STOP
Do you ever have this situation: You’re talking to someone. You can see that they are hearing you, but they aren’t responding. You ask a question and there is no response. There are times that this is how we feel about prayer. We talk to God and we just want that audible answer back. But God usually answers with action instead of words. David starts out his psalm asking for the Lord to hear him, not to “turn a deaf ear.” The Lord hears you. Take a few minutes to talk to God, he will not remain silent forever. Just talk to him and hear his words back to you.
Try starting with this:
First, notice the thoughts playing through your head. What’s on your mind? Put it aside for a few minutes, table them for another time.
Second, notice your body. How does it feel? Hot, cold, uncomfortable, sick, relaxed?
Third, notice your feelings. How do you feel this morning? Anxious, tired, excited, happy, overwhelmed?
Lastly, all of what’s on your mind: your thoughts, your feelings, your emotions, the expectations, your agendas, your to-do lists. Imagine all of them as being able to live in silence, being able to not have a response and that be okay. Just as David was waiting on the Lord’s response, those things can wait while you spend time with God.
EXHALE
Next, breathe. Breath in and out. Close your eyes to everything around you. God is as close to you right now as the breath in your lungs. Find peace in Christ. When you are ready, pray this simple prayer a few times while still focusing on your breathing.
As you inhale pray, “Hear my cry for mercy”
As you exhale, pray, “As I call to you for help”(vs.2)
LOOK
Let’s look at the word of God today. When God speaks, it’s important for us to pay attention. Read these words slowly and carefully. Read it a few times. Notice which words or phrases stick out to you.
“To you I call, O Lord my Rock; do not turn a deaf ear to me. For if you remain silent, I will be like those who have gone down to the pit. Hear my cry for mercy as I call to you for help, as I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place [....]Praise be to the Lord for he has heard my cry for mercy. The Lord is my strength and my shield; and my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. The Lord is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one. Save your people and bless your inheritance; be their shepherd and carry them forever.” (Psalm 28 NIV)
ASK
What stood out to you? Highlight/mark it in your bible. At the beginning of this psalm, David calls God his rock, but yet still is crying out to the Lord. He cries out for mercy and help. When have you felt that same way? God is your rock, but yet, because of your sin, because of our failings, we cry out for mercy and help. But his response is that he will “lift up [his] hands toward the Most Holy Place (2).” Is our response lifting up our hands in praise, even when the Lord is silent? David’s response is the same at the end of the psalm. He pleads to the Lord to see him differently than the wicked. Are we praying for that? As the Lord answers his prayer, he once again turns to praise. His heart trusts in him and his heart leaps for joy. He gives thanks to the Lord in song. When times are hard, when you feel that God is silent, when you cry out for help, for mercy, is your response to the Lord praise?
HEAR
What is God saying to you? Listen to hear his still small voice. Quiet your mind and search your heart. Now pray: “Speak Lord. Your servant is listening.” You are waiting to hear from the Holy Spirit, still your heart and mind. Based on the scripture you read today, God’s words to you, is there anything God is asking you to do? To finish up your quiet time, look at how David describes the Lord in this psalm. What is he to you? Rock, strength, shield, fortress of salvation, shepherd? How do you respond in telling him what he is to you?
