Month: October 2021

The Old Testament book of Psalms is important to Christians because of the many prayers to God it contains. The remaining psalms (hymns) are primarily for the Jewish people because Christians have created their own hymnals to sing their praises to God. The book of Psalms is one of the largest books in the Bible and almost a third of these psalms are actually prayers to God from Moses, David and many other men of God. These prayers to God serve as an example for believers to follow in their own prayer lives. The prayers in Psalms are also useful for study because they show how God deals with the problems of his people in ancient times which proves God will do the same for us in our time. We must always pay close attention to whatever actions God has taken, what God says, and what God does in the life of his saints.

Psalm 4:1 – Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress; have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.

In my last blog I identified the five types of prayers I find in the Bible; namely prayers of thanksgiving, confession, asking for help, requesting protection and rejoicing in the Lord. In this blog I want to delve more into the mechanics of the first four types of prayers since almost all our prayers to God will fall into one of these four categories (prayers of rejoicing are rare). God made us all different and we all have to be who we are in this world. Prayers aren’t meant to be cookie-cutter but you can still use similar structures as long as they’re in agreement with God’s Word. Some people are extroverts and gregarious by nature. Their prayers will be different from mine because I’m basically a shy person who is also an introvert. Praying to God has always been hard for me, especially in a public setting. Am I addressing God in the right way? Am I saying the right things? Is God hearing me? Will God answer me? As long as you’re talking to God from your heart the style is less important than the message. It’s the content of your prayers that matter to God.

Psalm 6:9 – The Lord has heard my supplication; the Lord will receive my prayer.

I didn’t always have the confidence in God I should have had because I didn’t really know God all that well and that was totally my fault. Just because you know God is real and you’ve accepted his grace unto salvation doesn’t mean you really know God or how to pray in such a way that God will hear your prayers and answer them. God could choose to answer your prayers, or he might not; but the chances are God will turn a deaf ear to your prayers if you only come to him when you need him; if you haven’t beforehand established fellowship with God through daily Bible reading and prayer.

Proverbs 28:9 – One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.

Read Proverbs 28:9 above several times out loud; soaking in the meaning of each word in the verse. God’s Word, our Holy Bible, is God’s law. If you are turning away your ear from God’s law it means you’re not daily hearing the faith-filled words of the Bible in a worship service, Bible study or personal recitation of Bible verses. Indirectly the above verse also refers to you not reading your Bible daily for knowledge, understanding and wisdom. In Proverbs 28:9 God is referring to nonbelievers. God is always ready to hear from believers, even when they are out of fellowship with God. The use of the word “even” in this verse is key to understanding that nonbelievers are also an abomination to God along with any prayers they send to God. It’s critical for man not to be an abomination in the sight of God and that’s exactly what man is if they don’t accept the grace of God unto salvation through faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Hebrews 11:6 – But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

God established the system of two-way communication between himself and his creation (us). God speaks to us through the pages of the Bible and we talk to God in prayer. That’s the way it’s supposed to work. That’s the way it must work if we want to really know God and have a personal relationship with him. If we don’t hold up our end of the bargain by praying and studying God’s Word so that we know God personally and are able to know and obey God’s commandments for our lives we are not communicating with God as he intended. We are not in fellowship with God and are therefore sinning against our creator. I’ve said before a good mantra to live by is love what God loves and hate what God hates. We can’t go wrong that way. When God hates something a lot he calls it an abomination.

James 4:2 – Yet you do not have because you do not ask.

When we pray to God as nonbelievers we’re mocking the Lord because we don’t believe God exists and we don’t expect an answer to our prayers. When nonbelievers pray it’s just for show. The prayers of nonbelievers are an abomination to the Lord. Don’t pray to God and ask for his help if you don’t serve him. Don’t call on God for help if you’re a stranger to him. Nonbelievers don’t fear the Lord enough to believe that he is. Nonbelievers don’t know God’s Word and they don’t obey his commandments therefore God will turn his ear away from their prayers. Their prayers will fall on deaf ears. The prayers of believers will also not be answered if they are not in fellowship with the Lord through Bible study and prayer. The noted theologian Karl Barth said it best when he said, “Prayer without study would be empty. Study without prayer would be blind.” When you study God’s Word you realize just how critical prayer is. Bible study and prayer are two sides of the same coin. You must have both Bible study and prayer to effectively communicate with God because one without the other is useless.

James 5:16 – The effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

A good way of praying to God effectively is praying using God’s own words. God’s creative power is in his faith-filled words and as we speak God’s words in our prayers we harness God’s creative power in our own lives. We confirm and claim the promised blessings of God contained in the Bible. The spiritual world is controlled by God speaking his word. The physical world is also controlled by God’s Word. The difference is God is allowing us to also have control over the physical world with him by speaking God’s Word in faith because we are royalty in heaven and children of the Most High God. You can also learn more about praying Scripture at www.prayingscriptures.com and www.prayscripture.org.

Philippians 4:6 – Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.

Long ago I read a book from retired pastor and author Charles Capps titled, “The tongue – A Creative Force.” This little paperback is forty five years old and you can only buy it now on Ebay. It’s a classic. In this book pastor Capps expounds on the effective use of Scripture in prayers. Pastor Capps lists a series of prayers; verbal affirmations taken straight from the Bible that we as believers can claim with our faith-filled spoken words in prayer. Pastor Capps has broken these prayers into four categories; comfort and strength, wisdom and guidance, worry and fear and material needs. These four categories will generally fit into one of the four types of prayers I’ve listed in this blog. Since I’ve already recommended four primary prayer times (morning, noon, evening and night), I think it’s a good idea to recite a different set of these verbal Bible affirmations during each prayer session so you capture all the blessings that God has to offer.

Psalm 5:3 – My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; I will direct it up to You, and I will look up.

Praying Scripture using spoken Bible affirmations is a good way to start improving your prayer life. You’re safe using Scripture because the Bible is the truth of God and you can never go wrong speaking truth. When you pray Scripture you’re aligning yourself with the promises of God. By agreeing with God you’re accepting the promised blessings of God in your life. You can pray using straight Scripture or you can pray Scripture in combination with your own prayers from the heart. Once you’ve become a seasoned prayer warrior you may find you can dispense with praying Scriptures altogether. Your prayers to God will evolve over time to fit your personality so that your conversations with God become original, unique, and pleasing to God.

Colossians 4:2 – Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving.

Now if you have a critical problem that needs addressing you can choose to use all four prayer times in that one area of need, such as if you need God to help you financially (material needs). God always answers the prayers of his saints. Praying one time probably won’t do it. The key is to keep praying out loud repeatedly in faith and don’t stop until you receive an answer from God. Remember that God’s timetable for responding won’t be the same as ours so don’t lose faith. You might have to pray for years before God answers you. The secret of the Christian faith is to continually pray using the words God said. I keep these prayers of Bible affirmations on 4″ X 6″ index cards so I can use them easily in prayer. I admit I don’t use them as often as I should. Here they are:

1. Worry and fear:

“No weapon formed against me shall prosper, for my righteousness is of the Lord. But whatever I do will prosper for I’m like a tree that’s planted by the rivers of water.” Ps 1:3

“No evil will befall me neither shall any plague come nigh my dwelling. For You have given Your angels charge over me and they keep me in all my ways, and in my pathway is life and there is no death.” Prov 12:28

“I am a doer of the Word of God and am blessed in my deeds. I am happy in those things which I do because I am a doer of the Word of God.” Jas 1:22

“Christ has redeemed me from the curse of the law. Therefore, I forbid any sickness or disease to come upon this body. Every disease germ and every virus that touches this body dies instantly in the name of Jesus. Every organ and every tissue of this body functions in the perfection to which God created it to function, and I forbid any malfunction in this body, in the name of Jesus.” Rom 8:11

“Great is the peace of my children, for they are taught of the Lord.” Isa 54:13

“The devil flees from me because I resist him in the name of Jesus.” Jas 4:7

“I am the body of Christ and Satan has no power over me. For I overcome evil with good.” 1 Cor 12:27

“I am of God and have overcome him (Satan). For greater is He that is in me, than he that is in the world.” 1 Jn 4:4

“I will fear no evil for thou art with me Lord, your word and Your Spirit they comfort me.” Ps 23:4

“I am far from oppression, and fear does not come nigh me.” Isa 54:14

“I am delivered from the evils of this present world for it is the will of God.” Gal 1:4

“I take the shield of faith and I quench every fiery dart that the wicked one brings against me.” Eph 6:16

“I am an overcomer and I overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of my testimony.” Rev 12:11

“The Word of God is forever settled in heaven. Therefore, I establish His word upon this earth.” Ps 119:89

2. Material needs:

“I delight myself in the Lord and He gives me the desires of my heart.” Ps 37:4

“I have given and it is given unto me good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, men given unto my bosom.” Lk 6:38

“There is no lack for my God supplies all of my need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Phil 4:19

“And I, having received the gift of righteousness do reign as a king in life by Jesus Christ.” Rom 5:17

“With what measure I mete, it is measured unto me. I sow bountifully, therefore I reap bountifully. I give cheerfully, and my God has made all grace abound toward me and I having all sufficiency of all things do abound to all good works.” 2 Cor 9:6-8

“The Lord is my shepherd and I do not want because Jesus was made poor, that I through His poverty might have abundance. For He came that I might have life and have it more abundantly.” Ps 23:1

“The Lord has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant, and Abraham’s blessings are mine.” Ps 35:27

“Christ has redeemed me from the curse of the law. Christ has redeemed me from poverty. Christ has redeemed me from sickness. Christ has redeemed me from spiritual death.” Gal 3:13

“For poverty He has given me wealth, for sickness He has given me health, for death He has given me eternal life.” 2 Cor 8:9

“It is true unto me according to the Word of God.” Ps 119:25

“I have put off the old man and have put on the new man, which is renewed in the knowledge after the image of Him that created me.” Col 3:10

3. Wisdom and guidance:

“I trust in the Lord with all of my heart, and I lean not unto my own understanding.” Prov 3:5

“In all my ways I acknowledge Him and He directs my path.” Prov 3:6

“The Word of God is a lamp unto my feet, it is a light unto my path.” Ps 119:105

“The Lord will perfect that which concerns me.” Ps 138:8

“I am filled with the knowledge of the Lord’s will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.” Col 1:9

“I am a new creation in Christ, I am His workmanship created in Christ Jesus. Therefore, I have the mind of Christ and the wisdom of God is formed within me.” 2 Cor 5:17

“I let the Word of God dwell in me rightly in all wisdom.” Col 3:16

“The Spirit of truth abides in me and teaches me all things, and He guides me into all truths. Therefore, I confess I have perfect knowledge of every situation and every circumstance that I come up against. For I have the wisdom of God.” Jas 1:5

“I do follow the good shepherd and I know His voice and the voice of a stranger I will not follow.” Jn 10:4-5

“I have put off the old man and have put on the new man, which is renewed in the knowledge after the image of Him that created me.” Col 3:10

“Jesus is made unto me wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Therefore, I confess I have the wisdom of God, and I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.” 1 Cor 1:30

“I receive the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of my understanding being enlightened. And I am not conformed to this world but I am transformed by the renewing of my mind. My mind is renewed by the Word of God.” Rom 12:2

4. Comfort and strength:

“Jesus gave me the authority to use His name. And that which I bind on earth is bound in heaven. And that which I loose on earth is loosed in heaven. Therefore in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I bind the principalities, the powers, the rulers of the darkness of this world. I bind and cast down spiritual wickedness in high places and render them harmless and ineffective against me in the name of Jesus.” Matt 16:19

“I am a believer and these signs do follow me. In the name of Jesus I cast out demons, I speak with new tongues, I lay hands on the sick and they do recover.” Mk 16:17-18

“I let the peace of God rule my heart and I refuse to worry about anything.” Col 3:15

“I speak the truth of the Word of God in love and I grow up into the Lord Jesus Christ in all things.” Eph 4:15

“I am complete in Him who is the head of all principality and power. For I am his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God has before ordained that I should walk therein.” Eph 2:10

“I am increasing in the knowledge of God. I am strengthened with all might according to His glorious power.” Col 1:10-11

“I am delivered from the power of darkness and I am translated into the kingdom of His dear Son.” Col 1:13

“I am born of God and I have world overcoming faith residing on the inside of me. For greater is He that is in me, than he that is in the world.” 1 Jn 4:4

“I will do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Phil 4:13

“I let no corrupt communication proceed out of my mouth, but that which is good to edifying, that it may minister grace to the hearer. I grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby I’m sealed unto the day of redemption.” Eph 4:29-30

“God is on my side. God is in me now, who can be against me? He has given unto me all things that pertain unto life and godliness. Therefore, I am a partaker of His divine nature.” 2 Cor 6:16

“No man shall take me out of His hand for I have eternal life.” Jn 10:29

“The peace of God which passes all understanding keeps my heart and my mind through Jesus Christ. And all things which are good, and pure, and perfect, and lovely, and of good report, I think on these things.” Phil 4:7-8

“The joy of the Lord is my strength. The Lord is the strength of my life.” Ps 27:1

“I will not let the Word of God depart from before my eyes for it is life to me for I have found it and it is health and healing to all my flesh.” Prov 4:21-22

“I’m the body of Christ, I am redeemed from the curse, and I forbid any sickness or disease to operate in this body. Every organ, every tissue will function properly, for greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world.” Gal 3:13

“I am delivered from the power of darkness and I am translated into the kingdom of His dear Son.”

Your closeness to God (fellowship) will be in direct proportion to the amount of time you put into it. It’s no secret that if you want to please God you must read and study the Bible so that you gain knowledge, understanding and wisdom. To please God you also must intentionally seek him out to know all you can about God. The Bible is the primary revelation of God. In order to please God you must talk to him in prayer. Remember I said earlier that God talks to us through his word and we talk to God through prayer. It’s called two-way communication. We must talk with God regularly in order to achieve the closeness with God that we all desire. It’s up to us to initiate the communication that leads to true fellowship with God because God is always ready to hear from us.

Deuteronomy 7:9 – Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments.

Deuteronomy 33:27 – The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.

Hebrews 11:6 – But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

God is on his throne in heaven patiently waiting and hoping to hear from us, his beloved children. God has taken the first step by revealing himself in his word and telling us how to contact the Lord. Now we must act. We’ll never truly know how much God loves us until we get to heaven and every single person in heaven will regret they didn’t talk to God more while they here on earth. One other thing I’ve noticed about God is he loves a believer who comes to him with a contrite and humble heart. A prideful person is an abomination to the Lord. Human beings tend to love themselves and be full of pride. We must all fight against our prideful nature by focusing on the goodness and greatness of God instead of ourselves. It’s all a matter of perspective and attitude. Get your head on straight before going before the Lord in prayer; remember where you are; and don’t forget your audience is before your King and creator of the universe.

1 Timothy 2:8 – I desire therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.

James 1:5 – If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

James 5:16 – The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

I personally need to be more disciplined in my reading of God’s Word. I think we all do. It’s the rare Christian that has the discipline and willpower to read and study God’s Word daily the way it should be done. We know how, we just don’t have the wherewithal to make it happen. Prayer is a different animal. While we still don’t have the discipline to achieve an active prayer life, the main problem there is most of us don’t know how to pray effectively to God. Most of us pray to God briefly at bedtime and call it good; me included. I pray to God at other times too but it’s sporadic and usually also brief. We should at least be praying lengthy prayers to God four times a day; in the morning, at noon, in the evening and at bedtime. Not to mention brief prayers with God at other times during the day. Everyone is in such a hurry these days that few people take the quality time needed to speak to the Lord in prayer. I’m guilty of this too and I don’t have an excuse because I’m retired.

There are five types of prayers to God that I’ve identified from reading the Bible:

1. Prayers thanking God – Every day we should offer up our praise and worship of God in prayer for his love, mercy and grace unto salvation through faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. God made us all and we have our being by the power of God’s hand. God watches over his own and he numbers the believer’s steps. During prayer we should acknowledge our trust in the Lord and thank him for all the blessings in our life.

Psalm 34:1 – I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

Psalm 105:1 – Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples!

Psalm 106:1 – Praise the Lord! Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.

Psalm 112:1 – Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who delights greatly in His commandments.

Hebrews 13:15 – Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.

2. Prayers of confession – Believers still have a sin nature and we sin every day. We can’t help it. We may sin less than we used to but everyone still sins while they live on this earth. That’s why each of us needs to confess those sins to God daily and ask for his forgiveness. We’re in luck, because in the Bible God has promised us that when we confess our sins before him they will be forgiven. Our eternal life in heaven is secure once we’re saved but the quicker we off-load our accumulated sins to God the better. There is no sin so grievous that it can’t be covered by God’s grace. In the Bible God says he’ll forgive our sins if we ask him. If you’ll notice, God didn’t put any limits, exemptions or qualifiers on which sins he would forgive. God meant all sins. God is our King and master of the universe and whatever he decides to do will stand. With God nothing is impossible. If God forgives you are forgiven indeed!

1 John 1:9 – If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Psalm 34:15 – The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ear open to their cry.

James 5:16 – The effective and fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

3. Prayers for help – Most of the prayers to God from his saints are because they want something from God. The Bible tells us repeatedly to come to God for help with whatever our needs are and God will give to us generously. God is not a blank check or slot machine but God gives us what we need. God will always give us the guidance, instruction and understanding we need to prosper if we ask him.

Philippians 4:6 – Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.

Colossians 4:2 – Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving.

James 4:2 – Yet you do not have because you do not ask.

4. Prayers for protection – Satan and his demons are more powerful than we are and they are intent on our destruction. God is our refuge. Only God can protect us from evil and he has promised to do so in many verses of the Bible. We need to claim that promise from God through daily prayer and Bible reading and put ourselves under the protective hand of Almighty God. We also need to pray to God for protection against evil men and any other harmful thing.

Psalm 50:15 – Call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.

Hebrews 4:16 – Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

James 5:15 – And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

5. Prayers of rejoicing – Prayers made to God simply to declare and rejoice in the goodness of God are rare as hen’s teeth today, especially for Christians. During their worship of God the Israelites expressed their joy and awe of God’s love through their many psalms and prayers of rejoicing. It wouldn’t hurt if we now and then worshipped God with prayers of rejoicing when we feel specially blessed by the Lord. Your children are a gift from God. Did you send God a prayer of rejoicing when your children were born safe and sound? Me neither, and looking back I should have. At the time I didn’t know I could have or should have, but now I do and you do too. All grandparents should also send prayers of rejoicing to God for their grandchildren. The Bible says the glory of an old man is his children’s children.

Romans 12:12 – Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer.

Philippians 4:4 – Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say, rejoice!

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 – Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

In the Bible there are many Godly men whom God loved; Abraham, Peter, John and Paul to name a few. However, there is only one person in all the Bible that God identified as, “a man after my own heart”, and that is King David. Why is that? I believe a humble man is a man after God’s own heart. In the Old Testament the two men closest to God were David and Moses. God called them his friends. Why is that? Both men were noted in the Bible to be humble men before their God. Their humility allowed them to see the majesty of God so they obeyed God without reservation and sought his mercy early when they sinned before God. We know that David developed a close relationship with God as a youth which continued until the day he died as a very old man.

1 John 3:22 – And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.

All his life David obeyed the Lord in all he did, with the two exceptions being his sin with Bathsheba and when he ordered the census of Israel. When David did sin before God he humbled himself immediately and asked for mercy, which God granted. David was a man of passion and he showed that emotion in his prayers to God. David was a humble man with a passion and love for the Lord who sincerely sought God’s mercy when he sinned. To me David’s prayers to God are masterpieces of literature; like Psalm 51 where David is asking for mercy from God after he sinned with Bathsheba. All believers are familiar with David’s 23rd Psalm, the best known verses in the entire Bible.

Mark 11:24 – (Jesus speaking) – Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask for when you pray, believing that you receive them, and you will have them.

James 4:2 – Yet you do not have because you do not ask.

James 4:8 – Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands , you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Of all the godly men in the Bible, King David gave us the best prayers to God because they were heartfelt and full of emotion as he humbled himself before Almighty God. The book of Psalms contains many of David’s prayers to God and I especially like Psalm 86, which I think believers can adopt and repeat in their own prayer life to receive similar blessings from God that King David received when he prayed that psalm to God. All you have to do is believe you will receive what you ask for and then keep praying for it, even if it takes twenty years. Always pray for the things God tells you to pray for like strength, wisdom, laborers for God’s harvest field, the peace of God, others and, of course, Jerusalem.

Ephesians 6:18 – Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.

If you consciously pray for things that are also consistent with God’s will for your life you can rest assured your prayers will be answered to your satisfaction. We know King David came from humble beginnings as a shepherd. We know in the Old Testament times that only a select few men were ever indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and then only for a limited time. Before Jesus’ time I know of only two men from the Bible who were indwelt by the Holy Spirit their whole lives; that being King David and John the Baptist. The Holy Spirit helps us with our prayers which might explain why King David was so eloquent in prayer. All believers after the ascension of Christ and Pentecost are indwelt by the Holy Spirit while they live. We can pray for the Holy Spirit to help us with our prayers to God so they are more effective. We do not have God’s help because we do not ask for it. Let’s look at Psalm 86, which is wonderful prayer to God from King David.

Psalm 86:1-5 – Bow down Your ear, O Lord, hear me; for I am poor and needy. Preserve my life, for I am holy; You are my God; be merciful to me, O Lord, for I cry to You all day long. Rejoice the soul of Your servant, for to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.

These first few verses of Psalm 86 tell me David knows and understands exactly who God is better than any other human being living in Old Testament times. David knows what God can do and what God is prepared to do for those who ask for his favor. David also knows believers are holy because we were made by God in his image. God is holy therefore we are holy. David understands God’s awesome power and God’s basic goodness and his desire to dispense mercy to his children.

Psalm 86:6-10 – Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications. In the day of my trouble I will call upon You, for You will answer me. Among the gods there is none like You, O Lord; nor are there any works like Your works. All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, and shall glorify Your name. For You are great, and do wondrous things; You alone are God.

David knows all the other pagan religions are fake and their gods are false gods without works. David knows God answers the prayers of believers. David knows all nations will kneel before God on the last Day and worship him. David was the King of Israel but also a prophet of God in his own right. All believers will know David forever because in the millennial kingdom ruled by Jesus Christ David will serve as the Lord’s deputy.

Psalm 86:11-15 – Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; untie my heart to fear Your name. I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and I will glorify Your name forevermore. For great is Your mercy toward me, and You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol. O God, the proud have risen against me, and a mob of violent men have sought my life, and have not set You before them. But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.

David obeys God’s statutes while offering praise, honor and glory to God. David knows God has saved his eternal soul from hell and he will now live in heaven with God forever. David lists some of the wonderful attributes of Almighty God.

Psalm 86:16-17 – Oh, 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 for good, that those who hate me may see it and be ashamed, because You, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.

David asks for God’s saving grace. David asks for comfort and strength from God. While David does ask things of God in Psalm 86, the thing that stands out to me is how many times David honors God with is lips by using God’s name; how many times David offers praise to God; and how many times David has words of worship to God. David tries to cover all the bases in his prayer to make sure God is glorified to the greatest extent possible. In Psalm 86 David gives us a great example to follow when praying to God. When any believer enters the spiritual world through prayer he winds up in the throne room of heaven before Almighty God. Every prayer to God must start with praise of God and recognition that a Sovereign God can fulfill that prayer if he so chooses. You never want to cut to the chase when you pray to God and bypass the prayer protocol of heaven if you expect to have those prayers answered. There’s nothing wrong with borrowing David’s Psalm 86 and reciting it as your own prayer to God as long as you believe it.

Romans 8:26 – Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

Part of our responsibility as believers is to obey God’s command to honor, praise, and worship him. God is not egotistical but he knows his worth. God knows he is worthy of our worship and he expects it as part of our reasonable service for what God has done for us. Worshipping God is the least we can do for the God who made us. Praising God is the least we can do for the God who has given us eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Honoring God is the least we can do for the God who has adopted us as his children and will show us many wonderful things in heaven and shower us with riches. God has done a wonderful thing for us which we don’t deserve. God has done a great thing out of his love for us. How can you not return that love to someone who loved you first? How can you not return that love to your father? We owe God everything we can give him for the love, mercy and grace he has shown toward us.

Psalm 34:1-2 – I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear of it and be glad.

Hebrews 13:15 – Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips.

Psalm 89:1 – I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever; with my mouth I will make known Your faithfulness to all generations.

Revelation 19:15 – Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations.

The problem is not one person in ten actually knows how to go about worshipping God properly. First we need to use a dictionary to define the “worship” terms used in the Bible:

Worship – showing deep respect and admiration
Praise – expression of respect and gratitude, especially toward God
Honor – showing great respect
Reverence – showing deep respect or admiration
Fear (biblical meaning) – showing awe, deep respect and reverence for God
Glorify – praise and worship of God

The word respect is included in the definition of every single word surrounding the worship of God. It’s impossible to worship someone you don’t respect and especially God. The word admiration is mentioned twice in the definitions and it’s alluded to in the other four definitions listed. Worshipping God simply means to show respect and admiration for God and the terms worship, praise, honor and revere are used interchangeably for the most part. These are all secular terms. We want to make sure these terms are understood when used in the biblical sense when referring to God so in the Bible we use the terms “fear” and “glorify” to make sure we understand these adjectives refer to Jehovah, the Most High God.

Genesis 1:3 – Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.

Psalms 63:5 – My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.

Psalm 109:30 – I will greatly praise the Lord with my mouth; yes, I will praise Him among the multitude.

Proverbs 18:7 – A fool’s mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul.

Notice the definitions of the worship terms contain action verbs meaning the person can’t just think this to themselves and call that worshipping God. They will have to take some outward action to show or prove they have these feelings toward God. If you keep these thoughts in your head God may give you some credit for it. I expect he will. But I do know if you verbalize you feelings for God by singing or speaking the words of worship to the world you’ll receive so much more credit from God because he is glorified even more when other people hear your praise of him and when other observers across the spiritual veil hear you worship God (i.e. angels and demons). I can find no Bible verses that confirm the effective worship of God can be achieved just by thinking good thoughts about God. On the other hand, there are numerous verses that say we are to praise and worship God with our lips.

Notice in all the examples I’ve provided that praise and worship of God proceeds from our lips; out of our mouth. God wants us to worship him with spoken words that we speak out of our mouth and that’s good enough for me. God gave us our voice for this reason. If you study the Bible you realize just how important the spoken word is to God. The host of heaven are singing the praises of God continually and we’ll be doing the same once we get there. God spoke his covenants into being and they will stand; God spoke the universe into existence and God’s word maintains it; we confess our sins with our words spoken to God and he forgives us; Jesus will defeat the evil forces at Armageddon with the spoken word.

Psalm 146:1-2 – Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! While I live I will praise the Lord; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

Psalm 145:21 – My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord, and all flesh shall bless His holy name forever and ever.

Matthew 15:11 – (Jesus speaking) – Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.

Romans 10:9 – That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

One thing I’ve learned during my study of the Bible is that we don’t always pray to God and worship him as effectively as we should. The Holy Spirit indwells all believers and he helps us by taking our ineffectual prayers to God the Father on our behalf. I’ve discovered that if you recite the parts of the Bible that praise God in your own worship of God you simply can’t go wrong because you’re including God’s own words as part of your prayers. How could God have a problem with that? I’ve found Psalm 71 to be the perfect way to praise, honor and worship God. I just verbally recite Psalm 71 as part of my worship prayers to God on a regular basis and I know I’m worshipping God as I should. You can also praise God in smaller bites by reciting just selected verses of Psalm 71 that you then supplement with your own comments.

Matthew 21:22 – (Jesus speaking) – And whatever things you ask for in prayer, believing, you will receive.

Psalm 55:16-17 – As for me, I will call upon God, and the Lord shall save me. Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice.

Psalm 32:5 – I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.

Psalm 5:2 – Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation. Give heed to the voice of my cry, my King and my God, for to You I will pray.

You can have the best of both worlds. You can praise and worship God using his own words while at the same time adding spontaneity and originality with your own prayers from the heart about your particular circumstances. That way each time you worship God it’s fresh new material that incorporates your life experiences and glorifies God. As you deepen your relationship with God he will reciprocate. You can have true fellowship with God but it must start with you. When you recite Psalm 71 regularly it helps you to identify exactly what it is you should be thankful for as you honor God with your lips. Reciting Psalm 71 also reminds you what areas you’re deficient in. When you repeat something over and over your mind starts to believe what you’re saying and then acts on that belief. A regular reading of Psalm 71 is just another way to keep your faith strong, your eyes on God and Satan at arms length. There is also nothing wrong with worshipping God with words totally from your heart.

Psalm 71:1-3 – In You, O Lord, I put my trust; let me never be put to shame. Deliver me in your righteousness, and cause me to escape; incline your ear to me and save me. be my strong refuge, to which I may resort continually; You have given the commandment to save me, for You are my rock and my fortress.

You worship God when you pray to him using your lips. When you trust the Lord for your salvation that is the ultimate praise to God. Believers who accept God’s grace escape the fires of hell and the shame of nonbelievers who have to stand before Jesus at the Great White Throne judgment and have their sins revealed for all to hear. It is God who calls you and saves you unto eternal life by his grace. Once God saves you are eternally his and under his protection.

Psalm 71:4-6 – Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man. For You are my hope, O Lord God; You are my trust from my youth. By You I have been upheld from birth; You are He who took me out of my mother’s womb. My praise shall be continually of You.

In these verses we acknowledge not only that God made us and knows every cell of our bodies, but also that God sustains us in our being during our lifetime. We are to praise God for our salvation (hope) and protection from all that is evil in the world.

Psalm 71:7-9 – I have become as a wonder to many, but You are my strong refuge. Let my mouth be filled with Your praise and with Your glory all the day. Do not cast me off in the time of old age; do not forsake me when my strength fails.

Let your works so shine before men that God is glorified and nonbelievers are attracted to the word of God. Continually praise God and he will never forsake you once you are his possession.

Psalm 71:10-13 – For my enemies speak against me; and those who lie in wait for my life take counsel together, saying, “God has forsaken him; pursue and take him, for there is none to deliver him.” O God, do not be far from me; O my God, make haste to help me! Let them be confounded and consumed who are adversaries of my life; let them be covered with reproach and dishonor who seek my hurt.

God is glorified when we pray for his protection and guidance in our lives.

Psalm 71:14-16 – But I will hope continually, and will praise You yet more and more. My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness and Your salvation all the day, for I do not know their limits. I will go in the strength of the Lord God; I will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only.

We are to witness for Christ by telling others about our salvation experience. We are to tell others of God’s love, mercy, and grace unto eternal life.

Psalm 71:17-20 – O God, You have taught me from my youth; and to this day I declare Your wondrous works. Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come. Also Your righteousness , O God, is very high, You who have done great things; O God, who is like You? You, who have shown me great and severe troubles. shall revive me again, and bring me up again from the depths of the earth.

As soon as we receive God’s salvation it’s our responsibility to turn around and witness for Christ to all who will listen. God confirms we will have tribulation in this life all the way to the grave but the promise of God is that he will resurrect us on the last day just as he did for Jesus after he was three days in the earth.

Psalm 71:21-24 – You shall increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side. Also with the lute I will praise You-and Your faithfulness, O my God! To You I will sing with the harp, O Holy One of Israel. My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing to You, and my soul, which You have redeemed. My tongue also shall talk of Your righteousness all the day long; for they are confounded, for they are brought to shame who seek my hurt.

We are to praise and worship God by speaking about and singing about what wonderful things God has done for us. God has saved us unto eternal life in heaven in the presence of God and we are to give our witness for Christ to all peoples and all nations while we live.

Psalm 37 (cont’d)

There aren’t multiple paths to heaven so don’t fall for that lie. The only way to heaven is through Jesus Christ our Lord. The one true God is Jehovah and that is his name. Satan has sponsored all the fake religions and false gods throughout history to confuse man and lead him away from the truth of God and he’s been very successful at it. All these fake religions have one thing in common; they have no proof to back them up. These fake religions will never allow their adherents to question the tenets of their faith or they would learn the truth. Instead fake religions punish anyone who gets out of line. On the other hand, the Christian God Jehovah has given us our Holy Bible that does prove God is who he says he is. God made the Bible two-thirds prophecy to prove he is God and the author of history. All religions are mutually exclusive because they all claim they are the one and only true religion. The truth is, only one religion can be true so which one has the proof to back up its claim? Only Christianity has an indisputable body of evidence to prove it’s the one true religion and Jehovah is the one true God.

John 14:6 – I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Jeremiah 29:11 – For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not evil, to give you a future and a hope.

1 Peter 5:8 – Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

1 Corinthians 1:18 – For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Galatians 6:7 – Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

The Bible contains over 1000 prophecies, over 500 of which have already been fulfilled and documented as fact. No prophecy has failed to come true in its proper time so we’re talking about a 100% prophecy success rate so far. We can have confidence that the other 500 prophecies in the Bible will also be fulfilled at their appointed times. Prophecy is nothing more than history written in advance and only the one true God of creation can give us prophecies and then see that they are all fulfilled. All the fake religions that have ever existed throughout human history don’t have a single fulfilled prophecy between them. How could they since they aren’t from God?

Ephesians 6:12 – For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

2 Corinthians 4:4 – Whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

1 John 5:19 – We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.

James 4:7 – Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Satan created his fake religions to compete with God for the souls of men. Since God has given us his word Satan also had to come up with holy books for his fake religions. The difference is Satan’s fake holy books try to mimic God but in reality they are filled with platitudes and mumbo-jumbo that sounds good but signifies nothing. The Holy Bible is a living thing but the holy books of all the fake religions are not only without a shred of proof, they are lifeless. The testimony of millions of Christians confirm the Bible is God’s Word and that it has changed their lives for the better. In the Bible Jehovah says to check him out and see that he is truth. You have everything to gain and nothing to lose.

1 John 3:8 – He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

Revelations 20:15 – And anyone not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Revelation 20:13 – The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judges, each according to his works.

Hebrews 10:31 – It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

So as we complete the second half of our study of Psalm 37 let’s keep in mind that every positive statement that God makes in the Bible will come true. God does not boast or brag. God always gives us the truth of any matter. God only needs to say something one time for it to come to pass yet God chooses to continually use repetition as a means to drive home the truth of God. When nonbelievers stand before Jesus at the Great White Throne judgment they have no excuse for not knowing the will of God and the punishment for disobedience. If someone tells Jesus they didn’t know what to do Jesus can simply ask them, “have you read Psalm 37?” If they say no Jesus can say “why not, I provided it to you”? If they say “yes” Jesus can say, “then why didn’t you obey me?” Either way, the nonbeliever is condemned and will spend eternity in the lake of fire.

Psalm 37:21-22 – The wicked borrows and does not repay, but the righteous shows mercy and gives. For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth, but those cursed by Him shall be cut off.

God has shown us mercy by forgiving our sins and giving generously to us when we ask him in prayer. As the righteous children of God we are to emulate God by loving mercy and doing good works. God repeats again here that believers will be blessed and will live in the millennial kingdom on earth for 1000 years and forever in heaven. God repeats the nonbeliever will wind up in hell for their sins.

Psalm 37:23-26 – The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand. I have been young, and now I am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging for bread.

God guides the believer who is in fellowship with God. God watches over the believer with delight and although God allows us to face hardship in order to purify our faith it is never more than we can bear. We are always safely in God’s hands. We just need to trust that God is watching over us and providing for us. It has never been proven otherwise.

Psalm 37:27-29 – Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell forevermore. For the Lord loves justice, and does not forsake His saints; they are preserved forever, but the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off. The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell in it forever.

God says three times in the verses above that believers live forever in his presence. When God says something more than once it’s important and we are to take notice. When God says the same thing three times in the span of three verses it’s like God screaming at the top of his lungs. God again declares for the umpteenth time that nonbelievers will die and go to hell (be cut off).

Psalm 30-33 – The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, and his tongue talks of justice. The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide. The wicked watches the righteous, and seeks to slay him. The Lord will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.

As long as the believer abides in God’s Word he is blessed by God and protected from harm. God assures the believer that he will not face the wrath of God at the judgment. Those who do evil will always seek to destroy the children of God but will not succeed.

Psalm 37:34-36 – Wait on the Lord, and keep His way, and He shall exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you shall see it. I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a native green tree. Yet he passed away, and behold, he was no more; indeed I sought him, but he could not be found.

All believers are to be obedient to God and watch for the second coming of Jesus Christ to the earth; when believers will inherit the earth during the millennial kingdom of God. We shall see nonbelievers go to the pit. In the last days evildoers will appear to flourish on the earth but it will only last a brief time before God removes them from the earth.

Psalm 37:37-38 – Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright; for the future of that man is peace. But the transgressors shall be destroyed together; the future of the wicked shall be cut off.

We should model the life of a true believer and obedient man of God. God again assures us the unrepentant sinner will die and be cast into hell for eternity. God keeps saying this over and over.

Psalm 37:39-40 – But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in the time of trouble. And the Lord shall help them and deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in Him.

God is not saying believers will not be persecuted and possibly suffer death at the hands of evil men. God is saying the believer’s eternal soul is in God’s hands and whatever happens to us physically on this earth our eternal future in heaven with God is secure so we’re not to worry about anything.

In the second half of Psalm 37 (verses 20-40) God continues to juxtapose the promised blessings of God for all believers versus the promised curses of God for nonbelievers who reject God’s grace. God uses this literary device often in the Bible, especially in the wisdom literature of Proverbs and Psalms. It’s a good way of clearly depicting the pros and cons of the decision we all must make. In the first half of Psalm 37 it was evenly split between sharing the blessings of God for believers and proclaiming the curses of God for the nonbeliever at eleven apiece. In my evaluation of the second half of Psalm 37 I see God starting to focus more on his promised blessings (nineteen) and less on his curses (six). You can only tell someone they’re going to hell so many times and in so many ways before the effectiveness of your message is lost. Focusing on rewards is always more effective than focusing on punishment.

Isaiah 1:18 – Come now and let us reason together, says the Lord, though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Psalm 34:8 – Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

2 Timothy 3:16-17 – All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Jeremiah 17:7 – Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord.

Choosing heaven over hell is a no-brainer once you weigh all the evidence and see the benefits of each choice. I find it amazing that the vast majority of the human race will take the path that leads them straight to hell when the evidence is clear that they shouldn’t go down that road. Some people will still reject God out of pride and arrogance even when they know the truth of God. It’s a testimony to the power of Satan and a warning to all believers to abide in Jesus Christ for protection. Satan truly is the god of this world and he will drag most of the human race with him to the pit. Don’t be one of them.

Psalm 86:13 – For great is Your mercy toward me, and You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol (hell).

The word of God is a living thing. Psalm 37 was written by an unnamed man of God over 2500 years ago as he was moved by the Holy Spirit and its message is just as relevant today as the day it was penned. The truth of God’s Word is everlasting. Psalm 37 is a very powerful and effective proclamation from God to all men, saint and sinner alike, of what is to come. Believers should read Psalm 37 often to keep their faith strong and vibrant (repetition is good!). I’m not a Bible scholar but I do consider myself to be a spiritually mature Christian and I’ve added my thoughts about each verse of Psalm 37. There are people who are more spiritually aware than I am but there are also many more who aren’t. The point is, no two people are at the same place on their walk with God so everyone’s perspective on the truth of God is important and adds value to the collective study of God’s Word. This blog site is all about sharing God’s Word to encourage others to also seek God.

Psalm 62:1-2 – Truly my soul silently waits for God; from Him comes my salvation; He is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved.

The repetition in Psalm 37 proves beyond any doubt that those who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior will live with God in heaven forever. What is also an undisputable fact is that everyone who rejects God’s saving grace will die in their sin and go straight to hell upon their death. On the last Day Jesus will have an angel cast all nonbelievers into the lake of fire for all eternity. God’s Word always comes true. The only thing in life we can all count on is the truth of God. God cannot lie. God is ever faithful. The truth of God’s Word has never been broken and never will be. You have my personal testimony and the testimonies of millions of other people are on record. The final decision whether to serve God or Satan is yours alone to make, and you must make it, or it will be made for you. Will you choose to join me in heaven to worship the Lord or will you join Satan and all his demons in hell?