Praying When You’re Ready to Quit

Praying When You’re Ready to Quit

Psalm 61

Main Idea: When believers are fainthearted, God provides strength and safety in his eternal presence and reign.

One of the most famous fights in boxing history took place on November 25, 1980, in New Orleans. The bout was a rematch between Sugar Ray Leonard of the United States and Roberto Durán of Panama. While Durán had won the first match between the two fighters, Leonard’s speed and movement gave him the advantage in the rematch. He was able to land several solid punches in the first half of the fight and obviously had his opponent on the defensive. In Round 7 Leonard even started to taunt Durán. Then, in the closing moments of Round 8, Durán turned his back to Leonard, waved his glove toward him, and reportedly said to the referee, “No más.” That means “No more” in Spanish. Durán was done. He quit the fight.

If I’m completely honest, I feel that way sometimes as a Christian. So many things make me tired and weary of the battle—the unraveling of our culture’s moral compass; the undermining of the Christian faith by our judicial system, media, and Hollywood; the coldness of people to the gospel; and the constant battle of my own flesh against sin. These things and more cause me to want to throw up my hands and say, “No más.” I just want the fight to be over. I’m tired, and I want to be done.

Apparently, David got tired sometimes. Many of his psalms are prayers on behalf of God’s people when they’re in desperate situations, but this psalm—similar in style to Psalms 62 and 63—is a personal heart cry at a time when he’s overwhelmed, alienated, and tired. He’s praying for himself. While God’s sanctuary is firmly established as the locus of the kingdom, David appears to be away from home and in trouble. He’s weary and longs once again to experience the safety of the sanctuary and the continuation of his service. He finds his strength in what he sees as his eternal relationship with his God. That’s the common thread running throughout this passage: “forever” (vv. 4,7), “many generations” (v. 6), “continually,” and “day by day” (v. 8).

King David’s prayer foreshadows God’s glorious and grand answer in the eternal reign of the King of kings, Jesus Christ. Sometimes even Jesus’s servants feel overwhelmed and alienated, and they want the fight to be over. Like David, we can find strength in the lasting nature of our relationship with God in Christ, and we can ask for his protection as well as the ongoing extension of his reign according to his glorious promises. Consider three applications for our praying when we find ourselves ready to say, “No más.”

Pray for His Eternal Protection

Psalm 61:1-4

The psalmist opens up in a familiar way by pleading for God’s help. The word “cry” indicates a loud, desperate shout, an emphatic plea for God’s help. His dilemma is distant because he’s crying out “from the ends of the earth” (v. 2), an expression that refers to a remote area, possibly even a far country. This hyperbolic and figurative term expresses David’s frantic feeling of estrangement. And his dilemma obviously is distressing. David is losing heart and the will to resist. He is discouraged and on the brink of saying, “No más.”

He’s not just wanting to be back home because he’s homesick, however. Whatever the nature of his situation, it was threatening enough that he was looking for protection. He asks that God would “lead me to a rock” (v. 2) because in the past God had been his “refuge” and “strong tower” (v. 3; cf. Prov 18:10). He longs to be in God’s “tent” and “shelter” (v. 4). All of these requests are filled with metaphors for the ancient tabernacle that represented the place God dwelt among his people. David had set it up in Jerusalem when he brought the ark there (2 Sam 6:17; cf. Exod 33:7-11; Num 11:16-17). So his request in this psalm is not for God to do something to his enemies but just to get him back home to that place and position of his safekeeping.

David understands that God’s “rock” of protection is superior to anything he or anyone else can bring to the table (v. 2). This rock is a metaphor for God’s sovereign protection, which towers in comparison to any human resources. God reigns from an exalted position over human affairs, and his protection will put David out of the reach of his adversaries.

David doesn’t want such a secure arrangement to be temporary. While he knows he has no right to be in God’s “tent” as a permanent citizen, he asks for the next best thing—to “dwell” permanently as a resident alien (v. 4). He wants to hang there for the duration of eternity!

God’s sovereign protection through his presence has been made available to his children through his Son, Jesus Christ. John declared that God “became flesh and dwelt [tabernacled] among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father” (John 1:14). Paul identified this one who tabernacled among God’s people as the rock that David was seeking. He said that when Israel was delivered from Egypt, they “all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ” (1 Cor 10:4). Speaking of his role as Messiah, Jesus told his disciples, “On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it” (Matt 16:18). So when we’re desperate for God’s protection, we turn to Jesus and cry out to him for the help he promises and only he can give!

Jesus is the rock of God who provides not only the most powerful place of protection available but also the only permanent protection. He provides that eternal protection when people put their trust in him. Quoting from Isaiah, Paul declares, “The one who believes on him will not be put to shame” (Rom 9:33; cf. Isa 8:14; 28:16; 1 Pet 2:6-8). Whoever builds on the sure foundation of Jesus Christ will be delivered from the alienated situation in which prideful people will find themselves—ashamed when they stand in God’s presence. Not so for those who trust in the rock that is Christ!

Promise to Praise Him Eternally

Psalm 61:5,8

When we find ourselves in desperate situations, it should always drive us back to the promises God has made to us as his children. In those promises we will find great comfort and assurance in his eternal security. At the same time, we will realize a renewed confidence when we give ourselves afresh to his worship. Verses 5 and 8 are related and are best understood when considered together. The thought of dwelling in the safety of God’s presence boosts David’s confidence and prompts him to promise to worship God ceaselessly when he gets out of his predicament.

The parallelism in verse 5 helps us understand what David is saying. The indication is that God has answered the prayer in verses 1-4. God strengthened and encouraged his faith with the reminder that he was a child of the covenant, an heir of all that God had promised. The “heritage” he promised not only included the promised land (Deut 2:19; 3:18), but all the other bounty and blessing that came in his covenant with his people. As one of “those who fear your name,” David is confident the benefits include God’s protection and safety.

Apparently David’s prayer in verses 1-4 included some “vows” (vv. 5,8) he made in view of God’s answering him. Those vows are specified for us in verse 8. In his alienated and desperate state, David promised to praise the Lord if he would deliver him! God heard his prayer and his promise, and he answered. He made it possible for David to make good on his commitment.

David doesn’t want this arrangement to be short-term either. He resolved to praise his God “continually . . . day by day” (v. 8). The idea is uninterrupted continuity, not necessarily eternal perpetuation. David is vowing to sing God’s praises as long as he’s alive and able to sing. God’s answer to protect him and prolong his life comes with a responsibility—to be a lifelong worshiper. More days to live means more days to praise.

Sometimes we feel alienated from God, like he’s distant and disinterested in our situation. As we cry out for his help in those situations, we should always renew our vow to worship him when he comes to our aid and answers our prayer. God deserves our worship and takes great delight in it. And it’s appropriate that we resolve to do it forever because that’s exactly what we’re going to be doing for all eternity. In his vision of eternity, John said that he “heard every creature in heaven, on earth, under the earth, on the sea, and everything in them say, ‘Blessing and honor and glory and power be to the one seated on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!’” (Rev 5:13). That’s why God responds to our commitment to do it. And that’s why there’s something particularly potent in prayers that are accompanied by the resolve to worship our God for all of our days. So promise to praise him as a permanent and perpetual part of your life.

Pray for His Eternal Reign

Psalm 61:6-7

If we’re going to be worshiping God forever, then by implication he’s going to be in a position to be worshiped forever. With the assurance that we are part of God’s covenant people and the recipients of his abundant blessing, we should pray that his reign will last forever and ever. That’s what the psalmist does. He makes the same request in three ways (vv. 6-7). He’s praying for long life and for his legacy to continue through the lives of his descendants. So he asks God to “appoint faithful love and truth to guard him” (v. 7). He knows this is the only way his reign will be perpetuated (see Ps 15:2; 23:6).

While these petitions may at first sound like an ordinary court expression like “May the king live forever” (Dan 2:4), much more is at play here. The psalmist is praying for his dynasty to endure in keeping with the promise God had made to “establish his line forever, his throne as long as heaven lasts” (Ps 89:29). He had promised, “My faithful love will never leave him as it did when I removed it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and kingdom will endure before me forever, and your throne will be established forever” (2 Sam 7:15-16). Although David’s immediate prayer here may have been for God to let him live and reign forever via an enduring royal dynasty, the language alludes to the eternal reign of David’s greatest descendant, the Messiah who was to come.

David’s prayer here essentially is for the perpetuation of God’s reign through Jesus Christ. The prophet Isaiah foretold as much: “The dominion will be vast, and its prosperity will never end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from now on and forever” (Isa 9:7). Before Jesus was born, the angel told Mary,

“He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have no end.” (Luke 1:32-33)

The author of Hebrews understood Psalm 45:6 to be referring to Jesus: “But to the Son [he said], ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of justice’” (Heb 1:8). And when John reported his vision of Jesus’s return, he said, “The seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven saying, ‘The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever’” (Rev 11:15).

The long life King David wants to extend from generation to generation ultimately is the life of King Jesus, the one whose reign will last for all eternity. We need to pray that way as well, especially when we’re fainthearted and feel like God’s presence is elusive. In those times it’s important for us to pray for things that are certain, things about which we are sure. And nothing is surer than the eternal reign of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Again we find ourselves back at the Lord’s Prayer: “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt 6:10). Because God always answers prayer according to his will (1 John 5:14-15), we should pray for the eternal reign of Jesus Christ to be manifested in our lives and world.

Part of Christ’s perpetual reign in our immediate world involves his reign in the lives of every person who ever lives. When he declared, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth” (Matt 28:18), he was claiming his rule over every tribe, nation, and tongue forever. And that claim provides the impetus for his commission for us to “go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations” (Matt 28:19). Jesus Christ was the rightful heir to the throne of Israel and, thereby, the rightful heir to the throne of every person’s heart. And he’s charged us with the responsibility of claiming what’s his by sharing the gospel with every person on the planet. So when we pray for the perpetuation of his reign, we’re praying in view of our evangelistic efforts. Let’s pray for Christ’s reign with the resolve to see it actualized in every life and in every nation.

Conclusion

In January 1983 my wife and I stood at a church altar in El Paso, Texas, and said “I do” to each other. We were agreeing to be each other’s partner for the duration of our time on earth. We signed up for life! Our vows weren’t just a one-time affair. The words we articulated spoke of duration, so that covenant has had to be renewed every day—day after day, year after year—just as it had to for the psalmist (v. 8). If we had limited our mutual commitment to the day we articulated our vows at that church altar, our relationship would have crashed and burned a long time ago.

God has called us into that kind of covenant relationship in Jesus Christ. He’s in it for the duration. He bound himself openly to us when his Son hung publicly on the cross. God made good on his vow in Jesus Christ. And because he’s a God of loyal love and enduring faithfulness, he calls us to be people who are characterized by the same kind of love and commitment. We, too, are bound by the vows we made openly to him, the public commitments we made to him in truth. Those vows should be renewed every day—day after day, year after year. If we really want to experience his functional protection—on his rock, up in his tower, in his tent, under his wings—we need to give ourselves persistently to prayerful pursuit of him, continual praise to him, and constant proclamation of his gospel.

Reflect and Discuss

1. Have you ever found yourself weary from the battle of the Christian life? Surely we will all face this at one time or another. What should we do?
2. Reflect on your recent prayer life. Would you characterize some of your prayers as “crying out” to God? What keeps us from doing so?
3. Have you ever asked God for something and then promised to praise him all of your days regardless of his answer? How can we pray more intentionally this way?
4. If we do assure God that we’ll praise him all of our days, how can we be sure to not fall short of that promise?
5. What confidence, within God’s promises and protection, do we have that David didn’t have? How does the coming reign of Christ cement God’s promises?
6. How does the coming eternal reign of Christ comfort us in times of trouble and suffering? How can we incorporate this eternally important truth into our prayer life?
7. When we pray things back to God that are sure and certain (like the coming eternal reign of Christ), what confidence does that give us?
8. How is praying for God’s eternal reign tied in with God’s mission? What is our role in both?
9. How does God’s covenant faithfulness to us in Christ encourage us through periods of suffering?
10. How does God’s covenant faithfulness to us in Christ push us to pray?