Responding to the Word

August 11, 2024 homily on Psalm 130 and Philippians 4:4-7 by Pastor Galen

David’s Complicated Family

King David had a complicated relationship with his son Absalom. Actually, King David’s whole family dynamic was quite complicated. As king, it was expected that he would make political alliances with surrounding kingdoms, and in those days often those political alliances were cemented by marriage. It was most likely for this reason that David married Maacah, the daughter of the King of Geshur (1 Chronicles 3:2), a neighboring territory. Maacah was one of David’s 8 wives, and together they parented Absalom and Tamar — 2 of David’s 18 children. (If you think holiday get-togethers and family reunions are complicated in your household, imagine how complicated they were for King David’s family!)

For all of David’s faults and failures, I think he wanted to be a good dad, as much as he wanted to be a good king. But David made some grave mistakes in his life, as we saw the last few weeks. And when Absalom grew up and became a young adult, David did something that made his son Absalom turn against him, causing him to rebel against David and even try to usurp his throne. Actually, it wasn’t something David did, but rather something he didn’t do — and that was that he failed to hold his other son Amnon accountable for his wicked deeds, which you can read about in 2 Samuel. In Absalom’s eyes, this failure to hold Amnon accountable indicated that David was no longer fit to be the king, and so Absalom tried to take matters into his own hands, staging a revolt against his own father. But alas, Absalom’s attempted coup failed, and Absalom was killed in battle, leading David to grieve the loss of his beloved son Absalom.

“The Bottom Has Fallen Out of My Life”

I’m not exactly sure what it was that inspired the words of Psalm 130, but it’s very possible that David penned these words after he heard the news about Absalom’s death. In The Message paraphrase of Psalm 130, the psalmist cries out, “Help, God – the bottom has fallen out of my life! Master, hear my cry for help! Listen hard! Open your ears! Listen to my cries for mercy” (Psalm 130:1-2 The Message.) The book of 2 Samuel chapter 18 tells us that after David was told that Absalom had died in battle, “The king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept, and as he went he said, ‘O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!’” (2 Samuel 18:33 NRSV.) Surely David must have been grieved not only for the loss of his son Absalom, but also for the fact that they would never have the chance to be reconciled.

In situations like this, it is appropriate to God. Prayer often gets a bad rap, as if it is simply an excuse not to act. But prayer is action, and it is the appropriate way to respond when we’re feeling desperate, or hopeless, or like “the bottom has fallen out of our lives.” Prayer is appropriate when we’ve messed up or made a mistake and when we’re not sure what else to do. Prayer is appropriate when we’re not sure how to deal with complicated family dynamics, or when things are stressful at home or at school or at our jobs. 

The reality is that there is no situation in which prayer is not appropriate. We can and should talk to God in any situation, no matter what our need is. As the Apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

Prayers of the People

Currently we are in the midst of a sermon series on the topic of “worship,” in which we’re looking at the various aspects of our worship services and what we can learn about them from the life of David. In our worship service each week we have a section in which we hear the Scriptures read and exposited in a sermon. And then we have a section called “Responding to the word,” which includes, among other things, a pastoral prayer, or the “prayers of the people.”

This time of prayer and response is not an afterthought or something that we do to simply fill the time. Rather, prayer is one of the most important things we do as we gather in worship each week. We bring our needs and requests before the Lord and lay them down at the feet of Jesus, entrusting ourselves and our loved ones to the Lord.

Of coures we can and should pray throughout the week, by ourselves or with others. But our time of prayer together during our worship service draws us closer to God and to one another as together we bring our needs and requests before the Lord and entrust our lives and the life of our congregation to the Lord.

Benefits of Prayer

Now, interestingly enough, scientists have sometimes tried to study the physical effects of prayer, to see whether the act of praying has any tangible benefits to our health.

The University of Minnesota’s Center for Spirituality & Healing indicates that “The following explanations have been offered as to how prayer helps improve health:

• …Prayer elicits the relaxation response, which lowers blood pressure and other factors heightened by stress.
• …prayer releases control to something greater than oneself, which can reduce the stress of needing to be in charge.
• …prayer can enhance a person’s hopes and expectations, and that in turn can positively impact health.
• …prayer can bring a sense of a spiritual or loving presence and alignment with God…
• …prayer can elicit feelings of gratitude, compassion, forgiveness, and hope, all of which are associated with healing and wellness.
• …when prayer uplifts or calms, it inhibits the release of cortisol and other hormones, thus reducing the negative impact of stress on the immune system and promoting healing.”

But if all of these physical health benefits weren’t enough, as Christians we believe that God truly listens when we pray, and that God answers our prayers. God may not always give us what we want, but surely God will give us what we need if we will but turn to God in faith and trust. 

Responding to the Word

In Philippians 4 we are reminded not just to bring our supplications, or petitions, to the Lord, but also our thanksgivings and our praise. The Apostle Paul says, “in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6-7). 

When we pray, we are encouraged not only to bring our needs and requests before the Lord, but also to spend time thanking God for the blessings we’ve received and the prayers that God has answered. We can even thank God in advance, for we know that no matter what, God will work all things together for our good, as we see in Romans 8:28.

One of the ways we respond to the Word is through celebrating Communion together. In some traditions, communion is called the “eucharist.” But did you know that the word “eucharist” literally means “thanksgiving”? Even here in our United Methodist tradition, we call communion “The Great Thanksgiving.” Partaking together in communion is one of the ways we remember and celebrate the blessings God has given to us through Christ Jesus.

Psalm 130 models several other appropriate responses to the Word, in addition to supplications and thanksgiving. In Psalm 130, the psalmist mentions God’s grace and forgiveness, saying “If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with you, so that you may be revered” (Psalm 130:3-4). Being reminded of God’s grace and forgiveness leads the psalmist to repentance and to awe and reverence of God’s mercy and grace, as we talked about during the first week of this series. The psalmist also speaks of “waiting” on the Lord, and placing our hope and trust in the Lord. These are all very appropriate responses to the Word, as we turn to God in repentance and trust. 

Prayer: Become Aligned with God’s Will and God’s Purposes

So to sum all of this up, what can we learn about prayer and our response to the Word from this episode in the life of King David?

1. Christian prayer is not about ignoring the painful realities of this life. It’s not about trying to rise above suffering, or an attempt to get ourselves to a state where the problems of this life no longer affect us. Rather, through prayer we press into the painful realities of this world, bringing our needs and requests and thanksgivings before the Lord, believing that God really hears, and that God will answer.

2. Prayer helps us become more aligned with God and God’s will. As we bring our requests and thanksgivings to God, we are often led to repentance, and to awe and wonder of God’s grace and mercy, which leads us to thanksgiving. Our physical circumstances may not always change when we pray, but as we bring our needs and requests before the Lord we experience God’s peace, and we are reminded that we can trust that God will work things out.

3. Prayer is not a replacement for work. It is work. Sometimes prayer is the only thing we can do. But quite often when we pray we are prompted to other forms of action. Praying for someone may prompt us to reach out to them, to check on them and see how they’re doing. Praying may cause us to open up our wallets or pocketbooks, to give of our resources to help those who are in need. Prayer may lead us to give of our time, or talents, or energy to God’s purposes in the world. But it is through prayer that we are reminded that the burden does not rest solely on our shoulders. God is in control, and so our actions are a participation in what God is doing in the world. When we pray and take action, we are reminded that we do not act alone.

And so this morning, no matter what circumstances you may be going through, even if it feels that the “bottom has dropped out of your life,” know that we can always bring our needs and requests and our thanksgivings to the Lord. Even when we don’t know what else to do, we can pray and cry out to the Lord. And as we do, “The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:7). 

Amen!

Questions for Personal Reflection in Response to Today’s Sermon:

1. Have you ever experienced a loss or a moment where you felt the
   “bottom has fallen out of my life”? How did you cope with it?
2. How do you usually approach prayer during difficult times? Do you
   see it as a last resort or a first response?
3. What role does prayer play in deepening our connection with God
   and each other during our worship services?
4. How has prayer prompted you to take action in the past? What
   were the outcomes?
5. What impact have you noticed from participating in the “prayers of
   the people” during our worship service? How has it influenced your
   personal prayer life?