The Heart of Prayer

I love you, O Lord, my strength.

Psalm 18:1

Prayer is all about love. It's loving Jesus.

Yes, prayer is also asking for needs, interceding for others, confessing sins, giving thanks, adoring God. But the heart and soul of prayer is love.

Prayer is about two persons in love. One of those persons is God! He loves us perfectly, immeasurably, outlandishly. And we are falling in love more and more. Prayer is the overflow of this love relationship. Prayer is the expression of this love relationship. Prayer is the cultivation of this love relationship.

Lovers talk. Lovers hang out together. Lovers enjoy each other's presence. This is how God feels about you. Ideally, this is the way we are beginning to feel about God.

David felt it. Oh, did he ever! Do you feel it? Are you beginning to feel it? Deep within your heart, the stirrings of love? This yearning for God? This desire? This passion?

Prayer is all about love. Not duty. Not obligation. Not religious ritual. But love. Love like we've never known.

"I love you, O Lord, my strength."

Identity

To the choirmaster. A psalm of David, the servant of the Lord, who addressed the words of this song to the Lord on the day when the Lord rescued him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul.

Psalm 18 Superscription

Most psalms have a superscription before the first verse. These notes frequently give the psalm's author or the psalm's setting or a musical directive. The superscription is part of the biblical text; it is not a note added by the publisher of the Bible.

The superscription for Psalm 18 is especially interesting. We find the musical note. We find the authorship note. We find the setting. We even read that David sang the words of this song and that he sang them to the Lord.

But what grabs my attention is how David sees himself. Not as David the future king. Not as David the famed general. Not as David the brave warrior. Not as David the accomplished poet. Not as David the conqueror of Goliath. Not as David the administrative genius. None of those, though all were true.

David sees himself as the Lord's servant. The Lord's slave. The Lord's errand boy. That's who he was. And he knew it.

"I am not high and mighty. I am not the exalted ruler. I am not the point of the story. I am nothing special. I am merely the Lord's servant. And that's all."

This reminds me of Paul, David's counterpart in the New Testament, in his passion for God. Paul saw himself the same way: "Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ."

This is who we are. This is our ultimate identity. This is our calling. This is our destiny. This is our privilege.

Be clear on who you are. Never be confused again about who you are.

"I am a servant of Jesus. That's who I am. Whatever he says. Wherever he calls. However he leads ... Just say the word, Lord. You're in charge, not me. You're the Lord, not me. You're in control, not me. I'm the servant, you're the Master."

Focus on Jesus

I have set the Lord always before me.

Psalm 16:8a

What did David mean? What does it mean to set the Lord always before you? What would that look like for you and me?

We would focus on Jesus.

We would think about Jesus frequently. We would think about his cross, his resurrection, his resurrection power in us, his tender love for us, his beauty.

We would sing to Jesus. Quite a bit.

We would speak of Jesus. He would just come up in our conversations. Naturally, not forced.

We would depend upon Jesus. We would depend upon him throughout the day. We would depend upon him for every need, big and small. We would rely upon his power not our own.

We would live for Jesus' approval. Only his approval would matter. No one else's.

We would talk with Jesus. We would have a running conversation throughout the day, listening, talking, smiling, enjoying. We would spend our days in his presence.

We would fear Jesus. We would fear him with a healthy respect and awe and desire to please him. We would fear him alone, no one else and nothing else. Nothing else could shake us.

We would become more and more preoccupied with Jesus and less and less preoccupied with ourselves. We would become somewhat self-forgetful, self-oblivious. We would become Jesus-preoccupied, Jesus-enamored, Jesus-intoxicated.

And, we would not be shaken. No matter what happens, we would not be shaken.

God our Councelor

I bless the Lord who gives me counsel.

Psalm 16:7a

Thank God for Christian counselors. God uses them to help us with spiritual and mental and emotional and relational problems. Certainly God has used counselors to help me.

But who is the counselor? It is God. God himself is our main counselor. Go to him first. Go to him always. Rely primarily on him. He is the all-knowing, ever-present, ever-loving counselor. In fact, Jesus called the Holy Spirit the Paraclete, which means Encourager or Counselor. God the Holy Spirit is our Counselor. And what a counselor he is!

David understood that God counseled him. Even at night God counseled him.

I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel;

In the night also my heart instructs me. (16:7)

David is saying: God counsels me. God guides me. God leads me. God ministers to me. God comforts me.

Even at night God counsels me. He moves my heart. He shapes my mind. He heals my heart. Sometimes he gives me dreams. At other times he wakes me in the night to speak to me or move me.

Imagine: Your own personal Counselor! Ready to listen, ready to guide, ready to heal.

No wonder David exclaimed: "I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel."

Family

As for the saints in the land,

they are the excellent ones,

in whom is all my delight.

Psalm 16:3

Interesting perspective. David calls God's people "saints, excellent ones," those "in whom is all my delight." Strong language!

The saints are God's people. Not God's perfect people but God's flawed people. God's stubborn people. God's neurotic people. God's all-too-human people.

David doesn't delight in them so because they are good but because they are God's. David had a tender affection for them in spite of their flaws (flaws that David shared of course).

I understand what David is saying. I didn't understand it as a young pastor. Not really. But I am beginning to understand it.

As I have gotten older, perhaps closer to God, I feel this love for God's people. I feel this growing sense of tenderness, affection, love, especially for the people in our church family.

When I am gone on a Sunday, I miss seeing fellow WoodsEdgers. When I am there, I light up inside when I see people. I am glad for our Wednesday prayer service so I can see some of them more.

Sure, some of God's people I know better. Some of God's people are easier to enjoy. Naturally. But there is a bond there that's bigger than us. It is a Spirit-produced bond. We are bound together as a body. We are bound together as a family. We are bound together in loyalty to our King. We are bound together as brothers and sisters, as servants and soldiers. We are bound together in the great cosmic battle. We are bound together by blood, the blood of Jesus. We are bound together for eternity.

There is a bond here that's bigger than us.

So the Spirit of God moves in my heart, and perhaps in yours:

• Love them. Love them fervently.
• Love them patiently and graciously.
• Love for my sake. Love and live in community.

How is your heart toward God's flawed people? Hear David's: As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.

No Good Thing

I said to the Lord, "You are my Lord;

apart from you I have no good thing."

Psalm 16:2 (NIV)

David's statement seems at first like exaggeration. Apart from you I have no good thing? Not one thing? 

What about marriage? Children? Friends? Health? Good restaurants? Great books? Beautiful music? The smile of a child? The Olympics?

Isn't the world full of good things?

Yes. But all are from God. Every good thing in the universe comes from God.

Hear James: "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows" (James 1:17/NIV).

Hear Paul: "What do you have that you have not received?" (1 Corinthians 4:7/NIV).

Yes. Every good thing we've ever experienced comes from God.

But there's more. Not only is God the source of all good, but when we desire these good things we are desiring God. That is, when we desire a good marriage, or children, or a new job, or more income, or a beautiful house, or a vacation in Cancun, or a new car, we are desiring God. We don't know it perhaps, but we are. We are longing for God. We are longing to fill the empty places in our soul that only God can fill. We are longing for joy that only God can bring.

We are thirsting for God.

Yes, David. Yes.

You are my Lord;

apart from you I have no good thing.

Honest Praying

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?

How long will you hide your face from me?

Psalm 13:1

In Psalm 13, David is feeling abandoned by God. He is hurting. He is desperate. He cries out to God. And God doesn't do anything. In fact, it seems to David that God doesn't even listen, that his prayers don't matter to God, that God has abandoned David. David feels alone, neglected, forsaken by the God he serves. And so he cries out to God.

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?

How long will you hide your face from me?

How long must I take counsel in my soul

and have sorrow in my heart all the day?

How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

Psalm 13:1-2

I feel this way at times. I understand what David is saying.

God wants us to be honest in our praying. Real. Authentic. If you feel disappointed with God, tell him! Pour out your heart to your Father. Talk with him about it.

I am amazed at the honest prayers in the Bible. Prayers by people such as David, Elijah, Job, Jeremiah. Men who knew God, men who were close to God, men who were greatly used by God.

And not only do they pray these honest prayers, expressing their heartache and disappointment, but God chooses to include these prayers in Scripture. Why? Well, part of it is to be an example for us, an example of honesty.

And then there's Jesus himself, hanging on the cross, praying those words that David first prayed, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46). How's that for honest prayer?

God never wants us to "say our prayers." He wants us to pray. He does not want us to say sweet, spiritual, pious prayers. He wants us to talk with him, pour out our hearts to him, be honest with him. He wants us to pray from our heart. He wants us to talk with him about whatever we are feeling. He's our Father. He loves us. He is full of grace and patience with us. And, he is big enough to handle our honesty.

The Hiddenness of God

Why, O Lord, do you stand far away?

Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

Psalm 10:1

Sometimes God seems hidden. Distant. Remote. Absent.

Maybe it is a season of doubt. Or a season of difficulties and suffering. Or a season of spiritual onslaught. Or a season of unanswered prayer. But God seems absent.

Have you experienced this?

David did. Can you hear the pain in his voice? Why, O Lord, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? (Psalm 10:1).

Or, a few psalms later, David again lifts his lonely voice to the Lord: How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? (Psalm 13:1).

Even Jesus, the Son of David, felt God's absence. On the cross he cries out with great emotion: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46).

Perhaps right now it feels to you that God is hidden. If so, you are in good company. David and Jesus and many more felt this.

What do you do when God seems absent? Here are some thoughts:

Cry out. That's what David did. And Jesus did. Cry out. Don't be silent. Bring the matter to God's attention. He is listening even when we don't sense he is. Cry out.

Keep talking. Don't run and hide from God. Don't withdraw. Keep talking.

Enlist intercessors. Get others to pray for you. That's what the body of Christ is for, to love one another and pray for one another. Enlist intercessors.

Recognize God uses these times. God uses times of hiddenness to build faith in us. We become more desperate for God, more dependent on God.

Stand on God's promises. Take one or two promises in the Bible and cling to them. Here are a few ideas:

[God] has said:

"I will never leave you nor forsake you."

Hebrews 13:5b

Cast your burden on the Lord,

and he will sustain you;

he will never permit

the righteous to be moved.

Psalm 55:22

And behold, I am with you always,

to the end of the age.

Matthew 28:20b

When you pass through the waters,

I will be with you;

and through the rivers,

they shall not overwhelm you;

when you walk through fire

you shall not be burned,

and the flame shall not consume you.

Isaiah 43:2

Knowing Him, Trusting Him

And those who know your name put their trust in you,

for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.

Psalm 9:10

I want to trust God more. I struggle plenty, but I want to trust God in the face of the unseen, the unknown, the uncertain. During times of trouble I want to trust God and experience his peace no matter what.

David tells us in this passage the kind of people who trust God. It is those who know God, those who know God's name. Those who know God naturally and inevitably trust God.

David is not referring to the person who knows about God. He's referring to the person who knows God. The person who is intimate with God. The person who walks with God.

The person who knows God doesn't focus on his faith. (How much faith do I have?) Rather, this person focuses on God. (God can do it. God will take care of me.)

So draw close to God. Seek God. Pursue God. Listen to God. Talk with God. Live in God's presence. Seek to please God.

When we seek God in this way, then slowly, over time, we will find that we have come to know God, really know God. And when this happens we will naturally, inevitably, trust God.

Refuge

The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed,

a stronghold in times of trouble.

Psalm 9:9

God is your stronghold. God is your refuge.

Run to him for protection. Run to him for deliverance. Run to him for safety.

When you are afraid, flee to him. When you are hurting, look to him. When you are overwhelmed, call to him.

He cares. His eyes are upon you, like a loving father riveted to his son's first soccer game. His ears are attentive to your cry, like a grateful mother listening for the cry of her newborn baby.

Safety is not a place. Safety is not a possession. Safety is not a contract. Safety is not a retirement account.

Safety is a person, and that person is God. He wants to be your stronghold. He longs to be your refuge.

Look to him. Run to him. Flee to him. Put your trust in him, your stronghold and your refuge.

God On His Throne

But the Lord sits enthroned forever;

he has established his throne for justice.

Psalm 9:7

God reigns. God rules. God sits on his throne. This theme is peppered throughout the Psalms.

God reigns over the nations;

God sits on his holy throne.

(47:8)

The Lord reigns; he is robed in majesty.

(93:1)

The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice;

Let the many coastlands be glad!

(97:1)

The Lord reigns; let the people tremble!

He sits enthroned upon the cherubim;

Let the earth quake.

(99:1)

The situation may seem dire. Enemies may be at the gate. But David remembers: The Lord reigns.

I can remember talking with Ernest McCollum. I was a young Christian. Ernest knew God very well. His teenage son had been in an accident and might lose an eye. He was concerned, of course, but he exuded peace and joy. At one point, he commented: "But God's still on his throne." In other words, God is still God. God still rules. God can be trusted. Ernest was not trying to sound spiritual. This was just how he saw life.

Whatever your situation is, remember: God is still on his throne. The Lord reigns.

Your teenager rebels: God is still on his throne.

You lose your job: God is still on his throne.

You face financial disaster: God is still on his throne.

You are diagnosed with cancer: God is still on his throne.

Your spouse leaves you: God is still on his throne.

You lose a loved one: God is still on his throne.

See the world as Ernest saw it. See the world as David saw it. See the world as it is.

God is on his throne. God rules. God is in charge. God can be trusted. God is big enough to take care of you.

Songs

I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

Psalm 9:2b

It is surprising that singing is such a big part of the spiritual life.

After Moses and the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, what was the first thing they did? They sang. Can you imagine how much heart they put into their song?

Then Moses and the people of Israel

sang this song to the Lord, saying,

"I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously.

The Lord is my strength and my song."

(Exodus 15:1a,b, 2a)

All through the Bible God talks about singing songs of praise. The final reference, near the end of the Book of Revelation, includes lines from that first song, the song of Moses in Exodus 15:

Standing beside the sea of glass

with harps of God in their hands.

And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God,

and the song of the Lamb.

(Revelation 15.2d-3a)

Nowhere in the Bible is singing as prominent as it is in Psalms. The very word Psalms refers to Songs. These are the songs of Israel, meant to be sung to God. We have the lyrics but not the music.

In the Book of Psalms there are over a hundred references to the word singor to the word song. Just a few of them:

I will be glad and exult in you;

I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

(Psalm 9:2)

Sing praises to the Lord, who sits enthroned in Zion!

(9:11a)

Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints.

(30:4a)

But I will sing of your strength;

I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning.

(59:16a,b)

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord.

(95:1a)

Oh sing to the Lord a new song;

Sing to the Lord, all the earth!

(96:1)

Oh sing to the Lord a new song,

For he has done marvelous things!

(98:1a,b)

Why does singing matter so much to God?

Well, what else expresses the heart so powerfully as singing? What else is so powerful to express our love to God?

God created us to sing. He created us to sing to him. He has implanted a "singing gene" into our souls. This "singing gene" is not singing ability but singing desire. We yearn to sing to God.

You may have suppressed this yearning. You may have suppressed it for years. But it is there.

So with the singer, David, sing.

Sing to Jesus. Sing with all your heart.

Sing with God's people. Sing on your own.

Sing!

Wholehearted

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart.

Psalm 9:1a

What does it mean to praise God with all your heart? What does that look like?

Let's start with what it does not mean.

Praising God with all your heart is not a lukewarm affair.

It is not sitting silently while others worship.

It is not passive.

It is not without emotion.

It is not going through the motions.

It is not mechanical.

It is not boring.

Praising God with all your heart is passionate.

It is uninhibited, unrestrained, uncensored.

It is focused wholly on God, not people around you.

It is more focused on the heart of worship than on the art of worship.

It is active, participative, engaged.

It involves deep emotion at times.

It involves the body at times - tongue, hands, arms, knees, feet, eyes.

It is soul-nurturing, soul-restoring.

It is life-giving.

It involves a one-person audience, Jesus.

It does not focus on self (How am I worshiping?) but on God.

It is anything but boring.

It enthralls.

It touches God.

What is Man?

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?

Psalm 8:3-4

If David only knew the half of it!

If David had some grasp of the size of the universe, if he had some notion that there are billions of galaxies and each contains billions of stars, if he had some knowledge of the dizzying distances between the stars, how much more he would be amazed!

God is so big. He is not like we are. He is fundamentally Other. He is without limits. Infinite. He can hang the sun in the sky!

God is so big. But is he too big? Is he so big that he could not possibly care about me? David wondered:

What is man that you are mindful of him,
      and the son of man that you care for him? (8:4)

God, do you really care about humans? Do you notice these sometimes odd creatures on this tiny backwater planet in the Milky Way galaxy? God, are you mindful of me?

David doesn't stop there. Inspired by the Spirit of God, he goes on:

Yet you have made him a little lower

           than the heavenly beings

     and crowned him with glory and honor. (8:5)

You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
      you have put all things under his feet. (8:6)

Yes God! Yes! You do care! You have bestowed dignity upon us, majesty, authority, greatness. You have made us just a little lower than the angels. You have crowned us with glory, with honor. You have given us authority over the earth, over the animals, over the birds, over the fish. Compared to God, we may seem oh, so small. For indeed we are.

But we are imagebearers. We bear the image of Almighty God. We reflect his glory. He has set eternity in our hearts. We will live forever. We have glory and honor, dignity and value.

What is man? We mean the world to God. So much so, that his own Eternal Son would die on a cross to save us.

Glory!

Creation Around Us

O Lord, our Lord,

how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Psalm 8:1a,b

You can imagine David sitting out in the fields, tending his sheep while gazing at the stars that filled the Middle Eastern sky, marveling at the majesty of God.

O Lord, our Lord,
      how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens. (8:1)

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
      the moon and the stars, which you have set in place. (8:3)

O Lord, our Lord,
      how majestic is your name in all the earth! (8:9)

Nature glorifies God!

When we look at nature, at the creation around us, we see God's hand. We see glimpses of God's beauty, God's majesty, God's grandeur, God's goodness, God's wisdom, God's power.

Think of a golden-pink sunset, a rushing waterfall, towering mountains, the full moon, the star-filled night, a rugged coast, a Redwood forest, roses in glorious bloom, immense icebergs soaring out of the sea, white-sanded beaches, the quivering hummingbird, the mighty tiger, the newborn baby.

Sometimes the beauty is so intense one aches.

This is God's beauty, God's glory, God's majesty. We know it. We know God is behind such a creation. Some people suppress this knowledge (Romans 1) but down deep we know it. This is God's world.

Nature glorifies God! Nature leads us to worship!

O Lord, our Lord,
      how majestic is your name in all the earth! (8:9)

Keep Talking

Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing;

Heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled.

Psalm 6:2

David was mired in pain. He doesn't spell out the circumstances. Perhaps this was the rebellion of Absalom. His own son had betrayed him and now wanted him dead. Can you imagine the avalanche of hurt, rejection, anger, guilt and fear?

He gives voice to his pain. He doesn't keep quiet. He doesn't withdraw. He doesn't run and hide from God. He doesn't sulk in anger against God.

Oh no! He cries out. He puts his agony into words. He keeps talking to God.

Eavesdrop on David's cries to God:

Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing;

     heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled. (6:2)

My soul also is greatly troubled.

     But you, O Lord - how long? (6:3)

For in death there is no remembrance of you;

     in Sheol who will give you praise? (6:5)

I am weary with my moaning;

     every night I flood my bed with tears;

     I drench my couch with my weeping. (6:6)

My eye wastes away because of grief;

     it grows weak because of all my foes. (6:7)

Did David hold back?  Hardly.

Did David voice his frustrations?  Absolutely.

Was David honest with God?  Completely.

Did God listen to these cries of pain and anguish and hurt? Did God care? Could it be that God recorded these cries in the Psalms to teach us how to pray when we are mired in the quagmire of pain? Does God want us to express all our heart, all our hurt, all our agony, to him? Did God hear David's prayers? David's cries?

Listen carefully to David's next prayers:

Depart from me, all you workers of evil,

     for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping.

The Lord has heard my plea;

     the Lord accepts my prayer. (6:8-9)

When life overwhelms you, keep talking. To God. Openly. Boldly. Honestly. Passionately.

He will hear you.

Sing It!

But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;

let them ever sing for joy.

Psalm 5:11a

When you are singing to God, singing is praying. Singing is part of our prayer life. Songs of joy, songs of praise, songs of love. God says to us, "Let them sing! Let them ever sing!"

It's rather surprising, in fact, how often the Psalms mention singing. Consider, for example this flurry of verses beginning with Psalm 95:

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

Psalm 95:1-2

Oh sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth!
Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
tell of his salvation from day to day.

Psalm 96:1-2

Oh sing to the Lord a new song,
for he has done marvelous things!

Psalm 98:1a

Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!

Psalm 100:2

I will sing of steadfast love and justice;
to you, O Lord, I will make music.

Psalm 101:1

That's a flurry! And there's more.

But why all this emphasis on singing?

Music is powerful. Music is emotional. Music is passionate. Music so often is the language of love. At times mere words, music-less words, just won't do. We need to sing if we are going to adequately express the love and joy and exuberance we feel. Psalm 98 describes the heart that newly bursts with love and praise: "Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!" (98:4)

I love singing to God. I do it practically every day. And I can't sing worth a flip! But still, sing I do. I love it. And when we sing together, and the skilled musicians are playing and the praise singers are singing, and we are expressing the depths of our grace-filled hearts to God, and the presence of God fills the room, it just doesn't get much better. Our hearts are so full.

It's a gift. A gift from God. Songs of joy. Songs of love. Songs to Jesus.

Child-Like Trust

O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice;

in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.

Psalm 5:3

In David's words I sense trust. I sense dependence. I sense child-like faith. "Lord, I bring my needs to you. I'm looking to you. I'm waiting for you to take care of me. Lord, you are my only hope. I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch." David brought his needs to God and he was confident that God would take care of him. "I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch."

I, too, am a bundle of needs. I have a never-ending supply of problems, requests and issues that I need God to take care of. That means I must do what David did: bring those to God and then wait in expectation.

If I do this, does that mean I expect God to say "yes" to all my requests?

No. After all, I'm asking, not demanding. Requesting, not ordering. I'm the servant; he's the Master.

To watch means we expect God to act. We expect God to hear our prayer, we expect God to care about our heart, we expect God to intervene on our behalf. We cast our burden to God and trust that God will take care of it in whatever way he deems best.

David's prayer is a model of child-like trust. It's a model for resting in our God. It's a model I want to follow more and more.

O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice;

     in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.

Wait in Expectation

O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice;

in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.

Psalm 5:3

Bring your needs to God. Bring your burdens to God. Bring your problems to God. Bring your impossible situations to God. Bring, even, your desires to God.

Don't hold back. Don't be bashful. Don't run and hide, Adam-like, when you feel unworthy.

Repeatedly, all through the Bible, God tells you to come with your requests.

So come. Come with your requests. Come in the morning. Come every morning. Come throughout the day. God won't grow tired of you.

Bring your requests. Then wait in expectation. Come expectantly. Pray expectantly. Ask expectantly.

Expect what, though?

Expect God to hear you.

Expect God to delight in your praying.

Expect God to care about your need

Expect God can take care of the need.

Expect God to do you good.

Expect God to answer your prayer, from a heart full of love, power and wisdom, in the way best for you.

Yes, pray like David prayed. Lay your request before God and wait in expectation.

Wordless Prayer

Give ear to my words, O Lord;

consider my groaning.

Psalm 5:1

Sometimes I don't know what to pray. Sometimes I don't know how to pray.

Maybe you feel that way at times. I think David did.

Give ear to my words, O Lord,

   Consider my groaning.

Sounds to me like his praying was a mixture of talking and sighing, speaking and groaning. Maybe he was hurting so much. Maybe he didn't know exactly what to say. Maybe he knew that God was there and God understood.

Those times when we don't know what to pray, those times when we hurt too much to pray, it's OK. God knows. God understands. God hears our wordless prayers. God considers our sighing.

And, the Spirit is right there interceding for us.

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God (Romans 8:26-27).

So, sigh on. Sigh on. Your Father hears.