When the New Year’s resolutions unfold in highly breakable patterns, I hope to be reminded that there is one simple resolution that cannot be easily undone by failed diet plans, dropped volunteering, uncontrolled screen time, or an attitude gone bad. That is – simply praying. Psalm 20 promises that the Lord is an active listener.
Psalm 20 says, “To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob protect you! May He send you help from the sanctuary and give you support from Zion! May He remember all your offerings and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! May He grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans! May we shout for joy over your salvation, and in the name of our God set up our banners! May the Lord fulfill all your petitions! Now I know that the Lord save His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven with the saving might of His right hand. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright. O Lord, save the king! May He answer us when we call.”
The Lord answers you, protects you, sends help to you, supports you, remembers you, fulfills you.
P.R.A.Y. is simple. Pause, Rejoice/Reflect, Ask, Yield. This simple pattern comes from a devotional app called Lectio 365. Although it takes a moment of looking at a screen (which you may be trying to reduce as I am), it is a helpful tool.
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