Monday, October 6, 2008
Psalm 25:1 O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, I trust in You.
I LIFT UP MY SOUL
It seems to me that it happens more frequently than it used to -- people ask us to pray for them. They say things like: "Would you please put my name on your prayer list? Would you include me in your prayer chain?" I can't imagine any of us ever saying: "No! I won't pray for you." We recognize the blessing that we have in a direct line to the One True God. So we bring our needs and the needs of others to the LORD, praying always that His will for them be done.
In the 25th Psalm we find a fine example of a prayer of a child of God. We also find guidance for our prayers.
The Psalmist begins by saying: "O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, I trust in You."
What does it mean to "lift up" or "offer up" one's soul to God? It means that we come before God with our whole being, hiding nothing.
Is that what we do when we come to God in prayer? We bow our heads, close our eyes and fold our hands -- but where are our hearts and minds?
It's an important question because GOD is not fooled by outward appearances. He knows and searches the heart. He is aware when we just say the words but are really thinking about other things.
God forgive us for Jesus' sake! God help us to come to Him with undivided minds and hearts, presenting ourselves to Him without reservation, in faith, trusting completely in Him.
So first of all, when we come to God we come in faith, fully trusting that He will hear and answer our prayers. When we come in faith, we also come humbly. Our prayers are requests, not demands that God fill our grocery list of needs. May God grant us His grace that we always lift up our souls to Him in Faith, without doubt or reservation.
