Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 120:1-7
Psalms 120:1-7
1 I call on the LORD in my distress, and he answers me. 2 Save me, O LORD, from lying lips and from deceitful tongues. 3 What will he do to you, and what more besides, O deceitful tongue? 4 He will punish you with a warrior's sharp arrows, with burning coals of the broom tree. 5 Woe to me that I dwell in Meshech, that I live among the tents of Kedar! 6 Too long have I lived among those who hate peace. 7 I am a man of peace; but when I speak, they are for war.
Ask yourself: “why do I pray?” Do we pray out of habit? Do we pray just because we have been taught that we pray before we eat or when we go to bed? Do we only pray when we are in a church service and someone “leads” a prayer? Why do we pray? There may be many reasons why we pray.
Prayer is talking with God. It may be public and formal or it may be in private and just an utterance of the heart. It may be while we are walking or driving or it may be when we are lying in bed at night. Prayer may be making requests or it may be when we are giving thanks for what we have already. It may be for our own needs or it may be petitions on behalf of others.
Eli thought that Hannah was drunk because she seemed to be talking to herself and even that was silent. The truth is that she was pouring out her heart to God and asking for a son. She was not drunk, in fact she could not have been more sober than at that moment. She wanted a child and had been unable to conceive and she knew that only God could help her so she was in deep conversation with him. He heard and answered her prayer.
The psalmist said he prayed because the Lord answered him. He did not say “if” he would answer or “maybe” he will hear. There was no doubt in his mind that God would hear his plea and would answer him. We must pray with the same conviction in our hearts today that God will answer us.
Jesus prayed regularly. He prayed when things were going good and when it seemed all had fallen apart. He prayed when he needed to make decisions. He prayed when he was tired, when alone, when refreshed and when with others. Paul prayed often. Stephen died with a prayer on his lips.
O God, help me pray more. Give me a heart of thanksgiving that cannot be held back but must be given as praise to you. Help me know that you care about me and my problems. Thank you for answering so many prayers in the past. It is such an honor and privilege to be able to talk with you, to know you hear and to know you will answer with what is best for me on every occasion. Keep me from being selfish in my prayers and in my life. Use me for your good and to your glory. Be with those who are struggling and hurting. I pray in the name of Jesus.
--Robert
