Rightful Appeals

 “Rise up; come to our help! Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love!”

Psalm 44:26 ESV

The Lord has encouraged us to pray. He’s encouraged us to bring to him our needs. He’s encouraged us to look to him as a child looks to his father for blessing.

Most of us do just that. We bring to the Lord both our needs and our wants. We offer them up in prayer on a regular basis.

However, as we do so, we often appeal to him wrongly. We plead with him, based upon our past efforts. We appeal to him, reminding him of all that we have done.  We appeal to him, reminding him of all we’ve done for him as well as for our neighbor.

We also do so, promising our continued service. We tell God that, if he grants our request, we’ll serve him in the days ahead with the same vigor as days past. We tell him that, if he gives to us what we desire, we'll devote ourselves to him even more fully than we have in the past.

We do so, failing to realize that this contradicts the very gospel we confess. The gospel, of course, tells us that the blessing of God is given graciously. It’s something that he freely bestows upon those who believe. And it’s in no way dependent upon our efforts or promises.

As we pray, then, as we bring to the Lord our wants and our needs, how are we to do so? On what are we to base our appeal? 

We find the answer to this question in the verse above. In it, we see how the Psalmist appeals to the Lord. And we clearly see on what he bases his plea.

He calls upon the Lord for help. He calls upon the Lord for redemption. And he asks the Lord to do so for the sake of his steadfast love.

He bases his appeal, you see, upon the very nature of God. He bases it upon the character of God. And he bases it upon the ongoing expression of God.

He asks God for help for the sake of his, of God’s, steadfast love. He asks God for help for the sake of his lovingkindness. He asks God for help for the sake of his unfailing love.

We cannot rightfully appeal to God by who we are or anything we have done. And we cannot do so because we are sinners. We cannot do so because the only thing we deserve from the Lord is judgment, rather than blessing.

God, however, possesses a loving nature. He possesses a faithful nature. And he possesses a good and gracious nature.

God has also done everything necessary that we might receive his blessing. He’s offered up his only Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sin. And by this act, the blessing of God has been made available to us.

As we pray, then, as we approach God with our needs and requests, we should do so on this basis. We should do so not because of who we are, but who he is. We should do so not because of what we have done, but because of what he has done. We should approach him and appeal to him for the sake of his steadfast love.