Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me." (John 11:41b-42)
Isn't interesting that Jesus prayed out loud for the benefit of those around Him? Even more amazing is how He said that God always hears Him. Of course we too can pray silent prayers because God is omniscient.. He hears those prayers offered in our hearts and minds. I find it so comforting to know that we pray to a God such as this.
My challenge to you today is offer up silent prayers as you walk out your day. Stay in communication with the Lord.. never can tell.. He may speak to you.
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The Joy of Salvation
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
(Psalm 51:10-12)
As we were singing these verses from Psalm 51 at our city jail on Tuesday night I was reminded of a sin from my past. I started feeling bad about that sin and out of the blue the Holy Spirit spoke to me and asked me this question: "Is it under the blood?" I am not sure that I can express the overwhelming joy that arose in my heart at that moment. The joy of God's salvation comes when the Holy Spirit speaks to us reminding that we are forgiven.
Pray the words of this wonderful psalm with me today.. lay your sins and mistakes at the cross.. and listen for that inner voice of His Spirit speaking words of forgiveness and wholeness.
Amen
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And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
(Psalm 51:10-12)
As we were singing these verses from Psalm 51 at our city jail on Tuesday night I was reminded of a sin from my past. I started feeling bad about that sin and out of the blue the Holy Spirit spoke to me and asked me this question: "Is it under the blood?" I am not sure that I can express the overwhelming joy that arose in my heart at that moment. The joy of God's salvation comes when the Holy Spirit speaks to us reminding that we are forgiven.
Pray the words of this wonderful psalm with me today.. lay your sins and mistakes at the cross.. and listen for that inner voice of His Spirit speaking words of forgiveness and wholeness.
Amen
Please visit The Prayer List and pray with me.
With All My Heart
With all my heart I praise the LORD,
and with all that I am I praise his holy name!
With all my heart I praise the LORD!
I will never forget how kind he has been.
The LORD forgives our sins,
heals us when we are sick,
and protects us from death.
His kindness and love are a crown on our heads.
Each day that we live, he provides for our needs
and gives us the strength of a young eagle.
(Psalm 103:1-5 ESV)
When it comes to the giving of thanks and praise this psalm is one of the greatest passages in all of scriptures. It read likes a poetic prayer. I read it to about even inmates on Tuesday night at a jail in Kansas City. Having a heart of praise and thanksgiving will help you get through difficult times when nothing else will.
Join me in praying and praising these verses to the Lord.. thanking Him for how He has healed and forgiven us.. how He protects and strenthens us.. for the kindness He has shown us.. and for His great love.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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and with all that I am I praise his holy name!
With all my heart I praise the LORD!
I will never forget how kind he has been.
The LORD forgives our sins,
heals us when we are sick,
and protects us from death.
His kindness and love are a crown on our heads.
Each day that we live, he provides for our needs
and gives us the strength of a young eagle.
(Psalm 103:1-5 ESV)
When it comes to the giving of thanks and praise this psalm is one of the greatest passages in all of scriptures. It read likes a poetic prayer. I read it to about even inmates on Tuesday night at a jail in Kansas City. Having a heart of praise and thanksgiving will help you get through difficult times when nothing else will.
Join me in praying and praising these verses to the Lord.. thanking Him for how He has healed and forgiven us.. how He protects and strenthens us.. for the kindness He has shown us.. and for His great love.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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With a Grateful Heart
Amen
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The Lord Remembered
The entire family got up early the next morning and went to worship the Lord once more. Then they returned home to Ramah. When Elkanah slept with Hannah, the Lord remembered her plea, and in due time she gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, “I asked the Lord for him.” (1 Samuel 1:19-21)
This is a follow-up to yesterday's post about Hannah's prayer. It love it when I read that the Lord remembered Hannah and her prayer. So often we feel that our prayers are forgotten.. and often we feel forgotten. In times like these we need to take comfort knowing that we are not forgotten. Hannah prayed for a long time but in His time God remembered Hannah and answered her prayer.
Father we confess that we are so often clueless when it comes to your timing. Help us to remember Hannah and the many others who's prayers were answered in your timing. And until your answer comes we will continue to offer praise to your name.
Amen
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This is a follow-up to yesterday's post about Hannah's prayer. It love it when I read that the Lord remembered Hannah and her prayer. So often we feel that our prayers are forgotten.. and often we feel forgotten. In times like these we need to take comfort knowing that we are not forgotten. Hannah prayed for a long time but in His time God remembered Hannah and answered her prayer.
Father we confess that we are so often clueless when it comes to your timing. Help us to remember Hannah and the many others who's prayers were answered in your timing. And until your answer comes we will continue to offer praise to your name.
Amen
Please visit The Prayer List and pray with me.
Praying Our Heart's Desire
Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. (Romans 10:1)
Jesus once said that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.. I think that we can also say that the heart prays out of that abundance. I love how in this verse we see that Paul had a deep desire in his heart for the spiritual need his fellow Jews.. and this desire caused him to pray. I have often found that the state of my prayer life is reflective of the state of my heart. Maybe our prayer life is a warning sign of a cold heart?
Dear Father of our hearts, we confess to you that our desire is not always abundant with the spiritual needs of those who need to know you. We ask you to heal our hearts and ignite a passion for the spiritual needs of others. Come Holy Spirit and set our hearts afire and give us grace to pray for those in spiritual need.
Amen
Please visit The Prayer List and pray with me.
Jesus once said that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.. I think that we can also say that the heart prays out of that abundance. I love how in this verse we see that Paul had a deep desire in his heart for the spiritual need his fellow Jews.. and this desire caused him to pray. I have often found that the state of my prayer life is reflective of the state of my heart. Maybe our prayer life is a warning sign of a cold heart?
Dear Father of our hearts, we confess to you that our desire is not always abundant with the spiritual needs of those who need to know you. We ask you to heal our hearts and ignite a passion for the spiritual needs of others. Come Holy Spirit and set our hearts afire and give us grace to pray for those in spiritual need.
Amen
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Prayer of Jabez
Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request.
A few years ago a book was written about this prayer deconstructing the sentiments in this prayer. I think that this prayer is very typical of many of our prayers.. focused on "personal" success and protection. I think that the prayer is included in scripture not so much as an example of how to pray but more as an example of how some people pray.
Father we ask that you would bless "us" and enlarge "our" territory. We ask for your hand to be with "us" and that you would watch over and protect "us".
Amen.
Please visit The Prayer List and pray with me.
A few years ago a book was written about this prayer deconstructing the sentiments in this prayer. I think that this prayer is very typical of many of our prayers.. focused on "personal" success and protection. I think that the prayer is included in scripture not so much as an example of how to pray but more as an example of how some people pray.
Father we ask that you would bless "us" and enlarge "our" territory. We ask for your hand to be with "us" and that you would watch over and protect "us".
Amen.
Please visit The Prayer List and pray with me.
Praying in the Spirit
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. (Ephesians 6:18)
Prayer can often become rote and boring when the Holy Spirit is left out. The apostle in this verse tells us that when the Spirit is involved prayers are very diverse. As we quiet our minds He often intercedes with us and through us for the needs of the saints. It is a matter of having our innermost being tuned in to Him.
Come Holy Spirit. Teach us to pray. Thank you for your presence in us.. for counseling us.. for comforting us. Come Holy Spirit.
Amen
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Prayer can often become rote and boring when the Holy Spirit is left out. The apostle in this verse tells us that when the Spirit is involved prayers are very diverse. As we quiet our minds He often intercedes with us and through us for the needs of the saints. It is a matter of having our innermost being tuned in to Him.
Come Holy Spirit. Teach us to pray. Thank you for your presence in us.. for counseling us.. for comforting us. Come Holy Spirit.
Amen
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Praying for our Protectors
O LORD, you will keep us safe and protect us from such people forever. (Psalm 12:7)
This simple prayer (below) was emailed to me. I liked the protect as they protect part of the prayer. Often God uses protectors to keep us safe. Please join me in praying for soldiers, policemen and others that protect us and keep us safe.
Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. In Jesus name we ask.
Amen
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This simple prayer (below) was emailed to me. I liked the protect as they protect part of the prayer. Often God uses protectors to keep us safe. Please join me in praying for soldiers, policemen and others that protect us and keep us safe.
Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. In Jesus name we ask.
Amen
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Yours is the Kingdom
I thought that I would end this miniseries highlighting the verses of the Lord's prayer with this two minute vocal rendition by Judith Durham.
My favorite part of this prayer and song is the ending.. this is indeed a "for ever" prayer. Join with me in affirming these words in prayer:
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.
Amen.
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My favorite part of this prayer and song is the ending.. this is indeed a "for ever" prayer. Join with me in affirming these words in prayer:
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.
Amen.
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A Russian's Prayer
Occasionally I like to post a prayer from another follower of Christ. Today's prayer comes via the blog of Michael Hyatt.. I edited to improve readability.
O Lord, grant me to greet the coming day in peace. Help me in all things to rely upon your holy will. In every hour of the day reveal your will to me. Bless my dealings with all who surround me. Teach me to treat all that comes to me throughout the day with peace of soul, and with the firm conviction that your will governs all. In all my deeds and words guide my thoughts and feelings. In unforeseen events, let me not forget that all are sent by you. Teach me to act firmly and wisely, without embittering and embarrassing others. Give me strength to bear the fatigue of the coming day and all that it shall bring. Direct my will, teach me to pray, pray thou thyself in me. Amen. --Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow (1782–1867)
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O Lord, grant me to greet the coming day in peace. Help me in all things to rely upon your holy will. In every hour of the day reveal your will to me. Bless my dealings with all who surround me. Teach me to treat all that comes to me throughout the day with peace of soul, and with the firm conviction that your will governs all. In all my deeds and words guide my thoughts and feelings. In unforeseen events, let me not forget that all are sent by you. Teach me to act firmly and wisely, without embittering and embarrassing others. Give me strength to bear the fatigue of the coming day and all that it shall bring. Direct my will, teach me to pray, pray thou thyself in me. Amen. --Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow (1782–1867)
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Heavenly Wisdom
If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do. (James 1:5-8 NLT)
This passage is a companion to that passage in Proverbs 3:5-8 that speaks of trusting God and not leaning on our own understanding. These verses speaks to our need to abandon earthly wisdom when we ask God to give us heavenly wisdom. It is difficult because for so much of our lives we have lived our lives being directed by our brainy heads. So often we look for wisdom from without forgetting that His Spirit lives within.
Father, I confess that I don't have the wisdom I need and I desperately need Your wisdom today. I need Your help to abandon my hope in this world. I need Your wisdom to sort out my broken heart and to move forward in hope. I ask for wisdom today dear Lord and confess my trust in You.. help me to hear what You are saying.
Please visit The Prayer List and pray with me.
This passage is a companion to that passage in Proverbs 3:5-8 that speaks of trusting God and not leaning on our own understanding. These verses speaks to our need to abandon earthly wisdom when we ask God to give us heavenly wisdom. It is difficult because for so much of our lives we have lived our lives being directed by our brainy heads. So often we look for wisdom from without forgetting that His Spirit lives within.
Father, I confess that I don't have the wisdom I need and I desperately need Your wisdom today. I need Your help to abandon my hope in this world. I need Your wisdom to sort out my broken heart and to move forward in hope. I ask for wisdom today dear Lord and confess my trust in You.. help me to hear what You are saying.
Please visit The Prayer List and pray with me.
An Aging Veterans Prayer
AN AGING VETERANS PRAYER by JOSEPH P.MARTINO
"America i loved you in my youth,with all my heart and soul....And i still believe in what you stand for,now that i have grown grey and old.
We live in a republic where freedom of speech, justice,liberty and equality for all, are the mortar, brick,foundation and cornerstone of our great democracy.
Precious guidlines and undeniable truths that our founding fathers weaved and express so eloquently in the U.S.CONSTITUTION.
Principles to strive for and live by not for just the present moment,but for a lifetime.Every second, minute,hour and day of each and every passing year.
Our past and present veterans blood was shed and flesh was torn on forign battle fields in defense of these shining truths and principles so others should remain free.
So please keep us vets in your heart felt thoughts and prayers for we are growing old,you see.
Liberty and freedom comes at a high cost and is never really free,For without the sacrifice of our brave armed forces there would be no liberty.
So,always remember the one's who fell in combat and the aging veterans who still remain... and when you meet and greet them tell them their heroic efforts in defense of freedom and liberty were not fought in vain."
Copyright JOSEPH P.MARTINO 2005
Please visit The Prayer List and pray with me.
"America i loved you in my youth,with all my heart and soul....And i still believe in what you stand for,now that i have grown grey and old.
We live in a republic where freedom of speech, justice,liberty and equality for all, are the mortar, brick,foundation and cornerstone of our great democracy.
Precious guidlines and undeniable truths that our founding fathers weaved and express so eloquently in the U.S.CONSTITUTION.
Principles to strive for and live by not for just the present moment,but for a lifetime.Every second, minute,hour and day of each and every passing year.
Our past and present veterans blood was shed and flesh was torn on forign battle fields in defense of these shining truths and principles so others should remain free.
So please keep us vets in your heart felt thoughts and prayers for we are growing old,you see.
Liberty and freedom comes at a high cost and is never really free,For without the sacrifice of our brave armed forces there would be no liberty.
So,always remember the one's who fell in combat and the aging veterans who still remain... and when you meet and greet them tell them their heroic efforts in defense of freedom and liberty were not fought in vain."
Copyright JOSEPH P.MARTINO 2005
Please visit The Prayer List and pray with me.
Reconciling Forgiveness
Forgive us for doing wrong, as we forgive others. (Matthew 6:12)
There is no sweeter request than the request to be forgiven. The request, whether it is directed at God or to a person, is one of deep humility. The request acknowledges wrong doing and confesses the need to be reconciled. Interesting how part of the prayer commits to forgiving others.. the one reconciled must also accept all requests for reconciliation.
Dear Father of all forgiveness.. we come to you acknowledging the wrong we have done (confess specific wrongs) and ask to be reconciled to you afresh. We commit to being agents of reconciliation and ask for your help to forgive those who have wronged us.
Amen
Please visit The Prayer List and pray with me.
There is no sweeter request than the request to be forgiven. The request, whether it is directed at God or to a person, is one of deep humility. The request acknowledges wrong doing and confesses the need to be reconciled. Interesting how part of the prayer commits to forgiving others.. the one reconciled must also accept all requests for reconciliation.
Dear Father of all forgiveness.. we come to you acknowledging the wrong we have done (confess specific wrongs) and ask to be reconciled to you afresh. We commit to being agents of reconciliation and ask for your help to forgive those who have wronged us.
Amen
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As Above, So Below
'Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10)
Here is the way that The Message bible expresses this verse:
Father we earnestly ask for heaven to come to earth. We pray that your kingdom would come.. that good news would be proclaimed to the poor.. healing would come to the sick.. those in bondage would be set free.. and broken hearts would be mended.
Amen
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Here is the way that The Message bible expresses this verse:
Set the world right; Do what's best-- as above, so below.When we ask for God's kingdom to come and His will to be done we are asking for a heavenly influence to come into our lives and our world. Jesus included this as He taught His followers to pray because He knew what heaven is like. Often we do not understand what this looks like. It is at those times when we need to pray those words.
Father we earnestly ask for heaven to come to earth. We pray that your kingdom would come.. that good news would be proclaimed to the poor.. healing would come to the sick.. those in bondage would be set free.. and broken hearts would be mended.
Amen
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Praying for our President Elect
Lee Grady offers ten ways that we can pray for Barack Obama.. here are a few of those ways:
Amen.
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- Pray for his protection.
- Cover his wife and daughters in prayer.
- Pray that he will govern with God’s wisdom.
- Ask God to keep our him humble.
- Pray for wise and righteous advisers to surround him.
- Ask for the spirit of reconciliation.
Amen.
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Healing Our Land
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (2Chronicles 7:14)
This divine injunction was directed at the children of Israel but it is good advice for us today. Keywords for His people are humility, prayer and repentance. If God is to heal our land then.. in this day after our national election.. those of us who name Christ as Lord must humble ourselves, repent and seek the Lord. It is not up to our president to bring healing.. it is up to us.
Father of all creation, we seek you today and turn from the ways that have separated us from each other. We confess that we have been proud - bring humility to our hearts as we repent of pride dear God. Please cause each of us.. in prayer.. to stand behind our leaders.. at every level.. in government and the body of Christ. We ask for Your miraculous healing to come to our land.
Amen.
Please visit The Prayer List and pray with me.
This divine injunction was directed at the children of Israel but it is good advice for us today. Keywords for His people are humility, prayer and repentance. If God is to heal our land then.. in this day after our national election.. those of us who name Christ as Lord must humble ourselves, repent and seek the Lord. It is not up to our president to bring healing.. it is up to us.
Father of all creation, we seek you today and turn from the ways that have separated us from each other. We confess that we have been proud - bring humility to our hearts as we repent of pride dear God. Please cause each of us.. in prayer.. to stand behind our leaders.. at every level.. in government and the body of Christ. We ask for Your miraculous healing to come to our land.
Amen.
Please visit The Prayer List and pray with me.
Prayer for the Election
I received an email message this morning from Chip, my old friend, one-time church history teacher and missionary to Kenya that has some good thoughts about tomorrow's election. Here is the note in part:
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Tomorrow is Election Day in the US. Scriptures indicate that God appoints kings, rulers and those in positions of authority in governments. I believe that in a democracy that means that God has appointed the citizens to rule and have authority. I don’t believe that God will get even one vote to cast on Tuesday. He has already made his choice – the citizens of the United States.Please join me in saying an amen to Chip's prayer and making that trip to the voting booth if you have not already.
Although God does not vote in the election, please do so yourself if you are a US citizen. Chari, Amanda, and I have all voted already via absentee ballot. If we do not exercise our responsibility to vote, we are, in effect, abdicating the authority that God has bestowed upon us. I hope you can join us in praying that:
• God will grant the people of the US, wisdom, insight, and understanding to make good decisions
• The citizens of the USA will take their responsibility seriously to vote for the candidate of their choice
• Both those who are happy and those who are disappointed in the results, will reach out to each other and purposively engage in the process of dialog and collaboration to create policies, programmes, priorities, and procedures that will facilitate the wellbeing of people, both in the USA and around the world.
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The Prayer List
Please post a comment here with a request for prayer and we will pray. Also please feel free to select one of the links below and pray the prayer included in that post.
Links to Specific Prayers
Links to Specific Prayers - Prayer for Broken Relationships
- Prayer for Chronic Illness
- Prayer for Contentment
- Prayer for God's Will
- Prayer for Healing
- Prayer for Human Rights
- Prayer for Humility
- Prayer for Job Seekers
- Prayer for Neighbors
- Prayer for Parents
- Prayer for Parents and Children
- Prayer for Perspective
- Prayer for Prodigals
- Prayer for Protection
- Prayer for Those who Grieve
- Prayer for Your Family
- An Irish Blessing
- Desire for Wisdom
- Evening Prayer
- Giving Thanks
- Hannah's Prayer
- Morning Prayer
- Mother Teresa Prayer
- Peace in the Storm
- Prayer as an Offering
- The Love Chapter
- Wesley's Covenant Prayer
When a believing person prays, great things happen. (James 5:16b NCV)
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