Finding your voice in the Psalms

The Psalms are a collection of prayers that obviously availed before the Lord, and He wanted to be recorded for all time.  I believe they are one of the most important ways to learn how to pray.  Even our Lord Jesus prayed the Psalms and they were used to not only fulfill the messianic prophecies concerning Jesus, but I believe used to encourage Jesus while He was on earth in facing trials and temptations (“for He was tempted in all ways yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15)).  I believe Jesus, even as He quoted Psalm 22 from the Cross in the anguish of being separated from the Father when He became sin on our behalf, received strength in the rest of that Psalm and in how it ends (see v.21b-31).

With half of the Psalms written by David, we should be reminded as we read the transparency of his Psalms that this is what the Lord looks for in us as well.  David was said to be a man after His own heart, and we can see this most clearly as he pours out his heart to the Lord God Almighty.

We have been given this incredible resource and treasure in the Psalms.  The Psalms have been used over and over, to articulate what often is difficult to articulate in prayer during times of trail and hardship as well as expand our vocabulary of thanksgiving and praise in times of victory and answered prayer.

Find your voice in the Psalms.  The more you do, the more it will be a part of you and your prayers intertwining with the Word of God.  The more it will build your own faith up, that You are being heard by the Lord, even in the valley of the shadow of death, even in the times of great betrayal, loneliness and deferred hope.

For the next month may I offer you a challenge?  Would you read five Psalms a day, but not just read them, pray them out loud and make them your prayers.  Maybe take three in the morning, one at lunchtime and one in the evening (see Psalm 55:17).  Or however you want to do it....

Personalize them, take a moment and by the power of the Holy Spirit lift them up as your own heart felt prayer in Jesus Name.

Include your family on some of the readings, perhaps when you read them in the evening.  Or read a psalm as a family before your meal each evening (if it’s a shorter Psalm J).

As you read them...

 Declare the praises of God through the Psalms. 

Make confession through the Psalms.

Make known what has been troubling you through the Psalms.

Understand when the Psalms talks about ones enemies that it still applies to you and I because we know the enemy is spiritual and so pray it that way (Ephesians 6:12).

Claim the promises revealed by faith as you pray through the Psalms

Pray the truths of the Psalms as you read them not only over you, but over your family in Jesus Name.

Let’s believe the Father that these prayers will truly be answered, and let’s expect to encounter Him through this time of praying the Psalms over the next thirty days or so.

As you read them, perhaps a certain name or situation will come to mind as you read a particular Psalm.  Write it down in your journal with that Psalm number next to it, and believe God for His answer in that person’s life or in that situation.  Again let the Holy Spirit bring life into the Psalms as you read them.  Read them with unction, with energy and conviction.   Where it says “He” about the Lord, say “You” as you address Him personally coming before His Throne of Grace. Pray them out loud.  Pause as you read them to reflect on the words you are saying to the Father.

Let’s begin....

Next time we’ll go into the New Testament teaching on prayer...

2 Chronicles 7:14 - A principal for revival

If you are like me, you’ve probably heard this verse used a few times in prayer meetings, “if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

To be honest I saw the truths in this verse but I didn’t see or feel the impact until I heard of amazing testimonies of God’s response to people doing this very thing in recent times.  We were seeing the beginnings of transformation where my family and I were serving on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, but it was in meeting George Otis Jr. and hearing his testimonies, and those places covered in the “TransforNations” documentaries through the Sentinel Group that my eyes were truly opened.

I also had the honor of meeting Walo Ani, a dear brother and church leader from Papua New Guinea with still more amazing testimonies of transformation over towns and regions as God responded to this promise of 2 Chronicles 7:14.  I now see so much more of the weight of this incredible promise.

The truth of 2 Chronicles 7:14 also lines up with what we saw earlier already with Moses and Daniel’s prayers.  It’s not God’s people engaging with spiritual entities in the heavenly places that brings revival, but rather God response to His people humbling themselves in prayer, repenting and seeking Him!

I saw this first hand on the Indian Reservation we ministered on in South Dakota.  Year after year (and it had been going on much longer even before we arrived!) people would come to “engage in spiritual warfare” by binding the principalities and so forth.  We don’t have time to go into the unbiblical aspect of this at this time, but suffice to say it would do a lot of people good to read John Paul Jackson’s book “Needless Casualties of War” on this unscriptural practice.  So many came to do this “high level spiritual warfare” or formula driven prayers and declarations, but no change.

However, the impact of what happened when the church in that reservation came together in unity (across denominations) and humbled themselves in repentance for the churches sins and asked for God to heal the land and touch the people was both immediate and undeniable in its impact.  Within weeks of this happening, one of the sun dance trees was pulled up from the ground by a whirlwind (even though the  base of the tree are buried 7 feet into the ground!) and another was struck by lightening (and disintegrated not just burned!).  There was a change in the atmosphere and more people were notably coming to the Lord or open to hear the Gospel then before.

I encourage you to see the “TransforNations” videos yourself to build your faith and see first hand how Almighty God has responded to His promise in recent times.   A clip can be found here....  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X42oZ1O8hAk&t=13s

As we stated last time, judgment begins in the household of God, not with the unbeliever.  It is the believers who are called priests.  It is the believer who is heard by God and has a responsibility to pray not only for their families, but even kings and those in authority (1 Timothy 2).  It is the believer who is called to intercede and stand in the gap in Jesus Name and for His glory.

What is Father attracted to?  What does He respond to?  Humility.

Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble;

You will prepare their heart;

You will cause Your ear to hear, - Psalm 10:17

For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, "I dwell on a high and holy place, And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit In order to revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of the contrite." – Isaiah 57:17

And of course James 4:6 and 1 Peter 5:5 that God gives grace to the humble and many others...

In fact, for His glory, we are called to humble ourselves (1 Peter 5:6). 

Notice two things also in this verse of 2 Chronicles 7:14.

First we are called to actively be seeking the face of God.  There is a responsibility on our part to seek HIM.  This takes time and focus and energy and doesn’t have strings attached.

Second notice the order, it doesn’t say, “turn from their wicked ways, and seek My face...”  I believe this from the Word and from experience, that we don’t even know how blinded we are to our own compromises that God calls wicked, until we behold the light of His countenance as we seek Him.  Just like Isaiah who I’m sure was a “righteous” man in his desire to live according to the Torah, yet, when we saw God high and lifted up, he immediately recognized the sin of things he had spoken that were unclean in His eyes.

Its in seeking God that many times also the things we fill our time with can be exposed as idols or distractions.  It is in seeking God that we demonstrate our sincerity of wanting Him above all others, that I believe God then honors by drawing near and revealing His heart and His glory (which is His character, His essence).

This brings us to a place of repentance.  To the place of sincerity in our desire to turn from what is wrong and turn to what is right.  The place of genuine renewing of the mind, and a righteous anger to not return to what has not brought Him glory and honor and has grieved His Holy Spirit.  It’s time to seek the Lord.  It’s time we humble ourselves and take full responsibility for where He has placed us, and those He has surrounded us with.  May we ask for others to join together in this, and see true transformation take place in our communities, schools, cities and nation.  It starts with you and me.

Sow for yourselves righteousness;

Reap in mercy;

Break up your fallow ground,

For it is time to seek the Lord,

Till He comes and rains righteousness on you. – Hosea 10:12