August 16 Scripture Selection: Psalm 141-142

Guest post by Jeanette Andrade

August 16 Scripture Selection: Psalm 141-142

Food for Thought: Ps. 141:2

One of the reasons why some believers do not take advantage of the time in prayer with the Lord is because they lack understanding of the advantages of prayer and of what takes place in the spirit-realm when they pray.

The first thing believers must understand is that our words are not invisible and impotent. In the spirit-realm, which is more real than what we can see with our human eyes, words are not just sounds that come out of our mouths and vanish as soon as they do. NO! Depending on one’s faith, they either hover with no destination, or they rise like sweet-smelling incense before the Lord which He values highly and collects in golden bowls. Notice Revelation 5:8 : “Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” (See also Rev. 8:3, 4.) On the other hand, we will give an account for our faithless, idle words which have no place to go and no positive purpose (Mat. 12:36).

Another thing that is very important to remember is that when we pray, we have the highest privilege to literally go directly before the throne of God placed on a magnificent crystal sea (Rev. 4:6). It is an awesome, glorious thing to be able to approach the Father in such a resplendent setting. What an honor!

And, above all, we must know that going before the Father in prayer is not a fruitless exercise. Prayer produces great things! Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” And James 5:16 says, “…The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

In Colossians 4:2, we are told to “Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving.” There’s a reason for that. We are God’s mouth-pieces here on earth, and He desires for us to be active players in what goes on here, not just victims of circumstance. While our prayers do not have to be “formal” and full of “religiosity,” they should be constant so that we remain connected to the only One Who offers mankind real hope in this life.

Digging Deeper (What scriptures can further enhance today’s reading?):

Getting Personal (What has God shown you in today’s reading?):

Confession of Faith (Example: Lord, based on Mat. 1:21 and 23, I understand that Jesus is God, and I receive Him as my personal Lord and Savior.):

Important Events on This Day (birthdays, anniversaries, etc.):