Psalms – Prayers of Honesty
When we try to do all the right things, determined to watch our steps and our tongues carefully so we won’t cause trouble for anyone it might be more of a chore than we thought. When we see evil get the upper hand in people who put down others by making fun of them, how long can we hold our thoughts back? When evil tears down the good being accomplished, how long can we say nothing and do nothing? It’s hard. WHAT do we do in the meantime?
Psalm 39, The Message
A David Psalm
1-3 I’m determined to watch steps and tongue so they won’t land me in trouble.
I decided to hold my tongue
as long as Wicked is in the room.
“Mum’s the word,” I said, and kept quiet.
But the longer I kept silence
The worse it got—
my insides got hotter and hotter.
My thoughts boiled over;
I spilled my guts.
4-6 “Tell me, what’s going on, God?
How long do I have to live?
Give me the bad news!
You’ve kept me on pretty short rations;
my life is string too short to be saved.
Oh! we’re all puffs of air.
Oh! we’re all shadows in a campfire.
Oh! we’re just spit in the wind.
We make our pile, and then we leave it.
7-11 “What am I doing in the meantime, Lord? Hoping, that’s what I’m doing—hoping
You’ll save me from a rebel life,
save me from the contempt of dunces.
I’ll say no more, I’ll shut my mouth,
since you, Lord, are behind all this.
But I can’t take it much longer.
When you put us through the fire
to purge us from our sin,
our dearest idols go up in smoke.
Are we also nothing but smoke?
12-13 “Ah, God, listen to my prayer, my
cry—open your ears.
Don’t be callous;
just look at these tears of mine.
I’m a stranger here. I don’t know my way—
a migrant like my whole family.
Give me a break, cut me some slack
before it’s too late and I’m out of here.”
SOMETHING TO CHEW…
Both 38 and 39 record David attempting to remain silent in a time of trial, for fear he would say something that would offend believers or give ammunition to unbelievers. It appears that the wicked (“the dunces,” v. 8) were blaspheming God and maligning David in his affliction, and he was greatly concerned. He did not want the name of the Lord to be offended and brought down with him.
David wanted to retaliate and say something to defend God, but he deemed it best to keep quiet. But this restraint only made his heart burn with intense pain until finally he had to speak out. There is “a time to keep silence, and a time to speak” (Eccl. 3:7), and wise is the person who knows the difference. David didn’t argue with God (v. 9) or with those who reproached him, but he did pray to the Lord.
We can learn from David. First be silent, pray to God, listen for His words in difficult, painful situations. Be wise, follow God’s lead. Say nothing until God says to speak at the right time, in the right Spirit, with His words.
HEART CHECK:Hurt people hurt people. When we see others put down and maligned, what do we do first? If it is prayer to God, what do we pray? What do we ask God?
AND what do we do in the meantime while we wait on God’s wisdom?
“Hoping, that’s what I’m doing…” We hope in the wisdom of the Lord. He will save us. He will resolve and restore life issues. Our hope in the Lord will strengthen us in the trial and the wait. Our hope will see the reason that the Lord is putting us through fires to knock off all the rough edges of our being so that we will be all He intended for us to be. Trials of fire purifies our dull hearts and souls and helps us to shine more brightly…until God sees His own glory as a reflection of His love and care in us. Tough, yes, but necessary.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for listening to the cries of my own heart this morning. Continue to do what you must in me, but be gentle. Help me to love more, extend more grace, have mercy, walk justly with You guiding my every thought, word and action.
In Jesus Name, Amen. My hope is in You, Lord.
This next prayer of David’s is not as joyful. It doesn’t make us “feel good” but instead causes us to consider our own lives and wonder if we are holding tightly to something that stands between God and ourselves. We want God to transform us, to work on and in us. But we must know that transformation to be all that pleases God requires confession, seeing our sin for what it is and asking God to save us. Without confession and repentance we will continue to be imprisoned in guilt and shame. Without waiting on God to do what he must in us hastens our own freedom to run in wide open spaces with God.
Relax, wait on God’s best work in you to be done. Is it painful? Yes, it can be, but the reward is greater than the bondage of sin unconfessed and the maturity that must take place. I am reminded on the old hymn that rings in my heart this morning…“Let Him Have His Way With You” as I read David’s cry to God.
A David Psalm
9-16 Lord, my longings are sitting in plain sight,
17-20 I’m on the edge of losing it—
7 Quiet down before God,
23-24 Stalwart walks in step with God;
34 Wait passionately for God,
1-4 The God-rebel tunes in to sedition—
5-6 God’s love is meteoric,
Dear Heavenly Father,
If you step out, with God leading you, to be and make a difference in this life with a heart’s desire to want God’s best for all, you will have bullies who will try to hinder your walk to a slow molasses pace at times. Bullies will sometimes be jealous of what is being done and thwart your efforts in the details by scrutinizing every move you make. Bullies will not come to you to talk over your differences, they talk to anyone but you. That is the mark of the bully. Gossip is their greatest weapon to tear you down. Bullies hit you where it hurts most…in your spirit. 
9-10 But let me run loose and free,
Luke 6, NIV
32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
Pray for the evil in our bullies to be defeated. While God works, we pray for our enemies and do good to them. That attitude comes from knowing God, letting go and allowing God to do what is best without our input. Our actions speak louder than words. Leave the evil to God to defeat. 
Dear Heavenly Father, 
“Let’s Make a Deal” is a game show that offers doors to choose at the end of the game. As you play and win, you earn the right to choose what is behind Door #1, #2 or #3. Behind two of the doors are fabulous prizes. Behind the remaining door is not much of a prize but a joke. You probably have seen the show many times with Monty Hall as the host who tries to help people decide what to choose.
What if you were given a door to open that was, without doubt the best prize ever? AND, what if you were told which door it is so you cannot lose? AND what if, when the door is opened it brought you all that is best for you forever? Wait, what???
I bless God every chance I get;
8 Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see—
11 Come, children, listen closely;
18 If your heart is broken, you’ll find God right there;
Did you get the last line…”NO ONE who runs to Him loses!” Open the door to God’s protection in emotional and spiritual battles with the evil one. Open the door to encouragement when broken into pieces by life. Open the door to provisions when you have run out of all options. Open the door to value and significance because Jesus died for our sin and redeemed us for a forever life with Him. Open the door to keeping it together through good times and rough times.
When we stop our routines and consider all that God has done, is doing and will do for us, can we not help but smile and thank Him with all that it in us? God made us. God made every thing around us. We look to Him when situations get scary. He comes to our rescue. He gives us joy with unexpected blessings we didn’t ask for as we live to please Him. Yes, God is all we need. Le’t just stop and praise God for awhile this morning…
1-3 Good people, cheer God!
6-7 The skies were made by God’s command;
13-15 From high in the skies God looks around,
20-22 We’re depending on God;
Dear Heavenly Father, 
6 These things add up. Every one of us needs to pray;
“When I kept it all inside,
Thank you God for wiping the slate clean of all sin and giving us a fresh start. “Sing together–EVERYONE!”
As a teacher, on a playground full of equipment paid for by the citizens of the community, I would watch my first graders run for dear life playing their most favored game….TAG! Tag is a playground game that involves two or more players chasing other players in an attempt to “tag” or touch them, usually with their hands. There are many variations; most forms have no teams, scores, or equipment. Usually when a person is tagged, the tagger says, “Tag, you’re it”. TAG is just an acronym for “touch and go”. (How many of you knew that?)
3-5 You’re my cave to hide in,
14-18 Desperate, I throw myself on you:
SOMETHING TO CHEW…
Dear Heavenly Father,
Psalm 30, The Message
11-12 You did it: you changed wild lament
