1 Hear me, O Lord, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.
2 Guard my life, for I am devoted to you;
You are my God; save your servant who trusts in you.
3 Have mercy on me, O Lord,
for I call to you all day long. (David sought God in great earnest)
4 Bring joy to your servant,
for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. Psalm 86
So many of David’s psalms (he wrote at least half of the Book of Psalms) appear to have come out of times of trouble, when his life was in real danger. Time and again in these situations he turned and cried out to his God. Many people love reading the Psalms as they can be a source of comfort during times of great personal need. No doubt the Holy Spirit had this in mind when David and other Jewish prophets were being led to write down the deepest cries of their hearts. Sometimes it’s not easy to know how to pray but we can take some of the words of David and other psalmists to begin our own prayers today. They are Spirit anointed prayers and can help us come into the presence of God with our petitions.
11 Teach me your way, O Lord,
and I will walk in your truth;
GIVE ME AN UNDIVIDED HEART,
that I may fear your name.
12 I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart;
I will glorify your name for ever.
13 For great is your love towards me;
you have delivered me from the depths of the grave. Psalm 86
David is known in the Bible as someone who had a great heart after God, yet we see him asking God for an UNDIVIDED HEART, so that he may fear Him. I would say that’s not a prayer many people pray today, but it’s a prayer that we need to pray.
6 My eyes will watch over them for their good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them. 7 I WILL GIVE THEM A HEART TO KNOW ME, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me WITH ALL THEIR HEART. Jeremiah 24
God wants His people to know Him and walk with Him, even under the Old Covenant He wanted the people’s hearts.
39 I will give them SINGLENESS OF HEART AND ACTION, so that they will always fear me for their own good and for the good of their children after them. Jeremiah 39
35 I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord. 1 Corinthians 7
Paul expresses the same idea in his writings, though in a different context. David, the great worshipper of Israel, prayed for a heart after God during difficulties and we can as well. God doesn’t want to judge us but to help us walk along with Him.
God bless and keep you today.