March 27
“Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me,” Psalm 50:15.
Next in our series of devotions on the subject of prayer, we direct our attention to the question, “Why should we pray?” There are answers to this question in both the Old and the New Testament. Through the psalmist, the Lord says, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.” In the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened,” Matthew 7:7-8.
There are four reasons why we should pray. First, we have God’s invitation to pray: “Call upon Me.” “Ask, seek, and knock.” Secondly, we have God’s promise to hear and answer our prayers: “I will deliver you.” “It will be given to you.” “You will find.” “It will be opened to you.” Thirdly, we are invited to pray for our own needs and the needs of our fellowmen: “Trouble.” Fourthly, we should remember to thank God for hearing and answering our prayers: “You shall glorify Me.”
In fact, Psalm 50:15 is a summary of the whole subject of prayer. “Call” is God’s invitation to pray. “Upon Me” tells us to whom we should pray. “In the day of trouble” is one of the times when we should pray. “Trouble” points to the need for prayer. “I will deliver you” is God’s promise to hear and answer our prayers. “You shall glorify Me” tells us that we should not forget to thank God for hearing and answering our prayers.
As we meditate upon the words of the psalmist and the words of Jesus, we must be moved to pray regularly and faithfully.
Another question that arises is, “For what should we pray?” We have bodily and spiritual needs. We pray for God to bless us with the necessities of life, health and strength, and our material needs. Question: Can we pray for money or wealth? Many people would say, “No!” Actually, the answer is, “Yes!” We can ask God to bless our work and our efforts financially, so that we can provide for ourselves and our loved ones. However, when we pray for the material things, we pray conditionally. We ask God to give us the material things if it is His will, and we ask Him to give us the knowledge and ability to use them to His glory and our good.
When we pray for spiritual blessings, such as true repentance, the assurance of the forgiveness of sins, and a stronger faith in Jesus as our Savior, we do not tack on any type of condition. It is the Lord’s will to give us these blessings. Jesus said, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” Luke 11:13.
We pray: Lord, strengthen our faith to pray properly. Lord, strengthen our faith in Jesus as the Son of God and our only Savior from sin and all its consequences, and send us on our way with increased joy and hope for time and eternity. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.