Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

February 15
Friday


CRYING OUT
TO GOD

READ:
Psalm 142
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By prayer and
supplication...let
your requests be made
known to God.
__Philippians 4:6
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After all these years, I still don't fully understand prayer. It's something of a mystery to me. But one thing I know: When we're in desperate need, prayer springs naturally from our lips and from the deepest level of our hearts.

When we're frightened out of our wits, when we're pushed beyond our limits, when we're pulled out of our comfort zones, when our well-being is challenged and endangered, we reflexively and involuntarily resort to prayer. "Help, Lord!" is our natural cry.

Author Eugene Peterson wrote: "The language of prayer is forged in the crucible of trouble. When we can't help ourselves and call for help, when we don't like where we are and want out, when we don't like who we are and want a change, we use primal language, and this language becomes the root language of prayer."

Prayer begins in trouble, and it continues because we're always in trouble at some level. It requires no special preparation, no precise vocabulary, no appropriate posture. It springs from us in the face of necessity and, in time, becomes our habitual response to every issue__good and bad__we face in this life (Phil. 4:6). What a privilege it is to carry everything to God in prayer! __David Roper
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```````````````What a Friend we have in Jesus,`````````````````
````````````````All our sins and griefs to bear!`````````````````
``````````````````What a privilege to carry````````````````````
`````````````Everything to God in prayer. __Scriven``````````````
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God's help is only a prayer away.

******************Today's Bible Reading __ Psalm 142**********************

1 I cry out to the LORD
with my voice; with my
voice to the LORD I make
my supplication. 2 I pour
out my complaint before
Him; I declare before Him
my trouble.

3 When my spirit was
overwhelmed within me,
then You knew my path.
In the way in which I walk
they have secretly set a
snare for me. 4 Look on
my right hand and see,
for there is no one who
acknowledges me; refuge
has failed me; no one cares
for my soul.

5 I cried out to You, O
LORD: I said, "You are my
refuge, my portion in the
land of the living. 6 Attend
to my cry, for I am brought
very low; deliver me from
my persecutors, for they
are stronger than I. 7 Bring
my soul out of prison, that
I may praise Your name;
the righteous shall surround
me, for You shall deal
bountifully with me."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

The supperscript of this psalm says, "A prayer when [David] was
in the cave." Most likely the psalm was composed in the mind of
David when he was fleeing the terrible homicidal rage of King Saul
(1 Sam. 22:2). This crisis experience caused David to cry out
to God. But troubles are not unique to David. His psalms speak
with a new voice to each subsequent generation. LIfe, even for the
obedient believer, has its times of trouble and concern. This psalm
shows that God hears our prayers of complaint and petition as well
as those of praise.