The Great Blessing of Prayer

Scripture Reading: Psalm 116:1-19

Psa 116:1 I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications.
Psa 116:2 Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.
Psa 116:3 The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell got hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow.
Psa 116:4 Then called I upon the name of the LORD; O LORD, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.
Psa 116:5 Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful. Psa 116:6 The LORD preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he helped me. Psa
116:7 Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee.
Psa 116:8 For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.
Psa 116:9 I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living.
Psa 116:10 I believed, therefore have I spoken: I was greatly afflicted:
Psa 116:11 I said in my haste, All men are liars.
Psa 116:12 What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?
Psa 116:13 I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD.
Psa 116:14 I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people.
Psa 116:15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints. Psa 116:16 O LORD, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds.
Psa 116:17 I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD.
Psa 116:18 I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people,
Psa 116:19 In the courts of the LORD's house, in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise ye the LORD.

I want to always keep fresh in my mind all that the Lord has done for me When I go about my daily life and not take the time or take the great advantage of one of the greatest blessing to Christians by not praying then I am not “rendering unto the Lord” the very least that I can do for all His great benefits. The great blessing we have been given of prayer is so simple to offer and so very valuable to our souls, yet many times it is often neglected. When we really think about it there is probably no greater why to show a lack of love and respect for God than to push prayer on the back-burner of our spiritual lives. The main hindrance of prayer is a heart problem. When we allow the cares of this world to creep into our lives and over take us, then it takes your hearts focus off of God. If we are not taking the time to offer sincere prayers unto our Father in heaven on a regular basis then we must examine our hearts because therein is where the problem lies. We have to examine what is taking our focus off of God and take immediate steps to correct the problem. Daily Bible reading, study, memorization of the Scriptures and writing in my spiritual journal help me to stay focused. It is a constant spiritual warfare against satan and the cares of the world to remain focused of the right and I can’t do it alone. But with my heart and mind focused on God and His Word it is so much easier, because satan is real and he is out there ready to devour us spiritually (I Pet. 5:8). I really must be on guard and be very careful because it is so easy to let my heart wander. I have to be constantly of the mind set that if it is against God, I don’t want any part of it. What fellowship hath light with darkness? (II Cor. 6:14). Darkness hinders our prayers, both in God accepting them and our desire to offer them. I want to always be like the Psalmist in the above verse, “I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications. Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live (Psm. 116:1,2).

Donna Ribardi