Real Prayer

 October 28, 2021

The structure of Psalm 55 is interesting. Verses 1-15 is David’s prayer to God. In verse 16 however, the language changes from the second to the third person, in other words, he is no longer speaking to God, but of God. Who is he addressing? Then, in verse 23, he returns to speaking in the second person, ie, he is praying to God.

I wonder if in his prayer, he is pausing to remind himself of the One to Whom he is praying, reassuring himself of God’s faithfulness and reminding himself of his need to cast his burden on the LORD instead of just complaining about his situation (v.22). I know this is a correction I need to implement in more of my prayers. Too often, they begin and end in a laundry list of all the things I think aren’t right, and what I want God to do about it—not a very good way to address the Sovereign of heaven and earth! 

Sometimes even in prayer, we cease praying and are merely reciting our woes. Prayer that fails to recognize the Object of our petitions is no prayer at all. I suspect many of my prayers have gone unanswered because I wasn’t really praying; I was only complaining, and to no one in particular, even though I mentioned the Name of the Lord in my speech.

After reminding himself who he was talking to, David returns to prayer, declaring his trust and confidence in God who would vindicate him in righteous judgment. If my prayers don’t conclude in confidence, I haven’t really prayed at all, so I must search my heart, adjust my petitions until I can rise from my knees fully confident that that for which I have prayed, I will receive.