Psalm 10

Order of Service

• Scripture Reading — Psalm 10
• Sermon
• Pastoral Prayer

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Sermon Title: Practical Atheism and the All-Seeing God

Scripture: Psalm 10

I. Three Reasons There Is No Room for God in the Practical Atheist's Life

A. They are driven by worldly success (Psalm 10:5–6)

1. Worldly prosperity blinds the practical atheist to God
2. Illustrated in the Parable of the Sower — the cares of the world choke out the word (Matthew 13)
3. Practical atheism is not always outright rejection; many continue attending church while the heart drifts away

B. They live only in the present (Psalm 10:11)

1. The practical atheist reasons: God has not judged me yet, therefore he never will
2. Peter warns that scoffers in the last days will say the same — where is the promise of his coming? (2 Peter 3:1–4)
3. Losing sight of God's future judgment enables practical atheism even among churchgoers

C. They do not consider God's omnipresence (Psalm 10:7–10)

1. The wicked act in secret and stealthily, as though no one is watching
2. The first commandment presupposes God's omnipresence — "you shall have no other gods before my face" (Exodus 20)
3. Losing the doctrine of God's omnipresence makes practical atheism easy — when we forget that God sees even the depths of the heart

II. How Psalm 10 Teaches Us to Pray

A. We pray in the light of God's omnipresence (Psalm 10:14)

1. The psalmist moves from dejection over the success of the wicked to confidence through prayer — a pattern seen again in Psalm 73
2. In prayer we speak back to God his own attribute: "But you do see"
3. Reminding ourselves before the throne of grace that God is omnipresent guards us against practical atheism

B. We pray for God to act (Psalm 10:15)

1. Confidence in God's sovereignty is the basis for, not a reason against, calling on him to act
2. The logic of the Psalter — the inspired prayer book of Scripture — is: God is sovereign, therefore call on him to act
3. God's decretive will is carried out through means: prayer, preaching, evangelism
4. Illustrated by Mordecai's words to Esther — God's decree to preserve his people was certain, yet Esther was called to be the means (Esther 4)
5. We must never separate God's decretive will from the means by which he carries it out

C. We pray to a gracious and compassionate God (Psalm 10:16–18)

1. The psalm closes with a tender portrait of God — he hears the desire of the afflicted, strengthens their heart, and inclines his ear to the fatherless and oppressed
2. God's omnipresence is not only his watchful accounting of wickedness, but also his attentive care for those who suffer
3. As Isaiah says, God counts all our tears; he longs to help the afflicted
4. In prayer we call back to God not only his omnipresence but also his love, kindness, and mercy toward the downtrodden