Psalm – Psalm 143-145
Bible Passage: Psalms 143 to 145
What and How do We Pray?
Reading psalm 143 once through, you’ll find that it is filled with complaints and with earnest pleading to be heard by God. But is that all in his prayer?
If we read this psalm a 2nd time, we maybe able to feel the deeper feelings of David when he penned this psalm, and in his prayer, we can see the following trend.
1. Earnest in supplication – knowing his own need and limitations.
2. Complaints of the oppression – tasted the severity of the persecution.
3. Putting full trust in God – knowing God is the only source of refuge in times of distress.
Do we pray in the same manner of earnestness? Maybe we do, especially when we have something we want very dearly, or in times when we need to make difficult decisions in life.
It is quite natural that we pray with earnestness when we face challenges or difficulties, but can we put full trust in God that He would guide us? Are we willing to let God pave the way for us according to His will, or we insist that God would pave the way according to our wants?
When we have complains in our prayers, what are we actually complaining about? Are we always pointing our judgmental fingers at others for not complying with our demands?
I think we should always look at ourselves first before we complain to God about others. I truly agree to the saying that we are our own enemies, for it is not easy to overcome our own lusts and desires. Therefore it is more often than not that the problems we face are our own faults.
Finally, are we able to put full trust in God after our prayers, that we say with confidence “All according to Your will oh Lord. Amen!”?
Happy are the People Whose God is the LORD!
Our God is the True God, and He is Almighty.
In our lives as Christians, we are fighting spiritual battles everyday. Since this warfare is spiritual , so we have to be trained by God and He will equip us with the weapons and armor to face the battles ahead.
With our Awesome God as our Master, there is no fear of the battles to come. For we know that in many battles in the Old Testament, He fought the war for His people. Likewise, in the New Testament, Jesus overcame the world for our sakes and thus, today we should have no fear of the battles that we would face, because our God is the Lord!
With such a great God as our God, we must not forget to sing praises to Him!
Praise God and Proclaim His Name!
Psalm 145 is full of praises to our Wonderful God.
As we praise Him, we also reflect upon His greatness and meditate upon His love, and these can give us strength in our faith.
When the disciples asked Jesus to increase their faith, Jesus answered them that as long as they have the faith like a mustard seed, it would be enough.
Why didn’t Jesus use a solid rock to analogize great faith? A rock is many times tougher and stronger than a mustard seed which is the smallest among the seeds of the garden plants.
The reason could be that there is live in the mustard seed and therefore it can grow when the necessary conditions are available. So meditating upon the wonders of God gives us the necessary nourishments to cause growth to our faith.
But of course, we must not let our faith grow for nothing. Besides nurturing ourselves, we must not forget to preach/proclaim His greatness to the people of the world.
Our God is indeed Almighty and Wonderful. Let us praise him unceasingly as we pass our days.
One Comment
PS
Ps 143:1-2 seems a bit incoherent, aren’t they?
Hear my prayer, O LORD, Give ears to my supplications!
In Your faithfulness answer me, And in Your righteousness.
Do not enter into judgment with Your servant, For in Your sight no one living is righteous.
First, David asked that God hear his prayer and answer him in His faithfulness and righteousness. Then David asked God not to judge him.
God gives mercy and He also gives judgment. God judges bec He is a rigtheous God faithful to His words. How could David pray to God not to judge him?
Come to think of it, my prayer to Lord Jesus is as incoherent as David’s.
i frequently ask God to wash my heart and cleanse my spirit to revive in me a clean heart and a righteous spirit. i ask in faith based on His mercy.
Actually they are not. Our salvation is by grace. Our reconciliation with God through Lord Jesus is by grace. Grace bec we are not worthy. We receive bec God is faithful. He will remember no more our sins and lawless deeds (Heb 10:17).
By ourselves, no one living is righteous. David knew. David also knew God.