How Praying Scripture Teaches Us to be Transparent with God
I mentioned last week that I began praying Psalm 86, specifically verses five through twelve. I’m not exactly sure why I limited myself to those verses. Perhaps it’s because verse five begins with “You are forgiving and good, O Lord…” After all, I’ve been taught the ACTS acronym for prayer, and therefore one should begin with adoration.
Praying the Entire Psalm
As I flipped through my journal, I discovered I began praying the entire Psalm on Saturday, September 7, 2024. Again, I didn’t write a direct note to myself to remind me why I made the change. However, after reading several journal entries, I grasped that I definitely felt poor and needy, so beginning with verse one was perfect.
I read more journal entries and saw I grappled with listening well to God and then being intentionally obedient. I recognized the disparity between how I thought I was following Jesus, and my actual selfish behavior. Just like the Psalmist, I needed to hear from God. I was desperate for His answers, and not my own ideas.
Listen to the Spirit’s Nudging
When I pray Psalm 86 each day, I listen for God’s Spirit to nudge me toward particular phrases in the psalm. For example, I don’t feel poor and needy every day, so I keep reading. Some days, I don’t feel devoted or trusting, and I know God and I need to process that together. Then, I experience days when I am desperate for joy, and I pour out my anguish to Jesus.
Each time Holy Spirit prompts me to consider a particular phrase, I pause and consider why that phrase is jumping out to me. I examine my attitudes and behaviors, as well as contemplate current circumstances and how they are affecting me. My prayer then develops as I discuss these issues with the Lord. Let’s examine Psalm 86:1-4 more closely.
Psalm 86, Verses One through Four
“1Hear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. 2Guard my life, for I am devoted to you. You are my God; save your servant who trusts in you. 3Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long. 4Bring joy to your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.”
Psalms 86:1-4, NIV
Poor and Needy
In verse one, God’s Spirit has nudged me toward “answer me.” He reminds me He wants to hear my hurts, concerns, and uncertainties. I have experienced days when I am held captive by the phrase, “I am poor and needy.” Life is overwhelming and Holy Spirit opens the door for me to vent.
God has been using Psalm 86 to teach me to be honest with Him and with myself, something I haven’t always been good at. He patiently listens to what hurts, what is hard, and how I want circumstances to be different. However, God doesn’t let me wallow in my difficult emotions as I continue to pray the psalm.
You are My God
I admit, I don’t think I’ve ever paused on the phrase “guard my life” in verse two. I don’t tend to feel in danger. On the flip side, God does prompt me to pause often at “I am devoted to you,” “You are my God,” and “your servant, who trusts in you.”
A number of weeks ago, I wrote the following as part of my Psalm 86 prayer. “Am I truly trusting Lord? Help me. I AM needy. I get distracted, I want life to be smooth. I want the transition to be over, and I want to feel settled, at home, with a rhythm, knowing what I am to do. And that’s not where we are on the journey. YOU ARE MY GOD. Be gracious to me…”
Over and over, God uses Psalm 86 to enable me to face my lack of faith. As God points out my struggle, He also reminds me who He is. He is the God who listens to me, answers me (verse 1), protects me, and saves me (verse 2).
I Call to You All Day Long
The phrase that jumps out most often to me in verse three is “I call to you all day long.” God daily reminds me He is continually available to me. For example, Holy Spirit urges me to carve out time throughout my day to open the Word and be reminded of truth. Plus, the Lord graciously encourages me often with the truth that His mercies are new every morning.
When I respond with intentional obedience to God’s promptings from Psalm 86:3, I truly experience God’s mercy and grace. My soul is reminded of who is sovereign and sustains all things. I become aware of my desperation. God patiently teaches me He doesn’t want to be with me for just morning prayers. He desires to be an integral part of every moment of every day.
Bring Joy to Your Servant
I currently find Psalm 86:4 to be a difficult verse. My soul aches for joy that resonates throughout my everyday life. However, that’s not my present experience. Certainly, I know moments of happiness, laughter, and delight. But I haven’t known deep joy for some time.
AND, God is faithful. I know this to be true every time I pray “for I am poor and needy.” He continues to speak protection and salvation to me. He encourages and empowers me to trust. In addition, He is full of mercy and grace. He is a good, good God. I gladly lift my soul to Him.
Last year, on October 1, this was the beginning of my prayer. “I am needy Lord. I know no matter how hard I try; I am nothing without you. Enable me to be faithful. Protect me. You are my God. Bring joy to me. Help me see how you are being good, how you are providing and protecting me. Be gracious to me.”
Later, in that same journal entry, I wrote, “I must bring my complaints to God only… every time – everywhere. And not just to complain, but to seek His wisdom and perspective. His help. What can He give me to enable me to do my task and glorify Him?”
Desperate for God’s Presence
God is using Psalm 86 to teach me how desperate I am for His presence in my life. He continually reminds me He truly is available to me all day long. He wants me to grasp the truth that if He is my God, all of who I am and what I do is to be about being with Him and serving Him.
You may currently find yourself “distressed and needy” (Amplified version). Or perhaps you are experiencing days with great joy. Most likely, you find yourself somewhere on the spectrum between the two.
God’s Word offers us wisdom, strength, and hope. Plus, scripture offers us words to express what we may not know we need to say. Allow God to prompt you with His Word. Remember He hears, and He answers us. He is our protection and our savior. We can trust Him.
Praying Scripture Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
