Hear, O LORD

Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice! Have mercy also upon me, and answer me. 

Psalm 27:7 

Prayer is the life-breath of the child of God. It rests upon the foundation of faith. We pray because we believe. If we did not believe, we would not pray. David was a man of faith. The psalms he wrote indicate that he believed and also that he prayed. Many of the psalms serve as patterns for our own petitions. Having spent the first half of this psalm in exaltation and adoration, David moves on to petitions. The rest of this psalm details exactly what he desires from God to meet his current needs. We can learn much from David’s approach which will help us as we go to prayer. We have seen that he has begun with adoration and the exaltation of God. We have seen him make much of Christ. These are useful for us to observe and practice in order that we pray with the knowledge of who God is ever before us. As we make much of Christ in prayer it reminds us of the foundation of our acceptance with God. Because Christ is our Redeemer, High Priest, and perpetual Intercessor, we can cry out, ‘Hear, O LORD.’ David cried out in faith from the sure foundation of Christ. We cry out from that same sure foundation. Our merits are nil and give us no standing. Christ’s merits are plentiful. Because of imputed righteousness we can say, ‘Hear, O LORD.’ 

Our Great and Gracious God, 
we rejoice that You want us to pray. 
We praise You that when we do, 
You delight to answer. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning