Scripture
Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone does such wonderful things. Praise his glorious name forever! Let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and amen! (This ends the prayers of David son of Jesse) Psalm 72:18-20
Observation
This postscript on Psalm 72 wasn’t David’s final Psalm but was the close to Book 2 of the collection of Psalms. Though this was the end of the prayer it was a prayer that would never end. It was actually David’s son Solomon who wrote this prayer. He was praying over his son just as David prayed over his son. This, like all the Psalms, are prayers put to music. They would invite a forever God into their present circumstances. The good news is that these prayers have no period. They are launched from a heart of faith to the heart of God and are the building blocks of an eternal shelter all saints over all the ages can run into. On this Holy Week, I’m reminded of how Jesus, the Son of David prayed from Psalm 22 while He hung in anguish on the cross. In fact, the final prayer of Jesus was a forever prayer from Psalm 31:5, “Into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46). Jesus found shelter through prayer and so can we. Prayer is our pathway through this Pandemic.
Application
Pastor Mark Batterson says, “prayer is the difference between us fighting for God and God fighting for us!” Gypsy Smith said if you want revival, “Go home. Lock yourself in your room. Kneel down in the middle of the floor, and draw a circle around yourself. There, on your knees, pray fervently and brokenly that God would start a revival within that chalk circle.” John Calvin said, “The human heart is a perpetual idol factory.” Humility conquers idolatry every time. There are few things more humbling then praying. Your mind is telling you you’re talking to the air and nothing’s going to change. Usually, those lies are followed up with, “you’ve got better things to do and places to go that will be much more productive than praying.” Thanks to the “shelter at home” mandate this lie has been exposed as well. In normal times, and especially during a Pandemic, there is literally nothing “better to do” than to pray. There is literally no better place to go than to God’s throne room in prayer. God has been telling us since the time of David to find shelter under the shadow of His wings through prayer. When did David write those words in Psalm 57? When he fled from Saul into the cave. So, while King Saul was hunting him down, instead of hiding under the shadow of death David hid under the shadow of God’s wings and received life. We are all in our caves right now. We can either hide in fear or pray in faith. Sheltering at home is really an invitation to make Christ my shelter at home through prayer. Prayers have no period. When I look to my forever God I’m reminded that my current circumstances are NOT forever even if they feel like it. Only God's promises are forever. We are building a shelter of prayer at home. We will stay at home and pray at home. We are establishing holy habits in the middle of our home. When I wake up in the morning the first thing I do is drop to knees in prayer. When the boys are anxious or there are arguments between them, this is our chance to invite God into the middle of it through prayer. When Cyndi and I take our nightly walks around the block we talk and pray through all we gathered during the day. So, at 7:14 am and 7:14 pm I’ve been praying the unending promise of 2 Chronicles 7:14, “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” When I’m feeling overwhelmed I’m praying the perpetual promise of God’s abiding presence from Isaiah 43:2, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” When I see the news reports and the climbing numbers of those who are dying I pray the promise of Psalm 91 over my home and those around me, 4He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings, you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. 5You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, 6nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. 7A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.” When I’m praying with others who have heard bad news, hard news, no news we pray the Davidic prayer of Psalm 61, “Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer. 2 From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. 3 For You have been a shelter for me, A strong tower from the enemy. 4 I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah” This is a “selah” moment in our world. The power of the pause to pray the forever prayers of scripture to end what feels like a forever pandemic. Prayers are the pathway forward. This is how I draw a circle around myself and contend for revival. Prayers are how I topple the idols that my heart is trying to prop up on a daily basis (look at our online numbers, what’s the newest show on Netflix, this sickness in our land is never going to end, what if people don’t come back to church, etc). Prayer is how I’m building a shelter of faith at home while I shelter at home with my family.
Prayer
Thank You Jesus for the reminder this morning that prayers have no period. Revelation 5:8 states, “And when he took the scroll, the four living beings and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they held gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of God’s people.” No matter what my brain or my feelings say, I will continue to build a shelter of faith while we shelter in place through prayer. I choose to turn every worry into a prayer to you. I choose to follow the example of scripture and pray my way through to the other side. I thank You, God for hearing us! I thank You for dying and rising for us so that we can continue an eternal conversation with You.
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