OLD TESTAMENT PRAYERS
Introduction
We are so glad you are joining us for these daily prayer posts. Over the next few weeks we are going to listen to the prayers we find in the Bible, and some of God’s most faithful saints and servants. Through their prayers, we will learn better how to pray and connect with our heavenly Father.
Each devotion will take less than ten minutes of your time.
- We will look at an insight from those who know something important about prayer.
- We will listen to the prayers of people in the Bible—people just like us. And to people who gained a deep measure of spiritual intimacy with God because they prayed.
- We will reflect, asking the same four questions each day that invites us to look and listen with intent.
- And we will pray, for it is in praying that we learn to pray. And it is in praying that the Spirit changes our hearts.
We want to encourage you to grab a journal or a notebook – something to write on as you walk through each prayer guide. Yes, it will add a few minutes to the time it takes to do the devotion, and it will also deepen your experience and shape your walk with God for years to come. This journal or notebook will be a keepsake to remind you of God’s faithfulness during this challenging season for all of us.
Look
“First, Thy name, Thy kingdom, Thy will; then, give us, forgive us, lead us, deliver us. The lesson is of more importance than we think. In true worship the Father must be first, must be all.”
– Andrew Murray, Lord, Teach Us To Pray
Listen
King David experienced much trouble in his lifetime of following “after God’s own heart.” He was hotly pursued by persistent enemies, faced and gave in to great temptation, experienced depression (Psalm 143 is actually considered a lament), celebrated great military victories and had to lead God’s people even following devastating defeats. And in all of it – including following even his greatest sins – he sought after the Lord in honesty, transparency and humility. In Psalm 143, a desperate cry for help, he spends some time remembering, meditating on and pondering how God has shown His consistent faithfulness in the past, and then, pours out his heart for today.
Psalm 143:5-10
5 I remember the days of old;
I meditate on all that you have done;
I ponder the work of your hands.
6 I stretch out my hands to you;
my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.
7 Answer me quickly, O Lord!
My spirit fails!
Hide not your face from me,
lest I be like those who go down to the pit.
8 Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love,
for in you I trust.
Make me know the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul.9 Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord!
I have fled to you for refuge.[a]
10 Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God!
Let your good Spirit lead me
on level ground!
Reflect
1. Having read the Word, sit silently for a minute and give God’s Word a moment to settle within you.
2. Re-read the verses slowly and write down some thoughts that resonate with you.
3. Ask the Spirit to help you see the deeper longings, desires or motives in your heart that those thoughts are pointing to. (for example: you may write down, “David reflected on how you have delivered him in the past in providing hope for delivering him TODAY.” The Spirit can show us those areas in our hearts and in our lives where we need to trust Him more.)
4. What are some elements of David’s prayer for guidance and provision that can lead you as you seek to “know the way” you should go?
Pray
Using David’s prayer as your template and guide, make it your own today…Ponder God’s faithfulness as you pour out your heart to Him.
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These devotionals are adapted from various sources, including The Book of Common Prayer, Fenelon: The Seeking Heart, Fellowship Bible Church Nashville, Handbook to Prayer by Kenneth Boa and others.
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