The Progression of Prayer
By Chris Roberts on November 8, 2009
Hear my prayer, O Lord; let my cry come to you! Do not hide your face from me in the day of my distress! Incline your ear to me; answer me speedily in the day when I call!
Psalm 102:1-2
Many of the Psalms contain heart-wrenching cries from the Psalmist. In this Psalm the writer is facing such terrible affliction he says his days are like smoke (v3). Despite his trouble, he remembers to turn to God in prayer.
His prayer starts with a cry of suffering. He shouts out to God from the depths of his misery, telling God the measure of his suffering. But the Psalmist does not remain wallowing in the agony of his suffering. In his prayer he moves on to remember the one he is praying to: But you, O Lord, are enthroned forever; you are remembered throughout all generations (v12). How unlike us! We are often content to linger in our sorrow and never move to remember the one who hears our prayers.
From this point on, the Psalmists’s prayer changes. From deep sorrow he begins to display a growing hope. By the end of the prayer he remains in his troubled circumstances but he remembers that God is eternal, sovereign, creator, unchanging, and faithful. God has promised to do good for his children. God can be trusted to keep his promises.
When you pray do not stay in your sorrow. From sorrow move on to remembrance. Reflect on what God has done in Christ. Reflect on what God has done in your life. From remembrance move on to praise and glorifying the name of God in the earth. From praise move on to confident prayer, knowing that God will work out his perfect will.
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