The writer who penned Psalms 166 starts out by declaring his allegiance to the Lord. He loves God because God hears him when he prays. How do you know if God really hears you or not? Are there some buzz words that you have to use to get his attention? Here’s the short answer:
“For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers.” 1Peter 3:12 (KJV)
So There! God does hear you when you pray. There is a caveat that should be mentioned here. You must pray according to the word of God, not made up lyrical prayers that tickle the ears. I recall growing up in church when certain people prayed, you could literally recite their prayer with them, word for word; and it wasn’t The Lord’s Prayer either. Many of you just went back and know exactly what I am talking about. You remember the vocal gymnastics and the voice inflections; peaks and valleys and so forth. Focus was placed on the reaction gotten from the prayers than the content of the supplication itself. Unfortunately, now that we know better, we realize that most of what was said is not in the Bible at all. I have never read anything about a cooling board or winding sheet in the bible. Neither do I recall any of the biblical patriarchs who stacked up their hymn books and bibles before they died. The author of Psalms 116 praise God because he saw results when he prayed. He was a praiser, and would not hesitate to give God the glory for the great things he had done.
In verse 4, he prayed a prayer; “deliver me”. Not very eloquent, lengthy, or mind blowing, but effective. It did not matter that it was his own fault that he was in the situation in the first place. He said “I found trouble and sorrow.” That sounds like someone who has gotten what they deserved. Oh, but thanks be unto God that he is not like man. He stands ready to forgive, heal and deliver. What he was experiencing was a result of what he had been speaking. He learned a valuable lesson and changed the way he was talking. Now when he offers his petition to God, he immediately begins praising him for the victory. Since God has established a track record of bringing him out of tough situations, he has confidence in his God and expresses his love for the Lord. Now he does not hesitate to call on His God.
Can we mirror the image of a confident believer who knows the God in whom we serve?
Make your requests know to the Lord. Be specific. And praise him because He has already done it!
© Fredrick F. Nicholson all rights reserved.
