Sometimes the heart insists: “I need a prayer song—and I need it now.”

Psalm 38 is a template of timely prayer for anyone who has suffered or is suffering. It gives voice and emotion to the cry of the heart that struggles to emerge. It holds a mirror before our souls so that we can recognize what may be stirring within us.

The psalm takes our innermost thoughts and makes them accessible, so that we might express them to God.

We do not always have words. The prayers of the ancients provide words we can borrow on the occasion of our pain. And we do not always have a keen sense of what we are feeling; the psalms suggest possibilities.

We can pray these words with confidence—knowing that whether or not they perfectly match our lives, they are received by God with acceptance and love. And they assure us that we are not alone.

Whatever we may experience, others have experienced it as well. Whatever mountain we must climb, it has been climbed before. Whatever horror we face has been faced. Whatever assault we see coming has been overcome with God’s help.

The grace of God is more powerful than your challenges. The mercy of God is greater than your guilt. The love of God is stronger than any darts of hate tossed in your direction.

The song of God is more melodic and unhindered than any cacophony of bitterness. It harmonizes with God’s theme and crescendos above the dissonance of any oncoming threat.

The song is a prayer, and the prayer is a song we are invited to sing to and with God. It is in the singing and the praying that we approach the place of peace.

Watch the Bible Chat video: https://fb.watch/EMM0gd3NCm/
Read the companion reflection on Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/tomsims/p/i-need-a-prayer-songand-i-need-it?r=2m40s&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true