The truth that we want to understand today is that we must pray according to God's will, which means praying according to His Word. If we are remaining in Jesus through Bible study and prayer, He will give us His Word to pray back to Him.
If you pray His Word, not taking it out of context, you can "ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." Do you see how this kind of praying is so exciting? When we pray God's Word, we know that we are praying in agreement with God, and He will answer us accordingly.
Psalm 107 offers us four vivid word pictures of people in similar situations to us. These people are in deep trouble, and so they cry out to the Lord, and He rescues and delivers them. Let's use this chapter to facilitate our praying and see how praying God's Word brings us the assurance to know that God will hear and answer us.
First picture: The Wilderness Wanderer
“Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle. 5 They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away. 6 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. 7 He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle. 8 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, 9 for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.” Psalms 107:4-9 (NIV)
Here is the repeating theme of this chapter:
People are in a very difficult situation: verses 4-5
They cry out to the Lord: verse 6
He delivers them from their distress: verse 7
They praise and thank Him for His love and deliverance: verses 8-9
Here is how we might pray this passage back to God:
Father in heaven, like the people in this chapter, I’ve been wandering in the wilderness of gluttony. In this life of wanderlust, I’ve been unsettled, hungry, and thirsty in my sin, deriving absolutely no lasting satisfaction from the temporary pleasures of indulging the cravings of my flesh.
Oh, God, I cry to you now, for I’ve seen in this passage that you hear the cries of those who are desperate. I’m desperate to stop this wandering, but I need you to show me the “way to the city”. I need you to give me a road map home. I need you to open the eyes of my heart to see Jesus who, through His death, opened the way for me to come home. Please, God, please lead me out of this hot, dry, barren, and arid wasteland called overeating.
Oh, Lord, please deliver me from my distress, rescue me from wandering, save me from this desolate place I’ve been living in, and lead me back to You. I believe you will do this for your own glory, and I will praise you and thank you for it.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Second Picture: The Chained Captive
“Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness, prisoners suffering in iron chains, 11 because they rebelled against God's commands and despised the plans of the Most High. 12 So he subjected them to bitter labor; they stumbled, and there was no one to help. 13 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. 14 He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness, and broke away their chains. 15 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, 16 for he breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron.” Psalms 107:10-16 (NIV)
Question 2. Please write out your prayer to God using His actual words from Psalm 107:10-16:
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