Sermon #113             Series: Isaiah

 

Title:      Wordless Prayers Heard And Answered

 

Text:      Isaiah 41:17-18

 

Subject:      God's Promise to Meet the Spiritual Needs of His People

 

Date:      Sunday Evening - April 19, 1992

 

Introduction:

 

Our God is a God who hears and answers the prayers of his people!  How our hearts rejoice to know that when we pray.  “he heareth us!”

 

 

We rejoice to know that--

“When God inclines the heart to pray

He hath an ear to ear;

To Him there’s music in a groan,

And beauty in a tear.”

 

The humble suppliant cannot fail

To have his wants supplied,

Since He for sinners intercedes

Who once for sinners died.”

 

It is delightful to know that God answers prayer!  But sometimes we have such heavy burdens and such great needs that we cannot in words express our woes, we cannot find words to use before the throne of grace, we do not know how to pray.  What then?

 

Turn to Isaiah 41:17-18-  Here is a text full of consolation to poor and needy sinners upon the earth.

 

Proposition:  Here the Lord God assures his people that he hears more than our prayers; he hears our needs and answers them according to the riches of his grace.

 

Divisions:  The title of my message is- Wordless Prayers Heard and Answered.  I want to call your attention to five things in these two verses:

 

1.       A Deep Poverty.

2.       An Urgent Need.

3.       A Disappointed Hope.

4.       A Painful Inability.

5.       A Truly Gracious God.

 

I.  First, our text speaks of A Deep Poverty- “When The poor and needy seek water.”

 

·         Not The Physically Poor.

·         Not The Spiritually Poor.

·         The Sensibly Poor.

 

John Gill and many of the old writers used to frequently use the words “sensible sinners” to refer to men and women who, by the grace of God, are made aware of their lost and ruined condition before God.  The prodigal son, “when he came to himself,” was a sensible sinner.  The publican who cried, “God be merciful to me, a sinner,” was a sensible sinner.  The Pharisee was just as great a sinner, just as poor and needy, as the publican’ but he did not know it.

 

Our text speaks of people who are poor and needy, and know it.  Our Savior says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:3).

 

A.  Are you a poor and needy sinner?

 

Are you one of those whom Paul describes in Ephesians 2, without Christ, and alien from the commonwealth of Israel, a stranger from the promises of God’s covenant, having no hope, without God in the world?  If you are, this text is addressed to you.

 

To be poor and needy is to be…

 

1.       Without Merit before God.

 

·         No Atonement!

·         No Righteousness!

 

2.       Without Strength, or Ability, before God.

You are utterly lost and helpless. God commands you to repent; but you find no repentance in your heart.  God commands you to believe on Christ; but you cannot muster faith in your soul.

 

3.       Without Hope before God!

Though you know there is hope for sinners in Christ, you have no hope in your soul.  You have nothing before God but sin, wrath, and condemnation.

 

If, indeed, I have described you, I am talking to one who is in the best position imaginable.  If you are, indeed, poor and needy, the Lord God has been gracious to you, and will yet be more gracious.  Look to Christ, look to Christ, keep on seeking him.  Knock hard a mercy’s gate; “for yours is the kingdom of heaven.”  If you are poor and needy, you will not go away from the throne of grace empty.

 

B.  God’s children themselves are richest when they are poor and needy.

 

If you read the whole chapter, you will find that this text is addressed to God’s own people.  Whenever we think ourselves rich and increased with goods, he will bring us down to poverty and need of soul, so that he may enrich us in Christ.  The saddest thin that can happen to God’s saints is to be so engrossed in spiritual pride that he thinks he has need of nothing (Rev. 3:17).

 

·         When I am poor, then I am rich.

·         When I am weak, then I am strong.

·         When I am empty, then I am most full.

·         When I have nothing, then I have everything.

 

 

Spurgeon said, “Self-complacency may be a very pleasant feeling to cherish; but he who walks near to God is a stranger to it.”

 

In Christ we have all things and abound.  We have need of nothing (I Cor. 3:21-23; Eph. 1:3; Col. 2:10).  But in ourselves, in this world, we need many things.

 

1.       Fresh Supplies of Grace!

2.       Larger Discoveries of the Love of God!

3.       Fresh Knowledge of Pardon and Righteousness!

4.       Renewed Strength and Comfort!

 

Thank God!  I have not yet gotten above being, “poor and needy.”  That man is poor indeed who is so poor that he feels his poverty!

 

II.  Secondly, our text speaks of An Urgent Need- “when the poor and needy seek water.”

 

What do they seek?  Money?  No, that is only to be poor and needy.  Bread?  Bread is necessary.  We must have that.  But here is an even greater need- “Water!”  That man is truly poor and truly needy who seeks water!

 

·         Water is Free!

·         Water is Vital!

 

In the Word of God water refers to several things.  These are the things poor and needy souls seek.

 

A.  The poor and needy seek the Water of the Word- Oh, for a word from God- (Amos 8:11-12; Acts 10:33).

 

B.  The poor and needy seek the Water of Grace.

 

The one thing condemned, helpless, needy sinners must have is grace.   The one thing God’s saints want, need and seek continually is grace.

 

C.  The poor and needy seek the Water of Cleansing- (Ps. 51:7).

 

D.   The poor and needy seek the Water of Refreshing, Reviving-  (Deut. 32:1-4).

 

How poor is the languishing soul who seeks renewed fellowship and communion with Christ!  (Song. 4:16-5:6).

“Where is the blessedness I once knew,

When first I saw the Lord?

Where is the soul-refreshing view

Of Jesus in His Word?

 

What peaceful hours I then enjoyed!

How sweet their mem’ry still!

But now I find an aching void

The world can never fill!”

 

Water is an urgent necessity, because it is an immediate necessity.  And the poor and needy seeks from God an immediate necessity- that which we seek we must have Now!

 

III.  But, thirdly, our text speaks of A Disappointed Hope- “When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none.”

 

You go to the place where water should be found, where others are finding water, perhaps where you have often found water yourself; but there is none- what disappointment!

 

·         The Word of God!

·         The Throne of Grace!

·         The Ordinances of Worship!

 

You come thirsty to the well, hoping for a refreshing drink of water, but fine none.  That is a disappointed hope.  “Hope deferred maketh the heart sick!”  Then we begin to conclude, like David, that God will not hear our prayers and fear that he has both forsake us and forgotten us (Ps. 42:1-3,7,9; 88:1,2,6,7,14).

 

IV.  Then, our text speaks, in the fourth place, of A Painful Inability- “And their tongue faileth for thirst!”  (See Ps. 84:2).

 

      Believers:

·         For Communion!

·         For Revelation!

·         For a Word!

 

 Lost Sinners:

·         For Grace!

·         For Pardon!

·         For Acceptance!

 

So great is the need, so great is the thirst that words cannot express it.

 

V.  Now, in this desperate need, God steps in and reveals himself as A Truly Gracious God.

           

Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity- (Deut. 32:36).  God in Christ always meets the needs of poor, needy, helpless sinners.  How much more may we be assured that he will meet the needs of his believing people, even in our deep poverty, need, and helplessness.  Look at his promises.

 

A.  “I the Lord will hear them!”

 

·         “The Lord,” with whom nothing is impossible (Jon. 32:27).

·         “The Lord,” whose mercy is infinite (Ex. 34:6).

·         “The Lord,” whose love and grace are immutable (Mal. 3:6).

·         “I the Lord will hear them!”  And if he hears us, we have what we desire of him (I John 5:15).

 

B.  “I the God of Israel will not forsake them.”  (Heb. 13:5).

 

C.  “I will open rivers in high places.” - mountains.

 

That is to say, “God will change the course of nature, and work miracles, rather than his people want what is necessary for them.”

 

Here are three rivers God has opened in the high mountain of heaven for the refreshing of his people.

 

1.       The Love of God!

2.       The Covenant of Grace!

3.       The Son of God!

 

D.  “I will open fountains in the midst of the valleys.”

 

In the deep valley, you will find a fountain gushing for your soul. (Zech. 13:1).

 

·         The valley of Conviction.

·         The valley of Adversity.

 

E.  “I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.”  (See Ps. 30:11-12).

 

Application:

 

1.       Thirsty souls, Come to Christ (John 7:37-38; Rev. 22:17).

2.       Child of God, your troubles and cares, put upon you by the hand of God, are only designed to graciously face you to seek satisfaction only in Christ (Ps. 36:8-10; 16:11).