Tag: Praying Beyond Your Feelngs (Psalms 21-23)

Psalms 21:1-2

O Lord, in your strength the king rejoices,

and in your salvation how greatly he exults!

You have given him his heart's desire

and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah

Tag:  The Times God “Feels” Present

Before we dive into the beauty of these two verses, read the first two from the next chapter of Psalms ... another Psalm of David:

Psalms 22:1-2

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?

O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,

and by night, but I find no rest.

Both these prayer-songs are offered up to the same God by the same person.  However, they are obviously offered at different times in David’s life.   We can see that at one point (Psalm 21) David “feels” that God is close and right there for him.  However, at another time (Psalm 22) David “feels” as though God has abandoned him.   This is why we don’t pray to God based upon “feelings” or judge God hearing our prayers by “circumstances.”   God is in both parts of David’s life.   These “songs” are used to worship the same God.  However, we have times in our life that we tend to “feel” as though God is not there and that He, along with others, has abandoned us.   Regretfully we do not know when each of these prayer-songs were offered up to God.  We only know that as the author of them, David had to extremely different “feelings” in his life about God.   Never-the-less, we see that God is there, despite David’s “feelings.”  In Psalm 22 he will, later in the song, acknowledge this.  It is one thing to “feel” that way and allow circumstances to dictate your emotions.  But, it is another to allow them to steal the truth.  Notice where David eventually goes with these false feelings that God is not there:

Psalms 22:23-24

You who fear the Lord, praise him!

All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him,

and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!

For he has not despised or abhorred

the affliction of the afflicted,

and he has not hidden his face from him,

but has heard, when he cried to him.

Despite his emotions, David returns to the truth He knows that transcends circumstances and situations:  God is there, listens, and, eventually, delivers.   That is formula for avoiding your “feelings” in prayer.   The truth is, God is there.  He listens to His children and delivers them.