Day 325: How to Pray with Power (Psalm 130:1–8, James 5:1–20, Ezekiel 40:1–49)

Day 325: How to Pray with Power (Psalm 130:1–8, James 5:1–20, Ezekiel 40:1–49): Psalm 130:1–8 Psalm 130 A song of ascents.   1 Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord;    2 Lord, hear my voice.   Let your ears be attentive    to my cry for mercy.   3 If you, Lord, kept a record of sins,    Lord, who could stand?   4 But with you there is forgiveness,    so that we can, with reverence, serve you.   5 I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,    and in his word I put my hope.   6 I wait for the Lord    more than watchmen wait for the morning,    more than watchmen wait for the morning.   7 Israel, put your hope in the Lord,    for with the Lord is unfailing love    and with him is full redemption.   8 He himself will redeem Israel    from all their sins. Psalm Commentary Pray honestly Have you ever felt like you were in the depths of despair? Have you felt that ‘the bottom has fallen out of [your] life’ (v.1, MSG)? The psalmist says, ‘Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord; O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy’ (vv.1–2). Your prayers and God’s mercy are like two buckets in a well. When one goes up, the other comes down. There is an honest desperation about this prayer. Don’t try to gloss over the difficulties of your 

Psalm 130:1–8

Psalm 130

A song of ascents.

  ¹ Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord;
   ² Lord, hear my voice.
  Let your ears be attentive
   to my cry for mercy.

  ³ If you, Lord, kept a record of sins,
   Lord, who could stand?
  ⁴ But with you there is forgiveness,
   so that we can, with reverence, serve you.

  ⁵ I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
   and in his word I put my hope.
  ⁶ I wait for the Lord
   more than watchmen wait for the morning,
   more than watchmen wait for the morning.

  ⁷ Israel, put your hope in the Lord,
   for with the Lord is unfailing love
   and with him is full redemption.
  ⁸ He himself will redeem Israel
   from all their sins.

Psalm Commentary

Pray honestly

Have you ever felt like you were in the depths of despair? Have you felt that ‘the bottom has fallen out of [your] life’ (v.1, MSG)? The psalmist says, ‘Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord; O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy’ (vv.1–2).

Your prayers and God’s mercy are like two buckets in a well. When one goes up, the other comes down.

There is an honest desperation about this prayer. Don’t try to gloss over the difficulties of your situation, but instead recognise your dependence on God for help.

Trust in God’s mercy and forgiveness:

  ‘If you, God, kept a record of wrongdoings,
   who would stand a chance?
  As it turns out, forgiveness is your habit’ (v.3–4a, MSG).

If God does not keep a record of your wrongdoings, you should not keep ‘lists’ of other people’s offenses against you. Love ‘keeps no record of wrongs’ (1 Corinthians 13:5).

You do not need to get your life sorted out before you approach God. He wants to hear the cry of your heart.

However desperate the situation, you can be confident that help will come from God (Psalm 130:6). Bring your request to God. Wait patiently (v.5) and trust in his unfailing love (v.7).

Prayer

Lord, out of the depths I cry to you for mercy and help. Thank you that with you there is forgiveness and unfailing love.