A Heart for God, Part 11

In a world where power and influence are often overvalued, God honors the humble and those who have a heart for Him.

There is no greater example in the Bible than the life of King David. In his book, A Heart for God, Dr. Michael Youssef offers you powerful reminders of God's faithfulness to bring glory and victory out of brokenness and failure. The website where you can learn more about the content and order your copy, A Heart for God, is ltw.org. Dr. Youssef is offering to send it when you give a gift of any amount to leading the way. Call and speak with a ministry representative. We are at 866-626-4356.

That's 866-626-4356. Thank you for making time in your day for the teaching of Dr. Michael Youssef on Leading the Way. Up next, dive right into David's prayer illustrating his humility before God, even when God's answer is disappointing. Practical teaching from life experience and words of King David. Rich, biblical instruction to guide you through your days of victory and your days of disappointment. And a little later, you're going to hear about content that's available from Leading the Way that'll help you dig even deeper into your faith, helping you walk even closer with Jesus. But right now, listen with me to another episode in Dr. Youssef's series called A Heart for God, right here on Leading the Way.

D.L. Moody used to say, these are powerful words, true humility attracts, lack of humility subtracts, and false humility detracts. And here, my beloved friends, in this true humility, not false humility, true humility, you find our friend David in 2 Samuel chapter 7. Here we are going to see true humility in action.

A lot of people talk about humility, but we're going to see how it works in action, actually in real life. Here is David, is not spoiled by his success, he's not giddy with his position, David is not swollen by victory that he had received. Here we see David not forgetting the Lord in the midst of his prosperity. No, instead we see his poverty of spirit continues on. That is true poverty in spirit. This is truly a man whose poverty in spirit is on display for all of us to see how. By having the glory of God as his number one concern, by having the honor of the Lord as his number one priority, as having the worship of the true God as his life's goal. David's most desperate longing here is for the kingdom of God, not for the kingdom of David.

And here's how it happened. David could not stand the fact that he is living in the lap of luxury in a beautiful house that was built with cedar. Here he is living in luxury, and the ark of the covenant is in a tent.

He couldn't stand it. Someone said there are thousands of professing Christians who think more about the welfare of their pets than they do about the work of God. I did not say that, I wish I did. It was a great British theologian by the name of Arthur Pink, but I want to say amen belongs here. Look at verse 2, 2 Samuel 7.

David said to Nathan the prophet, here I am living in the place of cedar and the ark of the covenant remains in a tent. That my beloved friends is a man whose heart after God. This is a man who is blessed by being poor in spirit.

Someone would say, well Michael you said this is the first step, this is the entry level. Yes, but I also said that has to stay with you for the rest of your life. Poverty in spirit just happened the moment you come to Jesus and the rest of your life you're going to live kind of you're on your own steam as it were.

No. What I want to show you here that David's true poverty in spirit, especially when God did not give him what he wanted the most. It's one thing to be humble before God, to be overwhelmed by God answering your prayer and to be still overwhelmed when God doesn't answer your prayer. Sometimes we feel so overwhelmed when God blesses us, when God puts his blessings on us and we feel humble, we feel unworthy of all these enormous blessings, but it's a whole different ball game when God that says no to you and you still pray and you're humble and you're broken before God in the same way as you did before.

It is when God says to you, no thanks, it's not you. In 1 Chronicles chapter 17 verse 3, by the way 1 Chronicles 17 and 2 Samuel 7 are mirror passages of the Bible. They're reporting the same thing.

One has more details about one thing or the other. But in 1 Chronicles 17 through 8, God sent Nathan the prophet. He said go and tell David. Thus says the Lord. This is not just take it or leave it.

This is not just a principle. Thus says the Lord. You are not the one to build a house for me.

My beloved friends, please don't miss this. There is nothing more revealing of a person's true relationship with God, true relationship with the Lord, than how he or she reacts when God says no. Perhaps you prayed for some physical need and God says no.

Or at least not yet. What is the nature of your relationship with the Lord then? Perhaps you lost a business deal that you earnestly wanted and you earnestly prayed for.

That business deal fell apart. What is your spiritual temperature after that happens? Perhaps you applied to attend a certain college and the doors did not open for you. Perhaps you prayed about a certain position in a certain company and the door was shut. How are you relating to the Lord when that happens? Will you continue spiritually walk with the Lord after he says no to you?

Perhaps you want to marry a certain person and that relationship did not work out. How would you walk with God? You see in both these passages, Second Samuel 7 and First Chronicles 17, the Bible says that after David heard this disappointing news, he prayed. He prayed. Can you say that with me? He prayed. I know the disappointment of God saying no.

And there are times when I did not react right. I did not react like David. Second Samuel 7, 18, King David sat before the Lord. That is a sitting or a posture of prayer. He was sitting in a posture of prayer. He prayed. He just heard the disappointing news. The Bible said he prayed. I'm going to examine that prayer in a moment because this sevenfold prayer can truly be a course in discipleship. It's of utmost importance.

We're going to see it in a minute. But I want you to think with me. This man David has been denied the fulfillment of his life's vision. He had just been denied the fulfillment of his dream. He had just been denied the fulfillment of his longing desire. But instead of sulking, which he did before by the way, he did before, he sulked before.

I've sulked many times. Instead of sulking, he prayed. He prayed. Lord, if I cannot fulfill this vision of building a house for worship, I'm going to give my all, and in fact he gave his entire net worth, to others who can build it. Lord, even though I'm not going to have the joy and the pleasure of serving you in this way, I'm going to stand behind those who do. Lord, even though I might not have the joy of preaching, I'm going to stand behind those who do. Lord, even though I cannot serve you as I want to, I'll stand behind those who do. That's a prayer. And my beloved, this is true humility. This is true humility.

This is true poverty of spirit. Now I come to the prayer. The sevenfold prayer of David after disappointment. This is a model prayer for everyone without exception.

You should learn from when you receive disappointing news, when you don't receive answers to prayer. No wonder God said of this man, with all of his failures, with all of his faults, with all of his sins, God said this man is after my heart. Here's the sevenfold prayer. First of all, of the sevenfold prayers, David attributed everything to God's grace. David attributed everything to God's grace. Verse 18, who are my sovereign Lord?

And what is my family that you have brought us thus far? The New Testament says that the reason salvation is by grace alone is so that no one can brag or take credit for it. That's the reason. Think with me, please, think with me, because you know people and I know people, we know folks who really give themselves credit for their salvation. It was me. I chose the Lord. I am the one.

I am the decision. I am and I am and I am. And think of what they're going to do when they get to heaven.

What are they going to say to Jesus? Lord, I am glad I'm here because I'm much smarter than my neighbor. I am much smarter than anybody. I chose you, Lord. I made a decision to follow you. Lord, I am here because of what I've done for you. Lord, I know you said to your disciples that you did not choose me.

I chose you. Ah, beloved, when I get to heaven, I'm going to fall on my face before God. I'm going to say, Lord, you did it all.

Lord, you paid it all. Lord, it is your pure grace that brought me here. Lord, I'm not worthy nor I deserve to be here, but you did it. Lord, you sustained me and you have persevered with me through my entire Christian life. When I failed and fell, you picked me up. When I sinned and repented, you forgave me and strengthened me. When I've lost the joy of my salvation, you restored it to me.

Thank you, Lord." Beloved, the reason so many professing Christians are trudging around like peacocks, you know what I'm talking about? Feeling righteous because they do not comprehend God's grace.

They really don't. And the reason they don't comprehend God's grace is because they do not comprehend the enormity of their sinfulness. Can I get an amen? David recognized his unworthiness and his nothingness but God's everythingness. I made this one.

Just I made a word up. Secondly, David apprehended the greatness of God. Verse 22, how great you are, O sovereign Lord.

There is no one like you and there is no God but you. Beloved, there are many who preach the love of God, the love of God, the love of God, the love of God, and they never preach on the justice of God and they make it look like God is kind of an irresponsible grandfather who lets his grandkids do everything they want. They never preach the justice of God. They never preach the holiness of God.

They never preach the purity of God. On the other hand, there are people who explain grace as if there's something due to them, you know, that God owes them grace. In this age of entitlement, we brought that entitlement to the church and to our doctrine and theology as if God owes us grace. No, we're entitled to grace.

No, we're not. They failed to comprehend their greatness and the majesty and the awe of God. They failed to be awestruck at his righteousness. As David in the midst of hearing, no, from the lips of God was struck with awe before the holiness of God. Thirdly, David affirms the goodness of God. Look at verse 23.

And who is like your people Israel? The one nation on earth that God went out to redeem a people to himself. Now, beloved, the redemption of the Lord Jesus Christ to us by his precious blood that was shed on Calvary demands the loudest praise, demands the loudest praise, not sitting on your hand and doing nothing for him. The salvation that Jesus gave us full and free elicit our giving him of everything. The grace of God compels us with the deepest of gratitude. And therefore, everything we do after salvation is out of gratitude, not duty. No, gratitude, thanksgiving.

The self-centered worship that we see in many evangelical churches today is alien to the truly poor in spirit person. Fourth, of the sevenfold prayer that David affirmed God's covenant. Verse 24, you have established your people Israel as your very own forever and you, O Lord, have become their God. Here's the one thing about God that you can take to the bank. When he makes a covenant, he will keep that covenant. God is not sitting in heaven with a pencil and an eraser at the end of that pencil and when you repent, he writes your name in the book of life. When you mess up, he turns it over and he erases it. Then when you repent again, he writes it again and then when you mess up, he erases it.

No, your name if you came to Christ surrendering to him is written in the book of life with the blood of Jesus. God is a faithful God. That means he will always, always, always keep us out of the bargain. It's us who don't. We don't.

And you know what? We bring pain upon ourselves when we do not keep our side of the covenant. We really do because we are prone to be covenant breakers. It's one of my favorite hymns. Prone to wonder, Lord, I feel it.

Prone to leave the God I love. He to rescue me from danger and to pose his precious blood. In fact, the writer of this hymn who was prone to wander away from the Lord, he really did and that's why he wrote that stanza last and he was conscious of this and conscious of this and every time he comes back, pours his heart to God, God receives him. One time he was sitting in one of those horse and buggy car and the lady in front of him, she was humming this song and then she engaged him in a conversation. She said to him, do you know this song?

He said, ma'am, I'm the miserable soul that wrote that song. Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love. David attributed it all to the grace of God. David apprehended the greatness of God. David affirmed the goodness of God. David affirmed the covenant of God and fifthly, David asserting the promises of God. Look at verse 25. And now, Lord God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house.

And you know of course what he's talking about, right? Jesus, the son of David who will sit on the throne forever. That was a prophecy, a messianic prophecy when God said to David and that's why the blind man said, son of David. He knew this is the son of David of whom the Old Testament prophesied. Son of David, King Jesus. And David here is doing two things simultaneously.

Look at them with me. He is taking hold of the divine promise and believing it and secondly, he is pleading for God to fulfill that promise in the future. David believed the word of God in the book of Numbers chapter 23 verse 19 where it says, God is not a man that you should lie or son of man that he should change his mind. Does he speak and not act? Does he promise and not fulfill it?

And the answer is absolutely not. Please, you must understand biblical faith. The word faith gets bended about sometimes drive me nuts. You know, faith based this and faith this and faith this. But biblical faith is a gift of God.

It's a gift of God. Because I know that my God does not only promise or is a promising God but he's also a performing God. Because I know that my God is not only a faithful in calling me but he's also faithful in keeping me. My God is not only a covenant making God but he's also a covenant keeping God. My God is a God who's not only a convicting God but he's a forgiving God. My God is not only a calling God but he's a receiving God. My God is not only initiating God but he's a compelling and fulfilling God. Amen.

Amen. And that is why the scriptures says that he who began a good work in you is able to bring it to completion. One of my favorite verses, absolute confidence in the sovereignty of God.

He who began a good work in you is able. David attributed it all to the grace of God. David apprehended the greatness of God. David affirmed the goodness of God. David affirmed the covenant of God. David asserted the promise of God six.

David announced the glory of God. Look at verses 26 and 27. No wonder when the disciples said to Jesus, teach us how to pray. And he gave them a pattern.

There are some traditions and some churches, they rattle it through. Now it's not a magic prayer. He said this is the pattern that you follow.

And you know what he did with that pattern? He begins with the glory of God and he ends with the glory of God. That's how our prayer should be. Begins with the glory of God, ends with the glory of God. Our Father who are in heaven, hallowed be the glory to your name. And ends with to you the glory.

To you the glory. Thine is the glory. The glory of Jesus. If it's not at the forefront of our minds, then the other glory is in the front, is occupying that front section.

If the glory of Jesus is not at the forefront of any church, something else is at the forefront. The seventh and the final of the sevenfold prayer of David after disappointment. David pays tribute to the faithfulness of God. Look at verses 28 and 29. David's life with all of its ups and downs and beloved listen there is, I am so grateful that we can read these great men of God, great women of God and we can see their clay feet and we can see that they were not perfect. That's why we don't worship them and we don't venerate them, we venerate the God of grace who overruled in their ups and their downs.

David with his ups and downs, failure and sin and he never lost sight of the faithfulness of God. Now beloved, our God is as good as his word. Can I get an amen? Say it with me.

Our God is faithful to his word. So let me conclude with this question. Let me ask you to take it personally. Please take this question personally. How do you pray when God says no? How do you pray when God says no?

Or maybe not yet. Think long and hard about this. It's very important. I know what my longing is. I cannot stand here and say I've done it all the time.

No, no, no. But I know my longing. My longing is that I'll pray like David. I want to always praise God for his grace. I want to always praise God for his greatness. I always want to praise God, affirm his goodness. I always want to affirm the covenant with God. I always want to assert the promise of God. I always want to announce the glory of God in every action and every thought. I always want to pay tribute to the faithfulness of God. May God grant me and you this desire of being like David.

Amen. Will you pray with me? Maybe you have been disappointed and because of that disappointment with God you have developed this kind of cold love toward God.

Today God can change that. Maybe you have faced disappointment. Maybe you are facing disappointment. Let your sevenfold prayer be the testimony to the greatness of God so that he and he alone can truly say to you blessed are you who are poor in spirit. Totally utterly dependent on you.

Do you live life with a taste of disappointment? Want to talk to someone? Well, you can connect with one of our Leading the Way pastors or counselors by filling out a quick contact form at ltw.org slash Jesus. Thank you for taking the time to listen to Dr. Michael Youssef. On this episode of Leading the Way, you know, you can connect with additional content from Dr. Youssef and Leading the Way online at ltw.org through the Leading the Way app and by subscribing to one or all of the available Leading the Way podcast. In fact, allow me to highlight one podcast that you really need to consider subscribing to. You will so enjoy my devotional. In my devotional, a few Bible verses are highlighted plus practical pastoral words offered to make the biblical content really come alive in 2024. Also consider these podcasts Leading the Way and Candid Conversations with Jonathan Youssef. More information available at ltw.org. This program is furnished by Leading the Way with Dr. Michael Youssef.