Welcome to Joy By Surprise
YAHUSHUA YaHuWaH Jesus Christ Elijah Isaiah Antichrist Baal Feast Atonement Passover New Moon Israel David God Angel Angels Glory King of Kings Devil Satan False Prophet Pope Miracle Sign Wonder Homosexual Abomination Solar Eclipse Armageddon End Times End of the Age Two Witnesses Aviv Barley Harvest Judgment Nations Jerusalem Man of Sin Goliath Ark Noah Adam Eve Sodom Gomorrah GilGal Global Government World Leader Messiah Moshiach Moses Aaron Red Sea Elohim Heaven Earth Sun Stars Creator Lunar Eclipse Babylon the Great Islam Hebrew Lunar Tetrad Blood Moon Bethlehem Adonai Prince of Peace John the Baptist Tav Paleo Hebrew Sabbath Day Repent Covenant Daniel Belshazzar. Bible teaching, prophecy prophecy and end times and end times information that reveal the relationship of ancient prophecies with current major media events end of the world
1. Introduction
The Psalms are prayers, praises and prophecies set to music. In other words they are sacred instructional songs. In Hebrew the Book of Psalms is called the Book of Praises.
David was "a man after YaHuWaH 's own heart," (1 Sam.13:14) not because he was perfect, or exceptionally intelligent or generous; but because he recognized and appreciated the true worth of Israel's Elohim, YaHuWaH, and was not ashamed to testify to this knowledge in public. David was totally won over to YaHuWaH 's side. His songs are a record of prayer and praise amidst the most trying circumstances. So enthusiastic was he about his Maker that he personally composed some 73 psalms! You can be certain that for the past 2500 years somewhere on earth a song by king David is sung every Sabbath day. David is the greatest song writer this world has ever seen. Let us study one of his songs.
David's Threefold Declaration'
| Psalm 18:1 | I will love thee, O YaHuWaH, my strength. |
| verse 3 | I will call upon YaHuWaH, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies. |
| verse 21 | For I have kept the ways of YaHuWaH, and have not wickedly departed from my Elohim... 24: Therefore hath YaHuWaH recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight. |
2. YaHuWaH 's Amazemant
Did you know that there are some things which surprise even the Almighty? To be sure He knows the end from the beginning; but even so, there are a few things which greatly surprise Him: He wonders! He is astonished!
| Isaiah 59:16 | And He (YaHuWaH ) saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor:... |
The Almighty was amazed when He discovered that no one was praying, no one was interceding - for themselves, for their families or for their countries. Are you among those who surprise YaHuWaH ? To be sure you all believe in Him. You believe in prayer; but do you intercede?
3. The Circumsytances / Prayer / Answer
Before we can pray with real effect, we must know something about the Most high, His character, His plans, His power and His personal interest in us. This comes with study and experience. Psalm 18 teaches us several lessons.
A True Believer
| verse 1 | I will love thee, O YaHuWaH, my strength. |
| verse 3 | I will call upon YaHuWaH, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies. |
His Plight
| verse 4 | The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid. 5: The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me. |
| verse 6 | In my distress I called upon YaHuWaH, and cried unto my Elohim: He heard my voice out of His temple, and my cry came before Him, even into His ears. |
YaHuWaH 's Response
| verse 7 | Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because He was wroth. 8: There went up a smoke out of His nostrils, and fire out of His mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it. 9: He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under His feet. 10: And He rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, He did fly upon the wings of the wind. 11: He made darkness His secret place; His pavilion round about Him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies. 12: At the brightness that was before Him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire. 13: YaHuWaH also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave His voice; hail stones and coals of fire. 14: Yea, He sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and He shot out lightnings, and discomfited them. 15: Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O YaHuWaH, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils. 16: He sent from above, He took me, He drew me out of many waters. 17: He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me. 18: They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but YaHuWaH was my stay. 19: He brought me forth also into a large place; He delivered me, because He delighted in me. |
4. Reasons for Success?
Why was David's prayer successful? Why did YaHuWaH answer him in such a dramatic way when millions pray with little or no effect? We know that YaHuWaH has no favorites. Then why did He answer David (a type of Messiah) in this astonishing way? The answer is given in verses 20-24. Let us study these verses because they contain the formula for answered prayer.
Secret No. 1... David Obeyed YaHuWaH 's Torah
| verse 20 | YaHuWaH rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath He recompensed me. 21: For I have kept the ways of YaHuWaH, and have not wickedly departed from my Elohim. 22: For all His judgments were before me, and I did not put away His statutes from me. 23: I was also upright before Him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity. 24: Therefore hath YaHuWaH recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in His eyesight. |
Secret No. 2... David was Humble Before YaHuWaH
| verse 25 | With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright; 26: With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward. 27: For thou wilt save the afflicted people; but wilt bring down high looks. 28: For thou wilt light my candle: YaHuWaH my Elohim will enlighten my darkness. 29: For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my Elohim have I leaped over a wall. |
NOTE: Success in prayer comes in direct proportion to the supplicant's personal holiness. In other words, the more set apart in obedience to YaHuWaH 's Torah, righteous, and humble a person is, the more likely is he to have prayers answered. (See the Articles here and here.)
Let no one imagine that YaHuWaH has abandoned His methods of reacting to man's attitudes, or that He now responds in a new way. You may be sure that though He is a Person of infinite mercy and goodness, He still reacts to our prayers according to our attitudes and our willingness to forsake sin and do His will. The above verses prove this.
5. Blessings from YaHuWaH
In addition to answering prayer, YaHuWaH bestows many blessings on His saints. These blessings are listed below:
| Strength and Perfection |
|
|---|---|
| verse 32 | It is Elohim that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect. |
Spiritual Stability and Honor |
|
| verse 33 | He maketh my feet like hinds' feet, and setteth me upon my high places. |
Victorious in Battle |
|
| verses 34-42 | He makes me victorious over all my enemies. |
Peaceful Authority |
|
| verse 43 | Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people; and thou hast made me the head of the heathen: a people whom I have not known shall serve me.(see also verse 48) |
Divine Vengeance |
|
| verse 47 | It is Elohim that avengeth me, and subdueth the people under me. 48: He delivereth me from mine enemies: yea, thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man. |
Note: We have absolutely no need to avenge ourselves. The Most High will take care of our enemies in His own time and in His own way.
6. In View of these Facts
In view of these eternal truths, what should we do? Listen to king David:
| verse 49 | Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O YaHuWaH, among the heathen, and sing praises unto Thy Name. 50: Great deliverance giveth He to his king; and sheweth mercy to His anointed, to David, and to His seed for evermore. |
7. Praise
| v 46 | YaHuWaH liveth; and blessed be my Rock; and let the Elohim of my salvation be exalted... 49: Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O YaHuWaH, among the heathen, and sing praises unto Thy Name. |
Joy By Surprise
