MAKE THE ASK!
Opening Prayer
God my Father in Heaven, thank you that your Word shows me there is nothing for which I cannot trust you, nothing that is too great or too small for you to do.
Read PSALMS 116, 117
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
Psalm 116
1 I love the Lord, for he heard my voice;
he heard my cry for mercy.
2 Because he turned his ear to me,
I will call on him as long as I live.
3 The cords of death entangled me,
the anguish of the grave came over me;
I was overcome by distress and sorrow.
4 Then I called on the name of the Lord:
“Lord, save me!”
5 The Lord is gracious and righteous;
our God is full of compassion.
6 The Lord protects the unwary;
when I was brought low, he saved me.
7 Return to your rest, my soul,
for the Lord has been good to you.
8 For you, Lord, have delivered me from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling,
9 that I may walk before the Lord
in the land of the living.
10 I trusted in the Lord when I said,
“I am greatly afflicted”;
11 in my alarm I said,
“Everyone is a liar.”
12 What shall I return to the Lord
for all his goodness to me?
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the Lord.
14 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people.
15 Precious in the sight of the Lord
is the death of his faithful servants.
16 Truly I am your servant, Lord;
I serve you just as my mother did;
you have freed me from my chains.
17 I will sacrifice a thank offering to you
and call on the name of the Lord.
18 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people,
19 in the courts of the house of the Lord—
in your midst, Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord.[a]
Footnotes
- Psalm 116:19 Hebrew Hallelu Yah
Psalm 117
1 Praise the Lord, all you nations;
extol him, all you peoples.
2 For great is his love toward us,
and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.
Praise the Lord.[a]
Footnotes
- Psalm 117:2 Hebrew Hallelu Yah
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
Take time to let the deep prayer of your heart surface. Write it down on a piece of paper. Carry this around with you and pray it through the day.Psalm 116 is a powerful song of personal testimony; Psalm 117 addresses the whole of humanity. Connecting the two is the character of God, who is faithful and loving. We know this through personal experience, but it is a ‘public truth’ not just a private value.
If Psalm 117 tells the nations to acknowledge God, Psalm 116 tells individuals to call on him through the challenges of personal experience. The psalmist seems to have called on God in a moment of desperation (vv. 3, 4), and God has answered him. His response is to call on God more and more (v. 2). He becomes a ‘call on the Lord’ enthusiast (vv. 13, 17), his faith moving in an upward spiral.
I wonder whether we are sometimes too polite in our relationship with God. Jesus never turned away anyone who came to ask him for things. In fact, he urged some people to articulate a request that was obvious (see Mark 10:51). James tells his readers, ‘You do not have because you do not ask God’ (James 4:2,3), but also warns
that we need to ask with the right motives.
Apply
‘What do you want me to do for you?’ How would you reply if Jesus asked you this question? Is it time for you to call on the Lord?
Closing prayer
Loving Savior, thank you for the compassion and power you showed when you came to earth as a man; thank you for the loving care you continually offer to those who seek you; thank you that there is nothing you will not do to help me.
Book and Author Intros
Extras
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.