Proper Praying

Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come. (Psalm 71:18)

David had learned how to appeal to a sovereign for help. In his years of running from Saul he had needed to seek the help of others, even Achish, the king of the Philistines (1 Sam 21:11–15). God is holy, unlike King Achish, but he is also the ultimate Sovereign — answerable to no one but his own nature. We pray best when we realize the superior wisdom and purpose of God and bend our will to his.

David could have prayed simply for good health and a long life, but he saw the purpose of God for his life as more than just living a long time. The purpose of his life was to give a witness to the greatness and grace of God, so he prayed that he might know the strength and enabling power of God in his life in order that he may declare his power to the next generation. This is proper praying, that first takes into account the purposes and ways of God and asks for his will to be done in and through our life.

We have every right to bring our concerns to God — even our darkest fears — and often we can only understand these in a self-focused way. Fear can sometimes be overwhelming. But as we grow in the Lord and mature as Christians we will increasingly take on the perspective of God in our life, and through faith banish fear from our hearts. We will see, as David did, that our life is meant to be more than only about us. We will learn that it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35), and that this applies especially to how we spend our life itself, and not just to our money.

Christ said, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). This type of love does not happen without the daily commitment to the will of God in the small details of life. We will not measure up to the great sacrifices to the purposes of God without first obeying Christ in the smaller matters. In fact, we need to realize that the scene of our martyrdom is being acted out every minute in “smaller martyrdoms” where our will is being laid down for the love we have for others.

Proper praying erupts spontaneously from the heart that daily — and even hourly — is committed to the purposes, plans, and ways of God.