Jump Start # 412 

Psalm 72:1 “My voice rises to God, and I will cry aloud; my voice rises to God, and He will hear me.”

  There is an old hymn that is called “Sweet hour of prayer.” Prayer is a wonderful privilege for the people of God. God wants us to seek Him and to talk to Him. Jesus said to “go into the closet” to pray.

  Our passage today, a Psalm from Asaph, is a cry to God when things seem the darkest. He would say later in this chapter, “I am so troubled that I cannot speak” (4). The writer is dealing with the silence of God. He prays for God’s actions but wonders why things remain. He even asks, “Has His promise come to an end forever? (8)

  Most of us can experience what was going through the mind and heart of Asaph. These are the prayers offered in the hospital late at night. We pray and must wait. God is good and will answer, but it is always “in His time.”

  The subject of prayer is a powerful and great study. There are many prayers recorded in our Bible. Our passage today, is just one example. Some pray only when there is trouble. Some pray only when they need something. Some pray very shallow thoughts, saying about the same thing every time. I know that because that has been me. Prayer is more than all of those things. It is conversation with God.

  Do you remember that scene from the Wizard of Oz, when Dorothy and her three companions finally make it to the Emerald City and they approach the “great and mighty Oz.” Fire and smoke come from him and the fall in fear of the image. That’s not prayer. That’s not what God wants. That’s not the image we should have of God. Yes, He is powerful. Yes, He is mighty. But through Jesus, and because of Jesus, He is our Father.

  Prayer is talking with God. It is putting your day before Him. Just you and God talking. He’s interested in your life. He knows your heart. He knows your struggles. He wants you to open up to Him, to be honest, to be transparent. There is nothing you can say that will surprise Him. There’s nothing about you He doesn’t already know. All relationships need conversation. The more we pray, the closer we become to God.

  Here is a few things to think about:

• Pray for open doors to talk to others about Jesus, especially as you meet people.
• Pray for the spiritual wellbeing of your children
• As the preacher begins his sermon, pray that it may help you and better you
• As you read the newspaper, and you read of turmoil or tragedies, say a pray for those families. The same works with watching the news.

  My voice rises to God—what a great statement and theme of life.

Roger