12. Psalm 39 ~ when cares are pressing me down
LORD, make me to know my end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am. Behold, You have made my days as a handbreadth; and my age is as nothing before You: truly every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Surely every man walks in a vain show: surely they are disquieted in vain: he heaps up riches, and knows not who shall gather them.
And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in You. Deliver me from all my transgressions: make me not the reproach of the foolish. I was dumb, I opened not my mouth; because You did it. Remove Your stroke away from me: I am consumed by the blow of Your hand. When You with rebukes do correct man for iniquity, You make his beauty to consume away like a moth: surely every man is vanity.
Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear unto my cry; hold not Your peace at my tears: for I am a stranger with You, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were. O spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go hence, and be no more.
This passage is part of a series of prayers taken directly from Scripture. Please join me in experiencing a new depth in our relationship with a personal God by praying the words from His Holy Bible. Read them aloud whenever possible, in a spirit of prayer to the Father, in the name of Jesus, trusting that He will receive them from your heart and answer the same way He answered the original writers.
But do not pray these prayers until you have first prayed to God in repentance of sin for salvation. If He is not your Father, that is where you must begin. You see, we are God’s enemies from birth, prone to follow our own will and reject His. But God loved us so much that He sent His only begotten Son to become sin for us, that we could become righteous before Him. We accept the righteousness of Christ by faith. This is the only way to please a holy God. This is where the relationship begins. If you have not accepted the gift of salvation, then the first prayer you need to pray is the one asking God to forgive you of your sins. I will not provide you with that prayer, because that is between you and God alone. No man can put those words in your mouth. But I will share the message briefly with you here, and if you need more, I will gladly talk with you further if you will contact me. God’s plan of salvation is demonstrated in both the Old and New Testaments because it is the message of the entire Bible to the entire world.
Joel 2:32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD has said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.
Acts 2:21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
If you have called on the name of the Lord to save you, I would like to know so we can rejoice together. The angels in heaven are already rejoicing.
Photo taken in Milton, FL, 2018
The Abundant Heart 