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As we continue to meditate upon the promise of God that declares -The Lord bless you out of Zion, and may you see the peace and prosperity of Jerusalem, all the days of your life. [Psalms 128:5,6] Let it speak in you with clarity to lead you further in the way everlasting, that you may find rest in your soul. The blessing of God is experienced and expressed in your life and mine, by a godly growth, a change that takes place in you by His grace working in you through the word of God. [1 Peter 2:2] The word of God that is perfect, and sure, making wise the simple, leads you to be blessed in every aspect of your salvation. It happens as He births His desires in you, even as you delight in the intimacy of your relationship with Him. Your will and desires then become perfectly aligned with His. And prayer is the vehicle by which His will, His promises to you come to you. It is in communion with God, that they come to pass. It is what exhorts the apostle to write in his epistle, For with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth, one confesses, resulting in salvation. [Romans 10:10]
Trust in Him at all times, O peoples, Pour out your heart to Him, He only is your refuge. [Psalms 62:8] Pouring out your heart to Him, is emptying yourself, making yourself vulnerable in God’s sight, and reflecting your trust in Him in every circumstance of your life, the good and the bad, as Job was able to do, while his wife’s counsel in the midst of painful loss, was very much to the contrary. It becomes possible in you in the knowledge of the truth that the Lord is always your refuge, and only He.
And emptying yourself in His presence will never see you return empty, but after having been cleansed of anything unclean, it will see you return, with a cup that is now filled and overflowing. He makes sure by the process of cleansing that you will be able to handle His blessing. Prayer therefore, needs to be, not merely self-focused, but that you may receive and accomplish His will, His desire that He has birthed in you, For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work according to His good pleasure. [Philippians 2:13] He who fills all things with all things will cause you to overflow. Anxiety can fill you only when your thoughts are all about doing your will, determined by your own desires, depending on your own strength. But with God reigning in you, it is freeing, for it is all about losing your own control, to trust in Him, as you pour out your heart to Him. It is what Hannah was able to do, as seen in her words to Eli, the priest – ‘No my lord; I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord. [1 Samuel 1:15] Your soul involves your mind, emotions, and will, that make up your thoughts, emotions, and decisions you make in life, and it is only to God that you can pour out everything concerning it all. It requires courage, but the pressure of having to pretend will never be there, for He knows all things. Therefore, ‘Just as I am, I come to Thee’, can be your prayer, as you pour out your heart to Him. It was what Hannah did, as she approached Him just as she was, in her lack and inability that led to being mocked and insulted. People can understand your pain, even as Hannah’s husband was able to, but only God can understand to bring about a transforming change, satisfying your lack. Seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, Christ Jesus, is the wise counsel of the scriptures.
Sometimes pride can stop you from going to Him. It is why humbling yourself becomes what you need to do in order to pray. Two people going to pray is the parable of the Lord that speaks of two very different attitudes while drawing near to Him in prayer; one of pride, and one of humility, asking for the mercy of God. [Luke 18:9-14] Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, that He may lift you up in due time, it is written, for humbling yourself is something that you need to do. It requires humility to draw near to God in prayer, asking for His help, for pride in a person will make him think he can work out things himself, as he trusts in his own strength and effort, to the exclusion of everything else. The Savior’s words though have made it unambiguously clear that apart from Him, you can do nothing. [John 15:5] And also, through the apostle Paul comes to you the assurance of God, that through Christ, you have the strength to do all things. [Philippians 4:13] Humbling yourself, pouring out your heart to God, and praying for His help, is a sign of your trust in God.
Being vulnerable, bare, and open before God also keeps you from iniquity. By being honest before God, I keep my slate clean is what the psalmist implies, when he says I was honest before Him and kept myself from my iniquity. [Psalms 18:23] It is by praying, pouring out your heart to the Lord – Test me, O Lord, and know my anxious thoughts; See if there is any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. [Psalms 139:23,24] David, in the prayer above, shows how he did not wish to console himself wrongly in his wrongdoing, but instead desired to keep himself open for the Lord, who knew him better than he knew himself to examine his ways, as he did not want to deceive himself. The Holy God who does not want you to go on the wrong path, confronts you in love. And in your life and mine, we need people in our lives, who will do such a thing when we unknowingly or knowingly, go on wrong paths, that are not of righteousness and peace.
‘Why are you angry? And why has your face fallen?’ the Lord God asked of Cain, to then give him the solution, and also the painful consequence of not applying it, which would then be allowing sin to master you, or give the devil a foothold in one’s life. [Genesis 4:6,7] It is why you need the help of God, as you bare yourself, not covering up, or giving flimsy excuses that do not hold water. For it is realizing, humbling, trusting, and praying by pouring out your heart, that leads you to rest and restoration in your life.
As the psalmist says, when the cares of my heart are many, Your consolations delight my soul. [Psalms 94:19] And it can become your experience, as you pour out your heart to Him in prayer, making yourself vulnerable, realizing He and He alone is your solution. He is your wisdom, your one defense, your righteousness. He alone can bring about a change in you that transforms and enriches you. And it is the truth that you remember and celebrate in holy communion, as you partake of the riches of the Lord’s Table, for the power of sin has been conquered by the Savior on the Cross, to be yours this day by faith. And He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, will He not together with Him, give you all things? [Romans 8:32] Therefore, may we pray, Lord, We thank thee for your word, your work of grace that continues in us, and may your will be done, your kingdom come in our lives, that your plan, purpose, and provision come to fruition and fulfillment that You may be glorified. In the Name of Christ Jesus Amen.
