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How do you typically begin a prayer? Have you ever listened to how you address God in prayer?
The example of prayer the Lord Jesus gave His disciples begins with acknowledging who God is (Luke 11:1-4; Matt 6:9-13). This is critically important. Not the form but the perspective.
It's been said the most common prayer is summed up in one word. "Help!" Indeed, many of King David's psalms are poetic prayers of help.
He was slandered and chased by King Saul and later by his son Absalom. At other times, it was a call for deliverance from situations he brought on himself.
The tent (or tabernacle) during the time of Moses, and later the temple King Solomon built, represented the dwelling place of God on earth. Moses was told to build the tent (tabernacle) according to the pattern God gave him (Heb 8:5).
When the people of Israel traveled through the desert wilderness and then into the Promised Land, the tent of God's presence was a place of strength and security for them. It reminded God's people that their God was a living God, present with them, and His protection was more powerful than any army on earth.
A verse from this psalm is quoted by Jesus when confronted by Jewish leaders about His statement of being one with the Father (John 10:30-33).
Jesus said to them, “Don’t your Scriptures say, ‘I said, “You are gods” ’? (John 10:34)
This causes confusion for some people because of a lack of context for understanding it.
It's easy to blame God when things are not going well. We pray and it seems our prayers are going up into an empty sky. Questioning God when He seems far away is common and this psalm echoes that.
A great beauty of the psalms is the open, honest expression of prayer seen throughout the collection of 150 songs of prayer and praise. Sometimes the honesty is surprisingly raw, and it may make us feel uncomfortable when we read them.
People have a penchant for judgment. This is true worldwide. We are quick to judge or condemn someone as guilty or wrong. You and me, we all do it at some point.
We look for someone or something to blame when something goes wrong. We are especially quick to accuse or find fault with those who disagree with us or have a different view of things.
Yet, when we are accused, blamed, or condemned, we're quick to claim our own innocence or at least justify ourselves in some way. When our wrong becomes clear, we'll quickly plead for mercy. And yet, we have a hard time extending mercy and forgiveness to those who seek it.
Jealousy is called "the green-eyed monster." The expression was coined by Shakespeare but the emotion has existed since the first humans on earth.
Jealousy or envy includes a range of emotions, all of which bring a sickness of the soul. Left unchecked it breeds greed and lust that are akin to idolatry (Eph 5:5; Col 3:5).
It is a destructive feeling and has no upside. Adam and Eve believed the serpent's lie because they thought God was holding back something good (Gen 3:4-6). Today we characterize it as FOMO—the fear of missing out.
King Solomon was a great king of Israel. He inherited a united kingdom that endured great struggles before he became king. His father, King David, was given a promise that looked ahead to the coming of the Messiah and an eternal kingdom (2 Sam 7:12-16).
God gave King Solomon great wisdom, along with great blessings. Solomon understood that the Kingdom of Israel was God's kingdom, not his own. This psalm reflects that insight.
