Two-Minute Manna

In six verses, David goes from a sigh to a song, from the blues to being blessed. Why? Simply because he prayed. Feeling forsaken and forgotten, he prays. And by the time he’s done, the Lord has met him.

I think sometimes we believe the lie from the enemy that says, “It can’t be that simple. It will take many months of prayer to break through and get victory over my depression, over my addiction, over my situation.” But I suggest this psalm tells us differently. In no more time than it takes to pen these six verses, David finds release, relief, and victory. In other words, it doesn’t take as much as we think.

“Don’t think you’ll be heard because of your much speaking,” Jesus said (see Matthew 6:7). And, as if to underscore this, the model prayer He gave His disciples was only sixty-five words long (Matthew 6:9-13).

About a year and a half later, the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Lord, teach us to pray.” No doubt they were thinking the first model prayer He gave was fine for beginners. But now that they had walked with Him, they could handle something more complex. What did Jesus do? He gave them the same prayer He had given them earlier - but shortened it to fifty-eight words (Luke 11:2-4). The disciples were no doubt expecting volumes. I suggest it was with a twinkle in His eye that the Lord said, “It’s simpler than you think.”

Like David, I have discovered that, no matter how overwhelming the situation, if I’ll just pull away and pray, the Lord meets me. He really, truly does. Talk to the Lord. Question Him. Be honest with Him. And you’ll find that the Lord will meet you. The old adage that prayer changes things is true. But the real thing prayer changes is us.