A Departure for Prayer In The News
Usually I take a secular news article that mentions prayer and then give you a view of that article from the grid of Scripture. Today I am doing something different. I am taking a news event and telling you how it is affecting my prayers.
I am being a little more transparent than I’m comfortable with, but it is necessary to be a helpful teacher of prayer.
God’s Discipline
- These hurricanes, flooding, earthquakes, etc. have challenged me to ask myself, have I had a proper perspective of prayer in general and of sin in particular, in my life, and in the church.
- 1 Peter 4:17 says, it is time for judgment to begin in the church house.
- Leonard Ravenhill would say,
- “The world doesn’t need Jesus, the church needs Jesus.”
- “If we had revival we couldn’t sustain it,” because we’re too busy with OTHER things.
- Paul says, I am the chief of sinners. . . well he was not, I am
- And I am convinced that until we can say this, like Paul, about ourselves, our prayers will be weak and amount to nothing.
As I sought the Lord today, for some reason, I recorded my prayer. I have taken some personal things out, but have left you with the meat of it.
I trust that it will challenge you.
Most of My Prayer from this Morning
- Father, thank You for the reminder of my lack of importunity.
- I have asked You to teach me to weep when I pray, and I trust that this is a part of that teaching, but beyond that, lead me, guide me, teach me to pray Lord.
- Lord, I pray a lot, but do I really bang on the doors of Heaven?
- When was the last time I prayed “Lord hear my prayer, Let My Cry for Help come before You. Do not hide Your face from me in my day of trouble. Listen closely to me, answer me quickly when I call.” Psalm 102:1-2.
- Father, when was the last time I came to You just begging You to Hear My Cry before I even shared my concern. Oh Lord, I am begging You, Hear My Cry this day.
- When was the last time I came to You with tears over this subject or any subject. Oh Lord, my Lord, forgive me, the idea of praying with importunity (or “being annoyingly persistent”) is so outside of what I have practiced. Forgive Me Lord.
- God Hear My Cry pay attention to my prayer. I call to You from the ends of the Earth, my heart is without strength, lead me to a rock that is high above me, for You have been a refuge for me, a strong tower. . . I will live in Your tent forever and take refuge under the shelter of Your wings Psalm 61:1-4.
- Be gracious to me God, be gracious to me for I take refuge in You. I will seek refuge in The Shadow of Your Wings until danger passes. I called to You God most high, to God who fulfills His purpose in and for me. You reached down from heaven and saved me, challenging the one who tramples me, even if the one trampling is me, to myself. God send Your faithful love and Your truth, for I am surrounded Psalm 57:1-4.
- God listen to my prayer and do not ignore my plea for help. Pay attention to me and answer me. I am restless and in turmoil with all of my troubles Psalm 55:1-2
- Hear my prayer Lord and listen to My Cry for Help. Do not to be silent at my tears for I am a foreigner residing with You, a temporary resident like all my fathers. Turn Your angry gaze from me so that I may be cheered up. . . Psalm 39:12-13
- I called to the Lord in my distress and I cried to my God for help from his Temple. He heard my voice and my cry to Him reached His ears Psalm 18:6
- Lord do not punish me in Your anger or discipline me in Your Wrath for Your arrows have sunk into me. And Your hand has pressed down on me. There is no Health in my body because of Your indignation. There is no strength in my bones because of my sin, for my sins have flooded over my head, they are a burden too heavy for me to bear. My wounds are foul and festering because of my foolishness, Lord, I am bent over and brought low all day long. I go around in mourning, I am filled with burning pain and there is no Health in my body. I am faint and severely crushed. I groan because of the anguish of my heart Psalm 38:1-8
- And Father I ask for forgiveness because I have not let sin in my life impact me like this. I have not been sorrowful over sin in my past like I am today. And Lord I acknowledge that it is all out of my own foolishness. There is no one else that I can blame for my sin. I am asking You for Mercy Lord.
- The passage goes on beginning in verse nine: Lord my every desire is known to You. My sin is not hidden from You. My heart races, my strength leaves me and even the light of my eyes has faded. My loved ones and Friends stand back from my Affliction and my relatives stand at a distance. Those who seek my life set traps and those who want to harm me threaten to destroy me. They plot treachery all day long. I am like a deaf person I do not hear. I am like a speechless person who does not open his mouth. I am like a man who does not hear and has no arguments in his mouth. I put my hope in You Lord and I trust You to answer, Lord my God. For I said, “don’t let them Rejoice over me those who are arrogant toward me when I stumble for I am about to fall and my pain is constantly with me.” So I confess my guilt I am anxious because of my sin but my enemies are vigorous and Powerful. Many hate me for no reason. Those who repay me evil for good attacked me for pursuing good, Lord do not abandon me my God do not be far from me hurry to help me Lord my Savior Psalm 38:9-22.
- Oh Lord, my Lord, I need You to be magnificent in my life. Father forgive me for waiting until sin has overtaken me to pray with this kind of emphasis. Forgive me for being in the prayer business and not regularly practicing this kind of Prayer. Forgive me for teaching this kind of prayer and not putting into constant practice.
- God listen to my prayer and do not ignore my plea for help. Pay attention to me and answer me, I am restless and I am in turmoil with my troubles and with the turmoil in our land Psalm 55:1-2.
- God Hear My Cry, pay attention to my prayer. I call to You from the ends of the Earth, for my heart is without strength… Psalm 61:1-2a.
- Lord hear my prayer. Let My Cry for Help come before You. Do not hide Your face from me in my day of trouble. Listen closely to me, answer me quickly when I call Psalm 102:1-2
- For the Lord will not reject us forever. Even if and when You cause suffering Father, You will show compassion according to Your abundant faithful love. You do not enjoy bringing Affliction or bringing suffering on to mankind Lamentations 3:31-33.
- Let us search out and examine our ways Father. I have done that, I have searched and examined my ways and now I’m turning back to You. I lift up my heart and my hands to You Father cause me to lift them up to You, even as I am now laying on my belly. I acknowledge that I have sinned and rebelled. If You have not, please forgive me now. For You have gone so far as to cover Yourself in anger and pursue me, You have covered Yourself with a cloud so that none of my prayers passed through to You. Lord I feel like You have made me as disgusting filth among the people. Lamentations 3:40-45.
- Lord, I call upon Your name, Your name Yahweh, from the depths of the pit where I am. I know that You hear my plea. Please do not ignore my cry for relief. I know that You come near when I call and when You do that You tell me to not be afraid. Oh Lord, my Lord, show me Your Majesty. Hear My Cry, hear it now. Lamentations 3:55-57.
- Lord do not rebuke me in Your anger. Do not discipline me in Your Wrath. Oh Father, be gracious to me. I am weak, I am stupid, and I am dumb. Heal Me Lord for my bones shake. Lord rescue me, save me because of Your faithful love, for there is no remembrance of You when I am in Sheol, when I am dead. I can’t thank You when I’m in the grave. Father, I am weary from my groaning. Lord, I acknowledge that with my tears I do not dampen my pillow. Oh that I would drench my bed in my mourning and groaning. My eyes are swollen from grief, they grow old because of all my enemies and Father I am my worst enemy when I sin. Depart from me all evildoers and I know that includes me and my sin. Lord, You have heard the sound of my weeping. Oh Lord You have heard my plea for help. Father, I have trusted You to accept my prayer. Lord, let the enemies of my heart be ashamed and shake with Terror, let them turn back and suddenly be disgraced. Father, I no longer want to sin anymore. Psalm 6.
- Now that I have prayed Lord, I simply close with, Praise be to You, the God of Heaven, the One who hears my prayers. Lord, I’m reminded of Jeremiah 1:12b, I pray to You, the One who hastens His word to perform it, who hustles to do that which is His word.
- And though I do not deserve any Mercy from You . I plead for it this day though, and I trust You for mercy, to honor Your name And that is my expectation today Father.
- I have come to You in the morning I’ve laid these requests before You and now I wait in expectation Psalm 5:3
Blessings,
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