Needing so much the help of the
dear Lord this evening, I would direct your prayerful attention
to Psalm 86, Psalm 86, verse one, the first verse, which
is on page 587 in the Ruby Bible. Psalm 86, verse 1. Bow down thine ear, O Lord, hear
me, for I am poor and needy. Bow down thine ear, O Lord, hear
me, for I am poor and needy. Well, friends, you probably know
there are many verses in the Psalms that are very similar
to this. And indeed, there are many expressions
of David in prayer because of the extreme situation that he
came into. I say situation, I should really
say situations. And so it is with the poor, tried
and troubled, Children of God. Now friends, you notice that
I read above the Psalms the heading and the Psalms were both Psalms
of David, but this one says a prayer of David. Now, you know, you
can read right through the Psalms and as you children know, there's
150 of them. Only two of them say that they're a prayer of
David. This one and Psalm 142, which
you might want to read in your own time later. But friends,
rather than just a psalm. There's no just to any psalm,
but a prayer, specifically a prayer. And the reason for that here
is that if you read this psalm, 16 verses are all full of prayer,
prayerful desires towards the Lord. And even in the 17th, there's
a prayer, show me a token for good, that well-known word. well-known hymn that we often
quote in our circles, show me some token Lord for good, and
we desire it, don't we, when we come into God's house. But
you know, this psalm ends on a note of praise. So it's a psalm
of prayer, but it ends on a note of praise. Because thou, O Lord,
hast helped me, that is helped me, and comforted me. Friends, that's a note of praise.
It's a note of thanksgiving. And that is where the poor and
needy souls come in the end. Well, may the Lord help us to
open up this word and I'm going to turn it slightly on its head
so that we define what we mean by poor and needy. First of all,
poor and needy. Now friends, I'll just say that
before we come there, that this word came to me in this sense. And you know, you may wonder,
you young people may wonder, you come here and you hear the
Dear Lord's Servant, you may wonder how we get our texts. And actually, there's a number
of different ways, as I'm sure the dear pastor knows himself
very well, of course. In this case, I'll just tell
you how it occurred, because sometimes we do feel we need
to mention that. And in this case, it was like
this. I was told by a deacon that I
went to preach in a chapel last Lord's Day, that they entertained
my father many years ago. And it was their habit at tea
time before the evening service to read a portion of scripture. And they read Psalm 86. And nothing
was said then, but my father had no text for the evening service. And as the psalm was read, this
first verse dropped into his heart. He was in trouble at the
time himself. And he preached from it that
evening at that chapel. Now, the interesting thing is,
friends, that I know of no nothing of this. But when this deacon
mentioned to me, he said it was a time never to be forgotten.
And I'd never really noticed this verse particularly, and
of course I've read this psalm many times. And you know, it
really struck me how sometimes we are ignorant in God's word. We know these words and we know
where the psalms are and all the rest of it, but sometimes
we don't really stop and think. of the real petitions that are
being offered up in some of these words. And so I was led to it
and felt that we must try and take it as a text. but to notice
firstly that the whole thing, it's only for those friends that
are poor and needy. And that's why I want to start
with that part of the text, for I am poor and needy. That's what
David says. We don't know when he wrote it. We know David was poor and needy
many times in his life. But let us try and define these
words then. Because friends, I'll say this,
if you're not poor and needy, If you're never poor and needy,
if you go through all your life and are not poor and needy, friends,
you will never get to heaven. And we have just sung the poor
and afflicted at Lord of thine. And it is so, we will be shown
our poverty and need of him. I am poor and needy. So firstly,
poor. Well, the children probably would
say, well, that means you haven't got much money. And indeed, that
is one rendering of the word poor. And we know that the scriptures
are clear that how hardly should a rich man enter into the kingdom
of heaven. And friends, that is so, and
it is very solemn that indeed those who build up their riches,
and we've seen them and we've worked with them and we've known
them and they're so materialistic. But friends, the truth is our
heart goes after these things as well if we're honest with
ourselves. But you see, this poor, it does
mean that, but it also means poor in spirit. For much of his
life, David was not poor. David was king in Israel and
Judah. David was a wealthy man. David
was richly endowed with many gifts and favors, but he was
poor. He was poor in spirit. He was
low in his feelings. He was poor in that sense. And friends, that's what it is
by poor, really. Rather than just being poor in
financial matters, it's being poor in our spirits. It's being,
as it were, weaklings. Weaklings. Not having ability
to do things. That's poverty. Poverty in that
way. Friends, does it name you tonight? Do you sit in with that? Those
that are poor, there's a feebleness, there's a weakness, there's then
that poverty in terms of perhaps your faith, of perhaps your belief
in God tonight is at a low ebb. Yes, poor, poor. Yes, are you there? Are you there? Have you ever been there? Friends,
you must come there. We must come there. And the other one here is needy. What is someone that is needy?
You might say, well, isn't that the same thing as Paul? Well,
not exactly, friends. Someone, according to the dictionary,
who is needy is someone who cannot provide for themselves the necessities
of life. Friends, what a word that is. They cannot provide for themselves
the necessities of life and they may need additional support.
Friends, doesn't it read the child of God? They will need
additional support right through their pilgrimage here below. And aren't they needy in the
sense that they cannot provide for themselves and the necessities
always here below and they certainly cannot provide the necessities
for heaven above? No, that rich provision is with
God and God alone. So are you a needy soul tonight? Friends, this word, this prayer
comes from the heart of a poor and a needy soul. These are the
ones who will know what it is to have that real feeling prayer
before the Lord. And my question for you is, have
you ever been there or are you there this evening? Do you desire
to be there? I believe this really, true teaching
of the Lord makes us feel like this. I'm not poor enough. I'm not needy enough. Oh friends,
to be poor and needy, what does it do? And what makes us poor
and needy? Well, the work of the spirit
within us, of course, it shows us our need of a saviour. You
know, friends, we can't be more needy as poor sinners than of
a saviour to save us from our sins, to save us from the destruction,
eternal destruction that's due to us for those sins. Oh, how
needy we are. But friends, He brings us into
a desire of him to pray in such a vein here as the prayer of
David, because he brings us like he did David into trouble. It's
what I call the two T's really friends, trial and trouble. And
he will bring us in prayer. And friends, if you're not in
those things, you're not, you're not going to find prayer is so
easily drawn out. Few, If any come to Jesus, till
reduced to self-despair. That's where David was. Bow down
thine ear, O Lord. There was such a need that the
Lord would come. I am poor and needy. So friends,
are you in the second clause of the text, the one after the
colon? For I am poor and needy. That's
me tonight. That fits me as I sit in the
pew. That fits me as I listen to the
word. Yes. Fits me as I stand in the pulpit. Fits us each, does it? Friends,
I hope it does. And oh, if it doesn't tonight,
you know, if we go into heaven, it will do another time. Poor
and needy. Poor and needy. Can't cope with
the necessities of life. Can't provide for ourselves,
all those things. Friends, we have a great provider. You children and young people
to notice that. You'll know the case. Jehovah
Jireh is his name. The Lord will provide. But you
see, we've got to seek him in prayer. And he'll only provide
when we're needy. He'll only provide when we're
poor. He'll only provide, friends,
when we've had to come into a low place. I was brought low. That's so beautiful, that word.
I was brought low and he helped me. Friends, it's not akin to
nature. Nature does not like this religion. Nature does not like these words,
poor and needy. What does nature like? Nature
wants us to be rich. It wants us to be wealthy. It wants us to be comfortable.
It wants us to have all those natural gifts. and spiritual
gifts and to find heaven as well. Well friends, it won't be like
that. You know there's a word to the
church in Revelation which John writes to the church, I think
it's the Laodicean church, and he says this, I know thy works,
thou art neither cold nor hot. I would that thou wert cold or
hot. And he says, because thou art
lukewarm, I will spew thee out of my mouth. But this is it.
Thou sayest, I am rich, increased with goods. I have need of nothing. And knowest not that thou art
these things, friends. And this is what we are, as shown
by the Lord, wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. And he goes on, I counsel thee
to buy of me. gold. Our council need to buy
of me gold, tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich. Yes,
poor, but made rich. And white raiment, that thou
mayest be clothed. And so on and so forth. As many as I love, I rebuke and
chasten. David was rebuked. David was
chasten. My dear friends, but this, he
was poor and needy. What a place to be in. You know,
friends, as I say, it's diametrically opposite to nature and it's even,
that was a church at Laodicea. This is a word for us in the
churches because you see, friends, we want to be comfortable there
too. We want comfort in all that we do. Make me comfortable. Surround me with comfortable
cushions and seats. You know what I mean, friends.
And so it is in every aspect of things. But he'll have us
to be poor and afflicted. He'll have us to be poor and
needy. Are we needy enough? Oh, make
me more needy, more needy of the word, more needy of thee
in prayer. Help me in my prayers. You see
friends, the poor and the needy, their prayers, they feel are
poor. Their prayers, they feel will
not be heard by God and he won't bow down. We haven't come to
that part of the text, but friends, they feel that the heavens are
as brass. But you see friends, he brings
us low so that our prayers are squeezed out of us and those
prayers are barely articulate. You know there's that impression
I think, and we feel it ourselves don't we, that we really need
to get on our knees and beg before the Lord and have all these words
and and he'll hear us because of our many words. Friends, I'll
be honest, I felt that in the past that I need to be given
a spirit of prayer poured out. I do. But a spirit of prayer
poured out can be this, like the dear woman that came to the
Lord and said this, Lord, help me. And he answered her, not a word at
first. Oh, friends, But Lord help me,
but he did later on friends. Oh, he heard and he was kind
and gracious to that Canaanite woman that came from the coasts
and he healed her daughter. You see friends, there was that
importunity in prayer given that she had to pour the matter before
the Lord. She was poor and needy. Poor
and needy. And you know, Friends, it's not
a comfortable place for you and I, but we've got to walk these
ways to be poor, for real prayer to be drawn out. Yes, yes, friends,
I know we want to have pretty prayers. I know we want it to
be coherent. I know we want it to almost be
point by point and nicely laid out. So we do in the ministry
sometimes but I tell you this friends well maybe it's just
the way it is with me sometimes it feels to be a complete ramble.
But ah what a mercy when the Lord uses such things and he
does in prayer you know. When we feel we've just well
barely been able to express the words. You know it's a beautiful
hymn where it talks of prayer uttered or unexpressed and How
beautiful it is when we think of dear Hannah. You know, I love
the case of Hannah. She's such an example to us,
that dear lady. You see, they thought as they
looked on the outward, Eli thought she was drunk, but she's making
her heart friends, heart prayers. And that's it, isn't it? Can't
be expressed. Such was her sorrow. Such was,
she felt to be poor. She felt to be, in the same place
really as the psalmist here and it was her only her lips moved. Her voice was not heard. If you
know what it is friends, you know, friends, I've known it
myself and I've not been able to pray out loud. I've been in
business meetings sometimes at work and they've been seemingly
going the wrong way and a disaster you might say and then that prayer
has been squeezed out silently and then we've watched and waited
and seen the Lord work and so it is dear Hannah she says she
says in her song of rejoicing when the Lord gave her Samuel,
she says, the Lord killeth and maketh alive. He maketh poor. He maketh poor. And she means
poor in spirit. He raiseth up the poor out of
the dust. You've got a matter, friend,
that makes you feel poor tonight. Got a matter that is laying you
low and you feel poverty around it. In other words, it's something
you can't handle. You can't manage. That's poverty.
Poverty of ability to deal with it. Is that where you are? You know, friends, it's wonderful
if you're in such a place and you can lay it before the Lord
and watch and wait. And see, like dear Hannah, that
he maketh poor and maketh rich. He bringeth low and lifteth up. He raiseth up the poor out of
the dust, lifteth up the beggar. Oh, not just the poor, the beggar.
Friends, we need to be beggars in the faith in that sense, so
that we're so low to be raised up by the work of the Saviour
and His work alone. Oh, friends, I think sometimes
we're not low enough. Oh, you might say, well, don't
I feel to be very low and cast down at this time. Friends, may
you be enabled if you're in such a place to look and to realise
you're there in that place because the Lord will lift you up. Why
art thou cast down, O my soul? Why art thou disquieted within
me? Hope thou in God, for I shall
yet praise him. I shall yet praise him, friends.
Let us repeat the word of praise there, because you know that
comes in three times in that psalm. For the help of his countenance,
it says. I shall yet praise him for the
help of his countenance. And elsewhere it says for his
help. Yes, I shall yet praise him. Friend, you will yet praise
him, but it's brought forth by prayer like dear Hannah. Yes,
you can't be poor enough in these things. And the same in your
soul's experience. Friends, we need to be shown
our need of him. Yes. that we sing that lovely hymn,
don't we? And we think of it as it refers
to that, how needful he is. Jesus engraved
it on my heart that thou the one thing needful art. But you
see, if he's needful, we've got to be needy. and shown with needy. You see, I believe this. Everyone
that walks the planet Earth at the moment, all six and a half
billion people, they are poor and needy. But how few actually
know it. And it's being shown these things. And friends, if you are brought
low and feel to be in a low place tonight, thank the Lord that
you've been shown it. because you know why you're there,
because of your sins, because of your guilt, because the Lord
will bring those afflictions upon you for sin, but also that
he may in due season lift you up as we have spoken of. Friends,
it's a wonderful thing to be brought low. We don't appreciate
these things because we're still in the flesh and the flesh reveals
against it and the flesh hates it. But it's true friends that
bring in love from the lofty and high place and so the psalmist
had to prove it, didn't he? Yes, needful is thy most precious
blood, needful thy correcting rod, needful thy indulgent care. Needful all prevail in prayer. But you see, one thing is needful. And Mary have chosen that better
part. One thing is needful. But one
who was so careful, who was so troubled about many things, dear
Martha, she's still in glory, friends. You know, I love the
gospel because they're not left out. Those that are careful,
I feel like it myself. You know, I've got a list, friends.
I've got a list at the moment of things that I want sorted.
And I want the Lord to sort them tomorrow. And I'm sure you've
got a list that's the same as mine. And you know, it feels
like this with me, that I can't leave them alone because I want
to start poking about with them and doing things with them and
sorting them. And you know, friends, this is just so wrong. But this
is where we are in nature. But you see, He is needful. He
is needful to resolve them. And I'm so Martha-like, careful
and troubled about many things. And perhaps that's where you
are tonight, poor sinner. Careful and troubled about all
these things. Leave them. Leave them with the Lord, that
you will see that He alone is able to deliver you. He's alone
able to bow down. He's here. He's here to hear
your prayer. And because you are poor and
needy. Friends, oh that we might be
enabled then to go on our way and to leave these things. Cast
thy burden upon the Lord and he shall sustain thee. To be
able to leave the matter entirely in his hands. Yes. You know, friends, My times
are in thy hand, O Lord, I leave them there, says the Hymn writer. My times are in thy hand, O Lord,
I leave them there, friends, family, and soul entirely to
thy care. Oh, may we be helped so to do. Bow down thine ear, O Lord, hear
me, for I am poor and needy. We're still on this second part,
really, the poor and needy. But you see friends, sometimes
it is in financial matters. It was in many of those that
have gone before us. I believe in the 21st century,
the Lord works often amongst families in different ways. There
were different trials, there were modern trials, but none
unknown to the Lord. But you see, friends, we think
of some of those that have gone before. And, you know, I think
of the case of the pastor of Beverston. He was there for over
50 years, Mr. Herbert Dawson, the dear man. His wife came to him one day
and said, my two, our two boys need new boots. And the dear
man was so troubled because he'd got no money. They could not
afford these two boots. So he went away. He said, I had
to pray over it. But the Lord spoke to him as
he tried to beg of the Lord that a way would be made. The Lord
spoke to him this, while Christ is rich, I can't be poor. What can I want beside? Oh, poor
sinner, tonight, is Christ ever been rich to you? Oh, that's
a richness beyond the richness of man, beyond the richness of
this world. Well, so he was blessed. And what's more, friends, within
a week, they had a parcel delivered and there were the right size
boots for both of their boys, the prayer hearing. And answering
God, what's your what's your matter? What's your impossible
circumstance? He knows. He knows. He knoweth the way that I take,
says Job. And when he have tried me, he
will bring me forth as God. He knoweth. Yes, he knoweth all
the small things, friends, in your life, in your experience. And he knoweth exactly what your
soul needs are at this time. Because it may be you feel very
poor and needy in your soul because you've not been fed. You've not
been watered for a time. Not because the ministry's not
sound, but because you're unsound. Because you feel to be distant
from God. Because there are all these other
things that are coming in. Because like Martha, these things
are troubling you more than looking to the Lord for him to speak
to you. Oh, but friends, pray on. and
that he will bow down his ear yet and hear you in that and
bless you, bless you again so that really you will come into
the prayer of the 17th verse that we've already touched on,
show me a token for good. Yes, that they which hate me,
I which hate myself sometimes. Oh, you might say, what a strange
thing to say, friends. You know, we often talk about
the soul and the new man of faith, that part of us that believes
in God, that's given faith, and the old man of sin. Well, they
hate each other. They can't live with each other,
you know, and they're both within us. And for the young people,
that might seem a bit of a strange thought, but it's true. There's
a battle going on. So we hate ourselves sometimes.
And we certainly hate the religious part in us, our nature does.
And other times, our religious side, when we are in the right
spirit, we hate the fact that we're so sinful at times and
wandering from our God. Bow down thine ear. Well, friends,
for I am poor and needy, we've dwelt much on that. But bow down
thine ear. Why should Almighty God bow down? Now, what is it to bow? And again,
friends, we think of this. If we were to go and meet really
any of the royal household, we would want to bow before them.
That's a position of honour. It's something that they're,
as it were, they would deserve in terms of respect of their
office, that we would bow before them. So why, if we look at that
naturally by definition of bowing down, Why should the Lord, who
made heaven and earth, who is full of power and might and strength,
who created the world in six days and then had the seventh
when he stopped his labours, and he looked and saw it was
very good, that perfect work that he had done. Why should
he stoop down? Why should he bow down? Friends, think of it, we to bow
down before a fellow man that is raised up man above our position
in society, but God to bow down to poor, fallen, lost sinners
in whom there is no hope for glory, naturally without him,
to bow down his ear. Friends, what condescension. It's a big word I know for you
younger friends, but it means to come down below his level. And he came down at lower than
the angels he came down to this earth and friends poor and afflicted
that describes the Lord Jesus Christ when he had not where
to lay his head and it is not recorded really exactly who he
lived with but we know he did not have his own house he did
not have his own pillow even so the word tells us and we think
of these things friends this lowly one Who, even as he rode
into Jerusalem, to some degree impompt, but only amongst some,
many opposed him, but as he rode into Jerusalem, he had to borrow
a colt and ass. Got nothing for it. This is one
who was brought so low in his sufferings too on the cross and
before that when he came before man, behold the man, behold the
man says Pilate, the man Christ Jesus. This same one should bow
down to poor sinners. Friends, it's remarkable. It's
wonderful. It's so blessed. And why should
he bow down? David knew this, you know. He
knew it by experience. Because David, oh friends, didn't
he sin? Don't we know about David's sins?
He wanted to number the people and he was quite clearly told
not to number the people. But he must know how many followers
he's got. Why? Is there not an emblem of
pride in that? So he's got to know the numbers,
but then the Lord gives him three options after that of punishment
for his sin. God gives him three options,
friends. And in the end, the plague, the
plague. Oh, we look at the plague that's
upon our nations and we think, God's judgment. And so it was
upon David in that time. But you see, David, we read,
he was shown this, have mercy upon me, O Lord. Blot out, according
to thy loving kindness, according to the multitude of thy tender
mercy, blot out my transgressions. All those sins, after he'd committed
adultery, friends, and then murder too, creating me a clean heart,
O God, renew a right spirit within me. and so on and so forth, he
knew poverty in that way. But to bow down to such a man
as David, oh, friends, he knew it. David knew it, that the Lord
had bowed down, would bow down to him again, because he saw
God's deliverances both in providence, friends, and in grace, clearly
in his life. Oh, you see, when they, the most
remarkable circumstances really when they came to Ziklag and
the enemy have taken his wives and the families and they've
gone and those followers of him would have stoned him. But, oh,
that command given of God, pursue. And friends, I say to you tonight,
pursue, pursue in your prayers. Yes, they're poor. Yes, you're
weak. Yes, you're needy, but pursue.
And he says to David, pursue, for thou shalt surely recover
all, recover everything. And then they're unable to do
it because there's one wandering around that they come upon of
the enemy. And so it is that they are led
and shown the way. Friends, wonderful it is, the
leadings of God to David, bow down thine ear. Oh, that the
Lord would bow down then to our prayers. Mighty condescend to
hear this poor sinner's cry. Oh, friends, that you might prove
it, that I might prove it. You know, again, I think it comes
to my mind, I think of dear Mr. Wood. Some of you will remember
Mr. Wood, the minister in our churches
and pastor at Tamworth Road many years. In 1961, he went to take
up his pastorate. He was a man of 41. He had to
give up his full-time job and travel to London to the outskirts
there in Croydon and he had to completely change his life and
he's got a young family. Friends, he looked on it as utterly
impossible and how he would pay his way and how he could possibly
go. But the Lord spoke a word to
him, you know, as the dear man sought the Lord's blessing upon
it. And he said this, the words unto Paul, He said, the Lord
have opened a door unto me. A door was opened unto me of
the Lord. And those three words of the
Lord, as they came to him when he was travelling, they so broke
him down. A door was opened unto me of
the Lord. It was an answer to prayer, but
he felt this, that as the door has been opened, the Lord will
be with me in that pathway. And I can't, I can't be poor. I can't be poor. And you know,
the hymn 247, I think it was that came into his mind. He said
as well at the time, and friends, it's, it's, it's beautiful. This, he that has made my heaven
secure. will here all good provide. And then that couplet, while
Christ is rich, I can't be poor. The same one that Mr. Herbert Dawson had that we quoted
earlier. While Christ is rich, I can't
be poor. What can I want beside? And friends,
it is so. You can't be poor. You've got
all things if you've got Christ. Ah, all things, all things. And have you got him friends?
Have I? Oh, I do hope then that we can come a little in the words
of the psalmist. But you know, he's not the only
one to ask the Lord to bow down his ear. Hezekiah, surrounded by enemies,
surrounded by difficulties. He's got a letter that Sennacherib
has sent him. Yes. I find it wonderful when we read
that Hezekiah went to the house of the Lord and he spread it
before the Lord. And I feel it's like this, friends,
with those matters and those concerns that you've got, and
perhaps it's a letter, it's an email, it's a message, it's something,
and you've got to answer it. You've got to know what to do.
I'll tell you what, friends, I've got that. I've got something
that I've got to answer through my work and I don't know how
to do it. He spread it before the Lord, what teaching there
is, how we have to live in these things. He spread it before the
Lord, but this, he prayed before the Lord and he said this, Lord
bow down thine ear and hear. The same words, he knew the same
pathway. Every child of God will know
what it is to request of the dear Lord that he bows down and
hears their prayer. Here's their poor petition, and
that he will yet come and save them. Lord, open, he goes on
to say, Lord, thine eyes and see. Yes, hear the words of Sennacherib,
which have sent him to approach the living God. Well, we know
that remarkably, Sennacherib was overcome. And it was remarkable because
actually, and he departed and he went and returned to Nineveh.
But in fact, friends, the numbers that were with him were greater
than those in Jerusalem. And so, friends, such is the
power and might of God. Well, friends, I won't keep you,
but bow down thine ear, O Lord, hear me. Oh, it's like a real
request from the very depths of the heart that we might be
heard. And you know, friends, you children
know it. Perhaps when mum or dad calls
or young friends when you were younger, we all do. They've called
out and you know, sometimes we have to admit we don't hear or
we pretend not to hear and we don't answer. We don't have a
God, friends, who pretends not to hear. We don't have a God
who doesn't answer. You might say, well, he hasn't
answered my prayers as yet. No, friends, because they're
being stored up for that time when he does answer them. And
sometimes he answers us in contrary ways. And that is a subject for
another day. But friends, the truth is he
has a hearing ear. His ears are not heavy. that they cannot hear. Oh Lord,
hear my prayer. Hear my supplication when I come
before thee. Friends, may the Lord help us
to contemplate these things. Bow down thine ear, oh Lord. Hear me, for I am poor and needy. Amen.