Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my sighing. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation. (Psalm 5:1-3)
These are the opening lines to a prayer written by David, the king of Israel, about three thousand years ago. This much is obvious:
1) He wants God to hear him because he is in trouble.
2) He knows God is the boss of everything.
3) He understands that prayer gets God’s attention.
4) He starts talking to God about it as soon as he wakes up.
5) He expects God to do something, but he doesn’t know what or when.
Does that process sound familiar? These lines give us hope that our prayer lives are not as shallow as we’ve feared. It’s okay to keep asking for help. God has given us an example in the Bible—actually many examples—of people who love Him asking for help out of the hard times in which they find themselves (even if they themselves are the cause).
Have faith (Mark 11:22).