Do you sometimes cry out to God? Do you wonder where he is and how is acting in your life? You are not alone. David in the Psalms often cried out to God. We can learn a lot from David in how he prayed during troubled times.
If you have a moment I would encourage you to read Psalm 13, it is a short psalm, only 6 verses. This psalm is called a lament. David is pouring his soul out to God.
I want us to look at 3 things that David did, that we can learn from as well.
First, in the first 2 verses of that Psalm David poured out his heart to God, he didn't hold anything back or sugarcoat things. David felt forgotten by God and that God was not there. Are you afraid to be honest with God, do you hide your true feelings? I often think in some ways it is funny when we try to hide our feelings from God. He knows what we are feeling and thinking all ready. David was not afraid to tell God how it was for him. We need to come to God with our bare emotions and lay them out to him and honestly cry out for him.
The second thing we see is David, in verse 3 and 4, petitions God for what he wants. But there is one important point we need to notice. David says God if my enemies overcome me, then my enemies will say they prevailed over God. David clearly says God do not just help me, help me so you will have the victory and you will be glorified. I find this point eye opening and convicting for me. How often do we pray God help me with this, protect my children, help my husband, make my boss nicer, etc. and then we stop right there. How different would our prayers and lives be if we said, God for your glory and to show who you are to others protect my children, help me, and so on. We need to learn to pray not just for our relief, but for God to be glorified in our circumstances. That kind of prayer has a totally different perspective.
The third thing David does in verses 5 and 6 is he focuses on God's loving kindness and mercy. David recalls how God has been faithful in the past and trusts that God will continue to be faithful. He then starts praising God. In the midst of his trouble he still praises God. I have found the best antidote to worry or a depressed mood is to begin praising God. When I remember who he is and what he has done for me then my mood and worries go away. Why, because my God is big enough to handle and take care of all my problems, the big ones and the little ones. He cares about them all.
In conclusion, we can learn a lot from David about praying during troubled times. We need to pour out our heart's desire to God and know that he can and will listen. It is okay to question God. But, we must remember coupled with questioning God is trusting that he is in control of our lives. We need to ask for God's direction in our lives so he will be glorified not just so we can get out of a jam. We need to remember how God has been faithful in the past and praise him for all his wonderful mercies.
Can I encourage you to pray differently this week using David as an example of how to share our requests with God? May we glorify God in everything we do.
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