A famous verse, and a simple prayer

The opening verse of Psalm 118 appears to have been an important part of ancient Jewish prayer, seeing that it appears many, many places throughout the Bible. Even to this day, that verse remains an important part of worship services, whether Catholic or Protestant.

The KJV rendering of that verse reads,

O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever.

The verse is simple, but spiritually rich. It gives a command for how to pray (i.e., give thanks), and it lists two important reasons why we should give thanks.

The verse also is easy to memorize, and easy to convert to first person for use as a frequent prayer throughout the day. (For example, we can say, "Thanks, Lord, for you are good. Your mercy endures forever.")

However we choose to use this verse, the frequency with which it appears in the Bible strongly suggests its importance. Let us find a way to employ it in our prayer lives.

Two "two evils" we all commit

Staying in the book of Jeremiah, chapter 2, verse 13 (KJV) outlines the double-edge sin we all commit. In the verse, God first says,

For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters...

Note the similarity to the language Jesus uses when speaking at the well with the Samaritan woman (John 4:14, KJV),

But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

So the first part of our sin is that we refuse God's life-giving "water." But it gets worse! Returning to Jeremiah 2:13,

...and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

So, not only do we turn our back on God, we search out things to replace him, things that "can hold no water." In our prayers, let us search out times we have committed those sins listed in Jeremiah 2:13, and ask for forgiveness.

A prayer for mercy from Jeremiah

Compared to other Biblical prophets, the book of Jeremiah offers fascinating glimpses into the (often despondent) psychology of its author. Simply put, Jeremiah did not seem to enjoy his job as a prophet!

As an example of a window into Jeremiah's mind, consider his prayer for mercy on behalf of the Hebrew people (Jeremiah 14:20-21, KJV),

We acknowledge, O LORD, our wickedness, and the iniquity of our fathers: for we have sinned against thee.

Do not abhor us, for thy name's sake, do not disgrace the throne of thy glory: remember, break not thy covenant with us.

The first sentence offers a humble acknowledgement of sin. The second sentence asks God to temper his punishment, but note the reason for Jeremiah's wanting mercy. Not because the people deserve mercy. Not because the people promise thereafter to remain obedient. Rather, Jeremiah requests mercy for God's "name sake." Jeremiah requests mercy because humans are the "throne" of God's glory.

The point is, everything we do, including repenting, should be for God's glory, and his glory alone.

The biggest problem with sin

Do we ever feel distant from God, to the point that we begin to doubt his power? Isaiah 59:1 (KJV) says,

...the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:

God has infinite power, and he hears our concerns. But why do we feel that he doesn't answer us? Verse 2 (KJV) answers,

But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

And therein lies the biggest problem with sin. It pulls us away from God, and separates us from his saving power. So if we feel distant from God, and if we find ourselves doubting his power, let us first examine our own lives. We'll likely find that that fault sits with us, and not with God.

Trust in God's light, not our own

Isaiah 50:10-11 presents a clear dichotomy of where we should, and should not, place our trust. First, in verse 10 (KJV),

Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God.

Do we distress, and feel like to have no answers? (That is, do we "hath no light"?) Then fear God, trust him, and "stay" (i.e., "rely") on God.

That sounds easy, but our human inclination often leads us to rely on our own cleverness. Verse 11 (KJV) cautions against doing that,

Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow.

So if we "hath no light," to use the phrasing from verse 10, do we try to "kindle a fire" ourselves, and "walk in the light" of those sparks that we have created? The verse notes that such reliance on self eventually leads us to "lie down in sorrow."

The Bible includes many such dichotomies, but this one is especially stark, particularly with its allegory involving "light." In our prayers, let us seek God's light, and not our own.

Preparing the heart for prayer

When fitting spiritual moments into a busy day, it's tempting to quickly close our eyes, fold our hands, and hammer out a quick prayer. That process takes less than a few minutes.

But the Bible makes it clear that, before praying, we are to prepare our heart. Psalm 57:7 (KJV) states,

My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.

(In place of the word "fixed," other translations have "committed" or "prepared.") Similarly, Proverbs 23:12 (KJV) states,

Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.

(The Hebrew word rendered as "apply" also could be translated as "come," meaning that our hearts and ears are "coming" to God.)

Note from these passages that the Bible does not give a set recipe for preparing our hearts for prayer;  we should be very thankful for that! God does not want us to follow some set of ritualistic machinations before prayer. Rather, he wants our hearts and minds in a correct spiritual setting so that we can properly commune with him. Doing so will help us get more out of our prayer lives.

Why do we work?

Why do we work (or, if you are a student, study)? One could argue that work increases our likelihood of survival. Certainly if we ceased working, our lifestyles would diminish. But, in a modern society, would it threaten our survival? Maybe, or maybe not, depending on our individual circumstances.

My guess is that much of our day-to-day work/study is not geared directly toward survival, but rather toward increasing our wealth or prestige. This seems to be especially relevant in careers that involve building an impressive resume. Now that pursuit of professional success, in and of itself, is not a problem. After all, Solomon notes (Ecclesiastes 3:22, KJV),

I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion.

But problems start when we let our work come before our relationship with God. We begin focusing on the temporal rather than the spiritual. Proverbs 23:4-5 (KJV) states,

Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.
Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.

Wealth and resumes will vanish eventually and become meaningless. But this is a tough psychology to accept, because we spend so much of our day working, that it can become easy to let work define us! To maintain focus during the workday, recall the words of Paul (Colossians 3:23-24, KJV),

And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.