I hedge my bets when I pray, approaching the Lord circumspectly with my requests. Lord, if it’s not too much of a bother, may I have…?

No such reticence from David the King. Here’s how he starts one of his prayers: Contend, Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me. Take up shield and armor; arise and come to my aid. Brandish spear and javelin against those who pursue me. Say to me, “I am your salvation.”

Brandish spear and javelin? That’s not polite. David prays for what he wants, what he needs from the Lord. He goes in with unsparing words for his enemies, and clearly articulates how he hopes the Lord will treat them. David prayed with imprudence.

David lifts his eyes to the Lord like the fighter we read about in the stories of his life. We’re told in the scriptures that we live our entire lives in the midst of a great spiritual conflict, a war for the souls of every person in the world. Should we not pray like a warrior?

These bold, audacious prayers exist for me to emulate. Why not begin to pray in the same way—holding nothing back from the Lord?

David laid everything bare before the Lord, which encourages me to express the yearnings welling up in my heart, no matter how strong or unconventional.

Psalm 35 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Hush Naidoo Jade Photography