Soulfood

The Psalms to guide our prayers on the eleventh day of each month are 11, 41, 71, 101, and 131.

Psalm 11 teaches us to trust in the LORD when the wicked are in power. We turn from trusting in our own devices to control and manipulate the world around us, and turn to the LORD Whose throne is in heaven. Lord, have mercy and come quickly!

Psalm 41 is a prayer for strength to persevere in faith when we are persecuted and feeling abandoned. When we are surrounded by those who hate us and hope for our destruction, we ask YHWH to sustain us, be gracious to us, raise us up and vindicate us, uphold us in our integrity, and set us in His presence forever. 

Psalm 71 teaches us to turn to God whenever we are dismayed or frustrated. In any and every circumstance, we hope continually in God and praise Him yet more and more. We need this exhortation and encouragement to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus when it is so easy to look down. We must train our hearts to think and pray in this way so that we do not become accusers who seek to hurt others. Praying this psalm fills our hearts and minds such that our tongues talk of God’s righteous help all the day long! We do ask that God would put to shame those who persecute us unjustly – and also that by His Spirit working in us He will keep us from being like them.

We pray Psalm 101 for one another and for ourselves, asking the Father through the Son to work in us by the Holy Spirit to make this psalm true of us. We also ask by it to be delivered from those whose hearts are arrogant and looks are haughty, who practice deceit and utter lies – Lord, deliver us from such people and deliver us from being such people!

Psalm 131 is an easy psalm to memorize to learn humility. We pray this for ourselves and for each other, that we would see God, each other, and ourselves rightly; and that we would act accordingly and hope in YHWH at all times.