Saturday, June 18: Psalm 108- It is okay to ask.

Save us… save me, Oh, God.

How often that is the essence of my prayers. Save me, God. Help me, God. Heal me, God. Do this for me, God. Do that for me, God.

In many respects these are the most natural of prayers. I am at the end of my human rope, I need diving intervention. I cry out!

Yes, I can be tempted to turn God into my personal ‘Sugar Daddy’… give me, give me, give me. However, that does not need to be the case.

And on the other side, of course, I need God’s intervention. I am human. I cannot do everything or truly control anything. I am mere mortal, so why should it surprise me that I need God’s help with anything… everything.

Is it a greater sin to ask God for too much (give me, give me, give me) or to ask God for too little (pride in self)?

And so I find myself back in familiar territory… balance. The absolute need for God and asking God for what I need balanced against reverence, awe and worship. At this point I am reminded of the Psalm’s opening. A beautiful example of balance at play in prayer:

My heart, O God, is steadfast;

I will sing and make music with all my soul.

Awake, harp and lyre!

I will awaken the dawn.

I will praise you, LORD, among the nations;

I will sing of you among the peoples.

For great is your love, higher than the heavens;

your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;

let your glory be over all the earth.

Save us and help us with your right hand,

that those you love may be delivered (1-6).

Devotion to God… recognition of God… agreement with God’s plan to tell the nations… honoring of God… all leading to a prayer for salvation. God help us, save us.

So this morning I am reminded it is perfectly fine, even good, to rely on and call out to God remembering all the while God is God and I am God’s subject, His child, the one who owes my entire existence to the Lord in the first place.

And this is a great place to be… in the hallow of his hand.

Thank You, Oh, God, for revealing Yourself to me. I am humbled. I am also in need. Help me and heal me, lead me, and I will follow You. Through Jesus, I pray. Amen