Pour Your Heart Onto a Page - February 26

Read Psalm 141:1-2

O LORD, I call upon you; hasten to me! Give ear to my voice when I call to you! Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

Reflect

Have you ever used a prayer journal? Do you feel that writing your prayers down is beneficial?

Sometimes, when I sit down to pray, I just can't quiet my mind. A thousand thoughts are swirling around in my head—usually my to-do list. I keep checking the clock because I don’t want to lose track of time. I start off thanking and praising God but end up running through my itinerary of the day. Anyone else? Or is it just me?

One thing that has helped me with this is writing my prayers down. I don’t do it every day but honestly, I probably should because it forces me to focus on what I am saying to God. But I am not the first person in the world to think of writing down my prayers. In the Bible, we have a whole collection of prayers in the book of Psalms.

Today’s verses were written by David who is credited with writing 73 out of 150 of the prayers, poems, and hymns collected in the Book of Psalms. In this psalm, David called out to God, asking Him to hear His prayer and accept it as an offering. He went on to lament the evil deeds of wicked men and asked God to keep Him from the temptation to join them. In verse 8, he wrote: “But my eyes are toward you, O God, my Lord; in you I seek refuge; leave me not defenseless!”

What I love about David and the other psalmists is that they poured out their hearts to God on the page in front of them. Some of these prayers expressed gratitude and praise. Some were laments that expressed deep pain and grief. In many of these psalms, the author is scared and confused while in others the psalmist is confident that the Lord will prevail. In fact, many of the psalms express a combination of emotions. For example, in Psalm 22, David alternates back and forth between crying out to God in deep anguish to praising God and expressing his faith and trust in Him. David wasn’t afraid to tell God whatever he was feeling, but he was also quick to remind Himself of God’s faithfulness and love.

There have been seasons in my life when I regularly wrote in my prayer journals. When I flip through those pages, I see how God was faithful to work out my circumstances for His glory and my good over and over again. Looking back, I see how God has since answered so many of those prayers. I also see the spiritual journey that God has taken me on and I see my faith growing and maturing.

In Matthew 26:36-46, Jesus was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. He knew He was about to be arrested and He knew the horror that lay before Him. So, He asked His friends to pray for Him. But the disciples kept falling asleep! Boy, could I relate to that. I am much more capable of finishing a complete thought when I pick up a pen to pray. It keeps me from nodding off, it keeps my mind from wandering, and it serves as a written record of my communication with the Lord.

When trying to develop a physical fitness routine, many people find that writing down their goals can help them stay focused. If you are trying to develop the spiritual discipline of prayer, I encourage you to give a prayer journal a try. Write your prayers down, pour out your heart to God on the page. Take a page out of David’s book—don’t be afraid to tell God how you really feel, but be quick to remind yourself of God’s faithfulness and love.

Respond

“With my voice I cry out to the LORD; with my voice I plead for mercy to the LORD. I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him. When my spirit faints within me, you know the way…I cry to you, O LORD; I say, ‘You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living...’” (Psalm 142:1-3, 5). Lord, I cry out to You and pour my heart out to You. Remind me of Your faithfulness and Your love. Amen.

Reveal

Write out a prayer for a family member or a friend and share it with them. Just knowing how someone is praying for you can be a great encouragement!