April 12, 2017

PRAYER IS CONVERSATION IS TELLING IS SHARING

Psalm 69:19–36

Chad Pinson
Wednesday's Devo

April 12, 2017

Wednesday's Devo

April 12, 2017

Central Truth

Prayer can seem pointless, daunting, scary, and even contrived. But David, a man after God's own heart, shows us that God wants to know our every thought, worry, concern, request, and complaint.

Key Verse | Psalm 69:29

But I am afflicted and in pain;
let your salvation, O God, set me on high!
(Psalm 69:29)

Psalm 69:19–36

19  You know my reproach,
    and my shame and my dishonor;
    my foes are all known to you.
20  Reproaches have broken my heart,
    so that I am in despair.
I looked for pity, but there was none,
    and for comforters, but I found none.
21  They gave me poison for food,
    and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink.

22  Let their own table before them become a snare;
    and when they are at peace, let it become a trap. 1 69:22 Hebrew; a slight revocalization yields (compare Septuagint, Syriac, Jerome) a snare, and retribution and a trap
23  Let their eyes be darkened, so that they cannot see,
    and make their loins tremble continually.
24  Pour out your indignation upon them,
    and let your burning anger overtake them.
25  May their camp be a desolation;
    let no one dwell in their tents.
26  For they persecute him whom you have struck down,
    and they recount the pain of those you have wounded.
27  Add to them punishment upon punishment;
    may they have no acquittal from you. 2 69:27 Hebrew may they not come into your righteousness
28  Let them be blotted out of the book of the living;
    let them not be enrolled among the righteous.

29  But I am afflicted and in pain;
    let your salvation, O God, set me on high!

30  I will praise the name of God with a song;
    I will magnify him with thanksgiving.
31  This will please the LORD more than an ox
    or a bull with horns and hoofs.
32  When the humble see it they will be glad;
    you who seek God, let your hearts revive.
33  For the LORD hears the needy
    and does not despise his own people who are prisoners.

34  Let heaven and earth praise him,
    the seas and everything that moves in them.
35  For God will save Zion
    and build up the cities of Judah,
and people shall dwell there and possess it;
36      the offspring of his servants shall inherit it,
    and those who love his name shall dwell in it.

Footnotes

[1] 69:22 Hebrew; a slight revocalization yields (compare Septuagint, Syriac, Jerome) a snare, and retribution and a trap
[2] 69:27 Hebrew may they not come into your righteousness

Dive Deeper | Psalm 69:19–36

I've studied the Bible since I first learned to read 37 years ago. At different times, I've grown from nearly every category of Scripture: Law, History, Wisdom, Prophets, Gospels, Letters, and Prophecy. But it was not until 2015, when The Journey covered the entire Bible in a year, that I fully appreciated the Psalms.

Before that, I wanted nothing to do with that "Poetry" category and would skip straight from Job to Proverbs. My Bible basically had 65 books in it instead of 66.

I remember that year reading in 1 Samuel 13:14 that David was "a man after [God's] own heart." That set the stage when I reached the Psalms. I noticed David (and the other contributors to the Psalms) were not just writing poetry. David talked to God. David shared his thoughts, worries, intentions, ideas, concerns, and pain. He praised God. He sought forgiveness. He gave thanks.

God knew David was a man after His own heart because David exposed his heart to God. And a man after God's own heart talks to God like that.

I am a father of three children. As my kids get older, they sometimes share less, they have more independence, and I realize I am not directly plugged in to every aspect of their lives as I was when they were tiny. I desperately want my kids to talk with me—to share their thoughts, worries, intentions, ideas, concerns, and pain with me. I want to know their minds and hearts—their pain and afflictions.

From the Psalms, David taught me to converse with God just as I hope my kids talk and interact with me. Following that example, my prayer life has improved dramatically, drawing me much closer to God.

Thanks to the poetry I avoided for so long, I work harder to let God in on my affliction and pain. I make sure I seek Him as my salvation. I share my thoughts, worries, intentions, ideas, concerns, and pain. 

Sixty-six books is better than 65.

Discussion Questions

1. Is there some portion of Scripture you are glossing over? Are you willing to connect to it now? 

2. Is prayer difficult or awkward for you? Always? Sometimes? Never?  

3. What portion of your heart and mind are you failing to share with God?

4. You are someone's child, and maybe you're someone's parent. How can that relationship inform how you pray and interact with God, and how He interacts with you?