Praying The Psalms

Sometimes I remember to do this, mostly I remember, but sometimes I do not: Ask God to show me the Wisdom and Beauty and Glory hidden in His Word.

So yesterday, upon waking, I heard a "ding" on my phone, grabbed it to check the time, still quite early. And then checked to see what had created the "ding". It was a Facebook post from a lady I know and love very much. In it she had highlighted a Psalm. I am ashamed and embarrassed to say that the first thing I did upon waking was look at Facebook. Good grief...that is horrible! Rather than seeing a Prayer, I could have seen any number of things that would have potentially contaminated my mind for the day. But the LORD is good! And this is what I saw: Psalm 86, A Prayer of David. Open your Bible and read it out loud for yourself; it is so powerful, and human, and real. (Remember that our spoken words have power. And the Word of God is pure Power. When we speak-- aka pray-- His Word, it does that for which it was sent forth. His Word does NOT return void). The Book of Psalms is a big book, near the middle of The Bible, full of Prayers, confessions, pleas for help and deliverance, full of praise for The King of The Universe. These Psalms are so beautiful, because they highlight the relationship with God that is possible through Prayer, seeking Him, and walking with Him.

Read on...

Psalm 86.

Supplication For Help Against Enemies.

A Prayer of David

1. Incline Your ear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.

2. Preserve my life, for I am devoted to You; save Your servant who trusts in You. You are my God;

3. be gracious to me, O Lord, for to You do I cry all day long.

4. Gladden the soul of Your servant, for to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

5. For You, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call on You.

6. Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; listen to my cry of supplication.

7. In the day of trouble I call on You, for You will answer me.

8. There is none like You among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like Yours.

9. All the nations You have made shall come and bow down before You, O Lord, and shall glorify Your name.

10. For You are great and do wonderous things; You alone are God.

11. Teach me Your way, O Lord, that I may walk in Your truth; give me an undivided heart to revere Your name.

12. I give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify Your name forever.

13. For great is Your steadfast love for me; You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.

14. O God, the insolent rise up against me; a band of ruffians seeks my life, and they do not set You before them.

15. But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.

16. Turn to me and be gracious to me; give Your strength to Your servant; save the child of Your serving girl.

17. Show me a sign of Your favor, so that those who hate me may see it and be put to shame, because You, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.

For years I have said that Psalm 91 is "the most powerful prayer in the Bible". I am not retracting that claim, but I am definitely adding Psalm 86 to the list of Powerful Prayers.

Who among us does not need "help against enemies"? I know I do!! What are our enemies? Certainly some folks have enemies who are people, in-laws, outlaws, former bosses. But enemies also come in other forms: poverty, pain, addiction, homelessness, broken families and marriages, dreadful work situations, or lack of work, sickness, disease and being in a place where we are so lost that we don't even know where to turn or what to do. These various enemies are all "the enemy". The Bible has hundreds and hundreds of examples whereby God tells His people to pray, and whereby He answers prayer in amazing ways, subtle ways, and miraculous ways.

So often, we don't know what to pray for, how to pray for it, what we really need, or what others need. This is just the way we are as human beings, sometimes so deep in the worry of the day (or the year) that we can't think clearly. But if we know Him, we know He is near and listening. If we don't have the words, or the capacity to form a cogent thought, but know that we need Him, we can open the Bible and find the words. There are 150 Psalms in the Bible! Right there, right under our noses, is a treasure trove of Prayer Language that we can use to call out to Him in our particular situations. If your own words fail you, grab a Bible (if you don't have one, message me, I'll help you with that) or a Bible app on your phone, and open up to the Book of Psalms. These are pure and holy prayers, inspired directly through the Holy Spirit, to lead us day by day; situation by situation; crisis by crisis; joy by joy; and victory by victory!

In an effort to "keep the main thing the main thing", I will be highlighting some amazing prayers that I have encountered in my journey. The Book of Psalms is definitely a source of powerful prayer--prayer inspired by the sweet Holy Spirit. It is good to have these at your fingertips, for times when your own words fail you, or when you want to speak to the LORD in His own language.

For today, please remember that I love you so much in Jesus! And I want to pray for you--I want to know your name and your situation--and I want to know when answers come and you receive the victory that only comes through Jesus. Please message me with requests or concerns or testimonies or anything you want to share.

I pray for God's very best blessings for you today and every day...Mercy, Grace and Love-Everlasting!

Grace and Peace!

Leslie~~