How To Pray Like David

One best way to learn prayer is from the Psalms

When I first attempted to pray, especially to pray for others, I was at a loss for what to say. Little did I know the types of prayer, the parts of it, and even the meaning of it.

So I was helped tremendously by several things. One was being in regular prayer meetings at my church with other intercessors. This helped because I got to “Amen” what they were asking the Lord and there was little I needed to do or add. But I learned along the way.

Another was reading the likes of Spurgeon, Murray, and Bounds. I write from them frequently here. They have a depth and richness to their studies and even now, many years since, I still turn to these classic writers for insight.

Help has come in yet a third way, and perhaps the best way to learn prayer, is by praying directly from Scripture — and certainly the Psalms are an excellent place for this. If they were important enough to be preserved for our reading today, they are certainly good enough for use as our guide for praying.

Many of these Psalms were from King David and reveal many things to us about his relationship with the Lord. As he was a man after God’s own heart, they give us much insight to the Father, as well as teaching us today about how we also pray.

One example is Psalm 28—

1. To You, O LORD, I call;

be not deaf to me, O my Rock.

For if You remain silent,

I will be like those descending to the Pit.

2. Hear my cry for mercy

when I call to You for help,

when I lift up my hands

toward Your holy sanctuary.

3. Do not drag me away with the wicked,

and with the workers of iniquity,

who speak peace to their neighbors

while malice is in their hearts.

4. Repay them according to their deeds

and for their works of evil.

Repay them for what their hands have done;

bring back on them what they deserve.

5. Since they show no regard for the works of the LORD

or what His hands have done,

He will tear them down

and never rebuild them.

6. Blessed be the LORD,

for He has heard my cry for mercy.

7. The LORD is my strength and my shield;

my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped.

Therefore my heart rejoices,

and I give thanks to Him with my song.

8. The LORD is the strength of His people,

a stronghold of salvation for His anointed.

9. Save Your people and bless Your inheritance;

shepherd them and carry them forever.

[Psalm 28:1-9 BSB]

What do you notice in Davids words? I notice at least these five things:

1. He uses the name of the Lord, asks for Him to hear his prayer;

2. He asks the Lord for help, and to punish evildoers;

3. He rejoices with an assurance to answered prayer;

4. He praises the Lord and makes declarations of Him;

5. He prays for his own people.

Included within these nine verses are

• adoration,

• faith,

• humility,

• supplication,

• intercession,

• gratitude,

all elements of praying we cover here.

Spurgeon would have us notice too how he will cry to the Lord, that is a pleading; the object of the prayer is the Lord my Rock, the aim is He would hear and be not silent; and his expressions of confidence in the Lord’s strength and saving refuge.

King David in prayer

As you pray this passage for yourself and for others, you may well glean your own insights from it for your own praying. Dive in to this Psalm, go deeper than this brief introduction to it. Learn from David, about Who he is speaking to, about what he includes as words or phrases in his pleas and praises.

And then continue on in other Psalms of David. Use one per day for the rest of the month and on into the next. Begin your prayers with David as your guide and ask the Spirit of God to lead your prayers from this.

Soon, you will find your words to heavenly Father are filled with similar cries. And as you do, you also will be after God’s own heart.

Let’s pray right now, from this passage, and verse nine: Save Your people and bless Your inheritance; shepherd them and carry them forever.

As Spurgeon notes:

This is a prayer for the church militant, written in short words, but full of weighty meaning. We must pray for the whole church, and not for ourselves alone.

Save your people. Deliver us from our adversary, keep us from our sins, help us under our troubles, rescue us from our temptations, and ward off from us every ill. There is a plea hidden in the expression, your people: for it may be safely concluded that God's interest in the church, as his own portion, will lead him to guard it from destruction.

Bless your inheritance. Grant positive blessings, peace, plenty, prosperity, happiness; make all your dearly purchased and precious heritage to be comforted by thy Spirit. Revive, refresh, enlarge, and sanctify your church.

Shepherd them also. Be a shepherd to your flock, let our physical and spiritual wants be plentifully supplied. By your word, and truth, direct, rule, sustain, and satisfy those who are the sheep of your hand.

And lift them up for ever. Carry us in your arms on earth, and then lift us into your presence in heaven. Elevate our minds and thoughts, spiritualize our affections, make us heavenly, Christlike, and full of You.

O Lord, answer our petitions, for Jesus' sake. Amen

---

If you have been helped at all or blessed by this article, please let me know. There are a number of ways to do that, by liking or commenting, by sharing or subscribing. Message me directly or reply to this email. Any of these are a tangible way to encourage this little ministry and make it possible for others to see, maybe read, and possibly learn also to pray.

So take just a moment and click something, anything. And may the Lord bless you!

Todd

---