Psalm 3: God Answers Our Prayers

Beacon Rock on the Columbia River with Monk-Dog Hermiston and many Mole-hills.

“But know that the LORD has set apart for Himself the Holy One; therefore the LORD will hear me, when I call to Him.”

-Psalm 4:3

God Answers Our Prayers: "Many Ways to Pray"

This is our favorite lake to camp and canoe at — we camp here every summer. While hiking around the lake, we will pick enough huckleberries for pancakes to last the entire year.

In the Pacific Northwest, huckleberries grow wild in the mountains. They must be hand-picked: they cannot be grown commercially. We will also pick a year’s worth of blackberries, but they are much more easily found — they grow wild everywhere!

I wake up automatically every morning (camping or not) around 4:00 a.m. and have my hour of prayer, when there are no distractions. Then I go back to sleep for awhile.

There are many types of prayer — ways to pray — the purpose of this website is to look at many of the best of them, and some of the many Greatest Lives of Prayer, and how they prayed.

As I have written elsewhere, no one could do them all! Certain “Prayer Tips” will be helpful to some of us, while others will be helpful to others. And different ones may be helpful to us at different times in our life..

I have been inspired by these different prayer practices that I have observed throughout my life, and found much joy in using different ones. My goal has always been summed up by:

“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” -James 4:8

“The Lord is near to all that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desires of those that reverence Him. He will hear their cry and deliver them.” -Psalm 145:18-19

God Answers Our Prayers: "More Prayer Tips"

The four most basic and important types of prayer are summarized in the acronym “ACTS”: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication. Anyone who observes these in their times of prayer is praying very well indeed!

“Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD. Trust in Him, and He shall make it happen.” -Psalm 37:4-5

Lately I have been reading and praying a different part of our Worship Service each day (find it at the bottom of our God’s Word Category in the drop-down Menu at the top of every page).

I compiled this Service from the earliest Christian Liturgies (Church Worship Services) that we have. It contains our basic Christian Life and Doctrinal Teaching, and many of our favorite Scripture Memorization Verses.

If you have not read and prayed through it lately, you are in for a real blessing if you do so!

Another greatly inspiring thing to do is to go through our Book Reviews of books by or about some of these Greatest Lives of Prayer. The Reviews are summaries of the books, and of the inspirational prayer lives of their subjects.

You will receive much of the spiritual benefit of these great books just from reading the Reviews, even if you aren’t able to read the books themselves!

In my evening prayertime, I have also been following Billy Graham’s recommendation to Pray Five Psalms a Day, all 150 Each Month (another great blessing!). Today was the first day of the month, so I prayed Psalms 1-5.

I will tell you what I learned from them below (our Daily Psalm Chart is in the God’s Word Category ).

-Lay Monk Preston

God Answers Our Prayers: "Christ Our Intercessor"

I have thought much about what is the main Theme of each of the Psalms, and for my own personal use, have designated a Theme for each Psalm. Psalm 3’s Theme is:

“God Answers Our Prayers.”

This Theme is summarized in Verse 4:

“I called out to the LORD with my voice, and He helped me from His holy hill.”

The Apostle John teaches us:

“And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we asked of Him.” -I John 5:15

In the very next Psalm, Psalm 4, in verse 3 we learn prophetically that the Father promises to hear our prayers because of Christ, the Holy One:

“But know that the LORD has set apart for Himself the Holy One; therefore the LORD will hear me when I call to Him.”

This same exact truth is also stated even more clearly in the New Testament: in Hebrews 7:25, Romans 8:34, and John 14:13-14…

“Therefore He is able to save to the utmost all those who come to God through Him, seeing that He ever lives to make intercession for them.”

-Hebrews 7:25

“Who is he that condemns? It is Christ that died, yes, and is risen again; who is even now at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.”

-Romans 8:34

“And whatever you shall ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you shall ask anything in My name, I will do it.”

-John 14:13-14

ON The 1sT - NOON PRAYeR : PSALM 3

(On the 1st – Noon Prayer: Psalm 3)

PSALM 3

Theme: God Answers Our Prayers (Verse 4)

A Psalm of David. When he fled from Absalom, his son.

1 LORD, how they are increased that trouble me! Many are those that rise up against me.

2 Many there are, that say of my soul, “There is no help for him from God.” Selah.

3 But You, O LORD, are a shield for me; my glory and the lifter up of my head.

4 I called out to the LORD with my voice, and He helped me from His holy hill. Selah.

5 I lay myself down and slept. I awoke, for the LORD protected me.

6 I will not be afraid of ten thousand people, that have set themselves against me all around.

7 Arise, O LORD! Save me, O my God. For You have struck all my enemies upon the cheekbone. You have broken the teeth of the ungodly.

8 Salvation belongs to the LORD. Your blessing rests upon Your people. Selah.

Sayings of the Desert fathers: Abba Poemon

“Only by pride comes contention; but with the well advised is wisdom. – Proverbs 13:10

Abba Poemen was asked by one of the Brothers,

‘In the cell where I live, how should I be behaving?’

The Abba answered, ‘Wherever you are, behave as though you were a stranger. Do not expect what you say to have any influence, and you will be at peace.'”