Musical Petition

June 22

(Psalm 70:1-5 NIV) "For the director of music. Of David. A petition. Hasten, O God, to save me; O Lord, come quickly to help me. {2} May those who seek my life be put to shame and confusion; may all who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace. {3} May those who say to me, "Aha! Aha!" turn back because of their shame. {4} But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation always say, "Let God be exalted!" {5} Yet I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay."

(Acts 16:19-25 NIV) “When the owners of the slave girl realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. {20} They brought them before the magistrates and said, "These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar {21} by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice." {22} The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. {23} After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. {24} Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. {25} About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.”

Most of us have offered up prayers to God when we were in tough situations. But have you ever put your petitions to music and lifted them up as songs? David did this many times. His life was full of trials, even though he was King of Israel during its golden era. Perhaps singing about his troubles and despair helped him persevere. Perhaps this gifted musician just expressed himself better when writing songs for God. If you look closely at David’s songs, his lyrics include heartfelt expressions of despair, cries for justice, as well as words of praise and confidence in the character and goodness of God. That’s still a good pattern for prayer today. Sung or spoken, it is fitting to petition God when we feel hopeless. It’s proper to cry out for justice in an unfair world. And it’s appropriate to trust in God’s goodness and power, even in the face of evidence to the contrary. This is the essence of genuine faith. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day