Monday READ: Psalm 17
The writer of Psalm 17 is so confident of the righteousness of His cause before God that he is also willing to undergo a “home visit.” “You have tested my heart, ” he writes, “you have visited me in the night.” In other words, I have nothing to hide from God.
We can understand this Psalm on two levels: in the first place, the Psalm is true of Jesus. He alone is truly without sin, and we can approach God with confidence only because we share in the righteousness of Christ by faith. But secondly, we should recognize that there is no such thing as a hidden sin before God. The darkest closet in your house, and the darkest corner of your heart, is open before him. Keep short accounts, and confess your sins; then there will be no fear of a “home visit” from the Lord.
Prayer Focus: Let my heart and my home be open before God, that I might confidently enjoy forgiveness and fellowship with Him by faith in Christ.
Tuesday READ: Psalm 18
David spent most of his life at war, but by the end of his life, God had subdued the enemies of Israel on every front, and his son Solomon could enjoy peace. This psalm is David’s “victory press conference,” and he gives all the credit to God. More than that, though, this psalm can be understood as the heart of Jesus after his resurrection from the dead. Although David was writing poetically of being rescued from the “cords of the grave,” the words are literally true of Jesus.
What began as David’s victory song, and becomes Jesus’ resurrection song, is now our song, because we participate in the resurrection of Jesus by faith (see Romans 6). In the waters of baptism we can also say, “He sent from on high, he took hold of me, he drew me out of many waters.” He has given us the victory; because of him, we can overcome every enemy and enjoy peace on every front.
Prayer Focus: Celebrate the victory in Jesus today; visualize the great joy when God raised him from the dead, and apply it to your own heart.
Wednesday READ: Psalm 19
There is an exact mathematical relationship between musical notes of different frequencies that produces harmony through the cycles of sound vibrations. Likewise, there are exact mathematical relationships between the orbit cycles of the various stars and planets in the heavens. These correlations have led great thinkers from Pythagoras to Kepler to speculate that, to the ears of God, the very rotation and revolution of the heavens create a “music of the spheres.” The universe itself is a song to praise the Creator.
Yet God has not only given us this high and distant revelation of himself; he has also given us the “down to earth” message contained in the holy scriptures, and the ultimate revelation of himself, the word become- flesh, Jesus Christ. Psalm 19 reminds us that the message of the heavens and the message of the Bible are one and the same: the Creator God reigns in glory. With the psalmist, our response should be to line up our own message (vs. 13-14), so that our mouths and our hearts also declare the glory of God alone.
Prayer Focus: All creation exists to praise the Creator, including me. Let my heart and my voice line up with the praise music of the heavens.
Thursday READ: Psalm 20
Prayer is our communication in relationship with God. Prayer is our way to hear God even as God hears us. Prayer is NOT telling God what we want God to do. In this psalm of intercession for the king. notice that we first hear King David’s devotion to God before we hear the blessing, “May he grant your heart’s desire, and fulfill all your plans.” The king’s heart is attuned to the King’s heart. In other words, when your heart is chasing after the heart of God, and your mind is becoming more like the mind of God, then your plans look like the plans of God. He fills you with his plans, and then he can work to fulfill your plans. Where is your heart today? Does it yearn for the heart of God? Do you want to know the heart of God? God hears the prayers of the righteous and answers them. “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” (1 Peter 3:12)
Prayer Focus: Spend some time in prayer, asking for the heart of God. Spend some time praying to know the plans of God. “May he grant your heart’s desire, and fulfill all your plans.”
Friday READ: Psalm 21
This psalm is our reminder that prayers of praise are important in our relationship with God. “Be exalted O Lord, in your strength! We will sing and praise your power!” (21:13) It is a prayer of rejoicing in answered prayer. God answers their prayer in Psalm 20 by delivering victory to the king; the following psalm is for the people to rejoice in answered prayer. Can you feel the excitement? The joy of answered prayer should overwhelm us.
What do you do when God answers your prayers? Do you even notice when God answers your prayers? Do you simply move on to the next thing?
When God answers your prayers, give praise to Him. What prayers has God answered lately? The answer may not have been what you were expecting, but God answered you nonetheless. Did you off er a prayer of praise for answered prayers?
Prayer Focus: Think about the prayers you have prayed recently. Has God answered any of them? Pray a prayer of praise that in God’s grace, prayers are answered.
Saturday READ: Psalm 22
Have you ever had “prayer tears?” I like to call them “prayer tears” when you cry out to God in your pain and in the same prayer end up crying out to God in your gain. These are prayer tears. You start out praying to God in your despair, crying out to God in the suff ering of the present situation. At some point in the prayer, God reminds you of His comfort, peace, and love. God rushes in and reminds you by filling you full of His strength. Before long, your tears of sadness turn into tears of joy! Your tears are literally transformed during the same prayer. Prayer tears are miracle tears. These are “water into wine” tears! These are “I am with you always” tears! Psalm 22 is a psalm of “prayer tears.” It begins with “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” and ends with “Proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn, saying that he has done it!” Do you see it? Prayer tears. It is in these moments of our praying that God does some of His best work in our lives.
Prayer Focus: Next time you are praying your pain, pray Psalm 22 and let the “prayer tears” flow. God is near. God is good!