Raising the Bar

Psalm 59

What does God do with our prayers that request things that are not part of his character, or his will for us? The last three words of this Psalm seem out of sync with much of the rest of the content. Our prayers may be confused, but God is not, and neither are his answers.

I rather think that, like a good teacher, God builds on what he finds in our requests that are in keeping with his character and will. Meanwhile, part of our prayer could itself be to ask him to purify our thoughts, so that we will give him more to build on, and less to overcome.

Prayer:
Thank you, God, that I can be honest, like the Psalmist, in what I express to you. But I would also look to you to raise the bar a bit all the time, so that what is honest is also more faithful. Through Christ. Amen.