Psalm 86:3-7 "Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily. (4) Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. (5) For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. (6) Give ear, O LORD, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications. (7) In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me."
This 86th Psalm begins with the writer asking God to "Bow down thine ear,
O LORD, hear me." I sit here pondering those words and am asking myself,
"Do I believe that God hears every prayer that I send up to Him?" Do
I? Do I understand that when I pray, I have the attention of the Creator and
Sustainer of this universe? Do I believe that? Am I sincere when I pray or do I
just send up words and hope that He will catch some of them? I have a lot of
questions that are raised when I see the Psalmist asking God to "bow
down" (pay close attention) to my prayer. Did he believe that He had to
catch the attention of God before he prayed? I don't know. But one thing I know
from the verses that are listed above: this man had a need and he knew that
only the God of heaven and earth was able to help him.
Something was troubling him to the point that he wanted to be certain that God
was listening. He was crying out daily for mercy. He had lost joy in his life
and had nowhere else to turn. Does that mean he had tried to find joy and
satisfaction in other things and failed? I don't know. Had he found out the
hard way that society is not interested in my joy or contentment? They only
want for themselves. They are the ones who say, "If I don't look out for
myself, nobody else will." Had he tried it and only come up empty? I think
of the son who went out into the world to find happiness - only to find himself
completely empty. It was then that he came to himself and said, "I'm going
home where I am loved. "Lord, bow down your ear to hear me, PLEASE!"
I need you, Lord. I can't do it on my own. I have tried. Back to that
young son - He said, "I will arise and go to my father and
say...." Something inside him knew that the father would
listen to him. That something inside him and inside me and inside you is the
Holy Spirit. He gives the blessed assurance that "In the day of my trouble
I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me." How is it with you?
Are you in a state of need? Are you feeling empty? Are you wondering if God
will listen to your prayers? May I tell you the answer is a resounding
YES! Yes He will.
I Need Thee Every Hour by Robert Lowry
1 I need Thee ev'ry hour, most gracious Lord;
no tender voice like Thine can peace afford.
2 I need Thee ev'ry hour, stay Thou nearby;
temptations lose their pow'r when Thou art nigh.
3 I need Thee ev'ry hour, in joy or pain;
come quickly and abide, or life is vain.
I need Thee, O I need Thee; ev'ry hour I need Thee;
O bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee.