“Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it” (Psalm 37:5).

Here we find the formula for praying effectively.

1. “Commit your way to the Lord.” “Give it to God,” I once read on a bumper-sticker. That is what David is encouraging us to do in this verse. We are to make a deliberate transaction with God by which we release control of our situation, whatever it may be, and place it squarely in the hands of the Lord. “Lord, here is the issue that is bringing concern to my soul and trouble to my mind. I know You have a perfect plan for its resolution, so I give it to you with the simple pledge to cooperate with whatever You show me as being your plan in the matter. The problem is now no longer mine, but Yours, and I await your direction concerning it.”

2. “Trust also in Him.” Having given the problem to God, now leave it with Him!” When a farmer places seed in the soil, he doesn’t return to the field day after day, dig up the seed and examine it to see if it is growing. He must commit the seed to the earth and leave it there. Once we have given our problem to God in prayer, we must avoid the temptation to wrestle it back from Him so that we may worry about it for a season. We must give it to God, then leave it with Him. If worry and concern begin to filter into our mind we can simply admit it to the Lord. ” Today I am being tempted to take back my problem as my own, but by your grace I am determined to overcome that temptation and constantly remind myself that the situation is in your hands. All I need to do is await Your direction. Thank you Lord, for moving in ways that are not seen by me.”

3. “He will do it.” “He works!” the Psalmist is affirming here. If you have made the transaction, giving your problem to the Lord, then you can safely assume that God is at work bringing about a resolution that will benefit you and bring glory to Him. You may not see God at work any more than Joseph of old could see Him at work from his vantage point in an Egyptian prison. But He was! And Joseph had to constantly remind himself of that fact. Though Joseph was in chains “until the time that His word came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him” (Psalm 105:18-19). That is why Joseph could later say to his fearful brothers “You meant it unto me for evil, but God meant it for good.”

“But,” you might protest, “what if I find myself worrying all over again?” The answer is simply the same as before!

Give it to God. Leave it with Him. He works!

You might find yourself actually praying more than ever before.