Day One: 31 Days of Prayer

My church, First Baptist Church in Moriarty, NM, begins "31 Days of Prayer" today. I invite you to join us in prayer. I wrote some morning and evening devotionals for this emphasis. I will post each day's devotional on this blog and then give the link on my FaceBook page. Here is Day one. Thanks for praying.

July 1, 2010

Morning

Psalm 16, “A Miktam of David”

This psalm belongs to David, whom we know as a King of Israel. His greatest legacy, however, is as a musical composer and artist. Through David God composed music for all seasons of life, then preserved it in His Sacred Scripture. This speaks volumes about the importance of music in our lives. To our knowledge Apostle Paul was not a musician. Yet he agreed. Ephesians 5:19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord…

We are stressing prayer this month. One of the best ways to pray is through music. Sing your prayers. And pray your songs. Pray your favorite Christian lyrics to God. Sing more this month. If you can’t carry a tune, sing only in the shower. But do sing! Family Life radio frequently encourages listeners to focus exclusively on Christian radio for 30 days. Try listening to only Christian music for this month.

Also note the music that God alone composes—the music of nature. It’s all around—birds chirping, children laughing, water splashing. Celebrate the Creator as you hear the music of his creation. Compose a poem or a song this month. Take advantage of church worship music. Whether home or away, worship in a Bible-preaching, Christ-centered, worship-oriented church each weekend. If you are a Christ-follower, God has given you a new song that longs to get out (Psalm 40:3, Colossians 3:16). Let it out.

Pray for the musical leadership in our church. Pray for more young people to take up music to glorify God. Ask God to send gifted musicians to our church. Pray for God to raise up a David in our midst. If He can find David in Bethlehem (1 Samuel 16:4), He can find the next great musician in Moriarty.

Evening

This psalm is a miktam. No one knows for sure what this means. The NIV Bible footnotes that it is a musical or literary term. I believe it is the latter, because it is used exclusively in six psalms with a similar nature (Psalm 16, 56-60). These psalms are “refuge” psalms. In each case David was troubled, even under attack, and sought God’s protection. We need to express a miktam to God today. These are troubled times for Christians. We need God’s help and protection.

This evening write your own miktam, naming the personal circumstance with which you most struggle. Ask God for mercy and grace based on the work of Christ (Hebrews 4:14-16). Claim the deliverance that He will surely give to you (Romans 8:31-32). Don’t’ stop praying until God’s peace comes. Philippians 4:6-7 ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Then, sleep well. Psalm 4:8 I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.