PRAY

CONFIDENTLY

Confident in God’s Character Psalm 86:1-5 Bow down thine ear, O Lord, hear me: for I am poor and needy. Preserve my soul; for I am holy; O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee. Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily. For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.	REVIEW In all the parts of prayer the soul must ascend upon the wings of faith and holy desire. When God hears our prayers it is admirable condescension in God that he is pleased to take notice of such mean creatures as we are and such defective prayers as ours are. All those whom God will save he preserves, and will preserve them to his heavenly kingdom. He begs that God would look upon him with an eye of pity and compassion. He begs that God would fill him with inward comfort. It is the duty of those who are God’s servants to serve him with gladness, so it is their privilege to be filled with joy and peace in believing, and in faith to pray. Prayer is the nurse of spiritual joy.
Confident in God’s Response Psalm 86:6-10 Give ear, O Lord, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications. In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me. Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works. All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name. For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone.	REVIEW He pleads his relation to God. He pleads his distress. He pleads God’s goodwill towards all that seek him. He will commit his case unto God, for He will hear and answer. David gives glory to God. None is so mighty and good. Neither are there any woks like unto thy works, which is an undeniable proof that there is none like him. Thou hast made all nations, made them all of one blood; they all derive their being from thee, and have a constant dependence on thee, and therefore they shall come and worship before thee and glorify thy name. Therefore all nations shall worship before thee, because as King of nations thou art great, thy sovereignty absolute, and, for the proof of this, thou doest wondrous things, thou art God alone, not only none like thee, but none besides thee.
Confident in God’s Ways Psalm 86:11-13 Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name. I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore. For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.	REVIEW For the operations of God’s grace in him, v.11, “Teach me thy way, O Lord! The way that thou hast appointed me to walk in; when I am in doubt concerning it, make it plain to me what I should do; let me hear the voice saying, “This is the way.” It is the way of truth that God teaches and that we must choose and walk in the way. Christ is the way and the truth, and we must both learn Christ and walk in him. Unite my heart to fear thy name. Make me sincere in religion. It is some satisfaction to a good man to think that others shall praise and glorify God, but it is his greatest care and pleasure to do it himself. I will praise thee, O Lord my God! I will praise as long as I live, and hope to be doing it to eternity. For good reason des he resolves to be thus praising God: For great is thy mercy towards me. Thou hast delivered my soul form the lowest hell. He prays earnestly for mercy and grace from God. APPLY Focus our prayers on God. Pray boldly and with assurance. Prayer is a source of joy and power. The better we know God, the more boldly we can approach Him in prayer. To know God intimately, we regularly must spend personal, quality time with Him. Determine when and where you can fellowship with God each day. Then do it! Repent daily of sin. Admit it. Quit it.