When Pressures Are Great

Posted byJim SimoneauPosted inUncategorized

Day 4:  Psalms 4:1-3

            Psalm 4:1 To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Psalm of David. Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!

            Hear me when I call to You. O Lord, You always hear me, but at times I need to feel that You hear me. I plead with You to respond to me in faith as You hear me. Though I know that You care for me, still I come to wait on You. Hear my cry, O Lord (Psalm 61:1).

            God, You are my righteousness. You are my God. You are righteous and You give me Your righteousness through faith in Your Son, my Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ (Romans 3:22). You have given righteousness to Your people as a gift (Romans 5:17). Christ Jesus is our righteousness (I Corinthians 1:30). 

            You have enlarged me – strengthened me, provided for me, helped me be more than I am to face my trials, even in the middle of my trials. As adrenaline flows to help in distress, so Your strength flows through me. Like Samson arose in strength to meet the Philistines, so Your Spirit has helped me (Judges 15:14). For this reason, O Lord, I come to You. Again and again You have rescued me and helped me through my distress (II Samuel 22:17-22; Psalm 54:7).

            Have mercy upon me. Do not give me what I deserve, O Lord. I deserve Your justice, but I cry out for Your grace. And You have been gracious to me. Help me love You, follow You, give myself to You in times of peace and times of war. Let Your mercy not only flow to me but through me to others. May I grant mercy to them as You have given it to me.

            Hear me and help me, O Lord. Please respond to my needs.

            Psalm 4:2 O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame? How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah

            O Lord God, forgive us for turning Your glory into shame. Like those in Romans 1, You have shown us Your glory and made us in Your image, yet we have taken the treasures of Your glory, of Your image, and have misused them for our selfish interests as we desired and not as You have directed. Lord, have mercy. We have loved vanity and emptiness far too much. We have sought our own pleasure and not what pleases You.

            Lord, help us seek Your glory and Your honor in all we do. Help us give You our best and our strongest efforts. Help us hallow Your Name. Whether in word or deed, let us do all to the glory of God (I Corinthians 10:31).

            Psalm 4:3 But know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD hears when I call to him.

            You, O Lord, have set Your people apart to Yourself.  You have called us to be godly and have made us godly by Your Holy Spirit and the righteousness that Christ alone supplies. We are Your vessels set apart for Your righteous uses. I call myself godly because You have given me knowledge of You, some small love and faith in You, some small evidence of hope and true faith.

            You promised to hear and answer the cries of Your people when they call unto You in Jesus name. You care for us as a Father cares for His children (Psalm 103:13).

Published by Jim Simoneau

Jesus Christ brought me to Himself at a very early age. I began seeking the Lord and writing prayer journals in my early teens and have continued to grow in my knowledge and experience of prayer. I am still learning and growing in my prayer life and long to help others grow in their prayer lives as well. I am not an expert, but a practitioner who needs God to continue to teach me to pray. Prayer is both simple, yet also profound. It is deep and draws us into the depth of God, but it is also so easy and wondrous that we can cry out to God with "Abba, Father" prayers because of the work of Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit. Prayer comes from God's heart, works in our hearts, and teaches us to go back to seek God's heart!

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