when I just can't find the words to fully express my feelings, I can turn to God's Holy Scripture and pray His promises.
http://youtu.be/vJdWdZv-uRA- Everlasting God - Chris Tomlin
1 Samuel 30:1-6 ESV
Now when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made a raid against the Negeb and against Ziklag. They had overcome Ziklag and burned it with fire and taken captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great. They killed no one, but carried them off and went their way. And when David and his men came to the city, they found it burned with fire, and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until they had no more strength to weep. David’s two wives also had been taken captive, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.
David faced many battles in his lifetime. When he was a shepherd, he faced a lion and bear, and then Goliath.
As God's anointed one, he was chased by a deranged King Saul who wanted to kill him. He mourned the illness of his infant son which later resulted in the death of this baby. He went into hiding when his own son, Absalom sought to remove David as king. David was definitely acquainted with grief, struggling and suffering.
The passage above from 1 Samuel tells us of a time when he and his men return for battle only to find their town burned to the ground and all their wives and children taken. I can't imagine the fear and anguish David must have felt. He was so busy protecting others that his very own family was kidnapped and their home destroyed. As if that weren't enough, his own men were furious with David for allowing their families to be taken. His men threatened to stone him to death.
What did David do? He strengthened himself in the LORD his God.
How did David do that? How did he strengthen himself in the LORD?
I found my answers in the Psalms. David wrote about his struggles. He also shared how he turned to God to help him face every foe.
David placed his trust in God to help him -
Psalm 56:3-4
When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
What can flesh do to me? ...
Psalm 56:9-11
You have kept count of my tossings;
put my tears in your bottle.
Are they not in your book?
Then my enemies will turn back
in the day when I call.
This I know, that God is for me.
In God, whose word I praise,
in the LORD, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
What can man do to me?
David praised God in the midst of the battle. He trusted God's strength - not his own.
Psalm 59:16-17
But I will sing of your strength;
I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning.
For you have been to me a fortress
and a refuge in the day of my distress.
O my Strength, I will sing praises to you,
for you, O God, are my fortress,
the God who shows me steadfast love.
When David felt alone, he sought comfort from the LORD. He praised God and meditated.
Read Psalm 63 and see how David seeks, praises and mediates on thoughts of his LORD.
Psalm 63:1-8
O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.
Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
So I will bless you as long as I live;
in your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,
and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,
when I remember you upon my bed,
and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
for you have been my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.
My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.
When I am discouraged or feeling afraid and alone, I can do what David. I can strengthen myself in the LORD. I may not be able to put my thoughts in beautiful words like David, but I can use David's psalms of praise and adoration as my own prayer and praise. Praying the Scriptures is a beautiful way to find strength and encouragement in the LORD. What better way to pray according to God's will than to pray His very Words to Him?
The Bible is full of God's promises to provide, protect, strengthen, guide, give wisdom and understanding... When I'm struggling with a burden that seems just too heavy to bear, it's not always easy to find the right words to pray. When that happens, I turn the God's promises and I pray the Scriptures. I know my prayer will be pleasing because I'm using God's very Word. I'm acknowledging that I believe His inspired Scripture to be true and trustworthy.
If you're having one of the days when the words just don't come, find those promises that you need to hear in the Holy Scripture and claim those promises as your own. God loves you and has promised to give you His best. You can trust Him completely - even when you can't see the answers. That's what FAITH is all about. Believing when you can't see.
http://youtu.be/K7FQfSmtu-w - Revelation Song - Phillips Craig and Dean
I've taken excerpts from "Today's Quiet Walk" from Walk Thru the Bible. It's a Scripture prayer based on Psalm 63, Psalm 51 and 1 Peter 5.
Prayer:
Holy Father, because Your loving kindness is better than life,
my lips shall praise You.
Thus I will bless You while I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name. . . .
When I remember You on my bed,
I meditate on You in the night watches.
Because You have been my help,
Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.
My soul follows close behind You;
Your right hand upholds me (Psalm 63:3-4, 6-8).
Lord, I confess the sins I have in my life.
You know those things I've brought before You.
You know those secret sins in my mind that
no one else can see. Please forgive me of those,
and also those sins that I do unaware.
You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;
You do not delight in burnt offering.
The sacrifice You want from me is a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart-
This, O God, You will not despise (Psalm 51:16-17).
Father, please give me a greater commitment to Christ, a greater love for Your people. Help me to hear Your voice and to be able to quickly discern the lies of the enemy.
Holy Spirit, please take control, guiding me in all that's good and perfect so that my life will be a pleasing and acceptable sacrifice to You.
May You, the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus,
after we have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle us.
To You be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen
(based on 1 Peter 5:10-11).
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