May the LORD answer
you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob set you securely on
high! May He send you help from the sanctuary And support you from Zion! May He
remember all your meal offerings And find your burnt offering acceptable!
Selah. May He grant you your heart's desire And fulfill all your counsel! Psalms 20:1-4
(Psalm 27)
Few understand the difference
between saying a prayer and praying to God.
Saying a prayer to God may take little effort on our part. Breathing a silent request, giving thanks for
a blessing or asking for His blessing on a meeting or our food does not take a
time of preparation. However, if we are
serious about entering into a conversation
with God there must be time to prepare ourselves to enter His presence.
Proper
prayer preparation recognizes:
·
Who we are
speaking to…v.1
·
Why we are
speaking to Him…v.2
·
What it is
He can do for us…v.3
·
How we
should approach Him…v.4
The
Lord is my light and my salvation...the defense of my life v.1
Confidence in prayer is directly
affected by our vision of God. The
beginning of prayer needs to bring a focus of who God is and especially who He
is in relation to His child. David
begins his prayer stating his theology.
His confession strengthens his stance before God and raises his hope in
recounting who God is.
Look
at the words David uses...v.1 – light-
salvation. The “light”
must be present for “salvation” to
occur. Possibly you have heard people
speak of their salvation experience by saying “I Saw the Light.” This description of salvation describes the
revelation of God in the life of a person which leads to saving faith. “Light”
shows:
- sin
as it really is,
- self
as we really are
- enemy
as he truly is (weak) and
- God
as our only supply.
More often than not, when we fear
the unknown, God does not show us the future but His presence in it. He IS LIGHT and STRENGTH. There are those whose focus on themselves and
the problem causes them to “feel a thousand deaths in fearing one.” There are some to whom nothing has to happen
to be defeated for just the “possibility” of trouble creates the experience of
trouble.
David shows us the way to preparing
to pray. Focus on God and see Him in His
power. Get a realistic perspective on
yourself and your enemy as you bow in prayer.
We’ve only just begun!
Scripture to Claim:
Now I know that the
LORD saves His anointed; He will
answer him from His holy heaven with the saving strength of His right hand.
Psalms 20:6
