Why, O Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? – Psalm 10:1

The hour of prayer is no time to become so outwardly spiritual and pious that we withhold honest emotions and fears from God.

God invites us to bring Him our brokenness that He might address it and heal it.

Who is there who has never felt abandoned by God later to realize that He was always present and was working behind the scenes of our awareness to accomplish His purposes in and through us? He is a God of patience and perseverance and is bringing about His solutions to our confusions in His own time.

But He is also a very present help in time of trouble, so He is ready to listen to our complaint and to soothe our troubled souls by His Word of truth and comfort.

Withhold nothing from God – not even that which you deem negative and angry. If you make a practice of bringing your doubts directly to Him, He can deal with them and with you. Rather than regressing, you will progress in grace.

In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devises. He boasts of the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord … – Psalm 10:2-3

There is no reason why any child of God should not be indignant about the way in which the strong wicked man or woman hunts down the weak and oppresses those who are entrapped by evil. 

The arrogance of wickedness is a righteous and legitimate cause for anger among those who love God and truth. The boastings of the proud who bless the greedy and revile the Lord are justifiable reasons for praying people to bring their complaints to God with broken hearts and deep revulsion.

We are angry about addiction, materialism, repression of human rights, persecution of believers, abortion of unborn humans, discrimination, racism, gossip, child and spousal abuse, corruption, cyclical poverty, and all the litany of ills that infect our society.

Thet all boil down to contempt for God that reviles Him and causes us to mourn within. These sentiments are to be included in our prayer life, else they will be without purpose or legitimacy. They should lead us to God and to deeper seeking of Him and His ways. They call us to prayer.

In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God. – Psalm 10:4

Perhaps these words give you insight into some area of spiritual coldness within your own heart. It is easy to point our fingers at others and analyze their own seeming lack of consecration and earnest seeking, but the Word of God speaks to our own hearts and penetrates whatever darkness remains.

God is fashioning us as a people for Himself and we must deal with this darkness if we are going to overcome it by His grace and grow beyond it. We need His light to show us every stronghold of pride within our own lives that stifles the seeking that we must be doing in order to go on with God. Inventory your thoughts. How many have been prideful, lustful, ambitious, and bitter? Was there room in them for God? Is there now room for Him?

We cannot merely point our finger at others. We must look within.

 His ways are always prosperous; he is haughty and your laws are far from him; he sneers at all his enemies. He says to himself, “Nothing will shake me; I’ll always be happy and never have trouble.” – Psalm 10:5-6

This is still the wicked man’s profile. It alerts us to dangerous attitudes which divert our attention from God and what He desires to accomplish in and through our lives. Prosperity can be our enemy if it causes us to be haughty, self-confident, and delusional   about our lives.

If we adopt a “nothing-will-shake-me” stance in our thinking toward  deal with our pride alone. As for me, I need His power, grace, and love to extinguish the false fire of pride within me for it is burning out of control.

And I need Him to ignite a passion within me for seeking Him with every thought. Will you join me today in praying to that end?

And the journey continues.

When wicked provocateurs seem close at hand and we are intimate with trouble, we sometimes feel that God is far from us. Spiritual reality affirms that the converse is true and that God is nearer than we think — as close as our honest, heart-cry of prayer.