What or who are you praying for at the moment?
In our home we pray for a range of people, activities and situations. Like today for example, we (meaning my wife and I) prayed for the country of France (along with 1354 other people). We use an App on our phones called “Operation World”. It gives some basic information daily for prayer concerning different countries and eventually it covers all the nations of the world.
Then we prayed for some good friends we know who are serving God in various places around the world, before turning to talk to God about some of our extended family who are having health problems presently. We finished with a conversation with our Father about our family, including praying for each of our 11 grandchildren.
We didn’t do it, but maybe we could have finished with the words of David in Psalm 70:4 which says:
4 But let all who passionately seek you erupt with excitement and joy
over what you’ve done!
Let all your lovers, who continually rejoice in the Saviour,
say aloud, “How great and glorious is our God!” (TPT)
Of course, we do pray for ourselves as well. We can always handle a daily dose of God’s grace, strength, wisdom, healing, forgiveness and blessing in our daily lives. We are getting older and dealing with living in a world deeply impacted by Covid-19 and this being just one of many crises affecting us all. How we desperately need to pray in these days!
David, who wrote Psalm 70, knew how to pray. By the way, maybe you know, but these 5 verses are “a somewhat revised duplicate of Psalm 40:13-17.” (NIV) There may be reasons for this, and possibly it is because it fits so well in the series of psalms surrounding it. As Wilcock suggests, this psalm “puts in a nutshell what [Psalm] 69 has said at length.” (# 5)
He adds, “It is a cry for help, and an urgent cry at that…there is a tone of urgency…[but] the psalmist is asking for more than a personal rescue from his predicament. He is, he tells God, one of those who love your salvation. He and his fellow believers will rejoice when all who desire [his] ruin are turned back, when they retreat or shrink back (NEB)in shame at the failure, or even the exposure, of their evil plans.” (# 5)
Listen to his words as he cries out to God:
1 Please, Lord! Come quickly and rescue me!
God, show me your favour and restore me.
2 Let all who seek my life be humiliated, confused, and ashamed.
God, send them sprawling, all who wish me evil;
they just want me dead.
3 Scoff at every scoffer and cause them all to be utter failures!
Let them be ashamed and horrified over their complete defeat.
4 But let all who passionately seek you erupt with excitement and joy
over what you’ve done!
Let all your lovers, who continually rejoice in the Saviour,
say aloud, “How great and glorious is our God!”
5 Lord, in my place of weakness and need,
won’t you turn your heart toward me and hurry to help me?
For you are my Saviour and I’m always in your thoughts.
So don’t delay to deliver me now, for you are my God. (TPT)
Again, as Wilcock says, “There is no reason why we should not ask God, in his grace, to come quickly and start making it rather sooner.” (# 50
It reminds me of the very last verses of the Bible. The Apostle John, in his own words, “was [exiled] on the island of Patmos [having been persecuted] because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus”. He receives a ”revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place.” (Revelation 1:1, 9) This amazing revelation is then revealed to us over 22 chapters, and at the end John concludes:
“He [Jesus] who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon.’”
Then John prays:
“Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.” (Revelation 22:20)
Father, in the words of John, “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.” (Revelation 22:21)
Tehilim (Psalms) - "songs of praise". 