READ: Psalms
19-21
Psalm 19 is a personal prayer. He speaks of the
‘speech’ of the heavens. No matter where one lives or what language one speaks,
the heavens clearly communicate the glory of God. He starts with a huge,
universal view of God that’s for everyone. Then he moves on to praise the Law
of the Lord, and the statutes in it. This brings the glory of God into a very
tangible, available realm of life. His love for God’s Word, Law and teaching is
clear. The Psalmist says it’s these words that bring life and sustenance. He
then brings it even closer to home. He opens his heart – asking forgiveness
from hidden faults – to the glory of God. This prayer began with worship of a
mighty, magnificent God and ends with a personal prayer for forgiveness and
submission. This is an excellent model for us, especially in those times when
we don’t know what to pray.
When we pray for others many of us get stuck knowing
exactly what to pray for. This is especially true when we begin to pray
blessing for those who have hurt and offended us. Psalm 20 provides us with the
very words to pray when we don’t have words of our own. Praying Scripture is something we know
Jesus did and we can, too. It works its way into our hearts as we pray the
words, and it also affects those we pray for as God uses His Words to answer
the prayer. Sure, we have to change a few words here and there, but it gives us
the skeleton to start with. Reading the verse in the Bible, then praying it in
our own words for our friend (or enemy) allows us to pray some of the very
things God wants to do in both us and those we pray for.
Much like the previous Psalm, Psalm 21 is a prayer
for someone else, in this case a leader. Here the Psalmist is thanking God for
the good things He has given the king, and praying for his success. When we
pray for our leaders (government, church, or work leaders), we can use this to
get ideas for what and how to pray. Not all our leaders are like the one this
Psalmist sings about! They don’t all rely on God and give Him glory. It is our
privilege to use a prayer like this to guide our words and thoughts as we pray.
When the Psalmist says, “… the king trusts in the Lord …” we might use it to
pray that one day our leader might trust in the Lord. God gives us tools and
equips us with His word to fulfill the calling and mandate He has given us to
pray for others, especially our leaders. What a great gift this series of
Psalms is as we learn to pray for ourselves, and others!
JOURNALING
AND PRAYER
1. Ask the Lord how He wants to speak to you today:
through the magnificence of creation, through His Word, or directly to your
heart. Listen to/Do what He says and write down a few words of praise for how
He reveals Himself to you.
2. Ask God for the name of someone He wants you to
pray for today. Perhaps a friend, someone you need to forgive, a non-Christian
friend or family member, or someone you haven’t thought about in a long time.
Pray through Psalm 20 for them, adjusting the words to make sense.
3. Ask God for a leader (can be government, church or
work leader) He wants you to pray for. Listen quietly for anything specific God
wants you to pray for. Pray for what He shows you, and pray Psalm 21 for them
as well. Ask the Holy Spirit to direct your prayer very specifically because He
knows the details of this person when you might not. Write down what He shows
you and pray!
