CONFIDENT PRAYER
Opening Prayer
Imagine that you are sitting next to God in this moment. What would you say to him? Say it now.
Read PSALM 17
A prayer of David.
1 Hear me, Lord, my plea is just;
listen to my cry.
Hear my prayer—
it does not rise from deceitful lips.
2 Let my vindication come from you;
may your eyes see what is right.
3 Though you probe my heart,
though you examine me at night and test me,
you will find that I have planned no evil;
my mouth has not transgressed.
4 Though people tried to bribe me,
I have kept myself from the ways of the violent
through what your lips have commanded.
5 My steps have held to your paths;
my feet have not stumbled.
6 I call on you, my God, for you will answer me;
turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.
7 Show me the wonders of your great love,
you who save by your right hand
those who take refuge in you from their foes.
8 Keep me as the apple of your eye;
hide me in the shadow of your wings
9 from the wicked who are out to destroy me,
from my mortal enemies who surround me.
10 They close up their callous hearts,
and their mouths speak with arrogance.
11 They have tracked me down, they now surround me,
with eyes alert, to throw me to the ground.
12 They are like a lion hungry for prey,
like a fierce lion crouching in cover.
13 Rise up, Lord, confront them, bring them down;
with your sword rescue me from the wicked.
14 By your hand save me from such people, Lord,
from those of this world whose reward is in this life.
May what you have stored up for the wicked fill their bellies;
may their children gorge themselves on it,
and may there be leftovers for their little ones.
15 As for me, I will be vindicated and will see your face;
when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
On a scale of 1 to 10, how confident are you when you come to God in prayer? Why?James 5:16 refers to the power of the prayers of a righteous person. We may shy away from seeing ourselves as righteous, but the Gospel does bring transformation in a life! In this psalm David prays with confidence because he knows God hears him.
Often, we gain our confidence from our circumstances. However, David’s circumstances were very challenging. Yet he knew that God would hear and answer his prayer. He could boldly ask God to show the wonders of his great love (17:7), and even refer to himself as the apple of God’s eye (17:8)!
David had every confidence that God would vindicate him, that God would deliver him and that one day he would see his Lord face to face. It is not arrogant to be confident in prayer, if our confidence is based on God’s love for us rather than our own merit. We know of God’s great love because of what happened at Calvary. David knew he was loved and so prayed with confidence. Do you?
Apply
If you believed everything the Bible teaches about how much God loves you, how confident would you be when you pray? Remind yourself of these truths of God’s love today.
Closing prayer
Father, I come boldly before Your throne now. Hear my prayers.
Click here to sign up to receive the EXTRAs via email each quarter.
© 2024 Scripture Union U.S.A. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission is prohibited.
Discovery is published in the USA under license from Scripture Union England and Wales, Trinity House, Opal Court, Opal Drive, Fox Milne, Milton Keynes, MK15 0DF.