-Devotion by Carla Hardy (MI)
Psalm 86 is a desperate prayer of David, in a time of his great distress. He says in verse 7, “in the day of my trouble I call upon you, for you answer me.”
I don’t know what you are going through right now. You may be in a season of joy, or a season of despair, like David. You may even be living in some mixture of the two. Let me assure you – God didn’t abandon David, and He hasn’t abandoned you. In our times of joy and in our times of distress, calling upon the name of the Lord is never done in vain. He hears us, and Jesus, at His right hand, intercedes for us, even pleads for us. What a beautiful picture that is!
David calls on God, desperately so, throughout this psalm:
v. 1 “Incline your ear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.”
v . 2 “…save your servant, who trusts in you–you are my God.”
v. 6 “Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; listen to my plea for grace.”
And, in verse 3 David says “…for to you do I cry all the day.” As a believer, I know how important setting aside intentional prayer time is. I encourage you to make it a habit however you can – mark it on your calendar, set a reminder…and do so until it becomes second nature.
Additionally, I also know how important constant prayer is. God is our Father (“…and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.” 2 Cor. 6:18) and Jesus is our Friend (“…but I have called you friends…” John 15:15). We should, also as habit, be in constant communication with them, from the time we open our eyes in the morning to the time we close them at night – and every time in between. We can call on God any time, for any reason. It should be natural, as talking to our spouse, our children, or our friends. The God of the universe is personal, Jesus is ALIVE, and they want to hear from you.
Reflection Questions:
- What season are you at in your life right now? What is troubling you? What do you, or should you, cry out to God about these days?
- Do you set aside intentional time for daily prayer? Do you pray throughout the day? Do you do both?
Prayer:
God, thank you for being there for us, listening to us, whenever we call upon you. Thank you for the saving grace and gift of Jesus, who pleads on our behalf, and knows our suffering. Help us to seek you out in our joy and in our sorrow, and help us to lean on you and speak with you about every aspect of our lives, because there is nothing you do not know and nothing you do not care about. We ask for your ear, and we ask for you to speak to us, too. Amen.
Seek Grow Love 