Happy Memorial Day! It's always a good day to hear from our God! Why don't you take a minute and join me in listening to him speak through his word in Psalm 4? This one really strikes a cord with me.
Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God....(B)e merciful and hear my prayer.... (T)he LORD will hear when I call to him. (v. 1, 3)
Right off the bat in this psalm there is a cry from the human heart to know that God actually answers prayer. Few things are as common to the human experience as prayer. Almost everyone prays--at least sometimes. But I don't want to just pray. I want to pray effective prayers. If my cries never reach God's ears, or if he doesn't regard me highly enough to answer, I'm wasting my time. I think that we all long to be heard and for God to respond to our prayers.
I'm going to assume that David, who wrote this, was feeling the same way. The only reason he would say these things is if he were feeling as though God wasn't answering his prayer. So he's pleading with God to respond. He's declaring confidently that God has bound himself by covenant with those who trust him to hear when they call (v. 3). What's frustrating is when I believe that firmly and still don't see my prayers granted.
Right now, one of the biggest concerns I have been praying for--the growth of One Life Church--has still not been granted. At least not to the extent I have prayed for growth. It's a prayer that seemingly would be fully within God's will. And he may still deliver. But in the meantime I wait. And I feel like David, pleading with God to answer my prayer. Maybe you can relate?
It's a comfort to know that even a great man like David, known as "a man after God's own heart," at times felt the frustration of God's silence. It's part of the life of faith. Every spiritual journey includes treks through the wilderness--even Jesus' did. But God does something even in those periods. Sometimes he just wants us to remember that he is sovereign and he is good. He wants me to grow deeper in my trust in him. He wants me to discover that he is enough.
When the wilderness shapes my heart that way I can pray along with David, "I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety" (v. 8). And I will continue to offer my requests and wait for the Lord to answer!
How did God speak to you in this psalm? Share it below! First sign in (top right corner of the page) or select Anonymous in the "Comment as" field.
The wish for God to do MY will....that is human.
ReplyDeleteThe trust that no matter what happens in life, it is within the will and plan of God....that is FAITH. As a human made from dust, I cannot even begin to understand why God does this or that...but I TRUST HIM... no matter what happens to me in this life, as long as I cling to Him and Hope in Him. It is beyond human understanind...and that is FAITH. Chris, follow His lead no matter where it takes you. Even Jesus wept over Jerusalem because they would not come to Him...and it is so today too...people simply fail so often in coming to the Lord and committing to Him and His work as they could and should. Be strong and courageous and God will lead you through to the beauty of Eternity with Him.
Life is very hard and sometimes it seems that our prayers do go unanswered. God ALWAYS answers but not always right away or in the way that we think he should......and he doesn't even need our help!! God promises to work all things out for good...and he knows far better then we do what is good for us.
ReplyDeleteEphesians 3:20-21, " Now all glory to God , who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think."
There are prayers that I have prayed over the years and I am just now beginning to see how God is answering. He answers in ways that were totally not expected and they sometimes seem to bring more pain, at least initially.
Chris, I have also been praying for One Life Church and will continue to do so. God has a plan and he has equipped you for such a time as this! Just wait and see what he does!!
Michele
One thing that is so hard to do but that I know is right is that sometimes God wants us to ask Him to do His will, not necessarily to do what we want. Yes, the word tells us to ask and we shall receive, but sometimes we think that our prayers aren't being heard because the exact result we are praying for isn't being granted. That may be an answer right there.
ReplyDeleteYes, parts of scripture teach us that persistence is good, but we also have to be willing to honestly give up whatever it is to God and to accept the answer, even if it's not what we want.
If I ask God for a certain blessing and it doesn't happen, that doesn't necessarily mean He doesn't hear me - it means it's either not His time yet or the answer is no.
Maybe He just wants us to pray that His will will be done in the church, not for something specific that we presume to be His will.