Prayer to be a Faithful Example: Psalm 119:73-80

Prayer to be a Faithful Example

Psalm 119:73-80

Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.
Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭17‬ ‭

In several places in Scripture we hear Paul exhort other believers to follow his example. “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Corinthians‬ ‭11‬:‭1‬) is probably the most familiar one. God, in His Word, and among His faithful people, has given us examples after which we can pattern our lives. In as much as a fellow believer is imitating Christ, we can look at their life and example as a living pattern to imitate. God also gives us examples of disobedience and unbelief in order to warn us. In speaking of the disobedience of the Israelites Paul warns, “Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did” (1 Corinthians‬ ‭10‬:‭6‬). The life we live, then, can be an example for others to follow or avoid. As believers, our desire should be to live in such a way that we set an example of obedience, faithfulness, and devotion to our Lord. We will not be perfect, but the pattern of our lives should be one of increasing holiness that sets an example to those around us. 

In Psalm 119:74 the psalmist says, “Those who fear you shall see me and rejoice because I have hoped in your word.” And again, “Let those who fear you turn to me, that they may know your testimonies.” He lived his life in such a way that it caused others to rejoice and to increase their knowledge of the ways of the Lord.  We all have people in our lives we are influencing. Is our hope in His Word causing other believers to rejoice? Is our pattern of life a vivid, in-real-life picture for others to see how the Word of God is lived out and practically applied to everyday life? 

Let’s pray through Psalm 119:73-80 that we might live our lives in such a God-honoring way that we set an example for others to imitate.

Learning and understanding His Word

119:73 Your hands have made and fashioned me; give me understanding that I may learn your commandments 
Lord, we pray:
▫️We would have understanding and knowledge of Your ways that only You can give. You would impart Your wisdom and instruction to us. We would diligently search Your Word to know You and to know Your ways. Help us to be an example to those around us of hungering and thirsting for You and diligently seeking after You. 
▫️You are intimately acquainted with all our ways. Your hands have made and fashioned us. Help us to learn about ourselves: our weaknesses, sins, strengths, and gifting. Help us to be an example of being teachable and willing to learn. 

Hoping in His Word

119:74 Those who fear you shall see me and rejoice, because I have hoped in your word. 
Lord, we pray:
▫️Give us such a confidence in Your Word that others will see how much we have hoped in Your Word, and they will rejoice. Help us to be an example of hoping, waiting expectantly, on You know matter what circumstances we face. Make our hope so evident that others will see and ask us the reason for the hope that is in us (1 Peter 3:15).

Trust in affliction

119:75 I know, O Lord, that your rules are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me. 
Lord, we pray:
▫️We would trust in Your ways and faithfulness during our dark days. We would have a calm assurance during affliction that would cause others to desire that same peace in the midst of turmoil. Help us to be an example to other sufferers that You are worthy of our trust and praise even in affliction because You are faithful.

Looking to Christ for comfort

119:76 Let your steadfast love comfort me according to your promise to your servant. 
Lord, we pray:
▫️When we face times when our hearts are heavy, grieving, sorrowful, anxious, and despondent, we would turn to You, the God of all comfort, and we would experience the abounding comfort of Christ. We would be able to share that comfort with others who need it, and our example of seeking comfort in You would show others where true comfort can be found.

Delighting in His Word

119:77 Let your mercy come to me, that I may live; for your law is my delight. 
Lord, we pray:
▫️Your Word truly would be our delight. The love we have for Your Word would flow out of our mouths and lives. Others would hear and see how we savor and cherish Your Word, and they too would long to taste and see Your goodness through Your Word. 

What we meditate on

119:78 Let the insolent be put to shame, because they have wronged me with falsehood; as for me, I will meditate on your precepts. 
Lord, we pray:
▫️You would help us day by day to choose to set our minds on the things of You and to have an eternal perspective. The things we think about eventually come out in our speech and actions. Let it be that what others hear and see is a mind saturated with the things of You and a heart delighting in You. 
▫️Give us a biblical mindset that can filter life through the truth. Let us not be influenced by the culture around us, but rather be an influence in it for the cause of Christ. Help us to encourage biblical thinking in those around us. Set us as an example of being able to speak the truth on love, to hold to biblical standards even when it is unpopular, and to have a worldview shaped by Your Word.

That others would know the Lord

119:79 Let those who fear you turn to me, that they may know your testimonies. 
Lord, we pray:
▫️Our lives would be an imitation of Christ in all things. Others would be able to look at our lives as an example to follow. By our faithful living, others would know the Lord and His ways. They would see what it looks like to live according to Your testimonies. 

Steadfast faithfulness

119:80 May my heart be blameless in your statutes, that I may not be put to shame!
Lord, we pray:
▫️Make us blameless and complete in our conduct. Help us to strive for obedience to You in all things. We do not want to toy with any sin, no matter how small we may think it is. Help us to live faithfully our whole lives long. To be faithful until the end. Help us to not be ashamed because we ran well but then fell away or became lazy. Help us to run with endurance the race that is set before us and to run in such a way that we may win (1 Corinthians 9:24).

May the Lord do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, for His glory and our good. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

Scripture quotations are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All right reserved.

Photo credit to freewalkingtoursalzburg

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Mother’s Longing

Image
A Mother’s Longing “…in your faith you are standing firm.” 2 Corinthians 1:24 It is not surprising that 3 John 4 is so often quoted by Christian parents in their deep desire for their children, “I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth” (NASB). This is the deep longing of my heart as a mother. I want my children to truly know Christ, to walk in His ways, to love His Word, and to be committed to His church. I desire to be able to say to them, “in your faith you are standing firm” (2 Corinthians. 1:24). Am I being a faithful steward of my role as a Christian mother? Are my actions reflecting this deep desire to see my dearly loved children walking in the truth?  As we head into this new year, it is wise to both look back and look forward. The new year offers us many possibilities to grow and change and also to continue to persevere in the things that God, by His grace, has enabled us to carry out faithfully. If one of my deepest longings is to see ...
Read more

A Piercing that Drives Us to Our Knees

Image
A Piercing that Drives Us to Our Knees: to the mothers of the brokenhearted and the wandering Where there is a praying mother there is always hope. J.C.Ryle From the time our children are a positive line on a pregnancy test and then placed in our arms for the first time, our hearts as their mother are intricately intertwined with theirs. The first cry brings tears and joy, such inexpressible joy. And then they grow, and we love to see them exploring, learning, and developing their personalities. But the moment they come home having faced rejection for the first time, or they struggle with a mental illness that leaves us feeling deeply inadequate, or we get an email from the school that they’ve been caught cheating, each taste of sorrow and sin that they taste, we experience as well. The words spoken to Mary could be the gentle warning each mother must heed, “and a sword will pierce even your own soul”(Luke 2:35).  I’m not sure our children will understand until they become parents ...
Read more

Don’t Give Up, Mom: when mothering makes you weary

Image
  Don’t Give Up: when mothering makes you weary Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we never give up… 2 Corinthians 4:1 ESV, NLT Mothering can have seasons where weariness and discouragement lie right at the surface. Perhaps it’s a physically exhausting time, maybe spiritually you’re struggling or a child is, maybe it’s just busier than normal and it’s hard to juggle everything without feeling stressed out, or maybe it’s hard to even find a reason why you’re struggling. It can be so many little things, or big things and little things, and you just want to give up, even if only for a little while. You wish you could run away and rest, clear your mind and breathe. How can we faithfully persevere through motherhood, each of its season, and each season’s hardships?  As I studied 2 Corinthians 4:1-6, I wanted to see how Paul could say, “we never give up.” Studying this book, I have come to appreciate the tenacity of Paul and his steadfastness through so many diffic...
Read more