1 Praise be to the Lord my Rock,
who trains my hands for war,
my fingers for battle.
2 He is my loving God and my fortress,
my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield, in whom I take refuge,
who subdues peoples[a] under me.
3 Lord, what are human beings that you care for them,
mere mortals that you think of them?
4 They are like a breath;
their days are like a fleeting shadow.
I will praise your name for ever and ever.
2 Every day I will praise you
and extol your name for ever and ever.
3 Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom.
4 One generation commends your works to another;
they tell of your mighty acts.
5 They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—
and I will meditate on your wonderful works.
6 They tell of the power of your awesome works—
and I will proclaim your great deeds.
7 They celebrate your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your righteousness.
8 The Lord is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.
9 The Lord is good to all;
he has compassion on all he has made.
10 All your works praise you, Lord;
your faithful people extol you.
11 They tell of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might,
12 so that all people may know of your mighty acts
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises
and faithful in all he does.
14 The Lord upholds all who fall
and lifts up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food at the proper time.
16 You open your hand
and satisfy the desires of every living thing.
17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways
and faithful in all he does.
18 The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cry and saves them.
20 The Lord watches over all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.
21 My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord.
Let every creature praise his holy name
for ever and ever.
II. Reflection Questions:
1. Am I really believing God for answers to prayers?
2. Do I give God my best when I seek Him in prayer?
3. Do I pray as though God himself is going to move heaven and earth, for His glory, in response to my prayer?
By Jason Schezer
Mike slams the door behind him, scowling and fuming with rage. You can almost see smoke pouring out of his ears. “Nobody understands me! Not my family, not my boss, coworkers! Traffic is so bad in Houston, I just can’t work these kinds of hours and commute in rush hour! I hate it!” Later on, cooled off a bit yet still frustrated, Mike remembers that he needs to pray. “Dear Father God…” he begins. After 2 sentences it just seems that God is not listening. Mike’s prayer goes up, hits the ceiling, and bounces off without ascending up to Heaven and God’s throne. “Lord, don’t you care about me? Ugg.. this is so hard!” he thinks to himself, too distraught to keep on trying to pray. “Prayer is such a waste of time,” he quietly resigns. “I have to handle this mess by myself.”
Mike may be a believer who has become very discouraged, or he may not yet be a believer. Either way, he has not realized that the goal of prayer is communion with God, not just getting what we want. Communion with God is sweet, pure, a place of safety, meaningful, even transcendent. The one true God, who created all things, wants communion with you.
As the psalmist experienced an overflowing expression of praise toward God, (“I will exalt You, my God the King…”) we too were created in the image of God to be in a state of unbroken communion with Him. We need the 5 minute or 10 minute Christian duty prayer gone from our radar screen. Out with that idea! The length of time is not the goal, but dependence on Almighty God, a loving Father, and sweet communion with an intimate trust.
From the past Sunday sermon, we learned that there are many obstacles to real prayer. Unconfessed sin, wrong motives, and lack of faith, just to name a few. How did the psalmist get beyond these obstacles? The first attitude that we see in Psalm 145 is that he (David) has made a concerted decision to continually offer uninterrupted praise to God, regardless of circumstances. “Every day I will praise You” (v. 2).
Next, we see that praise of God is not only an individual expressing praise privately in a quiet prayer; One generation commends Your works to another. There is a corporate attitude of prayer when the older generation in the Jewish synagogue would tell the younger about the mighty acts of the Lord. The result is that a whole community is emboldened to express praise to God and to pray.
The attitudes of David toward prayer and praise do not stop there; he thoroughly details as much as humanly possible, the awesome power of God, and the perfections of His character – His kingdom is everlasting, the dominion of His reign knows no end, and on and on with limitless perfection and power.
God is not only perfect, He is also generous: “You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.” (v. 16). When you feel discouraged in prayer, think on how your Heavenly Father (He is yours), actually longs to satisfy your desires, in a holy, perfect, pleasing way that is long lasting. If we can get our perspective caught up to Heaven, to God’s throne, seeing Him exalted in glory, yet caring deeply about ourselves, we will not be so weary in weak prayers.
IV. Prayer:
Is there anything too hard for You, Lord? Absolutely nothing is too hard for You! I choose to trust that You enjoy listening to me, You are able to hear prayer, and to answer in ways beyond imagination and human comprehension. You answer prayer powerfully and with perfect wisdom, and You care about ___________ detail in my life today and every day. Search my heart, and show me what is keeping me from deep, honest communion with You. Thank you that I am Your child. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
City Life Starter 
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