Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

September 16
Tuesday


A HEART
FOR PRAYER

READ:
Psalm 27:7-14
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
When You said, "Seek
My face," my heart
said to You, "Your face,
LORD, I will seek."
__Psalm 27:8
_______________________________________________________________________________________________

While traveling on an airplane with her 4- and 2-year-old daughters, a young mom worked at keeping them busy so they wouldn't disturb others. When the pilot's voice came over the intercom for an announcement, Catherine, the younger girl, paused from her activities and put her head down. When the pilot finished, she whispered, "Amen." Perhaps because there had been a recent natural disaster, she thought the pilot was praying.

Like that little girl, I want a heart that turns my thoughts toward prayer quickly. I think it would be fair to say that the psalmist David had that kind of heart. We get hints of that in Psalm 27 as he speaks of facing difficult foes (v.2). He said, "Your face, LORD, I will seek" (v.8). Some say that David was remembering the time he was fleeing from Saul (1 Sam. 21:10) or from his son Absalom (2 sam. 15:13-14) when he wrote this psalm. Prayer and dependence on God were in the forefront of David's thinking, and he found Him to be his sanctuary (Ps. 27:4-5).

We need a sanctuary as well. Perhaps reading or praying this psalm and others could help us to develop that closeness to our Father-God. As God becomes our sanctuary, we'll more readily turn our hearts toward Him in prayer. __Anne Cetas

`````````````````````Teach me, Father, what it means to run to You````````````````````````
`````````````````````and have You as my sanctuary. Help me not to```````````````````````
````````````````````worry about the words i say, but just to express my````````````````````
```````````````````````heart to You and to nestle down close to You.````````````````````````
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
in prayer, God can still our hearts
and quiet our minds.

*********************************************Today's Bible Reading __ Psalm 27:7-14*******************************

7 Hear, O LORD, when I
cry with my voice! Have
mercy also upon me, and
answer me. 8 When You
said, "Seek My face," My
heart said to You, "Your
face, LORD, I will seek."

9 Do not hide Your face
from me; do not turn Your
servant away in anger; You
have been my help; do not
leave me nor forsake me,
O God of my salvation.

10 When my father and my
mother forsake me, then
the LORD will take care
of me.

11 Teach me Your way, O
LORD, and lead me in a
smooth path, because of my
enemies. 12 Do not deliver
me to the will of my
adversaries; for false
witnesses have risen against
me, and such as breath out
violence. 13 I would have
lost heart, unless I had
believed that I would see
the goodness of the LORD in
the land of the living.

14 Wait on the LORD; be of
good courage, and He shall
strengthen your heart; wait,
I say, on the LORD!