'Pour Out Your Hearts to Him...'

Using the Psalms to help you pray effectively.

Teach us to pray, 'Jesus' disciples, once asked him (Luke 11:1). They prayed, of course, but they were used to the format, congregational prayers of the temple and synagogue. The religious leaders of the day did not emphasise spontaneous, personal prayer.

But jesus was able to pray at any time and place. The disciples wanted to talk to God the Father like that as well. So, probably, do you. These are stressful times, and we all need spiritual comfort and support. It is helpful and comforting to pour your heart out to God, telling him about your fears, worries, anxieties, hopes and dreams.

Prayer is one of the most important ---- but sometimes most difficult ---- things a Christian must learn to do. Ideally, it is an opportunity to talk to God. Realistically, it can seem to be rather awkward and one-sided converation. Wouldn't it be helpful to have some examples of prayers that God heard and answered? Prayers that people prayed when they were in need, in pain, wrestilng with depression? Or even prayers of people who wanted to thank God and to praise him?

We do have these examples. And, you'll find them all in the book of psalms. The 150 psalms, preserved for us in the Old Testament, were the musical poems, the hymns and the prayers of ancient Israel. These psalms are a record of Hebrew worship and prayer.

Other books of the Bible give us a historical record of Israel's relationship with God. Psalms gives us a more intimate look. It is rather like learning about an event by reading the personal correspondence between the main participants. You begin to appreciate not only what happened, but also the feelings and emotions of those involved.

This is what makes Psalms so helpful as you build your own relationship with God. Seventy-three of the Bible's 150 psalms are specifically attributed to David, whom God called 'a man after my own heart' (Acts 13:22). David was a warrior, a gifted poet and musician, and Israel's greatest king. He lived life to the full, made mistakes, reaped pain and the suffering, and sometimes became deeply discouraged.

But David loved God and even in those moments of agony and despair he continued talking to him. There are times when we all need to talk about our problems with a close friend. It helps put things in clearer perspective. This is exactly what King David did when he prayed. He poured out his heart to God. He was not afraid to express his emotions ---- fear, sorrows, hope, anxiety, joy, longing and even frustration, impatience and anger.

This gifted and yet so very human man had learned to talk through his problems in prayer. And, no matter how bleak the outlook seemed, David always found comfort and the strength to hope and trust in God. Thus, the psalms of David, and the book of Psalms in general, can invigorate your prayers with real, down-to-earth expression that reflect your own thoughts.

You'll think, That's exactly what I want to say! It is reassuring to know that other people have had your problems. In fact, God preserved these prayers and songs so that you, too, would know how to talk to him. Here are some important principles from the psalms to help you pray more effectively:

1) Don't be afraid to say what is on your mind.

You should always approach God respectfully and it is always appropriate to praise him. There are times when you are filled with hope and enthusiasm. You feel close to God and you appreciate what he has done for you. This is how David felt when he wrote Psalm 65. (Note also Psalms 66 and 67).

But David didn't always pray like this. For example, look at Psalms 54, 55, 56, 57 and 59. On these occasions, David was in trouble and he wasted no time in asking for help. On other occasions, David even asked God to hurry up and help him (Psalms 38:22; 40:13, 17;70:1, 5; 143:7). Once, the book of Psalms records that David asked God if he had forgotten him (Psalm 13:1-2).

You, too should not be afraid to tell God precisely what is on your mind. And like David, you can urge God to intervene in your life.

2) Don't hide from your mistakes.

Some people may feel awkward about praying, especially after they have made big mistakes. Or perhaps they have not prayed to God for a long time and they think they aren't worthy of his love and acceptance any more. At times such as these, it is reassuring to read the moving and poignant Psalm 51, written when David had sinned very badly. After committing adultery with Bathsheba, David had plotted to have her husband, Uriah, killed in battle (see 2 Samuel 11).

David's actions were especially repulsive to God because, as king of Israel, David should have been the moral leader of the nation. But when David recognised his sin, he immediately went to God in humility and genuine repentance, asking for forgiveness. God heard. David knew he was a sinner and asked God to help keep him from continuing to sin.

On another occasion, King David fervently prayed: 'Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins' (Psalm 19:12-13). Like David, confess your sins to God. When you do, God promises he will forgive you, just as he forgave David.

3) Wait for God's answer.

Prayer is a spiritual act of worship in which you share your most intimate thoughts with God the Father, through Jesus Christ. Paul tells us in his epistle to the Philippians, 'present [our] requests to God' (Philippians 4:6). But this is not a magic formula for getting everything you want when you want it.

David's prayers were not always answered right away. God worked with him across a lifetime, and the relationship was not casual or superficial. Although God will give you the 'desires of your heart' (Psalm 37:4), there are also lessons to be learned in enduring a trial. Sometimes you must wait in faith for God to answer in his way and in his time.

Psalms gives some fascinating glimpses into the minds of people as they endured trials of faith. In Psalm 73, the author, Asaph, expresses anger and impatience. He even wonders if living God's way is worth it (verse 13). But as Asaph sorts out through his churning emotions, he calms down, and his faith and patience is restored (verses 16-26).

You'll find another example of a prayer changing a negative mood in Psalm 10. God knows you have emotions. You do not always have to appear before him cool, calm and collected. A relationship with God is a learning process. Sometimes you need to be guided through life's tribulations, not just 'airlifted out' of every situation.

This is a vital part off your spiritual growth. During such times of stress, God will help you work through your negative thoughts and emotions, and give you the peace of mind 'which transcends all understanding' (Philippians 4:7). So, don't, be afraid to pray openly and honestly to God, even during the darkest hours of your life. But be willing ---- and prepared ---- to wait for God's answer in God's time.

Remember, also that God's answer to a request may be no. Paul was a man of unquestioned faith, second to none in his zeal to serve Jesus Christ. And Jesus used him mightily. Yet Paul tells us that 'to keep me from becoming conceited...there was given me a thorn in my flesh...to torment me' (2 Corinthians 12:7).

We don't know what this thorn in the flesh was, but it hindered Paul's ministry, and he asked God to remove it. 'Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me,' he wrote. 'But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" ' (verses 8-9).

Paul acknowledged that this 'thorn' kept him humble (verse 7). It reminded him of his daily need for contact with God. So, while you should present your requests urgently and fervently to God, you must wait patiently while God decides how and when he will answer you. As David said: "Be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord' (Psalm 27:14).

4) Have confidence in the outcome.

When everything around you seems to be falling apart, it is hard to walk in faith. But that is exactly what Christians are sometimes called to do. David told God: 'Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life' (Psalm 138:7). He learned that no matter how bad things looked, God would assert his will and control. David knew that God will never forsake those who seek him (Psalm 9:10).

Even so, there will be times when you will feel rejection, humiliation, frustration and all the emotional weather that comes into an active and spiritually rich human life.

The Psalms can help you understand this, as you share the intimate thoughts of servants of God who have gone before you. They help you talk to God as a friend. They remind you of what you tend to forget when you are discouraged and temporarily disoriented. They are spiritual embarkments that control the floods of negative emotions and worry, guiding them along safe channels, where they can be dissipated safely (Psalm 32:6).

As you build your relationship and friendship with the same God who listened to the prayers of David and other authors of the Psalms, you, too, will grow in courage and faith. You will, like David, ask with confidence, "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight' (Psalm 19:14).

And like david, you can look beyond the immediate situation and realise 'there is a future for the man of peace' (Psalm 37:37).