Psalm 55:16-17

But I call to God,

    and the Lord will save me.

Evening and morning and at noon

    I utter my complaint and moan,

    and He hears my voice.

     These verses pretty much describe my practice of prayer these past few weeks.  Like most of you, I'm sure, I have periods of distress and worry .... I should call it what it really is .... Unbelief!  The times that we live in bring many opportunities to doubt:  over our finances, our future, our health, our security.  And when I let the Enemy reduce the size of my God and His Holiness, then I fall prey to the Devil's whispers in my ear.  

     I usually have to go through a spell of trying to convince myself that I have everything under control; that I can fight off this spiritual attack myself.  And when the futility of this plan has brought me to my knees, I finally go to my Father in desperation.  It's then that I have to admit that I have been weak in my faith, and strong in my unbelief.  I have let Satan define and limit who God is.  I have let him diminish all that God has done for me, and in me, through His gift of salvation.  I have even shut out the truth that God wants to bless me!

     When the lies begin, how quickly I forget that the All-knowing, All-seeing, Ever-Present Creator -- MY Creator! -- has me firmly in His hands.  Nothing can touch me that He does not allow.  And He has  consecrated me to Himself; set me apart from those who do not know Him.  And when I have reached the bottom of my worthless self-suffiency, I cry out to Him.

     I take great comfort that this Psalm was written by King David, a man who intimately knew and loved God; the man that God said was after His own heart.  If David, who had first-hand, personal knowledge of the great Jehovah could find himself at such a low spot, then I guess I am in good company.  But I need to read this Psalm with new understanding and insight; I need to recognize that it was written by a man who knew what results to expect when he called on his God.  This is no tentative hope that God would answer!  David wrote this with the confidence of a man who knew he could count on God to hear his call.

     And David shows me that not only can I be confident that my Father will hear me, but that I should be consistent on calling on Him .... Evening, morning and at noon.  He wants that connection between us.  Unlike the Devil's lies, God is not too big, or too distant, or too impersonal to rescue me or deliver me from my trials.  He, alone, can break the bonds in which I have enslaved myself.  All I have to do is cry out to Him; the Holy Spirit carries my complaints and moans to my Savior and Mediator, Jesus, who ushers them to the very throne room of the Almighty God.  How could I ever think that I could do anything on my own?  Father, your Holiness is Magnificent!  Let me not ever forget that, and help me with my unbelief!