Psalm 141:1–2: Lord, I cry out to You; Make haste to me! Give ear to my voice when I cry out to You. Let my prayer be set before You as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
Experiencing Jesus in the Psalms
“David was in love with prayer.” He was a great man of prayer. He mentions the fact that prayer is like sweet incense. Today, when we pray and praise in the name of Christ, that prayer is like the sweet incense that went up out of the tabernacle when Aaron, the high priest, sprinkled incense on the golden altar. “Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense.” However, to be sweet incense, that prayer would have to be backed up by an obedient life. The Lord Jesus made it abundantly clear that if we expect God to hear and answer our prayers, we must live lives that are obedient to Him. The idea that we can live any way we want to and expect God to answer our prayer is a big mistake. The Lord said, “If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.” He did not stop there. He continued, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:14–15). If you expect Him to answer your prayers, you must be obedient. We need to pray in the name of Christ, yes, but also we need a life to back it up. 1
Living the Transformed Life
The prayer of the upright is His delight. Proverbs 15:8
- Pray desperate prayers to the Lord. – “I cry out to You!”
- Pray believing prayers to the Lord. – “Give ear to my voice!”
- Pray with a heart of obedience to the Lord. – “Love…keeps His commandments!”
Praying with a purposeful heart of obedience is a very powerful prayer.
Praise and Prayer
Thank You, Father, for the open door before Your throne of grace in prayer. Dear Jesus, please teach me to pray with faith, adoration, and obedience.
1. McGee, J. V. (1991). Thru the Bible commentary: Poetry (Psalms 90-150) (electronic ed., Vol. 19, p. 167). Nashville.
