2026 Pentecost Devotions II
Wednesday, September 30
Psalm 80:1-6
1 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
you who lead Joseph like a flock!
You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth
2 before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh.
Stir up your might,
and come to save us!
3 Restore us, O God;
let your face shine, that we may be saved.
4 O Lord God of hosts,
how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers?
5 You have fed them with the bread of tears
and given them tears to drink in full measure.
6 You make us the scorn of our neighbors;
our enemies laugh among themselves.
“… 4 O Lord God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers? …”
Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! It’s not hard to imagine God being angry with the people’s prayers, especially when every one includes a “gimme”. After all, like a parent who only hears those words from their children, the Lord gets fed up too. When it’s all about “me” and what I want or need, the purposes of prayers miss the point.
“Gimme” has no place because it implies deservedness. It implies that God owes us something. It offers nothing of itself. It only asks expecting God to comply because we have earned or somehow deserve that for which we ask. Again, that seems to fly in the face of true prayer.
First and foremost, our prayers are to be offerings of ourselves, our praise, our honor, and our glory to the Lord. Giving thanks for all that God has given us follows. Gratitude is important. Then come intercessions – prayers on behalf of others. Serving others comes before self-service. Last of all, we come before God humbly asking for that which fulfill God’s purpose for our lives, our community, and our world. Rather than deserving of God’s generosity, we implore the Lord to act out of gracious love for us and others. Only then are we truly seeking God in prayer.
Prayer: Lord, you call us to prayer. Inspire us by Your graciousness to humbly ask only for that which fulfills Your will for us, our community, and the world. Amen.