You Who Answer Prayer (Psalm 65:1-8)

¹ Praise awaits you, our God, in Zion;
to you our vows will be fulfilled.
² You who answer prayer,
to you all people will come.
³ When we were overwhelmed by sins,
you forgave our transgressions.
⁴ Blessed are those you choose
and bring near to live in your courts!
We are filled with the good things of your house,
of your holy temple.

⁵ You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds,
God our Savior,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas,
⁶ who formed the mountains by your power,
having armed yourself with strength,
⁷ who stilled the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves,
and the turmoil of the nations.
⁸ The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders;
where morning dawns, where evening fades,
you call forth songs of joy.

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What stood out for me in these verses was the mention of God answering prayer.  In verse 2, God is identified as the one who answers prayer.  In verse 5, David gets more specific, pointing out that God doesn’t just answer, but answers with “awesome and righteous deed.”

Am I expecting God to answer my prayers?  I know that I do intellectually. I have taught on this topic many times.  But am I praying with the expectation of an answer?  Not just an answer but one that is awesome and righteous?

One of the chief blessings of being a child of God is God’s promise to hear our prayers.  But He does not just hear our prayers.  He does more than empathize with our needs and frustrations, fear and worries.  He answers them.    He promises to answer, and scripture affirms that this is what He does.  This is how He is identified.

How often do I miss God’s answer because I’m not expecting it?  Or because I’m expecting one particular answer, and He answers in a different way?  Am I concluding my prayers with thanksgiving, as Paul calls us to do in Philippians 4:6, because His answer is assured?

My prayer today is that God would bless the faith He’s given me so that I look in expectation for His answers.  I pray that God would grant me the confidence of knowing that once I have turned a matter to Him in prayer, it will be answered according to His will and goodness.

NOTE:

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