Prayers of the Heart: Let and Let Not in Psalm 119: Let My Prayer Come Before You

 "Let my cry come before You, O LORD; give me understanding according to Your word." — Psalm 119:169

"Let my supplication come before You; deliver me according to Your word." — Psalm 119:170

Throughout the psalm, the psalmist has offered many prayers, and now he expects them to reach their destination—to reach the addressee, God.

Like the psalmist, everyone who prays earnestly longs for their prayer to be answered. The Pharisees can pray without expecting it to reach the One to whom it is sent; they want their prayers to be heard by people and don't care if their prayer is heard by God. They content themselves with merely saying the words of prayer, treating prayer as a matter of duty. But the one who prays from the heart expects that his cry and supplication will reach the Addressee. He is convinced that the God does not leave sincere pleas unanswered, especially those sent by His children. God longs to answer our prayers, as He has repeatedly invited us to present our petitions to Him and has promised to answer all requests.

Topical meditation 2024

October 12