Strong Prayers

Scripture:
"From my distress I called upon the LORD. The LORD answered me and set me in a large place. The LORD is with me; I will not fear; What can man do to me?" Psalm 118: 5-6

Observation:
The nature of the language in this Psalm is captivating to me. The Psalmist said I called upon the LORD. He did not say I called to. He did not say I cried out. He said I called upon. According to freedictionary.com, to call upon someone is to give an order or make a demand. It is strong language. It is more than just asking. It is more than just whining. It is a demand for action.

I don’t pray that strong anymore. There was a season during which my prayers were laced with language similar to this Psalm but things rarely worked out according to my prayers; so I pulled back. I was hurt. I felt as if God was not moved by my prayer. I became really confused. I became frustrated. I wanted to give up and wished I could just walk away from the whole thing.

Time has passed. Wounds have healed. But I am still left with the scars. My life is still affected by memories of those times. As I reflect on that season of life I realize just how immature and greedy I was. I was running nowhere near God's agenda and was in full pursuit of my own. God was my ticket to success and I resented Him not serving me as I thought He should. What I was asking for was so small when compared to a God so big. It really angered me that He chose to not act.

So what am I to do? What is the response God is asking from me today? There was something in the Psalmist's life that allowed him to demand something from the LORD and find his answer; what lessons do I need to learn?

Prayer:
Father, my heart is a little troubled as I read this passage from Your Word. When struggles hit me, I feel more like I call out to Your versus calling upon You. When faced with adverse circumstances, I get frustrated. When angry people rise up against me I get nervous and often fight against them in my own flesh.

I am grateful this morning that Your Word promises that You are faithful to complete the good work You started in me. I ask that You move in my life in a way that affirms Your perfect nature to me. Fill my heart with praise. Guide my steps securely. Strengthen my faith. More than I desire riches, more than I desire honor, more than I desire success; I desire to walk purely before You, to clearly hear Your voice, and to be securely grounded in Your love for me.