day no. 16,353: short prayers are long enough

“Lord, save me.” - Matthew 14:30

“Short prayers are long enough. There were but three words in the petition which Peter gasped out, but they were sufficient for his purpose. Not length but strength is desirable. A sense of need is a mighty teacher of brevity. If our prayers had less of the tail feathers of pride and more wing they would be all the better.” — Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Morning and Evening

Three words: 

(1) Lord

(2) save

(3) me

LORD:

We begin by acknowledging that we are speaking to God Almighty. He is the Lord. He is our Maker and Sustainer. He is omnipotent and compassionate.

If He were only omnipotent, we would have no hope of His affection. He could hear, but would He care?

If He were only compassionate, we would have no hope in His attention. He would care, but would He be competent?

SAVE:

We recognize the danger of our situation. We take responsibility for our sinking and say something. We do not pout, we shout. We do not beat ourselves up, we ask Him to bear us up.

ME:

We confess our inadequacy. We agree with God in this matter and refer to ourselves as direct objects. “Me” is the recipient of another’s action. We ask Him to act on us. We die to “I” and beg on behalf of “me.”

“Lord, save me,” is not sexy. It is not likely to win the applause of anyone else listening. But the one who says it and means it isn’t talking to anyone other than the Lord. And He hears it and adds His, “Amen!”

2 Corinthians 1:20

For all the promises of God find their Yes in (Jesus). That is why it is through Him that we utter our Amen to God for His glory.