Question description

Each time I read Psalm 91 for prayer, I feel distanced from the prayer points in it because I think there is a deeper intimacy level required to fully grasp the power of the prayers in the Chapter. This got me wondering if becoming a Christian makes all the prayer points in this Psalm attributed to me or if there is a deeper level of intimacy with the Lord required on my part to fully grasp the power of the prayers and see them manifested in the physical realm. 

Please don't get me wrong. I know the prayers in this Psalm are being answered, and God continues working behind the seen, protecting from all evil. But I struggle with knowing if being a Christian brought by the manifestation of the prayers or my intimacy with the Lord counts.

I am looking forward to your answer.

Thank you very much.

Answer description

I have read your question several times to try to get a full understanding of what you are asking. The Spirit has given me three things to share with you. The first would be the process of sanctification.

Sanctification is the work the Spirit does in growing and changing believers. This process never ends until we die. There is always more for us to learn about God and His word and the Holy Spirit leads us on this path toward spiritual maturity. So when you talk about not knowing or understanding the full meaning of the prayer promises in Ps 91, that is completely normal. And this superficial knowledge is true of not only this Psalm but all scripture. But as we spend more and more time in the Word, the Spirit will take us deeper and deeper in our knowledge and understanding of what God is saying to us in a particular verse or passage.

When I am doing my daily Bible reading I will come across a verse that I have read many, many times before. But in that moment something will stop me and I will see meanings in that verse that I have never seen before. The Spirit simply knew that at that moment I was ready to gain a deeper understanding. No one will ever gain full understanding of all that God has in Scripture for us to learn. But the more time we spend in study, the more chances we offer the Spirit to teach us. So it is not problem that you are not seeing everything that God contains in the Psalm and the verses in it.

The second point would be prayer. As we grow in our Christian life we gain more and more wisdom of how to pray. But (Rom 8:26-27) tells us that we do not know how to pray. However, again, that is ok, because the passage also tells us that the Holy Spirit takes our prayers and expresses them to God as we are not able to. So we can have confidence that what is on our hearts is being conveyed to God the Father in ways we are unable to express. And thus, whatever our level of spiritual maturity, we can always have assurance that our simple prayers are being made known to God.

I might add one more thing. Learn the process of meditation on scripture. The Spirit may bring a verse or short passage to your mind but you do not understand why. Simply trust that He has something to teach you. Take that verse and mull it over and over in your mind. Dwell on one word at a time and do this for several days. You will be amazed at the way the deeper meaning of that passage will be revealed to you. I hope this has been helpful. Never be disappointed in yourself for not understanding. God has a plan to help you grow in wisdom. Just put your trust in Him.

Scripture references

Supporting resources

• Praying with A Kingdom Focus

• The Intimacy of Prayer

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