PSALM 130 – “A SONG OF ASCENTS. Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD! O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy! If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared. I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning. O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption.  And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.”

THEME OF THE DAY: DEFINING TRUE PRAYER.  How would we define prayer?  In its simplest definition, one may answer, “Talking to God.”  But prayer is so much more.  It is the language of love between a reconciled God who is our Heavenly Father and His redeemed by the blood of Jesus children.

Perhaps one of the greatest definitions of prayer was penned by a great man of God who practiced true prayer, John Bunyan. In his book, Prayer, he defined it as a sincere, sensible, affectionate pouring out of the heart or soul to God. He broke it down into multiple core elements . . .

“Sincerity and Affection: Prayer must involve pouring out the heart. Bunyan famously stated that “it is better to have heart without words, than words without heart”.

Through Christ: Believers can only draw near to God through the sacrifice and intercession of Jesus Christ.

By the Holy Spirit: Prayer requires the strength and active assistance of the Holy Spirit.

According to God’s Word: A person must pray for things that God has promised or that align with His scriptures.

For the Church: True prayer involves bringing the needs of the church and others before God.

With Submission: All requests must be made in faith, submitting to God’s ultimate will (e.g., “Thy will be done”).”

The best place to see this definition poured out from the heart of a believer is in the Psalms.  Today’s scripture is an example. This Song of Ascents is full of sincere emotion and transparency to the Lord. It captures well the sincerity of a believer as he or she comes to God.  First, we witness the Psalmist pouring out from the soul what matters most – a hearing with God.  There is noticeable spiritual pain coming forth from the words “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.”  It is the pain of wanting assurance God forgives his or her many sins.

In the prayer of the Psalmist is a continuing application of Bunyan’s definition of prayer. It is the soul-delivering truth that with God there is forgiveness – “but with you there is forgiveness that you may be feared” and this is found only through the sacrifice and intercession of the Lord Jesus.

There is so much more in Psalm 130 affirming the definition of prayer by Bunyan. Spend time studying both and let’s ask the Lord to deepen our understanding and application in maintaining a life of relational prayer with our God based on love.

PRAYER: Father, I praise You for granting me access to You by prayer. Help me never to take it for granted.

REFLECTION: Prayer is the language of love, and that means it comes from the mind and heart of sincerity.