Week 20 Psalm 143
Near the end of the psalm there are four phrases:
Let me experience your faithful love…for I trust in you
Reveal to me the way I should go…because I appeal to you
Rescue me from my enemies…I come to you for protection
Teach me to do your will…for you are my God.
I flip-flop the phrases:
I trust in you. So let me experience your faithful love
I appeal to you. So reveal to me the way I should go
I come to you for protection. So rescue me from my enemies
You are my God. So teach me to do your will.
But it doesn’t change things. Backwards or forwards I still have two elements: a) a request for something from the Lord and b) a reason for why the Lord should respond.
I’m interested in the mechanics of praying and I wonder if this pattern is mandatory. Do I have to give the Lord a reason?
What makes sense to me – for now – are these three guidelines:
I think that a) is more important than b)
I think that even though a) and b) are both worth having a) is essential and b) is optional
I don’t think the Lord needs b). But he does need the a).
I figure I’m on reasonably safe ground with these ideas. I might discover something later that does – or doesn’t – solidify things for me. But I can rejigger.
Note: quote from Psalm 143:8-10 (CSB slightly revised)