Day #154
Scripture Reading: Psalms 84 - 86 …
As you read through the Psalms, you quickly
discover that to the writers of the Psalms prayer is almost like
breathing! We can learn much about how
to pray and what to pray for by reading the prayers contained in the Psalms.
But first, what did Jesus mean when He said to His
disciples, "I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may
bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I
will do it" (John 14:13-14). Jesus also told them that there
would be a time, after their time of grief (when He was crucified and buried),
when "the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until
now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive,
and your joy will be complete" (John 16:23-24). So did Jesus
give His disciples a "blank check?" Could they really
ask for ANYTHING and He would give it to them or do it for them? And what
about us? Do WE get the same promise?
What did Jesus mean? Let's look at two more
verses and then come back to our Psalms for today. We read in I John 5:14-15: "This
is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything
according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us -
whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of Him." Jesus
wanted His disciples to ask for "anything" … "in
His name." Praying “according
to His will” means praying for what He has promised to give us. With that
in mind, let's look at Psalms 84-86 and see what the Psalmist asked for.
Psalm 84 is a beautiful expression of the
believer's relationship with God. "How lovely is Your dwelling place, O
LORD Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God" (84:1-2). Can
you say that? Do you believe that those who live in God's presence, who
praise Him, who understand that we are His … do you believe these are people
who are blessed, no matter what may be happening in our lives? Are you always
asking God TO bless you, or are you thanking Him that you ARE blessed?
The writer of this Psalm loved worship, loved drawing near to God.
He believed that the Almighty God, the God of Jacob, looked with favor on
him and he rejoiced that God was his protector. "No good thing
does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless" (84:11).
But who of us can say we are "blameless?"
All who trust in the forgiveness of God in Jesus Christ!! That's why he
ends the Psalm by saying, "O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who
trusts in YOU!" (84:12). We are not blameless, but God's
promise of forgiveness through the blood of the Savior makes us blameless in
His sight. Apparently the Psalmist, hundreds of years before the Gospel
was ever preached, understood God's grace, mercy and forgiveness as the Spirit
moved him to pen these words. When you know you are forgiven, you know
that "the LORD bestows favor and honor" (84:11) and you
rejoice in Him.
THEN you are ready to pray for that which God has
promised, knowing that He hears your prayers and answers in the best way
possible, in His time and in His way. Psalm 85 begins by stating truth:
"You showed favor to Your land … You restored the fortunes
of Jacob … You forgave the iniquity of Your people and covered all their
sins. You set aside all Your wrath and turned from Your fierce
anger" (85:1-3). Prayer that God hears and answers flows from
your knowledge of the truth. So what do you pray for?
"Restore us again, O God our Savior! …
Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You? Show
us Your unfailing love, O LORD, and grant us Your salvation" (85:4,6-7).
This was foremost on the Psalmist's mind and should be foremost in OUR
minds! We need to recognize that we are here for God; that our very
existence is for His purposes. Then we will ask for those things that
will glorify Him, advance His kingdom and draw people to put their faith in the
God of Jacob, the only true God, our Savior and Lord. "He
promises peace to His people, His saints" (85:8). So we pray for
those things that lead to peace with God … for wisdom, for holiness, for
strength, for guidance …
Psalm 86 is another prayer of David … one that you
and I could pray every day of our lives. "Hear, O LORD, and
answer me, for I am poor and needy” (86:1). Who of us cannot confess
that?! So he asks God to "guard my life" …
Why should God do that? " … for I am devoted to
You" (86:2). In fact, David prays in verse 11 for "an
undivided heart." Living in this world we face the constant temptation
of losing our first love and taking our eyes off of Jesus. We forget
about being part of GOD’S plan and instead want Him to bless OUR plan. So
David prays for mercy and for joy (86:3-4).
Note the confidence in David's prayer: "You
are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to You.
Hear my prayer, O LORD; listen to my cry for mercy. In the day of
trouble I will call to You, for You will answer me" (86:5-7). Do
you have that confidence? We should understand God's grace and mercy even
more than David, for we know that the Savior has come and His name is Jesus!
"All the nations You have made will come and worship before You,
O Lord; they will bring glory to Your name. For … You alone are
God!" (86:10).
In spite of all the gods of the nations in David's
day, he knew and testified that there was only ONE true God, the God of Jacob.
When You know God, your heart's desire will be that others know Him, too.
David, like true believers today, trusted in the mercy and grace of God
to save him from the grave (86:13). He rested in God's faithfulness and
so do we. As a loving Father He will
give you all you need to love Him, to serve Him, to fulfill His calling on your
life as a disciple of Christ, as you come to Him in the name of Jesus.
"Father, I come, confessing my need and
rejoicing that You have met my greatest need in the cross of Christ. With the Psalmist, I can say, 'Better is one
day in Your courts than a thousand elsewhere!' Give me an undivided
heart, that I may praise You with all my heart and serve You with joy all my
days. Give me strength to endure, to persevere and to overcome, in Jesus'
name, Amen"
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