True Prayers and True Vows (Psalm 66:13-14, 18-19)

Psalm 66:13-14, 18-19

18 If I regard wickedness in my heart,
The Lord will not hear;
19 But certainly God has heard;
He has given heed to the voice of my prayer.
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In many a life circumstance, people have prayed to God for deliverance. There are millions who, when in differing distresses, have called out to God for rescue. Often, such prayers are accompanied with a promise of some sort. “God, if you will just get me out of this one, I will give half my money to the church,” they cry. “Lord,” they plead, “just heal my son, and I will never again miss a Sunday morning worship service.” On and on go the prayers and the promises.

What I think is interesting in Psalm 66 is that we see two things that we ought to learn about our prayers. The first comes last. In verses 18-19, David points out that, had he regarded iniquity or unrighteousness in his heart, God would not have listened to his prayer. At a point when David was in trouble, he prayed to God. He asked God for help. He vowed to worship God upon his deliverance. But, David acknowledges that, if that prayer had been empty, God would not have been fooled by it. Had David truly wanted to sin and remain in sin, God would have known not to answer simply because of an empty vow.

Then, in the earlier verses, David, after his deliverance, is planning to do what he had promised to God. No, David most certainly did not buy God’s grace through is promise of worship. However, David promised God worship from a thankful heart upon God’s faithful rescue of David. Then, after God did rescue David, the king goes through with his vows. David made no empty promises to God.

Are you in a point of distress? Is there a time in the past when you were? Have you been tempted to pray to God, promising him something from you if he will just help you out this once? If so, know that your prayer did not trick God. God knows you and he knows your heart. If your heart was full of self, sin, and schemes, God was not swayed by it. If you are thinking now that you can promise God something to buy his favor, you are completely missing the point of knowing him. God is not bought. His favor is not for sale or for bargaining. Nor is prayer for the man or woman who does not care an ounce about who God is or what God really wants. Prayer is for the person who desires God’s will and God’s glory, or for the person who wants God to help him or her to desire that.

Also, we need to recognize that we do not want to be the kind of people who go back on our vows. When we promise something to God, we ought to become the kind of people to carry it through. God is worthy of our praise. How dare we ever keep it from him.

Dear Lord, I ask that you would help my heart to be right before you. I do not want, under any circumstances, to be the kind of person who would try to bargain with you. I do not want to regard iniquity in my heart. I pray that you would make me pure. Create in me a clean heart, that I might best please you with my life and my prayers. And, Lord, I will worship you, for you are worthy of all worship. Please help me never to turn from that calling.