| Psalm 108 reads as follows from the Oxford | | | | Conditions throughout vast regions of the earth could |
| Annotated Bible: | | | | be changed, at the level of awakening the dawn, by |
| My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; | | | | the power of David's intercessions. |
| I will sing and make melody, Awake of my soul | | | | Individuals on a massive scale could be rescued, in |
| Awake oh harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn. I will | | | | any ways that they needed to be rescued, through |
| give thanks to you, O Lord, Among the peoples, And | | | | the great power of David's pleadings to the Lord. |
| I will sing praises to you, Among the nations, | | | | Verse 7 says, " God has promised in his sanctuary: |
| For your steadfast love is higher than the heavens, | | | | With exultation I will divide up Shechem, And portion |
| And your faithfulness reaches to the clouds, | | | | out the Vale of Succoth, |
| Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, And let your | | | | This is referring to the power and just have specific |
| glory be all over the earth, | | | | the work of the Lord is. Every division, every portion |
| Give victory with your right hand, And answer me, | | | | of what will happen and can happen, is under the |
| So that those whom you love may be rescued, God | | | | control of his sovereign desire. |
| has promised in his sanctuary: With exultation I will | | | | It will be the Lord understands that rules. In the case |
| divide up Shechem, and portion out the Vale of | | | | we do know of where this type of prayer was |
| Succoth, Gilead is mine, Manasseh is mine, Ephraim is | | | | effectual, the Lord responded to Elijah's request for |
| my helmet, Judah is my scepter, Moab is my | | | | rain and the divisions and portions of how this rain |
| washbasin, On Edom I hurl my shoe, Over Philistia I | | | | came was controlled by the Lord's sovereignty. |
| shout in triumph, Who will bring me to the fortified | | | | Verse 12 says, " O grant us help against the foe, for |
| city? Who will lead me to Edom? Have you not | | | | human help is worthless." Of course there is some |
| rejected us O God? You do not go out, O God, with | | | | practical value to human help, but in the dimensions |
| are armies, O grant us help against the foe, For | | | | that David is speaking of here, dimensions where |
| human health is worthless, With God we shall do | | | | there is an awaking of the dawn of what was |
| valiantly; It is he who will tread down our foe | | | | otherwise impossible, inconceivable and just |
| The meaning of this psalm emanates from verse 2, | | | | otherwise not going to be, other than through the |
| where the psalmist, David says, Awake, O harp and | | | | help of the Lord, and no matter what advances of |
| lyre, I will awake the dawn. | | | | man that can ever come about, this truism will hold |
| Verses 3 thru 6 go on to say, " I will give thanks to | | | | that the inventions of man can never reach the level |
| you O Lord, among the peoples, and I will sing | | | | of awakening the dawn. Something like this can only |
| praises to you, O Lord, among the peoples, and I will | | | | manifest through the appearance of the Lord's help. |
| sing praises to you among the nations, For your | | | | In James, Chapter 5 verses 16 through 18 it says," |
| steadfast love is higher than the heavens, and your | | | | Therefore confess your sins to one another, and |
| faithfulness reaches the clouds, Be exalted, O God, | | | | pray for one another, so that you may be healed, |
| above the heavens, and let your glory be over all the | | | | The prayer of a righteous is powerful and effective. |
| earth, Give victory with your right hand, and answer | | | | Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed |
| me, so that those whom you love may be rescued. | | | | fervently that it might not rain, and for three years |
| This psalm apparently was written at a time when | | | | and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he |
| David was at the height of his kingship, leading the | | | | prayed again the heaven gave rain and the earth |
| peoples in praise of the Lord. | | | | yielded its harvest." |
| In the traditional sense, David was a powerful leader | | | | It is interesting that this verse doesn't say someplace |
| but this is also referring to a leadership as God's | | | | locally yielded its harvest, it says the earth yielded its |
| anointed. | | | | harvest. This was the whole earth, not some local |
| Here, David, when he says he will awaken the dawn, | | | | farmland. This was a kind of awaking of the dawn |
| is speaking of great and vast intercessory powers, | | | | that David speaks of in his psalm. |
| that he himself possesses in the context of prayer. | | | | There is an implication in these verses from James |
| The power of his intercessions, have a pervasiveness | | | | that such intercessory powers can be available to |
| that can reach throughout all of the earth and just as | | | | those whom the Lord deems righteous and these |
| the day can dawn throughout all the earth, his own | | | | intercessions can reach every nook and cranny of |
| powerful relationship with the Lord as an intercessor | | | | the earth. |
| is such that his intercessions can awaken or even | | | | These intercessions are both powerful and effective |
| surpass what is physically present in the dawning of | | | | and reach into dimensions that are just otherwise not |
| the sun for a new day. | | | | available to man. These channels cannot ever be |
| We can only imagine what David's pleadings might | | | | traversed other than through prayer and that |
| have been, but in verse 6 he is asking for the Lord | | | | manifestation of its power and effectiveness. No |
| to answer me, and says that this would happen so | | | | matter what is invented in science into the near and |
| that those whom the Lord loves may be rescued. He | | | | far future, nothing can be obtainable that could do |
| asks the Lord is verse 5 that his love be all over the | | | | what Elijah awakened through his specific prayer, |
| earth. | | | | which is to stop all rain on the earth for more than |
| We don't know the specific contents of David's | | | | three years and then have it rain to where the whole |
| requests, but we do know that he is referring to the | | | | earth was properly moisturized for crops and the |
| Lord's love, in his requests and how this love is also | | | | harvest. These dimensions can not otherwise be |
| for individuals unnamed but known to the Lord, | | | | reached. |
| throughout the earth. | | | | Something to meditate on is in what ways do people |
| This also gives the idea that a good place to start in | | | | need to be rescued, as it does say in verse 6, " so |
| prayer is that the Lord's love be sent. | | | | that those whom you love may be rescued." Such |
| It can only be imagined how great David's | | | | situations can be the subject of intercessions. |
| intercessory power would affect the world today. | | | | Realistically, it would be utterly impossible that |
| When he speaks of awaking the dawn, he is talking | | | | someone could literally awaken the dawn. However, |
| of something great and widespread, something that | | | | this psalm says otherwise, that something as great |
| otherwise was not present or even seemingly | | | | as the dawn if not greater can be awakened and |
| possible. | | | | that David did actually do this. David is quite plainly |
| David's prayers today could change conditions in | | | | saying, his prayers did reach out into the level of |
| whole continents at the level of spiritual life, at the | | | | awaken the dawn of what was otherwise impossible. |
| level of physical life and the speculation could go on | | | | His prayers, reaching through the earth both in space |
| and on. He could change weather systems for years | | | | and time, may be affecting the earth even now, |
| throughout the earth, just as Elijah did, as mentioned | | | | awakening the dawn in these present days. |
| in Paul's epistle of James. | | | | |