7. Dedication To Prayer Psalm 30:8

Text:  “I cried to Thee, O Lord; and unto the Lord (Jehovah) I made my supplication.”

                                                                                                                    Psalm 30:8.

Good morning, prayerful Christian!  Unless you and I are ‘prayerful Christians’, we proclaim ourselves to be the most outrageous hypocrites that ever lived!  How come?  Because if we are not in constant ‘fellowship’ with the Lord God Whom we profess to worship and love - then we are not true Christians at all! 

We show, outwardly, that we love someone, by the amount of time we seek to be near them and walk with them; and seek to commune with them.  IF, therefore, we genuinely love the Lord God, we will desire constant fellowship with Him; seek a close walk with Him; and continually speak to Him in prayer - listening for His reply in His Word.  We will be ‘prayerful Christians’ indeed.

“God is faithful, by Whom ye were called unto the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord.”  (1 Corinthians 1:9)

“That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.  And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.”  (1 John 1:3-4)

“If we say we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth; but if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the Blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth (cleanses and continues to cleanse) us from all sin.”  (1 John 1:6-7)

Dictionary Definition: Fellowship - (noun) the state of being a fellow or partner; friendship; communion; an association…  (The Chambers Dictionary, page 592)

Verse 8. “I cried to Thee, O Lord; and unto the Lord (Jehovah) I made my supplication.”

Dictionary Definition: Supplication - (noun) the act of supplication; an earnest or humble petition; earnest prayer or entreaty; a petition for some special blessing. (The Chambers Dictionary, page 1662)

Verse 8. Paraphrase: In an attitude of humble earnestness and reverence I cried my heart out onto Thee, oh Lord God, Jehovah; unto Thee alone, in the Name of Thy dear Son, Christ Jesus, I made my sincere petition.  Please answer me during our sweet fellowship, as I worship Thee and place my petition before Thy Holy throne of grace.  In the Name of Thy dear Son, Jesus Christ, and according to Thine own perfect will, I humbly make my request.  Amen.

Prayerful Christians become powerful Christians.  No prayer?  No Divine power!

Verse 8.  “I cried to Thee O Lord.  Prayer is the unfailing resource of God’s people.  If they are driven to their wits’ end, they may still go to the mercy-seat.  When an earthquake makes our mountain tremble, the throne of grace still stands firm, and we may come to it.  Let us never forget to pray, and let us never doubt the success of prayer.  The hand which wounds can heal; let us turn to Him Who smites us, and He will be entreated of us.

“Prayer is a better solace than Cain’s building a city or Saul’s seeking for music.  Mirth and carnal amusements are a sorry prescription for a mind distracted and despairing; prayer will succeed where all else fails.” (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page 146)

“One of the mightiest men of prayer of the last generation was George Mueller of Bristol, England, who in the last sixty years of his life (he lived to be ninety-two or ninety-three) obtained the English equivalent of $7,200,000.00 by prayer. But George Mueller never prayed for a thing just because he wanted it, or even just because he felt it was greatly needed for God's work. When it was laid upon George Mueller's heart to pray for anything, he would search the Scriptures to find if there was some promise that covered the case. Sometimes he would search the scriptures for days before he presented his petition to God. And then when he found the promise, with his open Bible before him, and his finger upon that promise, he would plead that promise, and so he received what he asked. He always prayed with an open Bible before him.

(R. A. Torrey on George Mueller; "The Power of Prayer," 1924 (P. 81)

Note: R. A. Torrey (1856-1928) was selected by Dwight L. Moody be in charge of his Chicago Bible Institute (now known as The Moody Bible Institute). When Dwight Moody died during an evangelistic campaign, R. A. Torrey was chosen to be his replacement, and thereafter had a ministry of Evangelism.

“John Knox and Prayer: It is said that Mary, Queen of Scots trembled when John Knox went to his knees in prayer. One time she even exclaimed that she feared Knox's prayers "more than an any army in Europe."  Why was she so shaken? It was because Knox believed that God worked through prayer. This was no simple assent to a truth. Knox acted on his belief. He would boldly come before the throne of grace like no other, throwing his petitions at the Father's feet.” (Larry Christenson, The Christian Family)

Thought: Prayerful Christians are powerful Christians - for their power is given from God Almighty, and at all times in order to fulfil His Sovereign will and purpose.