Throughout the Psalms, David proclaims various aspects of the Law or the Covenant given at Mt. Sinai. He states the benefits and promises that God gave to Moses and which are part of the covenant that David stands on. This covenant contained aspects of forgiveness that were obtained through the sacrifice of animals in the Tabernacle.
Modern Christians are also under a covenant. This is because God always interfaces with and has a relationship with people based on a covenant. The Christian Covenant is called the New Covenant because it is presented in opposition to the Old Covenant. Just as David would repeat aspects of his covenant, we can repeat aspects of our covenant in our prayers. This would be done to state our standing before God, in Jesus Christ.
Some might say that this is not necessary because God knows our standing and he knows our covenant. After all, he invented it. But if we take God’s omniscience as a basis for what we pray and what we do not pray, we would end up not praying anything. God has known what people are going to pray today since before the foundation of the world. God knows everything.
Yet, we are commanded to pray and even Jesus, who knew of the Father’s omniscience first hand, withdrew to pray through the night. If we look at John 17, we see Jesus praying all sorts of things that are obvious to God the Father, yet he prays them, because that is what prayer is. Prayer is a conversation between finite humans and an infinite, omniscient God.
So, when I pray I can tell God that I am bought by the blood of Jesus, redeemed by the work on the cross and adopted into the family of God. Because of these things and many more, I can pray for healing or safety or wisdom or blessing. I can pray for others who are atoned for because Christ has made a way for us to walk boldly into the throne of grace.
We do not say these things to bargain with God or to manipulate God into action. We pray these things because they are true and the New Covenant, Christ’s work on the cross is the only reason I can pray the way I do.
So, we can confess our sins because of the covenant, we can praise God because of the covenant, we can worship God because of the covenant and we can pray bold prayers because of the covenant. Because of the atonement, I can stand, in my prayers, holy and righteous before God and pray to my heavenly Father, God almighty, who has saved me, forgiven my sin and adopted me. Praise God.
Modern Christians are also under a covenant. This is because God always interfaces with and has a relationship with people based on a covenant. The Christian Covenant is called the New Covenant because it is presented in opposition to the Old Covenant. Just as David would repeat aspects of his covenant, we can repeat aspects of our covenant in our prayers. This would be done to state our standing before God, in Jesus Christ.
Some might say that this is not necessary because God knows our standing and he knows our covenant. After all, he invented it. But if we take God’s omniscience as a basis for what we pray and what we do not pray, we would end up not praying anything. God has known what people are going to pray today since before the foundation of the world. God knows everything.
Yet, we are commanded to pray and even Jesus, who knew of the Father’s omniscience first hand, withdrew to pray through the night. If we look at John 17, we see Jesus praying all sorts of things that are obvious to God the Father, yet he prays them, because that is what prayer is. Prayer is a conversation between finite humans and an infinite, omniscient God.So, when I pray I can tell God that I am bought by the blood of Jesus, redeemed by the work on the cross and adopted into the family of God. Because of these things and many more, I can pray for healing or safety or wisdom or blessing. I can pray for others who are atoned for because Christ has made a way for us to walk boldly into the throne of grace.
We do not say these things to bargain with God or to manipulate God into action. We pray these things because they are true and the New Covenant, Christ’s work on the cross is the only reason I can pray the way I do.
So, we can confess our sins because of the covenant, we can praise God because of the covenant, we can worship God because of the covenant and we can pray bold prayers because of the covenant. Because of the atonement, I can stand, in my prayers, holy and righteous before God and pray to my heavenly Father, God almighty, who has saved me, forgiven my sin and adopted me. Praise God.
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