Exhortation Station

I’ve been reading through the Sermon on the Mount the past few days. Man! Powerful stuff.

In my reading, I was freshly reminded of something I need to be reminded of constantly.

Matthew 6:7,8 —
“And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. ⁸ So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.”

When my mind is restless with anxious thoughts, I often struggle to know even what’s on my own mind. I turn my thoughts over and over, viewing them from this angle and that, trying to untangle the web. My prayers are earnest.

One thing I appreciate so much about Yahweh is that He loves when we pour out our hearts to Him. Psalm 62:8 says, “Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.”

Though, in pouring out my heart, I often forget to accompany my earnestness — my striving — with a deep acknowledgement of the overwhelming understanding Yahweh has for every miniscule detail of my situation.

One of my all-time favorite Bible passages is Psalm 139. It has often been a great comfort to me. Here’s the first clip:

Psalm 139:1-6 —
“O YHWH, You have searched me and known me.
² You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
You understand my thought from afar.
³ You scrutinize my path and my lying down,
And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.
⁴ Even before there is a word on my tongue,
Behold, O YHWH, You know it all.
⁵ You have enclosed me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is too high, I cannot attain to it.”

Picture a friend who is so in-tune with your background, personality, quirky struggles, and nuanced thought processes that you barely have to utter a coherent sentence before he or she understands perfectly. Even this picture does not adequately account for the degree of understanding Yahweh has toward us. You don’t have to worry about Him misunderstanding you. He knows you better than you know yourself. It’s impossible for Him not to understand.

My friends, when we pray, let our prayers be earnest. Let them be equally rested. Let them be spoken with a heart of trust, even if spoken with a quivering voice. Pour our your heart before Him, and as you do, know that He has stored every drop in His bottle. He has numbered the very hairs of your head, such is His painstaking care — before there is a word on your tongue.

Psalm 56:8 —
“You have taken account of my wanderings; put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in Your book?”

Matthew 10:29-31 —
“Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. ³⁰ But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹ So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.”

(Bible passages NASB 1995; Hebrew transl. added.)