Psalm 116, verses 1 & 2 say this in the Amplified -

I love the LORD, because He hears me (and continues to hear) my voice and my supplications (my pleas, my cries, my specific needs). Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call on Him as long as I live.

So right off the bat in the first two verses of Psalm 116, we find the psalmist talking about prayer.

When you pray, is it easy or hard for you to fully believe that God hears you and continues to hear you when you pray? When you bring your supplications to Him? Do you know that you know that you know that God has inclined His ear to you, and that as a result of this truth, you ought to call on Him as long as you live.

How long?

Oh, only for as long as you live.

If you love the Lord, let your praying be an indicator of that love. Great love will equal great praying. And when you trust Him completely, it’s really so easy to go to Him in prayer. So much of the tug of war about prayer is stripped away when we trust Him completely and maybe even dare I say exclusively. We don’t try to pray one minute and work out a plan b the next minute when we trust in the Lord exclusively.

But today’s focus isn’t on verses 1 and 2. We’re gonna hone in on verses 12 through 14.

Let me read those verses from the Amplified Bible.

What will I give to the LORD (in return) for all His benefits toward me? (How can I repay Him for His precious blessings?) I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD. I will pay my vows to the LORD. Yes, in the presence of all His people.

Of course you and I don’t like thousands of years ago in ancient Israel, so what do these verses mean for us today? How does this impact our prayer lives?

These verses have encouraged me to be mindful about what I take to the Lord in prayer, what I give to Him…ever done that? A person or situation or your health or finances, you pray and give it to Him, with the total intention of letting Him do His will His way for His glory and purposes, and you get to have the peace of God and can rest easy because you have entrusted the burden of it to the Lord via prayer. But did you ever do that and then snatch it back? Like you’re worrying and fretting and trying to find the solution in your own strength. Snatched it right back. I’ve done that and it can be challenging to keep giving it to the Lord and leaving it with Him, which I suppose is what it really means to trust God with it.

If something comes to mind today as you listen to the podcast, would you give it back to the Lord today? Pray on it and let it go, knowing it’s in good hands with Him. He is trustworthy and we really can leave it to Him.

He has blessed you in the past, and He will bless you in the future. He has been good to you and He will be good to you again and again and again. His faithfulness and His love for you know no end and cannot be used up or exhausted. He loves you, He cares for you, and He hears when you pray.

Can I pray over you today?

Lord, today I ask You to do the miraculous on behalf of Your people who need a miracle. I’m seeking Your very best on their behalf. And if they have given something to You in prayer and then found themselves worrying about it again, trying to work out a solution or fix a really difficult problem, would You bless them with Your comfort, and Your peace, and draw them close, reminding them to rest in You and to enjoy peace of mind and peace of heart as You work on the problem on their behalf, because You love them so very much? We love You, Lord, and we are so grateful for the many blessings, too many to count, that You have granted to us. Thank You for hearing our prayers and for the promise that You will continue to hear us when we pray.

Make us bold in our praying, give us faith to ask for things that only You can do, and may we continually trust You to do Your will, Your good will, in response to our prayers.

Lord, today would You bring healing and peace and hope into their lives? And Lord, we want to praise You and thank You and rejoice in all that You are and all You have done and all You will do in the days to come.

In Jesus Name I ask this, Amen.

Hey, thanks so much for listening today and for the blessing of praying for and with you. I’d be honored to pray for you specifically and you are welcome to email me prayer requests at JanLBurt@outlook.com and I will be praying.

Praying Psalm 116 - episode #196 (Bonus Show)