Day 27: 31 Days of Prayer

Day 27: 31 Days of Prayer

Verse:

O God, arrogant men have risen up against me, and a band of proud men seeks to take my life, and they do not regard You. But You, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in love and faithfulness. Turn to me and have mercy on me; give Your strength to Your servant, and save the son of Your maidservant! Show me a sign of Your goodness, so that those who hate me may see it and be put to shame, because You, O LORD, have helped and comforted me. (Psalm 86:14-17 - TB)

Reflection:

Verse 14. Perhaps you are not under attack (or perhaps you are in a very dangerous situation), but there are so many people around us who every day do not honor God. We are automatically set apart from the majority of the world when we confess that Jesus is the Messiah and that God is the Creator. Those who do not honor Him are the ones we must reach and find. Verse 15. The Lord is compassionate and gracious. This is something I have learned as many as seven times this week. As I wrote a few days ago, layers of my heart were peeled back again this week, opening parts of me that made me more aware and more eager to be transformed into Christlikeness. Because of God's character, I become calm and peaceful like Him. This is not a burden, but rather a joy and a privilege, an opportunity Verse 16. This verse means so much. My mother (and also my father) both served God before I did. There is so much that could be said about this, more than I can share right now. God's goodness is so extraordinary, and His strength has no equal. I believe God shows His strength to us through the way He loves and forgives us. In some ways, using strength is easier than forgiving the wrongs others have done to us. Countless times I have personally sinned against God, yet He always forgives me, because He is great and wonderful, and He is good and perfect. Verse 17. When praying this prayer, we often wait until the “perfect sign” is shown to us. Yet God has answered our prayer in His own way. God's goodness has been shown to us since long ago, since before we were born and before the world was created. The signs of His goodness are all around us, in the trees, the sea, the air, the grass, and the universe. What we need to do is look through the lens of creation, and we can see the endless signs of the Almighty. His creation brings us comfort. We only need to have the right perspective.

Challenge:

This is the last day of Psalm 86 in 31 Days of Prayer (Praying for 31 days). Go back to the last 4 days if you have just joined. Pray through all of it, focusing on the parts that transform your personal perspective. Let David's perspective become yours. Pay attention to the way David approaches God intimately and emotionally. From now on, decide to pray in a way that can open your heart to God so that He can change you from within.

Translated from the article “31 Days of Prayer: Day 27” by Daniel Berk