One of the most common maladies found in the communion of the saints is the lack of skill on how to pray effectively. Often enough, we hear or read the testimony of someone who says that, when they pray, it feels as if the prayers do not get past the ceiling. To address this problem, a plethora of books have been written on how to pray, some good, some bad.
Of course, we have our Grand Teacher, the Lord Jesus Christ, who taught His disciples how to pray at their request, (see Matthew 6 and Luke 11.) The Lord’s Prayer, as it is known, unfortunately is taken by some to mean that they are supposed to recite it by rote in three seconds flat and be done with it
Many seem to think that the model provided by our Lord Jesus when He taught His disciples to pray is the only way to go, in the sense of what to say. I think that many believers feel restricted at prayer time because they do not know what is supposed to happen during prayer.
Prayer is nothing less than the direct, two way communication between the LORD Almighty and the saint. Prayer is dynamic, rich, flexible and even surprising at times. Prayer is the means by which we grab hold of the blessed Holy Spirit in order to bring us right before the presence of the heavenly throne. We can see God through prayer. We can feel His comforting hand in times of trouble and affliction. Prayer is communication with our LORD, it is the highway we travel to come to Him.
We are human beings and, as humans, we bring a lot of baggage into our prayers sometimes. Here I want to use a Psalm of David as an illustration of how much can go into a single prayer session. Yes, some of you may be surprised to read that the book of Psalms is, among other things, a book of prayers.
I want you to pay close attention to the following Psalm. David starts with praise, and intersperses it throughout. He makes confession, or affirmation, of the promises of God to do justice, to uphold the righteous and punish the wicked. He speaks to our LORD about his enemies. He asks the LORD for mercy. We see in this Psalm the different things that are wrapped in David’s mind, both his troubles and his confidence in the Most High. The lesson to be learned is this: When we pray, we are by no means confined to a formula, subject matter or emotion. We can come to our LORD in prayer no matter what may be in our hearts and minds and, what is even better, we can express both the joyful and the painful during the same prayer time.
I leave you now with Psalm 9. May you be blessed by the reading of the word of the LORD, and may you lay a hold of the freedom that prayer brings.
Zoraida
Psalms 9:1 To the Chief Musician. To the tune of “Death of the Son.” A Psalm of David. I will praise You, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works.
2 I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.
3 When my enemies turn back, They shall fall and perish at Your presence.
4 For You have maintained my right and my cause; You sat on the throne judging in righteousness.
5 You have rebuked the nations, You have destroyed the wicked; You have blotted out their name forever and ever.
6 O enemy, destructions are finished forever! And you have destroyed cities; Even their memory has perished.
7 But the LORD shall endure forever; He has prepared His throne for judgment.
8 He shall judge the world in righteousness, And He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness.
9 The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, A refuge in times of trouble.
10 And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.
11 Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion! Declare His deeds among the people.
12 When He avenges blood, He remembers them; He does not forget the cry of the humble.
13 Have mercy on me, O LORD! Consider my trouble from those who hate me, You who lift me up from the gates of death,
14 That I may tell of all Your praise In the gates of the daughter of Zion. I will rejoice in Your salvation.
15 The nations have sunk down in the pit which they made; In the net which they hid, their own foot is caught.
16 The LORD is known by the judgment He executes; The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Meditation. Selah
17 The wicked shall be turned into hell, And all the nations that forget God.
18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten; The expectation of the poor shall not perish forever.
19 Arise, O LORD, Do not let man prevail; Let the nations be judged in Your sight.
20 Put them in fear, O LORD, That the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah
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