Discovering Calm Confidence in Your Prayers of Desperation (Blogging Through the Bible)

Psalm 10 is titled A Song of Confidence in God's Triumph Over Evil. It begins with David's desperation over the seemingly inactivity of God against the works of the wicked. David lays out before God all of the wickedness that prevails before his eyes.

David's prayer of desperation becomes one of confidence in the sovereignty of Almighty God. David knows the kindness of God toward the helpless who are committed to Him. Once he shifts the focus of his eyes back to this truth about God, he recognizes that God does indeed see the wickedness of the evil against those who are helpless and that He will come to their rescue.

I've prayed many prayers of desperation that have ended in tears of thankfulness as I've reminded myself of the truth of who God is. In times of trouble, we can easily get our eyes off of who we know God to be...especially when the wicked seem to prosper in their way. But we must do as David did in Psalm 10, and turn our eyes back to who we know God to be as we go to Him in prayer. This is how we can discover a calm confidence in our prayers of desperation.

We must remember that this world is not our home. As the days of evil grow darker while we wait for the blessed return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, we must remember what Paul tells us in Philippians 4:6-7...

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

This is what David did and he is able to end his prayer of desperation with a calm confidence that God would prevail against all of the wickedness going on. The peace of God was able to guard David's heart and mind as he turned his eyes back to who he knew God to be.

May we be faithful to do the same!


***Here are my S.O.A.P.s for Psalm 9 and 10***

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Psalm 9

Scripture: Psalm 9:10 And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.

Observations: We know God’s name by experiencing His character through the highs and lows of our lives. Our trust in Him grows as we experience the faithfulness of the attributes He shows Himself to be in our lives. We know that God does not forsake us because we are in relationship with Him.

Application:

1.)   We must know His name. –Have a personal relationship with God. Also, there are many books on the different names of God that can help us to grow in our understanding of the character of God.

2.)   We must put our trust in Him. –Remember His faithfulness in times past for the strength needed for trusting Him in whatever we face today.

3.)   We must seek Him. –Spend time with Him DAILY by reading the Bible and talking to Him in prayer.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, how glorious is Your name in all the Earth! Thank You for Your faithfulness to me. Help me to be mindful of Your presence in my life. Give me eyes to see how You are moving on my behalf, and help me to remember these things so that my faith and trust in Who You are will not be shaken in times of trouble. My heart’s desire is to know more of Who You are so I ask that You would continue to daily draw me into Your Word where I can soak in all of the truth of Your character. I pray and ask this all in the wonderful name of Jesus. Amen!

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Psalm 10

Scripture: Psalm 10:1, 14, 17-18
¹Why do You stand afar off, O Lord? Why do You hide in times of trouble? ¹⁴ But You have seen, for You observe trouble and grief, to repay it by Your hand. The helpless commits himself to You; You are the helper of the fatherless. ¹⁷ Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble;
You will prepare their heart; You will cause Your ear to hear,¹⁸ To do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may oppress no more.

Observations: At the beginning of David’s prayer we see his desperation for God to act. He goes on to list all of the evil of the wicked against the helpless who are committed to God. We see a shift in David’s prayer from one of desperation to one of calm confidence as David remembers what he knows to be true of God.

Application: The Lord brought to my mind Philippians 4:6-7 which is my application for today. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your peace that surpasses all understanding. As we bring our prayers of desperation to Your throne, may You give us a calm confidence in Your mighty hand to work all things together for our good. I pray that we would walk in fruit of the Spirit of Your peace, for it truly does guard our hearts and our minds, as we bring all of the worries and cares of this world to Your faithful hands. Help us to remember the truth of who You are as we walk through this dark and evil world. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray. Amen!
 


Here is this week's reading plan if you'd like to join me.

I'll see you back here on Friday! Let's keep our eyes on Jesus and who we know Him to be as we travel through the rest of our week.

Walking in His Grace, 

Laurie