Here is a powerful weapon for every follower of Jesus: Cry! Cry out with all of your heart as David did (see Psalm 34:6). Go to the Lord and confess your sin and appeal to his lovingkindness, saying, "Lord, I know you love me and are ready to forgive me. I repent before you right now."
It is well known that King David fell into horrible sin, committing adultery and covering it up with murder. Moreover, we know David was full of the Holy Spirit, so he must have been miserable.
The prophet Nathan confronted him, saying, "You have brought reproach on God's name." David could only go for so long carrying the weight of the horrible acts he had perpetrated and he immediately confessed and repented. Even as he was still weeping Nathan assured him, "The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die” (2 Samuel 12:13).
The Bible promises that it is possible to understand the Lord's lovingkindness. What is that key? King David said, “Whoever is wise will observe these things, and they will understand the lovingkindness of the Lord” (Psalm 107:43).
David received an awesome revelation of God's gracious, forgiving heart. And he discovered it simply by looking at God's past record of dealing with his beloved children. David reports it this way:
The foundation for all victory over sin is the understanding that God is tender and full of kindness and love.
“Thus says the Lord: ‘Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth’” (Jeremiah 9:23–24).
In the Old Testament, God's people forsook him again and again, yet each time he restored them and blessed them incredibly. The Lord had every right to give up on Israel, but he remained ever faithful to them. Nehemiah sums up this wonderful truth about God’s nature:
Throughout the Bible we hear these wonderful words spoken by many of God's servants: "Your God is merciful, kind, gracious, anxious to forgive, full of lovingkindness, slow to anger." These words about God's lovingkindness are recited again and again by great men such as Moses, Jonah, David, the prophets and the apostle Paul (see Exodus 34:6, Deuteronomy 4:31, Jonah 4:2, Joel 2:13, Romans 2:4).
Do you believe God is willing to come quickly to solve your problem? Here is where many Christians fall short. They know God has all they need and they admit he cares. But when he doesn't answer their cry right away, they think of all kinds of reasons why he must not be willing to come to their aid.
The Lord asks us, "Do you truly believe I see exactly what you are enduring right now?"
Perhaps as you read this message, you are going through something that calls for him to act on your behalf. The very nature of your problem demands an answer.
Do you believe God gladly monitors your every move, the way a father does with his infant child? Do you believe he is at work as your loving, caring Father — bottling every tear, hearing every sigh, hovering over you?
Scripture says of Moses' time: "Forty years You sustained them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing; their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell. . . . [They] delighted themselves in Your great goodness" (Nehemiah 9:21, 25).
Do you delight in the Lord's goodness to you? Perhaps you are more likely to whisper within your heart, "God hasn't been good to me. So many things in my life have been left hanging. My prayers aren't being answered."
Any believer who wishes to please God with his prayer life must first settle this question: "Does God have all I need or do I need to go elsewhere for my answer?"
This appears to be a simple question — perhaps one that doesn't even need to be asked. Most Christians would answer, "Yes, of course I believe God has all I need." But in reality many of us are not convinced! We say we believe it but then a crisis hits and God doesn't seem to answer. Often at such times we don't truly believe he has what we need.