HH, Sir Godfrey Gregg D.Div
1. Be Joyful
During his time on the run, David constantly appealed to God for his safety. One example is at the beginning of Psalm 16. Preserve me, David asked. Even though his immediate situation didn’t look good, David was still able to be joyful. “My heart and soul explode with joy—full of glory! Even my body will rest confident and secure.” (Psalm 16:9)
David focused on his future with God. “The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.” (Psalm 16:5, NIV)
Are you feeling downhearted? As you persist in prayer, shift your focus to remembering how good God has been to you, and how He protects you each day and gives you a future with Him. Let this understanding bring joy to your soul and rest for your mind and body.
2. Trust God’s Timing
David depended on God’s plan for his life. Mingled in with his persistent cries to God for help is a trust in God’s timing. “But I trust in you, Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in your hands.” (Psalm 31:14-15, NIV)
God knows the best time to answer our prayers and, as hard as it is, we must be willing to not only wait but to follow Jesus’ example: “Yet not what I will, but what you will.” (Mark 14:36, NIV)
It’s not easy to submit to God’s will, but just as Jesus had an angel come and strengthen him, we have the Holy Spirit who gives us strength.
3. Remain Hopeful
In Psalm 3, David is fighting for his life once again. This time Absalom is in revolt against him and David’s position as king looks fragile. “Listen,” David prays to God, “to how they whisper their slander against me saying: ‘Look! He’s hopeless! Even God can’t save him from this!’” (Psalm 3:2)
David realized that on the surface his situation looks irredeemable, but he draws hope from what he knows about God. “But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.” (Psalm 3:3, ESV)
When your persistent prayers look pointless when those around you lack the belief that God will come through for you, draw on the hope you have in God. Your head might be down, but God can restore your confidence.
4. Give Praise
David knew that words of praise by even the most helpless could be used by God as a stronghold. In
Psalm 8:2, David proclaimed, “Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.”
If you are feeling small and helpless as you pray, give God praise. Like David in Psalm 8, marvel at who God is, what He has created and how much He cares for you. God can use your praises as a stronghold because God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the mighty things. (1 Corinthians 1:27)
5. Have Confidence
David had confidence God would not only hear his prayers but his constant and continual cries would receive an answer. “Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice.” (Psalm 55:17, NIV)
To those who are reading, David instructs, “So here’s what I’ve learned through it all: Leave all your cares and anxieties at the feet of the Lord, and measureless grace will strengthen you.” (Psalm 55:22, TPT)
If David was reassured that God would answer his prayers, then you and I can be confident too. Why? Because God never changes.
Have all my prayers been answered? No. But, more importantly, in my cries and my groanings, I have found peace and a deep desire to follow God’s leading in my life. My prayer is that you will, too.
THE MYSTICAL COURT 