Today is another devotional in our series on spiritual dehydration - what to do when your faith feels worn out and dried up. Last week we were reminded to sing; this week we're reminded to pray.
Remember, we're dissecting the three elements found in Psalm 42, verse 8: ?��By day the Lord commands his steadfast love / and at night his song is with me / a prayer to the God of my life.?��
One of the most encouraging promises found in Scripture is that the Lord is attentive to the cries of his children. Psalm 18:6, 34:17, and 61:1-2 are just a few examples.
You and I have individual access to the God of the universe through prayer, and it's not as if we're reciting ritualistic chants in the hopes that an angry deity might consider our puny existence. No, by grace, we have a compassionate Heavenly Father who hears our prayer and responds in love for his glory and our good.
That truth is life-changing on its own, but here's something even more encouraging for me - it doesn't matter how "messy" or "dirty" my prayers are. All throughout the Psalms, you read prayers that are riddled with fear, anger, doubt, exhaustion, and confusion.
God doesn't turn his back on these prayers and say, "Come back when you've cleaned yourself up." He listens to us, just the way we are. That's why the authors continue to pray with honesty throughout the entirety of the Psalms - their honest cries and groans are heard and answered, not rejected or ignored.
So the next time you're facing spiritual dehydration and exhaustion, call out to God with an honest voice. Don't try to hide your problems from him or pretend as if they don't exist. He knows and he sees, but more importantly, he cares.
Talk with the God of your life. If you're too emotionally drained to even talk, cry or groan. He's still going to listen.
God bless
Paul David Tripp
Reflection Questions
- Find some other Scripture verses that encourage honest prayer.
- Why do we think our prayers need to be "cleaned up" for God?
- What do you need to pray for with honesty today?
- What might be holding you back from praying with honesty?
- How can you minister to others with prayer?
