Seeds From Psalms - Psalm 5 (Devotional Sermon)

Bible Book: Psalms 5

Subject: Prayer; God's Guidance in Life

Introduction

(This is a devotional message from PSALM 5)

I. Begin Everyday With God

Psalm 5:3

How do you start your day-with God or without Him? "He who runs from God in the morning," said Bunyan, "will scarcely find Him the rest of the day." Therefore go into the presence of God before you get into the presence of man.

Resolved David in Psalm 5:3, "In the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee, and will look up." He meant, "I will put my petitions in order and I will watch and wait for the answer." A woman called the manager of an auditorium to tell him that she had lost a diamond the night before, and asked if it had been found. "Hold the line," he answered, and a search was made. The pin was found, but when he returned to the phone the call had been cut off. The woman did not wait for an answer. Many people do not expect anything to happen when they pray. That is the way to make sure that nothing does happen. Begin every day with God and you will end up with His blessings!

II. Guided by God

Psalm 5:8

The oldest known map was made about 2300 B.C. It is a clay tablet from Babylonia, which shows a mountain-lined valley.

In 1300 B.C. the Egyptians made maps, but the Greeks were the first to draw accurate maps to conquer countries and collect taxes.

The Moslems were the next map makers. Because they must face their holy city while praying, they needed to know what direction they were from Mecca.

The people of Europe had maps in the Middle ages. They were made from reading the Bible. But world maps were not begun until the 1400s.

No one today would set our on an unknown way without a map. But man is forever moving into the unknown, and for him there is detailed guidance. One prayed in Psalm 5:8, "Lead me, O Lord; and make Thy way straight before my face."The Lord, who knows the end from the beginning, who is all- wise and never-failing, will personally counsel us who submit to the control of Christ.

The with the Father above us-controlling all things; with the Savior beside us-directing our footsteps; and the Spirit within us-impressing us inwardly; we will know clearly what to do and which way to turn.

III. Passion or Pastime

Psalm 5:11

Religion must be a passion, not a pastime!

In the early days of the church there was an emphasis on emotion. We had old-fashioned preaching- sin bad, judgment certain and hell hot.

The churches were full of Bible-believing, prayer-practicing, Lord-loving, sin-hating, Jesus- witnessing Christians. The saints were stirred, the sinners were saved, and heaven rejoiced.

But some said, "One's emotions shouldn't be stirred!" A new generation was trained not to exercise emotion. Then our churches became as cold as an ice plant, as silent as a morgue, as dead as King Tut, and the people left.

It is good to have theology in our heads, but we must have doxology in our hearts. We have the facts, but we must have the fire. Ice water never moved a steam engine an inch. So let us add some expression to our impression, some motion to our devotion and some witnessing to our worship.