Honest People Pray Honest Prayers

Carter Conlon from the historic Times Square Church in New York City. Psalm 22 reveals and every struggle that comes into your life and mine has a higher purpose. All things work together for good to those that love God and are the called according to his purpose.

All things welcome to this week's edition of a call to the nation with Carter Conlon from Times Square Church in New York City today, Carter takes us to Psalm 22 we find David crying out to God and asking where God is in this time of struggle and sorrow, we find this prayer will transition into one of praise and gratitude. Let's join Carter as he reads from Psalm 22 in a message titled honest people praying on his prayers my God my God why have you forsaken me. Why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning. Oh God, I cry in the daytime, but you do not hear and in the night season am not silent, but you are holy and thrown in the praises of Israel are fathers trusted in you they trusted and you delivered them. They cried to you and were delivered, they trusted in you and were not ashamed that Ms. and were not triumphed over, but David is saying they trusted and you delivered them.

So, are you not delivering me that's the context of, but I am a worm and no man the reproach of men despised by the people. All those who see me, ridiculed me, they shoot out the lip. They shake their heads saying he trusted in the Lord. Let them rescue him, let him deliver him, since he delights in him, but you are here took me out of the womb. You made me trust while on my mother's breasts.

I was cast upon you from birth from my mother's womb. You have been my God be not far from me, for trouble is near and there is none to help many bozos surrounded me strong bowls, a bastion of encircled me to gape at me with their mouths like a raging and roaring lion I'm poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax. It is melted within me. My strength is dried up like a pot certain my tongue clings to my jaws. You have brought me to the dust of death and is going to stop there. So this is a season in the life of David were the first 15 verses and maybe a little bit more is is strictly an accusation against the faithfulness of God.

You would think that God would be offended by such a song, why have you forsaken me. So there's an is an inference like these is actually challenging the faithfulness of God disease in a place of despair. And since God you made promises to me that you're not keeping. I've called out to you.

You promised that you would always be there. You said you'd never leave you said you'd never forsake me.

I knew yours as a child or a youth, David could say I knew when I called out to you that the power of your Holy Spirit came on me and and I was able to do an amazing things, but here I am now you needed me in the sense to defeat Goliath and you needed me to fight the lion and the bear and I know I need you. And so, where are you why they withhold or hinder power from me. I'm doing my part. I cry in the daytime uses in verse two, but you don't hear us as 1/3 accusation you forsaken me you not helping me you don't hear me I'm doing my part. David says but you're not doing yours now goes on and says our fathers trusted and you others have another words and you delivered them. They cried to you and and they were delivered. They trusted in you, and they were not ashamed or triumphed over. In other words, David is saying you been faithful to others. Why are you not being faithful to me. You took me in verse nine he said out of the woman you made the trusts as a child. In other words, I have five love you and I have believed you since I was young. Since I was a child I was cast upon you from birth from my mother's womb you been my God in trouble is near and there's no one to help. I'm poured out like water all my might. Bones are the joint it's just like I'm coming apart basically is what he say my heart is melted like wax. I have no more courage. I don't know how to I don't understand against what's up against me and not a night I'd I don't know or to find the strength Mike my my courage is melted within me. My strength is dried up like a pot certain my tongue clings to my jaws. I have nothing left to answer my enemies and then he finishes it off in verse 15 with one final accusation you have brought me to the dust of death in others is in God, you are responsible for this. I trusted you.

I called out to you. You didn't deliver me the way you delivered others has my confidence in you been in vain.

I trusted you since I was a child but you've responded in the sense to my cried to you as with silence and you have brought me to the place where I'm going to die. That's what he felt like you are and I met the place where my strength is gone.

My heart is melted. I'm completely undone and I don't know what to do in his final accusation is it's your fault you brought me to this place, why have you forsaken me. Now keep in mind David King David is is he ate a Christ type in the Bible and he is he is spoken about as a man after God's heart. It's amazing you and I would think that God would be offended by such a prayer don't ship underneath the coin to your prayer closet and prepare like that you would you would honestly think the guys who strike me dead, praying that women this is a how do you pray like this and accuse God of being unfaithful and yet how do you get away with it, but he's not the only one that ever prayed that way in the Scriptures you know that the turnabout is rated to Moses in Exodus chapter 5 when he was after 40 years in the wilderness. Moses is sent back to deliver the people of God out of the captivity of Egypt and course when it when he first stood before Farland. I guess he had something in his head about how this is gonna go we all do right will get this will craft this is view of what our life is going look like and how God is going to respond and so he stands before Pharaoh, as he is told to do so is thus saith the Lord with all the Kurds you can muster. Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness. The end result is the people are given more to do other taskmasters are set over them.

The not given straw to make their bricks and and then they come to Moses the people and they say you have common is that God is going to deliver us, but since you've come. Things have just gotten worse and you put a sword, literally, into the hands of our oppressors to take our lives so Moses in chapter 5 of Exodus. In verses 22 and 23 return to the Lord and said, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people.

Why is it that you have sent me for since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name. He is done evil to the people neither have you delivered your people at all.

Now this is Moses we know Moses is the great deliverer buddy he comes back to God than an eye. I can honestly see it's not stated clearly in the Scriptures, but in my heart like I can see this Moses is saying oh I root I remember this. We did this 40 years ago you told me that my life is going to be used to deliver your people out of captivity and when I set my hand to do at the end result is that I had to flee into the wilderness where 55 lost everything.

Even my ability to speak is gone. I was an eloquent speaker now and I can hardly put two words together.

You sent me back here one more time.

And here we are again Lord. 40 years later, no different than it was the first time, why have you sent me here, it's you who's brought trouble on the people and you've not delivered your people at all. I obeyed you and you have done nothing in case you think it was just Moses.

Joshua was Moses successor when they went into the promised land. There was a little little town called AI lately. They went up against this this town and they ended up having to flee and and ended up suffering defeat in a Joshua chapter 7 verses 7 to 9, Joshua said, alas, Lord God, why have you brought this people over Jordan at all. Why did you even do this to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us all that we had been content and weld on the other side of Jordan does. It doesn't really sell exhaust for the Joshua we know did you bring us here to destroy us. Why did you send this across the Jordan in the first place. Oh God, I wish we had just stayed where we were and not trusted you. That's really what he said I was written trusted you and come over this river just so that you could allow us to be defeated before our enemies was honest as Lord, what shall I say when Israel turns its back before its enemies for the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear it and surround us and cut off our name from the earth, then what will you do for your great name, and others are doing nothing, we we've done it right as far as I know and and come into the promised land. And you've allowed us to be defeated by this little we city and the kings around us are going to hear about it and you said you were sending us in here to glorify your name.

But if you look at a walk with us if you not to give us the victory then once we're defeated, what you can do then for the great.

It was really an accusing prayer, Joshua prayed before the Lord God himself, and who can forget Jeremiah Jeremiah chapter 20 along the original King James when Jeremiah says in chapter 20 verse 70 Lord, you deceived me, and I was this in the midst I had a vision. I'm going to stand up and was it also shows the Lord in something is going to happen.

There is going to tremble and people to fall are all going to repent.

Jeremiah Jeremiah finds out, the people are resistant, they don't really care what he's talking about is not is not producing the change that he thought it was going to produce any sizzle Lord you deceived me.

That's the original King James, and I was deceived, not Jeremiah deceived himself to Pfeffer deceived but nevertheless that's his prayer as misguided as it was, he says you are stronger than I am. And you prevailed. I'm in derision daily.

Everyone marks me. In other words, he didn't think that was what his ministry was going to produce. You know sometimes we get in the ministry.

Lotta young folks are heading out of this Bible college soon and you have a picture you try not to have a majority have it and when it doesn't turn out you end up in this argument with God.

You know he didn't anticipate that everyone was going to mockingly thought surely somebody's going to know that God has sent me for when I spoke I cried out.

I shouted violence and plunder. Because the word of the Lord was made to me a reproach in the derision daily. Then I said I will not make mention of him nor speak anymore in his name, and afterwards I'm done Jeremiah as a talking about you. I'm done speaking for you you you gave me a word you gave me a picture that he thought in my mind, it hasn't happened. So you're on your own God, I'm up. I'm not speaking for you anymore know we all know that Jeremiah was the man that the Bible tells us the word of God was like a fire set up in his own state, and he tried to hold them.

He couldn't hold it in and and who can forget Jonah, the great missionary sent with one of the great revivals in the history of the world. A whole city, so evil, they don't even know the left and from the right. They have absolutely zero spiritual knowledge.

They are the valid enemies of God and God's people. And Jonah went and it is message was not in the message of mercy's message was a message of judgment. He didn't offer any mercy to sit 40 days 40 days the fire of God's coming down your all going to die. That was his message and he walked through the city. It was quite a lengthy journey than he waited on the hilltop to see what was going to happen at the end of 40 days nothing happened except for the mercy of God, and God comes to Jonah and he says isn't right for you to be angry. Jonah.

And Jonah said it is right for me to be angry, even unto death.

I am so mad. I'd rather be dead than talking to you right now I'm so upset at your mercy, and even took away the plant like you gave me applied to please give me some shade in the plant died in him and he was so mad at everything around him and he was an earlier on in the Scriptures is that I knew you were going to do this. That's why didn't want to go. I knew I knew that they would our enemies because this immeasurable pain would humble themselves and put on sackcloth and I knew you.

I know you would forgive them and started I'm just really mad.

These people don't deserve forgiveness. And so God says is right for you to be angry and Jonah said yes go ahead and kill me. I don't care you not been there when I wanted to ministry at the beginning of my days past trees and I wheat we gave everything for God and one day and in absolute exasperation. I went out on a gravel road near our home. At that time the night. I literally shook my fist at God. I was so mad and is my price it is there something is there some crooked side to you that I'm unaware of. Do you get the light in doing this, your servants, I gave you my family I give you my future give you my job. I give you my home and I gave you all that I have all the energy that's in my body and you respond. You respond by taking away my strength. Is there something about you that I don't know the number six this is the way you treat your friends. I'd sure hate to be one of your enemies.

I was so mad that they that if God had said, I'm going to turn you into a pile of dust. I would've said go right ahead and do it. I was absolutely furious, but his response to me took me unawares. I was expecting a response in kind. When I prayed that way before God, but his response to me was I love you and it literally melted my heart. I never expected God to speak that way to me when I was speaking the way I was to him and it changed from a place of anger on the road. I had no idea that God was leading me into an understanding of the new covenant, and I was stubborn and that was a fleecy he pulled me into Nexus was only a few years before coming to New York City that he had to give me an understanding of grace and of mercy, the eternal reward that he gives to us is not based on the things that we do for him. It's based on obedience to what he's called us to do in giving our whole heart just to the work of God, whether it's raising a family, whether it's being an honest employee what whatever it is that he's given us to do that. We just simply do that with all of our heart we go back and we think about these heroes in the Bible we see David is that the conquering King in the sweet psalmist of Israel I find ironic is called the sweet psalmist with some 22 being one of his songs. Moses is known as the victorious warrior who took the people of God out of captivity and brought them into the promised land, Joshua is known and remembered as the one who went in and conquered the promised land and divided among the people of God and encourage the next generation Jeremiah courses known as the prophet with the fire of God. God didn't take the fire. He didn't take the fire of his presence from Jeremiah actually turned up the heat when Jeremiah said I'm not speaking on your behalf any longer and done I don't get you. I don't understand you. So I'm not speaking, the God responds by just reaching down and turning up the dial little bit and causing the heat to rise until either he speaks or explodes.

Something's got to happen in the course.

Remember, Jonah's not as the guy was sitting on the hilltops until May God kill me.

I don't care. We remember him as the great revivalist went into itself because he he came out of a well he was that I often when I go to the over the UK as a Jonah was the first evangelist from Wales but anyways Jonah went in and he preached Jeffers that the short season he did and and is known as a great revivalist that brought the presence of God. Psalm 142 verse to the psalmist as I pour out my complaint before a man I declare before in my troubles.

Here's the point is the point here's here's the summation of everything I've said so far.

God is not offended by honesty in our prayers. He is offended. However, by pretentiousness means fakery in our prayers. You think in Luke chapter 11 verse eight, the Pharisees still uses him as a bad example in the Pharisee stood up in a prayer meeting one day and is all God, I thank you that I'm not like other men are these offended when we pretend to be something were not these offended when we come to him with a dishonest heart you know a lot of people praying you're going through all the struggles and trials and difficulties in questions then you go to prayer and you feel like you gotta come to sanctify the whole thing and make it look before God like you're trusting him with all your heart when you're not. He's not offended by honesty and I've learned that over the years. If you're bummed out, say so if you're having struggles say so. Don't pretend you're something you're not. Don't pretend you have the victory you don't have. That's the one thing that offends God be honest with God. It's it's it's it's the honest person gets the victory in chapter 20. In verse 47 of Luke.

He said to the scribes.

He said you you you in the sense you devour widows, houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Another is your your ministry position is it is using it to enrich yourself you're using it for personal gain aggrandize with you. Love the cheapest seats in the synagogues and you love robes, and love to be called teacher teacher and you cover it all up with long prayers.

The only thing that really offends God and you'll see it as you study the Scriptures is is pretentiousness it's it's it's being dishonest because he already knows what's in our heart. Praise be to God. It's it's an awesome thing to know that we can come before the throne of God and we don't have to calm and put on King James English and pretend that we have a faith that we don't have pretend like were not struggling or in trial or difficulty. It's the honest heart that gets the answer.

God is undefended by honesty you look at Psalm 22 I mean realistically you look at the accusations against the faithfulness of God, and those those first 15 verse and you say will that's that's terrific how can you, how can you accuse gotta forsaking you are not helping. You're not hearing you not delivering you from the power of your enemies of bringing you to a place of false trust even from from the day of your birth and in accuse God of leading you to a place of death and not life and it is a phenomenal thing in and yet the proof that God was undefended is that he put it into this book as inspired text by the Holy Spirit think about it for moment God's. It's almost like when David wrote this or are saying it God's that I want that my book I want other generations to be able to read this because if they read it under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The going to learn something about me that you can't learn just from a textbook going to learn something about my character. Not only is it written in the book as inspired text by the Holy Spirit, but Jesus Christ himself quotes it on the cross. It shows you how much he is totally undefended by the words that God had given to his servant David. So Jesus himself validates that by quoting it in Psalm 22 also reveals that every struggle that comes into your life and mine has a higher purpose. All things work together for good to those that love God and are the called according to his purpose. All things are struggles, our trials are questions are anger or disappointment all things work together for good. You know, David goes on in Psalm 22, he has absolutely no idea as is writing this that he's been given a a preview as it is of the cross of Jesus Christ. But he's been taken into the suffering of the son of God is this song that starts out as an accusation ends up with a revelation that is absolutely astounding. The honesty in this man's heart opens happen to him. The dishonest heart finds a closed door to the revelation of God. But the honest talk all you start reading this dog surrounded be the congregation of the wicked of enclosing. They pierced my hands and my feet.

He's now is now moved beyond his own complete my put it that way and is now being given a pre-a pre-incarnate Christ view of the cross Minuteman put it that way and nobody debates at Psalm 22 is about the cross of Jesus Christ. I count all my bones. They look and stare at me. Verse 18 the divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.

Remember the New Testament the soldiers gambled for his garments at the foot of the cross but you will more. Do not do not be far from the all my strength hasten to help me deliver me from the sword by person's life in the power of the dog saved me from the lies about and from the horns of the wild oxen and is something phenomenal happens. In verse 21. Out of nowhere, you have 21 1/2 verses of a literal complaint in talking about weakness in challenging the faithfulness of God and suddenly a line appears there and says you have answered me think it got that has to be a revelation of the Holy Spirit was good that how do you get to that.

How do you do these first 21 verses and get this one line you have answered me many good Sunnis not only have you answered me, I will declare your name to my brother in the midst of the assembly.

I will praise you. David goes on to say my praise shall be of you in the great assembly.

I will pay my vows before those who fear him, the poor shall even be satisfied and those who seek him will praise the Lord let your heart live forever. And then he goes from there from his circumstance to declaring the faithfulness of God to going into this great assembly now going into the ends of the world. I think this one through for moment all the ends of the world. Verse 27 shall remember and turn to the Lord all the families of the nation shall worship before you, for the kingdom is the Lord's and he rules over the nations. What journey he's taken from verse one my God, my God, why have you forsaken. Now he's in the world anything China is sitting in the icing.

You're happy saying South America is sitting Asia is saying people beginning to worship God.

All the prospers of the earth shall lead in worship and those of you down to the dust shall bow before him even heal cannot keep himself alive. He sees the judgment of God. At the end of time.

A posterity shall serve in the shall be counted to the Lord for the next generation they will come and declare his righteousness to a people, shall be borne that he has done this, you know what David is not even sure what that this is but he knows whatever the this is God's about to do is going to be spoken about in the whole world was married to glory to God that he is done this. It starts with what you forsaken me in fetuses with the whole world from time to time. When you feel overwhelmed talk to God about this tell you don't like it. Moses did David Joshua did Jeremiah did Jonah did I continue to others of that time in the Bible. They all did the same thing but you see honest people pray on this. You been listening to Carter Conlon from Times Square Church in New York City.

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