Daily Prayer: October 2010

"God will never leave you empty. If something is taken away, He will replace it with something better. If he denies your request in a certain area, it is because He wishes to give you what is best.

If He asks you to put something down, it is so you can pick up something greater." (Roy Lessin)

Dear Lord, help me always to pray for your perfect will in my life and not settle for something lesser.

Amen

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To the God who multiplied the loaves and fishes...

...today we pray that he will also increase our love of and our longing for him.

Lord, I believe in you: increase my faith.

I trust in you: strengthen my trust.

I love you: let me love Thee more and more.
I am sorry for my sins: deepen my sorrow.

I worship you as my first beginning,
I long for you as my last end,
I praise you as my constant helper,
and call on you as my loving protector.

Guide me by your wisdom,
correct me with your justice,
comfort me with your mercy,
protect me with your power.

I offer you, Lord, my thoughts;
to be fixed on you;
my words: to have you for their theme;
my actions: to reflect my love for you;
my sufferings: to be endured for your greater glory.

- Clement XI

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Your Rod and Staff

Guest Post by John Dobbs:

Dear Lord,

As I take my time praying through this Psalm, I am always caught off guard by the way it touches the dusty corners of my heart. Your Word reaches so throughly into my hurts, my struggles, my weaknesses, my inadequacies, my humanness. Always with Your relentless desire to rescue me from myself … and convincing me that Your love has indeed saved me.

Your rod reminds me that You are perfectly capable of fending all enemies. I’ve been lied to so many times that the truth doesn’t always sound true. The Enemy has filled my mind with a thousand “what ifs” and “if onlys” and “why do you thinks” and other questions designed to raise my doubting heart. It is only when I take my eyes off of You that I can entertain such distractions.

When I see Your words, I am humbled by Your wisdom.

When I see Your deeds, I am breathless in amazement by Your power.

When I see Your love, I am ashamed, but accepting.

When I see Your tomb, I hear the echo of its emptiness.

And then I remember that Your rod comforts me. I do not have to defeat the enemies of the cross, or my life, nor The Wolf, for it has been done.

Your staff reminds me that I am never out of reach. Gently You continue to guide me along this journey. As long as I am within sight of Your staff, I am within reach of Your care. In such a way I am free to be who You made me.

Yes, Lord, Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. Keep me near to you so that I may often look up and be reminded of Your power. You are able to completely fulfill every duty of being my Shepherd. I will be satisfied to be a sheep under your direction and protection.

~John

You can read more of John Dobbs' work at his blog: Out Here Hope Remains.

Amen

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Urgent Prayer Request for Haiti

My heart breaks when I think of all the problems that Haiti has had since that devastating earthquake at the beginning of this year. A friend sent me this prayer request from Terry Snow, founder and national director of Youth With A Mission (YWAM) Haiti:

We'd like to call people to prayer for our city and the countryside surrounding it. There seems to be an outbreak of some kind of a water-borne disease where people who contract it come down with severe diarrhea resulting in death within 24-48 hours. We do not have concrete numbers of how many have actually died to date, only scattered reports from Haitians seeking aid and purified water saying; "Many, Many, Many people are dead or sick!" The hospital in St Marc is filling up with cases and our clinic down the road has been made ready for overflow.

Symptoms point to Cholera but that has not been confirmed, test result due in today. If it is Cholera the problem isn't medicine, they claim they have the cure, but getting it to the people in time. We are focused on three things, distribution of purified water, transportation of the sick and education on sanitation.

They are asking in specific for us to:

Pray for protection to all health workers and volunteers in the area.
Pray for a quick diagnosis so that correct treatment can be administered immediately.
Pray for those who have already lost loved ones.
Pray for peace in the countryside and for protection for those who live in the high risk areas that may not have access to clean water.

Please join me today in praying for the people in Haiti.

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He Knows My Name....

For those of you who have prayed for my cousin Jim in a Prison Medical Facility ~~ Praise God, "He knows my name, He sees each tear that fall, and He hears me when I call."

After finding the address of the Medical Facility I have written two letters to my cousin, encouraging him to accept the Gospel. I've heard nothing. Then this morning the phone rang, and it was Jim.

We talk about where he is, how he's doing, and I shared the Gospel again. Praise God, he is responding to my reaching out to him, and he's responding to the Gospel.

We will take it one step at a time. He will probably be in for a year, and I've covenanted with him that I will write him weekly. I will send him postage to write back to me.

Please continue to pray that God will do a mighty work in Jim's heart and life!

Thank you again, praying bloggers.

Amen

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Chemo Tomorrow

Just a quick note to request prayer for my wife Ann. If you think of it please pray for Ann tomorrow as she gets one of her scheduled chemo treatments. Ann gets 4 treatments a year to keep her immune system in check. You can learn more about this here.

Much thanks, Bob

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God Adds His Blessing

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them, The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. "So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them." (Numbers 6:22-27 ESV)

God closes this passage by saying that when Moses says this blessing then He Himself would bless those that Moses blessed because His name is put on those blessed. When we bless others in prayer we invoke the name of God and God adds His blessing to ours. God pays attention when we say "The LORD bless you".. He sees our hearts desire of blessing. It is good to remember that when we bless in His name He adds His blessing to ours.

Cause me to be a living blessing Lord. As I travel today help me to speak blessing to those who I encounter. Thank you that I am blessed to be a blessing.

Amen

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James 5:16a

Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.
James 5:16a

Oh, Lord God,

I have been selfish and unwilling. I have not kept my word. I have kept a list when I should have forgiven. I have not put the needs of others above my own and I have spoken words I ought not to have spoken. I have not waited on you and I have failed to take silence as an answer. The road ahead is uncertain and I am afraid. Please forgive me, Lord, and please help us.

Amen

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CLOSE TO MY HEART

This morning I share some personal requests close to my heart!

Shirley ~ dear friend just had surgery in San Francisco for multiple cancer tumors. She will have a long road ahead of chemo. Please join me in praying for her complete healing.
Patty ~ Just lost her husband to a long battle with cancer. Funeral was Saturday. Join me in praying for Patty and family in this difficult time of loss.
Jim ~ my cousin who has been placed in a prison medical facility. Pray that he will respond the the letters I'm sending, and will give his life and heart to the Lord.
Unspoken request for a family member that is hurting.

Thank you so much Prayer Warriors.... God is good, and hears our prayers.

Amen

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A prayer to our loving God

In you, O loving God, have I hoped: let me never be confounded.
I know too well that I am weak and changeable.
I know the power of temptation against the strongest virtue.

I have seen stars fall and foundations of my world crack;
these things do not alarm me.
While I hope in you, I am sheltered from all misfortune,

and I am sure that my trust shall endure,
for I rely upon you to sustain this unfailing hope.

Finally, I know that my confidence cannot exceed your generosity,
and that I shall never receive less than I have hoped for from you.
Therefore I hope that you will sustain me against my evil inclinations,
that you will protect me against the deceitful attacks of the evil one,
and that you will cause my weakness to triumph over every hostile force.

I hope that you will never cease to love me and that I shall love you unceasingly. Amen.

- Claude de la Colombière

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Hearing Your Voice

Dear Lord,

There are so many circumstances in life where I just don't have any idea which way to turn. Sometimes I feel like a seed blowing back and forth in the wind, wondering if I will ever land. This day, dear Father, I ask again for wisdom, a "Voice from heaven" to tell me what to do. Do You still do that kind of thing, Lord? Give me a steadfast heart, open eyes, and listening ears that I will know when You are calling my name.

And, Lord, please be with my Uncle Chuck during his heart surgery on Tuesday. Be close by, and Lord, please keep your hand on my mom that day and as her brother recovers. Please fill her with Your peace.
Amen

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a simple prayer

a prayer of thanksgiving
for answered prayers

we humbly thank you lord
you never cease to amaze us

Amen

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A prayer for today

Father, grant that I may be a bearer of Christ Jesus, your Son.
Allow me to warm the often cold, impersonal scene of modern life with your burning love.
Strengthen me by your Holy Spirit to carry out my mission of changing the world or some definite part of it for the better.
Despite my lamentable failures, bring home to me that my advantages are your blessings to be shared with others.
Make me more energetic in setting right what I find wrong with the world instead of complaining about it.
Nourish in me a practical desire to build up rather than tear down, to reconcile instead of polarize, to go out on a limb rather than crave security.
Never let me forget that it is far better to light one candle than to curse the darkness,
and to join my light, one day, with yours. Amen.

- Prayer of the Christophers

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Simple Prayers

I love how simply the Apostle Paul speaks about prayer at times in his letters. Consider these passages:

For God, whom I serve with my spirit by preaching the gospel about his Son, is my witness how constantly I mention you in my prayers at all times, -Romans 1:9-10

We always thank God for all of you when we mention you in our prayers. -1 Thessalonians 1:2

I never stop giving thanks for you as I mention you in my prayers. -Ephesians 1:16

I always thank my God when I mention you in my prayers. -Philemon 1:4

In a refreshing style he simply says that he mentions them in his prayers and often simply gives thanks for them. I think that it is good advice to pray simply and not get caught up in long and elaborate religious prayers that seem to instruct God about what He should be doing.

Some mornings when I pray I simply remember, before God, the folks on my heart and their needs.. and express my thanks for them. I always seem to go away from those times refreshed knowing that my Heavenly Father has heard my prayers and sifted them in His loving hands.

I suggest that you take a moment.. close your eyes.. lay your hands, palms up, on your lap.. and simply remember those who need your prayers.. give thanks for them.. and make mention of them to the Lord.. like a child talking to their Dad.

Prayer can be so simple. I think that it is meant to be.

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Fearfully Made

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. Psalm 139:14

Dear Lord,
We are but grasshoppers in Your sight, small and insignificant. I looked at a grasshopper and found it intriguing and incredibly beautiful in spite of its size. I am in awe that You love me, Lord, and that You care to intervene in my life. Thank you, Father God, for all the blessing You bestow.

Amen

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