Perhaps you've been questioning recently whether prayer really works. maybe that situation, that you've targeted with your prayers, hasn't improved. For me, I've been praying for a job. Maybe you are, too. Or maybe you've been praying for health, or for strength in resisting one sin or another. Maybe it's time to take a hard look at the truth of our prayers ...
Hear a just cause, O LORD,There is a brother in the Lord who ministers to men in my hometown. At the root of the problem for most of the guys is an inability to be (in his words), "Who we really are before who God really is." That simple phrase aligns beautifully with what David is writing in the opening of Psalm 17. He is declaring before God that his prayers are honest and true... that they do not come from "deceitful lips."
Attend to my cry;
Give ear to my prayer which is not from deceitful lips.
Psalm 17:1 [NKJV]
Sisters and brothers, this is the first and most important condition for the praying believer. Our prayers must not be manipulated to sound holy, or to be what we think God wants to hear. Our prayers must be honest and true. There is no room for lies or deception before the Lord ... who sees right through them, anyway. There is no need for eloquence or rhymes or soaring rhetoric.
All that is needed is for you and I to be who we really are before who God really is. Admit to being scared, worried, exhausted, or just plain ticked off. Admit to being joyful, relieved, or full of energy. Be authentic. Be real. And from that authenticity, our amazing and generous Lord will bring blessing and strength.
He will answer our prayers.
Be encouraged, Jose
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