Don’t you hate feeling helpless when a friend or loved one confides in you about struggles he or she is facing. Loss, sickness, despair, and grief leave us feeling hopeless and impotent. We want to “fix it” and make him or her feel better, but in our desperation, we offer simply, “I’ll keep you in my prayers.”
I’m quite often guilty of offering prayer for others with an attitude best described as so apologetic, that I might as well add, “since there is nothing else I can do.”
Sorry I can’t do more than that.
Pray Like David
Throughout the Bible, there are numerous passages which recount God’s many blessings and miracles on behalf of His people. The accounts retell the stories of God parting the waters for His people to walk across the Jordan on dry land, of how He brought plagues upon the Egyptians to emancipate the Israelites, and how He gave His chosen people victory over their enemies that they might enter the land promised to Abraham. Throughout the Bible, when God’s servants approached Him, they often began by declaring the mighty works of God.
Why? In case God forgot about it? Of course He didn’t forget, but sometimes we forget!
In Psalms 40:5, David declares:
O LORD my God, you have performed many wonders for us. Your plans for us are too numerous to list. You have no equal. If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds, I would never come to the end of them. (Psalms 40:5)
I chose the New Living Translation because I like the way it is worded. I couldn’t come close to counting all of the wonderful deeds God has done for me! I should be grateful and appreciative every moment of my life for everything God has done for me.
Throughout the Old Testament, Israel’s leaders and prophets reminded God’s chosen people of how He has blessed them and prospered their nation.
I will tell of the kindnesses of the LORD, the deeds for which he is to be praised, according to all the LORD has done for us– yes, the many good things he has done for Israel, according to his compassion and many kindnesses. (Isaiah 63:7)
Israel’s faith in the LORD waxed and waned from one generation to the next. The people had to be reminded that their victories in battle and prosperity as a nation was directly related to their faithfulness to God. And when their memories got cloudy, their faithfulness wavered.
One of my favorite Psalms is 103:
Praise the Lord, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.Praise the Lord, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.The Lord works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel:The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.The life of mortals is like grass,
they flourish like a flower of the field;the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.But from everlasting to everlasting
the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children’s children—with those who keep his covenant
and remember to obey his precepts.The Lord has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.Praise the Lord, you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
who obey his word.Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts,
you his servants who do his will.Praise the Lord, all his works
everywhere in his dominion.
Praise the Lord, my soul!
Again, David wasn’t reminding God of anything, David was reminding himself and the nation of Israel and thanking God for all He had done. Like a coach giving a pep talk to his team before the championship game, he recounts what they have been through to get to this point. The coach challenges his team, “Don’t stop now! Finish strong!” And the team is inspired.
Even before David successfully defeated the Philistine giant Goliath, David said to Saul,
Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine. (1 Samuel 17:34-37)
David had faith in God to give him success in battle because of everything God had seen him through so far. With every victory God delivered to David throughout his life, his faith had grown stronger. David believed in God’s power and love. David trusted God even as he faced an apparently impossible match-up against a giant warrior. David refused to even wear armor, going to the battle armed with only a slingshot and some stones — oh, and the backing of ALMIGHTY GOD!
Enter His Gates
In Psalms 100:4, we are instructed, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name.”
These were not just instructions for how we should pray, but these were the commands given to the Israelites as they entered into the tabernacle. They were to enter the gates with an attitude of thanksgiving, for everything God had done and for the privilege of entering this sacred place.
They were to proceed into the courts declaring the praises of God. That was the only acceptable countenance with which anyone was to come that close to the Holy of Holies, where the Spirit of God resided.
We enter the Holy of Holies, the presence of God, every time we engage our Father in prayer and our posture and our mindset should be the same. We should enter His gates with thanksgiving, sincerely grateful for everything He has done for us. We should proceed into His courts with praise, declaring boldly His goodness and might.
When Jesus answered the request of his disciples to teach them to pray, He responded with what we have come to know as The Lord’s Prayer. His prayer to His own Father started like this:
Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed by thy name.
Jesus modeled to us to come before our Father with reverence and humility.
Rather than praying apologetically and desperately, as if the whole exercise is futile, we should pray:
- with thankgsiving
- with praise
- with reverent humility
We must keep in mind that when we pray, we have an audience with the Creator of the universe, the Almighty, all-powerful GOD. And if that doesn’t give us hope and confidence, then what will?
Not only do we have the privilege of entering the throne room of God, but we are welcome to do so. Psalm 34:15 tells us, “The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry.”
He is attentive to our cry. He is listening and He is eager to give us his attention. Not only does He listen to our cries, but He is poised to respond to our prayers. James 5:16 declares, “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” We are not wasting our time when we spend time in the presence of God, offering thanks, praise, and petitioning Him for help.
Stop Apologizing for Praying!
When I offer to pray for a person or situation, do I not realize that what I am really saying is,
I don’t have answers and I can’t think of any other way I can help, so I will boldly lift you and your situation before the Almighty Creator of the universe. I will call on The One who parted the waters, sent manna from heaven, healed the sick, and raised the dead. I will advocate on your behalf to The One who knit you together in your mother’s womb, knows your every thought, your every day, your every step. I will besiege The One who loves you even more than I do.
No apologies, Amen.