Communion Message
Praying Someone Else's Prayer
February 1, 2004
Pastor Leighton Sheley

The songs that we've been singing this morning, many of them are prayers or contain prayers -- Lord Jesus, I long to be perfectly whole; I want You forever to live in my soul. Break down every idol; cast out every foe-now wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.

Lord Jesus, for this I most humbly entreat You; I wait, blessed Lord, at Your crucified feet. By faith, for my cleansing I see Your blood flow-now wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.

Purify my heart, let me be as gold and precious silver. Purify my heart, cleanse me from within and make me holy.

Prayers put to music. You might say, well, those are someone else's prayers. Is it okay for us to pray someone else's prayers? And I would say that I am not aware of any copyright issues related to prayers. In fact, Jesus invited us to pray a prayer the Our Father. Praying prayers and prayers set to music have a rich history amongst believers. They go back decades, centuries, even millennia. In fact, many of the Psalms were David's prayers put to music and we were invited to pray King David's prayers.

David prayed this prayer as recorded for us in Psalm 51 when he said:
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions I pray.
Wash away all my iniquity please
and cleanse me from my sin.

For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are proved right when you speak
and justified when you judge.
Surely Lord I have been a sinner from birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
Surely Lord you desire truth in the inner parts;
you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.

I pray Lord that you cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.
And Lord, hide your face from my sins
and blot out all of my iniquity I pray.

Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit away from me I pray.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will turn back to you.
Save me from bloodguilt, O God,
the God who saves me,
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart,
these, O God, you will not despise.

The sacrifices acceptable to God are a broken spirit not a proud one, not haughty, not hard, but broken by the guilt and ashamed of our sin. A broken and contrite heart, these God will not despise. He will not count them as worthless. He will not ignore the pleas of those who come to him asking to be forgiven and cleansed with a broken and contrite heart.

The Scriptures say at times like this we should examine our self. I would like to invite you to join with me now as we kneel in the presence of our Lord and Savior.

Lord Jesus, we are for ever thankful to you for your goodness and your grace and your mercy to us who are so undeserving. As King David observed in his prayer, we have been sinners from birth, from conception, with hearts that are prone to wander, prone to leave the God that we love. But forever you are faithful; forever you are good. And you deserve our highest praise.

Lord we desire to be holy. We choose to be holy, but Lord there is nothing that we can do to make ourselves holy. All we can do is choose to come to you and ask for your forgiveness and your cleansing. It is you and only you who can make us holy. You said if we confess our sin you are faithful and just as will forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Forgive us and cleanse us this day we pray as we now partake of these elements in remembrance of Jesus Christ. Let's partake of the bread and also the cup.

Lord, we haven't just recited the words of someone else's prayer, we have made that prayer our own, for the thoughts and the meditations were not mere words to us, but they are expressions from our hearts to you. Thank you Lord for hearing our prayer. In Jesus' name we pray, and all God's people said, amen.