Title: Prayer of Faith in Tribulation
Contents
1. Words that begin
Due to the global economic hardship, it is not uncommon for people to be fired or forced to retire at their best working age. As the head of the household suddenly becomes unemployed, not only the education of their children, but also the number of people who commit suicide due to a difficult way to make a living, the number of homeless people, the breakdown of families, and the increase in livelihood crimes are becoming serious social problems. Because it is difficult to make a living, people's hearts become more and more harsh and bloody, and all kinds of heinous crimes occur.
Professor Jo Mo Yeo is hearing the outcry of the people, saying that ex-President Roh and his family, relatives and close associates for giving and receiving money and valuables are a crime of livelihood compared to former presidents. Former President Roh, who emphasized cleanliness, is also experiencing tribulation due to the fact that his wife and his wife each received a watch worth 100 million won, and that his family, relatives, and aides gave him suspicious money.
David didn't do corruption or unjust giving of money, but he did the work of saving the country by killing Goliath, a giant general of the Philistines, but he had a hard time because of King Saul's envy and murder.
2. Prayer in Tribulation
Tribulation can be different, but it can happen because of your own mistakes or sins, but you can also suffer through doing good deeds, doing righteousness, or doing good deeds. This is because we live in a world that is perverse and rebellious and full of sin, injustice and lawlessness.
This is when David went out in the name of God and made a contribution to the salvation of the country, and then fled to the tenth place to avoid the envy, murder and pursuit of King Saul. The Zipp went to King Saul and told him that David was hiding in his land. It was like being hit by a fall.
David's most unbearable pain was not from exhaustion from running away from King Saul, nor was he betrayed by his close friends and followers. The most difficult pain for David to bear is the fact that he obeyed God's will and risked his life in God's name to save the country, but he was left with a miserable fugitive, let alone the reward. ‘Is God really alive? Is God Really Almighty? Does God really care for the people he trusts and depends on?’ He must have been thinking.
In fact, there are many apostates among church members in times of tribulation, either because of God's incomprehensible dealings, seeming indifference, or because God does not grant their will or desires. In fact, instead of praying for God's answer during tribulation, there are not a few people who blame their household, their ancestors, or their circumstances.
However, David was different from those who complained about God, or who complained about blaming family members or close friends. The cause of the tribulation was different, and the conduct during the tribulation was different. David in the midst of tribulation still held on to God more strongly than before. “Save me, O God, in your name, and judge me by your strength. Hear my prayer, O God, and give ear to the words of my mouth. Foreigners rise up against me, and violent men seek my life, and do not put God before them. I did not. (Selah)” Selah means to sing aloud.
Regardless of the cause of tribulation, the way to be saved during tribulation is to pray to God. Because life and death are in control of God. This is because the providence of God, which cannot be understood by human reason, is at work in our lives. So David did not just pray for salvation, but prayed for salvation in the name of the Lord God. He prayed not to be judged by the power of some other person or by the power of something else, but rather by the power of the Lord God. They put God aside and prayed for deliverance from unbelievers and vicious people who were seeking their lives by beating themselves who believed in God.
Dear all! What tribulation are you going through? What is the benefit of blaming others or the environment day and night? On the contrary, does not only the heart become heavier, and the soul also becomes weaker? Isn't it enough to find out the cause and keep it in mind for the future? Pray. Pray to the God who takes care of life and death. If you do, you will come to understand God's mysterious providence and experience the deep love of God to help and save you. Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
3. Confidence in God's Answers
David prayed to God even though he was suffering unjustly because he risked his life in God's name and went out to save the country, following God's will. David prayed a prayer of faith, not a ceremonial, introverted, and formal prayer. What did you pray for? “God is my helper, and you are with those who take my life.” It is not that God does not know whether God will hear his prayer or not, but that God is his helper. It is the Lord who is the strength of his life. David, who was in trouble, already realized that God's helping hand and that his life was under God's protection.
Next, David prayed, “You will repay my enemies with evil; destroy them by your faithfulness.” This prayer does not mean that David, who lacks the strength to carry out his hatred, hatred, and murder, seeks revenge on God's behalf. David knew that the prayers of hateful and murderous people cannot reach God.
The prayer of David, a man of faith, is that God, who is in charge of life and death, will take care of the enemy who is trying to kill him. Rather than destroying enemies according to one's own will or thoughts, one's grudges or hatred, it is not to destroy them according to the Lord's sincerity and truthfulness. It is a prayer with the intention that it does not matter whether the Lord's will is to chastise and scourge the enemy to lead them to repentance, or whether it is to destroy the enemy. Galatians 6:7 says, “Do not deceive yourself, for God is not deceived; whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” Romans 12:19 says, “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but leave it to His wrath, for it is written, Vengeance is mine, and I will repay, says the Lord.”
Next, David recalled the answers to prayers of the past and said a prayer of thanksgiving. “I will sacrifice to you as a free offering; I will give thanks to your name, O LORD, for your name is good, for you have delivered me from all afflictions, and have made me see the retribution of my enemies.”
I offered the sacrifice of offering a gift to God with a joyful heart, and I prayed to thank the Lord for His essence, attributes, and good deeds. It's like getting answers to your prayers. In fact, when David was a shepherd, he often experienced God's grace in delivering not only sheep thieves, but also lions and bears attacking the flock, and even experienced killing such wild beasts through God's work. David suffered considerable tribulations before and after the fight with Goliath, but he was saved by praying at that time, and he witnessed the retribution of his enemies. During that time, David thoroughly enjoyed the taste of prayer. I tasted the taste of prayer so much that I couldn't stop praying.
4. Conclusion
If we live in an imperfect world where sin, injustice, and iniquity are pervasive and perverse, we will experience tribulation because of changes in the world, mistakes, or sins, and we will face tribulation even when we do good deeds, righteousness, or meritorious deeds. In particular, following God's will, we are prepared for martyrdom in God's name, and even if we do great work for the church and country, we may experience tribulation. Whatever the reason, the first and most important thing to do during all tribulation is to pray to God. In the past, please pray in faith, remembering the Lord God who answered our prayers to deliver us from afflictions, to repay our enemies with sincerity and sincerity, and to preserve and protect our lives. God, who has answered before, will surely hear prayers offered during the new tribulation.
(Poongseong Methodist Church. Book: Complete Commentary on 27 New Testament Books/ Interpretation of Difficult Scriptures I, II/ Salvation Before Jesus Came/Paul’s Understanding of Man/ Prosperous Prayer/ Seasonal Sermonbooks/ Sermonbook 18. T. 426 -3051)