They have also surrounded me with words of hatred, And fought against me without a cause. In return for my love they are my accusers, But I give myself to prayer.
Psalm 109:3-4
David was a man who knew what it was like to be betrayed. Friends, people he loved and trusted turned against him, accused him in vain and betrayed him.
His only refuge was God. David could only come to the Lord to pour out his heart and seek comfort when he felt those he loved turned on him. After having complained to God, he says: “…but I give myself to prayer.”
In Hebrew, this scripture says “ve-ani, tfilah” — “but I, am prayer”
There are times in our lives when we feel attacked from all sides, under tremendous spiritual and physical pressure, difficult circumstances. The New Testament teaches us to pray constantly when we are in these seasons of great testing.
…pray without ceasing.
1 Thessalonians 5:17
This explains what happened to David when he said: “but I am prayer”, when life becomes to much to bear, you don’t just engage in prayer as a action, you become prayer itself — constant state of prayer becomes your condition, a part of you.
We have times when we go into a room to pray alone, or we join collective prayer in a meeting, but sometimes when we go through extremely difficult times, we find ourself in a constant state of prayer. It becomes an our spiritual condition, a part of who we are at that time.
Walking around proclaiming the word of God, claiming His promises, engaging in continuous conversation and communication with God, speaking to the Lord, becoming so saturated with prayer until we become prayer itself.
If you feel the same sometimes, the Bible says this season is for you to become prayer itself. When everything in you and about your person is lifting up to God in prayer. Ve-ani, tfilah!
I pray that your prayer life will become part of your identity, who you are, not just what you do. May it be filled with the life of our Lord Jesus!
Beit Hallel is a Messianic Jewish congregation in Ashdod, led by pastor Israel Pochtar, serving holocaust survivors and the poor and needy locally and throughout the nation of Israel, while building up the body of Messiah in the promised land of Israel.