New: 9 February 2025
Pouring out your
Heart before God
Psalm 62
Trust in Him at all times, O people;
Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us.
Psalm 62:8 NASB
The Value of a true Friend
Life can be overwhelming, even filled with grief; our strength fails and all things seem to waste away (Psalm 31:9-10). Enemies, even neighbours, can make things worse (v 11). Some forget about us or slander us (vv 12-13), yet we need to trust God (v 14). He is the One before whom we can pour out our hearts (Psalm 62:8b). We all know the value of a true friend, one who listens to us and understands what we are going through. Such a friend is priceless! Such genuine people are few and therefore all the more to be appreciated. Yet even friends can change and abandon us.
It is painful when enemies attack us, but when companions betray us, it's even worse (Psalm 55:12-14). Such are the realities of life; such are the realities of those who wrote the psalms. Even Jesus was betrayed by a kiss! A symbol of love turned into the most brutal death on the cross. And Jesus also poured out His heart before God in the Garden before surrendering His will to His Father's (Matthew 26:36-39) with loud cries and tears (Hebrews 5:7). He knew, God would not forsake Him. Scripture repeatedly encourages us to trust God, even when, or especially when, things are tough, unfair or painful. Bad experiences bring with it negative emotions, and when we harbour too many negative emotions inside of us, things can get worse. We need to be able to handle these things well. The value of true friends is in the relief we have when we can share our hearts. When we pray to God, it is even more powerful.
The Value of true Prayer
Prayer from the heart brings peace and reassurance. Not only do we trust God at all times (Psalm 62:8a; cf., Psalm 34), we also pour out our hearts before Him (Psalm 62:8b). Trust and prayer are two sides of the same coin; they go together. Sometimes trusting God is done with a hardened heart. We feel hurt or offended and harbour negative emotions in us. Prayer by pouring out our hearts can sometimes be such that lack faith in God; we simply cry and completely fall apart emotionally. The best way to handle these difficult times is by both trust and prayer. We pour out our hearts with trusting God. When we fall apart in tears, God puts us back together in trust.
God is not afraid of honest prayer and raw emotion. Repeating heartless or ritualistic prayer without a heart for God is useless and a waste of time (Matthew 15:7-8). God wants to hear your heart. He knows what is inside of you, yet He wants you to articulate it, even with a limited vocabulary. He hears the words of your heart even if your lips struggle to utter them. Even the 'silent prayers' are heard by the God who knows our thoughts.
My soul waits in silence for God only;
from Him is my salvation.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
my stronghold;
I shall not be greatly moved
Psalm 62:1-2
The Silence God Hears
Our strength in prayer is in our trust in God. We are encouraged to pray in words, even shout praises to God, yet there is a way to pray in silence before God. There are different ways to pray to God. The importance is that they come from the heart and are done in truth towards Him. There is trustful silent waiting on God (Psalm 62:1). Sometimes things don't happen fast. Certain things require great patience. The biblical way of waiting on God is done trustfully (v 2). It is the kind of trust that empowers us to rise up after life has worn us out, knocked us down and drained us of our energy. Those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength so that they can rise again (see Isaiah 40:28-31). The waiting on God is not being passive and despondent; it's an active trust and renewal of strength.
The psalmist, while silently waiting on God (Psalm 62:1), confessed the truth about God and expressed his trust in Him (v 2). God hears even the prayers were don't say, yet we are encouraged to pray in words. God knows what we need before we even say it (Matthew 6:32b). The key to answered prayer is not in a trust in repetitive words or ritualistic formulae, but in true prayer from the heart to the God who hears in secret (vv 6-8). It is in prayer that looks to the heavenly Father, exalts the Name of God and seeks His Kingdom, trusts Him for provision and has a pure heart free of resentment (vv 9-12). We can pray silently before God, yet we are encouraged to ask, seek and knock (Matthew 7:7-8), and trust a good God for good things (vv 9-11).
When life is tough, God hears you in the secret place of prayer. Even when we ask God, 'How long...?' (Psalm 62:3; cf., Psalm 13; E21), God knows. There are attack, evil intent, falsehood, and even those who bless with their mouths yet curse in their hearts (Psalm 62:3-4), yet we who trust God, 'wait in silence for God only,' for our hope is from Him (v 5). He won't fail us, even when words in prayer fail us. God hears our heart. We confess, He only is our 'rock' (stability), 'salvation' (rescue) and 'stronghold' (safety) to keep us safe and stable (v 6). Even in silence, our heart confesses that He is our salvation, strength and refuge (v 7). We can trust Him for He is trustworthy; we can pour out our hearts before Him because He hears us (v 8). He is our refuge! Power belongs to Him (v 11). He will establish justice according to everyone's deeds (v 12b). We silently wait on Him to bring forth righteousness when people attack or oppress us (vv 3-4; 9-10). God is faithful. He hears our prayers, even the silent ones.
Be anxious for nothing,
but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving
let your requests
be made known to God.
And the peace of God,
which passes all comprehension,
will guard your hearts and your minds
in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7 NASB
Prayer & Peace
Paul encouraged the believers to pray to God and make their requests known to Him (Philippians 4:6-7). Although God knows what we need before we even ask (and He knows what's best for us), He wants us to pray. He wants us to pour out our hearts before Him. There is a peace that comes to us when we do this, a peace that even surpasses human understanding (we can't always figure out everything with our minds); a peace that the world cannot offer; a peace that only comes from Heaven (John 14:27). We can cast our burdens on the One who hears our prayers (Psalm 55:22), in humility and faith before Him, knowing that He cares for us (1 Peter 5:6-7). Prayer brings peace.
Prayer & the Holy Spirit
But there are times when we don't know what to pray or how to pray (Romans 8:26-27), or when it is difficult to pray. Believers can rely on the Spirit of God (v 26) whom they received from God (v 15). He guides us with words, even beyond our human abilities to express, when we struggle; there are also utterances that are deeper than words (v 26). God's Spirit knows what is in God's heart and expresses this in prayer according to God's will (v 27). Prayer in the Holy Spirit edifies us (1 Corinthians 14:2-5) and builds us up in our faith (Jude 20). The Spirit is God's gift to empower us (Acts 1:8). He is divine strength inside of us, allowing us to draw on divine and eternal resources to be strengthened for life's challenges and service unto God. He has not left us alone; He has given us His Spirit. Keep pouring out your heart before God while trusting Him, relying on His Spirit to guide you in God's will with God's power.