The Process of Prayer
[Psalm 13]
In Pastor A. W. Tozer’s book “This Is Success”, there’s a powerful statement:
"We must respect all people. Even if we cannot respect who they are at the moment, we must honor them for the potential they have to be transformed by the blood of the Lamb and the renewing power of the Holy Spirit."
To see the “potential for transformation” in others requires that we ourselves are being transformed. When we wonder why others aren’t changing, it’s often because we are not undergoing change ourselves.
So then, how can we be transformed?
The Bible teaches us that we must pray. Through prayer, before our circumstances change, we ourselves must experience change. In that sense, we should be different after we pray than we were before. For example, before praying we might have been filled with anxiety, hatred, or unrest, but after prayer, we should experience peace, love, and confidence in our hearts through the work of God.
In today’s Scripture, Psalm 13, we can clearly see that the psalmist David was in a different state before and after prayer. By reflecting on his journey—before, during, and after his prayer—we can receive the grace that God wants to give us.
First, before David prayed, his cry was: “How long, O Lord?”
Look at Psalm 13:1–2:
"How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?"
David cries out to God with “How long?” not once, but four times. He was exhausted and worn down by prolonged adversity, especially from his “enemy” (v.4), and in the midst of deep emotional and spiritual depression, he pleads with God: “How long, O Lord?” (as noted by commentator Park Yoon Sun).
This kind of lament can also arise in our own lives. Personally, there have been times when I was praying for the salvation of dear friends and, with a heavy heart, I found myself crying out, “Lord, how long?”
What about you? Have you ever faced a long period of hardship where you felt you were reaching the limits of your patience and ability, and offered a prayer of lament: “How long, O Lord?”
In the life of faith, there are seasons when our hearts, like David’s, grow weary and burdened. Even Elijah in the Old Testament, under the broom tree, was so depressed he asked God to take his life.
We, too, have moments when we don’t know what to do with the heaviness we carry. But rather than letting those moments drive us to despair, we must use them as opportunities to long for God more deeply. We must kneel more earnestly and cry out to Him.
Pastor Park Yoon Sun once said:
"There are times when we experience the light of God’s grace like the day, but also times when we feel spiritual anguish like the night — and that, too, is grace."
Indeed. It is grace that we can feel such spiritual burden and cry out, “How long, O Lord?” This lament is itself an invitation to deeper communion with God.
David felt spiritually distressed and troubled because he felt as though God had forgotten him forever and that the Lord was hiding His face from him (v.1). He said, “I wrestle with my thoughts and have sorrow in my heart all day long” (v.2). The phrase “wrestle with my thoughts” means, as Dr. Park Yoon Sun explains, “to be in a state of anxiety, going back and forth between various thoughts due to suffering.”
In other words, David’s soul, afflicted by pain, was overwhelmed with scattered thoughts and anxiety, which caused continual sorrow throughout the day. How often do we find ourselves in this same state? How many times have we been filled with worry and anxiety, our minds spinning from one thought to another because of pain?
Dr. Park Yoon Sun said this:
“When a person endures emotional pain with faith, it may lead to understanding and receiving God’s grace. But worry that departs from the gracious God—that is, emotional suffering rooted in unbelief—is harmful.”
Therefore, we must not continue in that harmful, unfruitful emotional suffering that stems from unbelief. In order to break free, we must go to the place of prayer, humbly kneel before the Lord, and cry out, “How long, O Lord?” We must offer up not a lament of unbelief, but a lament of faith.
Second, during his prayer, David prayed to God out of fear.
Look at Psalm 13:3–4:
"Look on me and answer, Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, and my enemy will say, ‘I have overcome him,’ and my foes will rejoice when I fall.”
Here, “sleep in death” refers to spiritual death—falling away from the grace of God (Park Yoon Sun). When one is worn down by affliction caused by enemies, and depression deepens over time, if one does not receive the gracious help of God, there is a risk that one’s spiritual vision will become increasingly dim. Eventually, one may fall into spiritual death (Park Yoon Sun).
David had not a worldly fear but a holy, spiritual concern—he feared this kind of spiritual death. He was afraid his enemies would declare victory, and so he cried out in prayer to God. He viewed his enemies as God’s enemies, and therefore he wanted to overcome them—not out of pride, but out of devotion to God.
He also feared that, if his enemies triumphed, his fall would bring them joy—so he pleaded with God. In essence, David prayed so that he would not be shaken. And in this spirit he prayed, “Look on me and answer, Lord my God. Give light to my eyes” (v.3).
The word “look on me” literally means “see me” (Park Yoon Sun). David desired, not primarily that his spiritual eyes be opened so he could see God, but that God would look upon him. After that, he desired that God would open his eyes so that he could see Him.
David felt spiritually anguished and troubled because he felt that God had forgotten him forever and that the Lord was hiding His face from him (v.1). He said, “I wrestle with my thoughts and have sorrow in my heart all day long” (v.2). The phrase “I wrestle with my thoughts” means, as Dr. Park Yoon Sun explains, “to be in a state of anxiety, going back and forth between various thoughts due to suffering.”
In other words, David’s soul, afflicted by pain, was overwhelmed with scattered thoughts and anxiety, which caused him to experience continual sorrow throughout the day. How often do we find ourselves in this very same condition? How many times have we been filled with worry and anxiety, our minds spinning from one thought to another because of suffering?
Dr. Park Yoon Sun said the following:
“When a person endures emotional pain with faith, it may lead to understanding and to receiving God’s grace. But worry that strays from the God of grace—that is, emotional suffering rooted in unbelief—is harmful.”
Therefore, we must not remain in that harmful and fruitless emotional suffering that stems from unbelief. In order to break free from it, we must go to the place of prayer, humbly kneel before the Lord, and cry out, “How long, O Lord?” We must lift up not a lament of unbelief, but a lament of faith.
Second, during his prayer, David prayed to God in the midst of fear.
Let us look at Psalm 13:3–4:
“Look on me and answer, Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, and my enemy will say, ‘I have overcome him,’ and my foes will rejoice when I fall.”
Here, “sleep in death” refers to spiritual death—that is, to falling away from the grace of God (Park Yoon Sun). When one is worn down by affliction caused by enemies, and depression deepens over time, if the gracious help of God is not received, there is a risk that one’s spiritual vision will grow increasingly dim. Over time, one may fall into spiritual death (Park Yoon Sun).
David did not have a worldly fear, but a holy, spiritual concern—he feared that kind of spiritual death. He was afraid that his enemies would claim victory, so he cried out to God in prayer. He saw his enemies as the enemies of God, and for that reason he wanted to overcome them—not out of pride, but out of devotion to God.
He also feared that, if his enemies triumphed, his fall would bring them joy—so he pleaded with God. In essence, David prayed so that he would not be shaken. And with that heart he prayed, “Look on me and answer, Lord my God. Give light to my eyes” (v.3).
The expression “look on me” literally means “see me” (Park Yoon Sun). David desired, not primarily that his spiritual eyes be opened so that he could see God, but rather that God would look upon him. After that, he longed for God to open his eyes so that he might see Him.
It is said that a friend of Pastor Tozer once made this remark:
“It is better for a few people to gather and see a great God than for many to gather and see a small God.”
What a precious statement.
In worship, we must see and experience our great God.
Not only that, but we must also see and experience the great God in prayer.
When we do, other things—such as adversity, difficulties, and problems—will appear small in our eyes.
However, if we continue to offer prayers of unbelieving lament in which these other things seem big, then the great God will inevitably appear small to us.
Therefore, like David, we must experience the presence of the great God as we cry out to Him in fear.
And when we do, a transformation will occur in us after we pray.
Lastly, third, after praying, David experienced a transformation.
What kind of transformation took place?
We can identify three specific changes in David:
Look at Psalm 13:5:
“But I trust in your unfailing love…”
Before praying, David felt as if God had forgotten him and was hiding His face from him.
But during prayer, he experienced the lovingkindness of God.
That’s why after praying, he resolved to continue trusting in that merciful God.
(2) David rejoiced in the Lord’s salvation.
Let’s look again at Psalm 13:5:
“But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.”
Before praying, David was weary and his spirit was downcast.
But after prayer, he rejoiced in the Lord’s salvation.
This joy came from the assurance of salvation.
It came because David, while praying, encountered the Lord, his Savior.
Look at Psalm 13:6:
“I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me.”
David resolved to praise God because God had dealt bountifully with him.
And God is also gracious and generous to us.
When we, like David, experience the Lord’s goodness in prayer through faith,
then even in the midst of adversity,
we, like Paul and Silas, can sing praises to God—even in prison (Acts 16:25).
Prayer is a great privilege and blessing for us, the children of God. Even when we are weary amid ongoing trials and difficulties, and our spirits become downcast, we can still cry out to God in spiritual anguish with a faithful sigh, saying, “Lord, how long?” — what a precious grace from God this is.
When we pray to God in the midst of fear, experiencing the great God, the mighty God, the compassionate God, the Savior God, the God worthy of all praise, we cannot help but be transformed.
And after prayer, as changed people, we rely even more on God’s steadfast love, rejoice with confidence in His salvation, and cannot help but praise God because of His faithful care.
“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Hallelujah!” (Psalm 150:6)
Wanting to be a man of prayer like James,
Pastor James sharing
(earnestly desiring to be diligent in the Word and prayer)