Over these past months I have been focusing a lot on prayer. I just concluded a seven-week sermon series going through the letters of Paul and looking at his model for prayer. Currently our young adults’ group is working through the Crazy Love series by Francis Chan, which place a great amount of emphasis on our prayer lives. This week for our adult Sunday school I am teaching through stanzas nine and then of Psalm 119. Psalm 119 truly is a prayer and in stanza ten (verses 73-80) I think that we find the psalmist modeling a prayer for each of us. I do like to preface my comments on prayer by saying that models for praying are just that. If your prayer life is satisfying and fulfilling that is great. But I think at times many reach a spot in their prayer lives where they feel stuck or maybe that the communication with God is off. Now we do know that even though we may feel off in our communication through our prayers that the Holy Spirit is powering our prayer lives (Romans 8:26-27). Anytime we turn to God in prayer is a good time of prayer, and God is faithful. With that being said, here are my observations on prayer as I look at Psalm 119, verses 73 through 80.
The psalmist begins and ends his prayer with acknowledging who God is and that it is God’s Word that is the basis for everything (Psalm 119:73 & 80). Maybe that in and of itself is a prayer of thanks that we make? The psalmist continues to pray and turns from the grandeur of God to praying for others. Verses 73 and 79 find the psalmist asking God that he be a light for others. Verses 75 and 78 are that challenging part of the prayer which express great confidence in all that God does and in all He is. Confidence that says, “God, in my afflictions I know that you are in control at all times and with you I can handle them.” That might well be a prayer that we need to lift up to God right now. Praying about what we have, God’s presence, rather then for what we think we need. The psalmist has sandwiched his deepest needs in between all of these prayers. His deepest needs are the hesed love of God. That is the never-ending, ever-faithful love of God based on who God is. He is the Alpha and Omega, the Creator of all of us, and the One who loves all of us more than we will ever know.
I pray that all of you have a fulfilling and vibrant prayer life. I would encourage each of you to never stop communicating with God in all things. I would encourage each of you to know that God hears each prayer, each cry, each shout of praise and thank that we offer up to Him. God bless each one of you.