Category Archives: Prayers from Psalms
How Shall the Young Secure Their Hearts?
How shall the young secure their hearts? Throughout my life I have sung lyrics by Isaac Watts that ask that question. Watts drew his inspiration from Psalm 119:9-16, the second division of that psalm’s 176 verse anthology of prayer. Concern … Continue reading
A Disciple’s Full-Bodied Prayer
Humility and gratitude flow through prayer in Psalm 40, grounded in a full-bodied devotion to the Lord God. The psalmist recognizes his helplessness without God; he recalls how God not only rescued him previously, but also provided for him: “I … Continue reading
Praying when Very Sick
Life-threatening illness erases our calendar and makes us reassess our priorities. Because it often separates us from friends and, in the age of COVID, even family, it may isolate us from previous support systems. We may feel abandoned or at … Continue reading
Prayer of the Righteous Man
“The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:17). God hears, and delivers the righteous … Continue reading
Prayer When All is Lost and We Doubt God’s Presence
How would you act if suddenly what gave you a sense of security was taken away? How and what would you pray? Would you pray? In Rumaan Alam’s novel Leave the World Behind, two families from different racial and social … Continue reading
A Prayer during a Deep Freeze
Brrr! It’s very cold outside and light snow has fallen all day. The temperature is a little warmer now; it is minus two degrees Fahrenheit, but feels like minus twenty degrees Fahrenheit. Our energy company has notified customers to expect … Continue reading
Prayer, Confession, and Forgiveness
Guilt weighs heavily. Fear that accountability will be required or that forgiveness will be denied creates stress. In Dostoevsky’s classic novel Crime and Punishment, the primary character plans and commits a crime which no one seems to connect to him. … Continue reading
Prayer when God is Silent
A call for fire signals a longing for rescue, a desperate need for security and evidence that we are not alone in the battle. Whether a soldier sends out a request for artillery fire, close air support, or reinforcements, or … Continue reading
Praying for Confidence
The Psalm that inspired me most when I started reading through the Bible regularly as a twelve-year-old several decades ago was Psalm 27. Its first words sparked confidence in a gangly, unsure preteen, and continue to do so for the … Continue reading
