Tonight We Pray

"Do not hide your mercy from me, O Lord;
may your love and your truth always protect me.
For troubles without number surround me;
my sins have overtaken me,
and I cannot see.
They are more than the hairs on my head,
and my heart fails within me.

Be pleased, O Lord, to save me;
O Lord, come quickly to help me.
May all who seek to take my life
be put to shame and confusion;
may all who desire my ruin
be turned back in disgrace.
May those who say to me, 'Aha! Aha!'
be appalled at their own shame.
But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation always say,
'The Lord be exalted!'

Yet I am poor and needy;
may the Lord think of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
O my God, do not delay."
--Psalm 4010-17

I feel like this is part of a prayer. The first two lines are my favorite: Do not hide your mercy from me...may your love and your truth always protect me.

We pray for physical protection, it is true, but this verse goes beyond that. This verse speaks of what happens when you attempt to control your own life, when your sins begin to outnumber "the hairs on your head." And it also deals with some very real problems such as abuse from others, to those who do everything in their power to tear you down. That is a painful fact of life, one that we will inevitably encounter, but we don't have to give in to it. We are able to rest in the Lord's mercy, in his compassion, in his love and truth. These things are presented to us over and over again. Sometimes we fall into the trap of repeating these "truths" of God, but they are in fact, very real, very present in our lives. It's not always easy to see, and sometimes it's even a real struggle, but it's there. I am protected by His great love, His great mercy, His great truth.

I'm sorry this was so short tonight. I'm reading Psalm 42 tonight too, but I want to do a devo completely on that one alone. I don't want to squash it in here. And, tonight, for some reason, I feel scatterbrained, off kilter. I'm not sure why, or maybe it is because there are so many things to discuss that it all becomes lost in translation.

I think, tonight, we should challenge ourselves to pray. Sometimes I feel like my life is one unspoken prayer to God, but how often do I sit and actually pray? And, more importantly, how often do I just sit and let be, and listen to what the Lord has to say? How often am I too busy whining about my own life that I miss out on great opportunities He has for me? His great love? Tonight, I am going to pray, I am going to make that effort, and I am going to concentrate. I am going to sit in silence, and listen, and make it known that it is not my time, but God's and I am open to hear anything He throws my way.

"May those who love your salvation always say, 'The Lord be exalted!""

Amen.