Incentive to pray - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2024

O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob.
Psalm 84:8

Incentive to pray
The Psalms contain many incentives to pray. David recommends to us in Psalm 62:8, “Pour out your heart before Him! God is a refuge for us.” In Psalm 120:1, a believer speaks of his experience with God: “In my distress I cried to the Lord, and He heard me.” Such examples of people of faith who have cried out to God and received an answer encourage us to pray to Him with confidence and bring Him our concerns.

Today’s verse from the psalms mentions three names of God that motivate us to pray:

1. He is the Lord who, as “the Everlasting One”, never changes and makes true all that He has promised in His Word. This name of God emphasises His faithfulness. When we pray to Him, we can take Him at His word and lean on His promises.
2. The God of hosts is enthroned in heaven. There He reigns over the world, even though this is not publicly visible. This name underlines His power. We pray to the great and almighty God, the One to whom everything in heaven and on earth is at His disposal.
3. The God of Jacob never gave up on this faithful man who unfortunately often acted cunningly and went his own way. This name of God emphasises His grace. Thus, when we pray, we may count on God being gracious and coming to our aid despite our failures.

Today’s reading: Ezekiel 8:1-18 · Psalms 118:1-14