Day 23: 31 Days of Prayer

Day 23: 31 Days of Prayer

Verse:

A prayer of David. Incline Your ear, O LORD, answer me, for I am poor and needy. Preserve my life, for I am one You love, save Your servant who trusts in You. You are my God, have mercy on me, O Lord, for to You I cry all day long. Make Your servant's soul rejoice, for to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. For You, O Lord, are good and ready to forgive and abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon You.  (Psalm 85:1-5 - TB)

Reflection:

Over the next five days, we will discuss the full contents of Psalm 86 to learn from the way David prayed to God “In every part of prayer, the soul must rise on the wings of faith and holy desire, and be lifted up before God, to receive the communications of His grace, and in hope to expect very great things from Him.” - commentary on Psalm 86 from Matthew Henry. Verse 1. In his prayer, David reaches out to God and asks God to listen. David asks to be heard. He asks that he would receive an answer. This is a characteristic of the way David prayed and sang praises to God in the book of Psalms. David truly felt vulnerable, opening his whole heart to God, setting no limits at all, but trying to reach out to God as an imperfect human being with all his limitations. Verse 2. David asks God to protect him, save him, keep him. David asks that God would look upon him. This is something we all need to pray. God is our keeper, and He is the One who saves us. Verse 3. David calls on God all day long! Should we take this literally? It seems not, but David's heart shows how much he wanted to communicate with God at every moment. David asks for God's mercy because he realizes how powerful it is, and how much he needs it. Do we not also need God's mercy? Verse 4. David asks God for joy. For us as Christians, joy is one of the fruits of the Spirit. We should ask God to give us joy every day, and to be able to see joy in difficult times. We must be able to trust God,  because He gives us every reason and even more to depend on His promises. The work of God's hands in our lives cultivates our confidence and faith in Him.

Challenge:

Pray as David prayed. Read again the verses in Psalm 86 and pay attention to David's heart in every feeling he expresses. Be vulnerable, be more specific. Ask God for what He has promised, and give thanks to Him in faith. Draw near to His throne with frailty and humility. We are actually unworthy to pray to God, but He gives us the opportunity to do so as often as possible. That is truly amazing.

Translated from the article “31 Days of Prayer: Day 23” by Daniel Berk