as our heavenly Father and to seek Him daily in prayer
C. THE GOODNESS OF THE LORD AND WHAT IT INCLUDES
  1. Bible use of the expression, "The Goodness of the Lord":
    1. It stands for the Majesty of His Being - "I will make all my goodness pass before" - Ex. 33:19
    2. His divine character is His goodness - Ex. 34:6-7; Ps. 111:9
    3. The dispensing of His blessings in an expression of Hi goodness - "How great is His goodness and how great is His beauty" - Zech. 9:17
  2. The goodness the Lord has laid up for those that fear him:
    1. When you lay up something for someone - you expect to bestow it upon him
    2. The goodness the Lord has stored up for His people is many fold - His love, His patience; His long-suffering - the precious gifts of the Holy Spirit - Acts 5:32; Rom. 5:1-7
    3. Perhaps the greatest blessings stored up for the saints is eternal life - John 3:16
  3. These are some of the manifestations of the great goodness of the Lord:
    1. Waiting for everyone that comes to the Father by the Lord Jesus Christ - 2 Peter 1:2-8
    2. Waiting for the asking - Matt. 7:7-8
    3. Waiting for all who call upon the name of the Lord - Rom. 10:12-13
  4. The Psalmist knew of the blessings in the storehouse of our omnipotent God:
    1. And he sought these blessings daily - morning, noon, and evening, yea, even during the night watch
    2. Will we use the blessed opportunity of prayer to obtain some of the blessings in store for all who seek them
    3. How sad are the words of James, when he says, "Ye have not, because ye ask not" - James 4:2
    4. Dear Christian reader - could God record our prayer knowledge as he did the Psalmists?


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