A STRONG PERSPECTIVE ABOUT PRAYER
PSALM 66:18-20
PSALM 66:18-20 NKJ
18 If I regard iniquity in my heart,
The Lord will not hear.
19 But certainly God has heard me;
He has attended to the voice of my prayer.
20 Blessed be God,
Who has not turned away my prayer,
Nor His mercy from me!
When the subject of prayer comes up, not many Christians are excited or confident or even comfortable. But it does not have to be that way going forward. In these three verses, we can see a great perspective of prayer.
If I regard iniquity in my heart, if I am holding on to my sin, it will hurt my confidence before God. But if my heart is clear, I can say certainly God has heard me. He has paid attention to my prayer. So, I am praising God who has not turned away my prayer or His mercy from me.
This is such a different way to look at prayer. The psalmist approaches prayer with confidence in God's willingness to hear and answer and with confidence in God's mercy toward him personally.
APPLICATION
If something is troubling your heart, confess it before God and receive His forgiveness. Then begin to thank God for hearing your prayer and for His help and answers. If you are still concerned that you are just not quite right, remember His mercy is bigger than your faults.
This last verse (20) would be a good one to memorize and confess before God on a regular basis.
PRAYER
Thank You Heavenly Father that you have not turned away my prayer or Your mercy from me!