75:3 When the earth quakes and its people live in turmoil,
I am the one who keeps its foundations firm.
Psalm 66 speaks of God's power and all He does, but then there is this sentence stuck at the end of a sequence:
66:6 He made a dry path through the Red Sea,
and his people went across on foot.
There we rejoiced in him.
This Psalm closes with an excellent pattern of praise, prayer and praise:
66:16 Come and listen, all you who fear God,
and I will tell you what he did for me.
17 For I cried out to him for help,
praising him as I spoke.
18 If I had not confessed the sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.
19 But God did listen!
He paid attention to my prayer.
20 Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer
or withdraw his unfailing love from me.
As the Psalmist talks of his prayer, I think the phrase "praising Him as I spoke" is key. The reason it's key is that he knew who he was praying to. He knew that God was able to answer his prayer. And he also knew that God may choose to answer it in a way he hadn't planned on. But he was praising Him as he prayed and showing that he was in subjection to Him.
We can't give up. The Psalmist shows that in this sequence:
69:13 But I keep praying to you, Lord,
hoping this time you will show me favor.
In your unfailing love, O God,
answer my prayer with your sure salvation.
14 Rescue me from the mud;
don’t let me sink any deeper!
Save me from those who hate me,
and pull me from these deep waters.
15 Don’t let the floods overwhelm me,
or the deep waters swallow me,
or the pit of death devour me.
hoping this time you will show me favor.
In your unfailing love, O God,
answer my prayer with your sure salvation.
14 Rescue me from the mud;
don’t let me sink any deeper!
Save me from those who hate me,
and pull me from these deep waters.
15 Don’t let the floods overwhelm me,
or the deep waters swallow me,
or the pit of death devour me.
16 Answer my prayers, O Lord,
for your unfailing love is wonderful.
Take care of me,
for your mercy is so plentiful.
17 Don’t hide from your servant;
answer me quickly, for I am in deep trouble!
18 Come and redeem me;
free me from my enemies.
for your unfailing love is wonderful.
Take care of me,
for your mercy is so plentiful.
17 Don’t hide from your servant;
answer me quickly, for I am in deep trouble!
18 Come and redeem me;
free me from my enemies.
And yesterday I saw that more than sacrifices, God wants our hearts to be thankful. I see that again here:
69:30 Then I will praise God’s name with singing,
and I will honor him with thanksgiving.
31 For this will please the Lord more than sacrificing cattle,
more than presenting a bull with its horns and hooves.
32 The humble will see their God at work and be glad.
Let all who seek God’s help be encouraged.
33 For the Lord hears the cries of the needy;
he does not despise his imprisoned people.
Sin separates us from God. When the Psalmist says that he called out to God, he wouldn't have been heard if he hadn't confessed his sins. I need to realize that sin can be a huge reason that I feel that my prayers aren't answered, I need to confess before I pray for full power.
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