There are many written prayers that have come down to us from the ancient world and in each case the supplicant prays only in the vague hope that the gods might answer. The psalms are unique in that they are based on the understanding that there is one almighty God who has bound himself to his people in a covenant of blessing. This makes all the difference. The psalmists did not pray with some vague hope that God might answer; they prayed on the basis of God’s covenant commitment to his people with absolute conviction that God would answer at some time according to his purposes. This is the substance of faith, and it is our faith that differentiates our relationship with God from the banalities of human religion. Faith is not some vague hope. Faith has a firm foundation. It is not blind. It is faith in something; it is built on what God has revealed about himself in Scripture. Throughout the psalter, we find the psalmists appealing to who God is and what he has said and done. The past acts of God are treated as ‘covenant precedents’ which embolden the psalmists to call for the same things to happen in the present. The prayers of the psalms aren’t just driven by need; they are evoked by God’s promises. The challenges that the psalmists faced were simply the occasions that prompted them to respond in faith to God’s promises. The psalmists pray not as those who are pushed but as those who are drawn. Every challenge is an opportunity to experience God’s covenant love and see God’s covenant faithfulness at work.
Reflect on what you would like to see God do today and pray.
Read Psalm 85
