PRAYERS UP, PALMS DOWN

Kenny Ochs

Central Truth

God allows us to make our requests known to Him through prayer. Although He may not respond exactly how we want, He always gives what is best for us.

You have given him his heart's desire
and have not withheld the request of his lips.
(Psalm 21:2)

The King Rejoices in the LORD's Strength

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

1 O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices,
    and in your salvation how greatly he exults!
2 You have given him his heart's desire
    and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah
3 For you meet him with rich blessings;
    you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.
4 He asked life of you; you gave it to him,
    length of days forever and ever.
5 His glory is great through your salvation;
    splendor and majesty you bestow on him.
6 For you make him most blessed forever;^{1

21:6
Or make him a source of blessing forever}
    you make him glad with the joy of your presence.
7 For the king trusts in the LORD,
    and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved.

8 Your hand will find out all your enemies;
    your right hand will find out those who hate you.
9 You will make them as a blazing oven
    when you appear.
The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,
    and fire will consume them.
10 You will destroy their descendants from the earth,
    and their offspring from among the children of man.
11 Though they plan evil against you,
    though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.
12 For you will put them to flight;
    you will aim at their faces with your bows.

13 Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!
We will sing and praise your power.

Footnotes

[1] 21:6 Or make him a source of blessing forever

David is praising God for granting him what he desired most. One thing that always blows me away about God is that we have an opportunity to speak directly to Him, and He responds! God is not a magic genie, though. He doesn’t always grant what we ask, and that is one of the most loving things about our God.

I have experienced the power of answered prayers in the last few years in ways that have forever shaped the direction of my life. Getting connected with people who truly know me through biblical community, serving somewhere I’m passionate about, and a new relationship that will change the legacy of my family forever are a few of the big ones. Not to mention the many things I prayed for and did not receive. Those times resulted in me realizing that not getting what I sought was better than getting it. God was sparing me from my own desire, which was outside of His will for my life. He has been faithful, and the proper response is exactly how David responded: with praise!

David recognized his reward of getting what he sought as a result of his trust in God. One of the best pictures of prayer I’ve ever heard is that we should approach the Lord with our hands open and palms down. That is to say, pray as if you were holding something in your hands and then flip your hands over and keep them open. That makes it pretty difficult to hold onto those things and control them. And that is the point. You are forced to fully surrender the outcome into the Lord’s control. He desires us to pray for His will for our lives (1 John 5:14-15).

But we do not always get the response we seek, and it is important in those times to remember that God is good and that He is still for us. Sometimes, sparing us from our heart's desire is the most loving thing God can do for us.

1. Are you fully surrendering the outcome of your prayers into the Lord’s hands?

2. Do you truly believe that God’s plan is what’s best for you? Why or why not?

3. Is there an area of your life that you can’t seem to give full control over to the Lord? Have you shared that with biblical community and invited their counsel?

4. Read Philippians 4:6-7 and meditate on how you can be thankful in your prayers.