Why We Pray + “A Lifelong Conversation”
A Lifelong Conversation
“Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things. And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen.” Psalm 72: 18-19
And, then, this little verse:
Psalm 72:20:
“The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.”
I am 100% sure that I have skimmed past and overlooked that little phrase dozens of times. Just one little statement, but what implications are encapsulated in it!
First…a side note: I LOVE that it is entitled a “Prayer for Solomon.” His final prayer was a prayer FOR SOMEONE ELSE, and, more specifically, a prayer for a child. THAT is beautiful! After all he had been through, endured, and seen, his final words were FOR another.
Second…another side note: in addition to being a prayer for his son, it is laced and littered with praise and adoration for his great God.
I love that he closes by saying: “God, who ONLY doeth wondrous things.” With his closing words, he affirms that God “doeth all things well.” All things. Only.
“The prayer of David… are ended...” Wow. Prayer defined David’s life…worship characterized the entirety of who he was. He had prayed his way through heartbreak and humiliation. He had prayed and cried his way through caves, as Saul hunted his life. He prayed and worshipped his way through every season of his life, including seasons of exaltation, personal failure, public setback, and so many more. The Psalms are, I’m convinced “bare minimum.” For every prayer that was captured on paper, there were undoubtedly hundreds that no on heard but his God. Joyous heartfelt worship and guttural, broken, painful cries as he poured his heart out before his God who became his dearest friend. PRAYER marked David’s life. PRAYER was one of the defining characteristics of who he was. PRAYER is what made him a man after Gods’ own heart. Yes, repentance, but repentance and prayer are inseparable. Yes, brokenness, but true, godly brokenness and prayer are inseparable. The world is full of broken people, but the are not all are people after God’s own heart. Yes, praise, but praise always takes place in the context of prayer. It was in prayers prayed in caves and prayers prayed in palaces that made David the sum total of who he was. The prayers he wrote with his pen drew the heart of his God. On the pages of the Psalms, we see openness, vulnerability, honesty, sincerity, humility, painful questions, willing worship, agony, adoration, and so much more. Each a PRAYER. Sung or spoken, they are prayers. Deep, heartfelt conversation with his Maker. No matter where, he prayed. Pasture with a harp and a staff. Cave with a sword and no bread. Palace, with a crown and a song. The house of the Lord, with a broken heart and a dead child. He prayed. In each season, each stage, we see him seeking the hear of his King. And, at the end, we see it was truly prayer that made him a who he was and paved the way for who he became.
Finally, after it was all said and done, David worshipped with his final words. And, “the prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.” The lifelong conversation was over.
One day, my prayers will end. Let me pray in every season. Let me seek the face of God always. Let me seek to know His ways, His heart, His heartbeat. Let me PRAY always. “The prayers of Megan….are ended….”
The prayers of (insert YOUR name here) will be ended.