But I have trusted in Thy mercy; My heart shall rejoice in Thy salvation. I will sing unto the LORD, because He hath dealt bountifully with me. Ps 13:5-6

There are times we want to pray, but words don’t seem to come or what we feel does come through. For those times we may say what seems appropriate and pleasing to God rather expressing the true matters of our heart. What causes that? Maybe there is a lot going on for today and our focus is on those immediate things or pressing things that surround us. There may be times when we hide away a matter and don’t want to talk about it or even think about. To do so would stir unwanted emotions like painful grief, shame, or even disappointment. For those times, turning to the word of God is just what is needed to remind us of the truth about ourselves and our loving heavenly Father. For those moments, let word of God speak for you. The scripture passage reminds us to trust, rejoice, and “sing unto the LORD.” The Psalms are a great place to start. They are full of inspiration and encouragement to express to God the hidden and inexpressible things deep within our hearts. The psalmists also struggled and wrestled with affairs much as we do. Yet we find in their writing’s words of sincerity, truthfulness, trust, and transparency to come into the presence of all-mighty God, who already knew them, who already knew all their faults, failures, hidden secrets, and understood their weakness for temptation. Too often we look at prayer as a time for checking in with God. We check in to thank Him and check off some the things that were asked of Him and then give Him our new to-do list for today. This may sound crude, but in a nutshell, we all have done that at times. But honestly, God is not offended by our check list prayers and our to-do list requests, because He loves us and patiently wants to spend time with us that we may learn to trust and enjoy time with Him and in His presence. My friend, take a moment to read through a psalm and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart. Then pray to God the words of that Psalm while praising and thanking God for His faithfulness and the spiritual work He wants to do in your heart. Let God’s word lead you into everlasting life and an everlasting relationship with your loving heavenly Father. “For He cares for you” (1 Pet 5:7). Dear friend, let Spirit of God move on your heart through the living word of God and soon you will rejoice and sing unto the Lord, “because He hath dealt bountifully with me.” Father thank You for Your love and Your bountiful goodness. Teach us open-up to You, know You, trust You, and lean on You. For Your ways are everlasting and full of mercy. I rejoice and sing unto You in the blessed Name of Jesus. Amen.