Daily Prayer: February 2012

you are our refuge!

"The LORD also will be a refuge

for the oppressed, a refuge in times

of trouble. And they that know thy

name will put their trust in thee:

for thou, LORD, hast not

forsaken them that seek thee."

(Psalms 9:9-10)

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Thank you, Lord, that you are our refuge. You are always there for us. We know that you hear our every cry and that you love us and care for us. Thank you that we can put our trust in you! For those of us that seek you with all our hearts, you promise that you will be found by us. Thank you for the amazing promises of your Word and thank you for gently placing us in the cleft of the rock that we might be touched by your shadow as you pass by and minister to our hearts and spirits.

Amen

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I Want So to Belong

"O God, I want so to belong;
    teach me to accept.
I want to be close;
    teach me to reach out.
I want a place where I am welcome;
    teach me to open my arms.
I want mercy;
    teach me to forgive.
I want beauty;
    teach me honesty.
I want peace;
    show me the eye of the storm.
I want truth; show me the way to question
     my unquestionable convictions.
I want joy;
    show me the way of deeper commitment.
I want life;
    show me how to die."

Ted Loder - "Guerrillas of Grace"

Amen

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Prayer for Trust

Father, we often don't understand your ways. Give us wisdom and grace. Help us to trust you always, especially when what you are doing is unfathomable to us. Amen

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Dear Lord...

Dear Lord,

It is another new day. Yesterday morning my snowy world sparkled in glistening sunlight. Today the snow is gone and thick clouds block the sun. It is a sleepy kind of day. Thank you, Father, for variety. Thank you for making each day different.
Amen

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Prayerful Responses to the 19th Psalm

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
We declare your glory Lord!
...
The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul;
We affirm your word Lord!

the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;
Your testimony is our testimony Lord!

the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;
Our heart rejoices in your wisdom!

the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;
Our desire is to obey you Lord!

the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever;
We honor and respect you Father!

the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether.
You are righteous all together Lord!

More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold;
The scriptures are precious to us Lord!

sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.
We have tasted of your sweetness Lord!

...
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight,
O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

Amen

(Psalm 19:1, 7-10, 14)

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Wait for the LORD

"Wait for the LORD;

be strong, and let your

heart take courage;

Yes, wait for the LORD"

(Psalm 27:14)

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Sweet Heavenly Father, thank you for being with us during the waiting period. We thank you for your constant and tender care of us. You watch over us and cover us with your protective wing and give us the strength to wait for you. You enable us to walk each day following in your footsteps and you give us the assurance that if we keep our eyes on you, we will stay on the right path. Thank you for being who you are and for loving us the way you do. You are mighty and powerful and amazing. We bow our hearts to you this day and worship you for all that you are. So worthy. So wonderful. So beautiful.

Amen

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O God, early in the morning do I cry unto You.

Help me to pray, and to think only of You.

I cannot pray alone. In me there is darkness. But with You there is light.

I am lonely, but You leave me not.

I am feeble in heart, but You leave me not.

I am restless, but with You there is peace.

In me there is bitterness, but with You there is patience.

Your ways are past understanding, but You know the way for me.

Lord Jesus, You were poor and in misery, a captive and forsaken as I am.

You know all man's distress;

You abide with me when all others have deserted me.

I would remember before You all my loved ones, my fellow prisoners,

And all who in this house perform their hard service.

Lord, have mercy.

Restore my liberty and enable me so to live that I may answer before You and before the World.

Lord, whatever this day may bring, Your name be praised.

Be gracious unto me and help me.

Grant me strength to bear whatever You send,

And let no fear overrule me.

I trust Your grace, and comit my life wholly into Your hands.

Whether I live or whether I die, I am with You and You are with me...

Lord, I wait for Your salvation, and for the coming of Your Kingdom. Amen.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, German pastor (1906-1945)

written on Christmas Day 1943 while in a Nazi concentration camp

executed on April 9, 1945

Oh my God, when I read this prayer, when I try to pray this prayer, I realize I am just a toddler when it comes to praying to You. How many prayers are about me, my desires, my concerns, my wants? Please let those very things in my heart drive me to my deepest need, to You, to Your abiding presence.

Teach me to pray.

Amen

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Patience

Above all, trust in the slow work of God. We are, quite naturally, impatient in everything to reach the end without delay. We should like to skip the intermediate stages, we are impatient of being on the way to something unknown, something new. And yet, it is the law of all progress that it is made by passing through some stages of instability . . . and that it may take a very long time.

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
The Making of a Mind: Letters from a Soldier-Priest.

Father, help us to be patient as we wait in faith for you.
Amen

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Under Your Wings

O Lord, your unfailing love is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the ocean depths. Your care for people and animals alike, O Lord. How precious is your unfailing love. All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings. Amen!

Psalm 36:5-7 (NLT)

Thank you so much for your prayers for our daughter, Julie, last week. She is recovering nicely.

* Picture from googleimages.com

Amen

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Praying for Missionaries

‘Pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ… Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should’ (Colossians 4:3, 4)

I know many missionaries. I went to bible college with a few. I support and pray for several. Here are a few points, complements of the Purpose Driven Life site, to remember when we pray for our friends serving Christ in another country.

Pray that your friends will feel at home in a new country, culture and climate.

Pray for their children, particularly if they are at school in a different country.

Pray for happy family times together, and for the children to love and serve the Lord.

Pray that they won’t resent being separated from their parents, and that the parents won’t fret about their children.

Pray for elderly or frail parents back home and for those who support them. Ask that God would look after them during your friends’ absence.

If the missionary is single, feelings of loneliness and isolation may creep in. Pray for good, sustaining friendships, for holiday arrangements and time to relax and unwind.

Pray for your friends when it’s time to adjust back to life in their own country. Pray that as they visit churches and supporters they would build strong links and renew relationships.

Pray for good relationships with national Christian leaders and with fellow workers, some of whom may come from different cultures and countries.

Grasping the language takes time. Pray as your friends learn a new language, understand its nuances and attempt to communicate. Pray against set backs and discouragement.

Pray for their language helpers; people with the courage to correct and advise, and who will encourage your friends in their work.

Pray for the leaders in your friends’ country. Pray for freedom to preach the gospel. For political stability.

Lord, please help us to remember those who represent you in other lands. Give us a heart to intercede for them by name and help bear their burdens in prayer. To you we commit them trusting in the name of Jesus.

Amen

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Another Thank You

Dear Lord,
Thank you for this new day, for the sunshine outside, the birds calling back and forth, the melting snow, and mud.

Help me, Lord, to be thankful each and every day for all the gifts You shower into my life. Help me to see them for what they are, even when I am not sure they are good, because every good and perfect gift come from You. Help me to love the snow and rain as much as the sunshine, to accept pain along with pleasure, and to know in each and every situation, You are here. You never leave me.
Amen

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Prayers endless possibilities

"Now to Him who is able

to do immeasurably more than

all we ask or imagine"

(Ephesians 3:20)

~~~~

Paul, in his remarkable prayer for the Ephesians, honored the unlimited possibilities of prayer, and he glorified the ability of God to answer prayer.

Prayer is all-inclusive. There is no time or place that prayer does not cover and sanctify. All things on earth and in heaven, everything for time and for eternity, all are embraced in prayer.

Nothing is too great and nothing is too small to be a subject of prayer. Prayer reaches down to the least things of life and includes the greatest things that concern us.

(from The Power of Prayer by E.M. Bounds)

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Thank you, Father that we can pray to you about anything. Nothing is too great and nothing is too small to bring before the Throne of Grace. For that, we are overwhelmed and eternally grateful.

Amen

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A Prayer of Thanks

Father, thank you for those you bring into our lives to encourage us and teach us. Thank you for those times when you make your love evident to us. Thank you for your continual presence with us and in us. Amen

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Prayer for Julie

Please join me in praying for our daughter Julie. She is in the hospital with another kidney stone. She had surgery on Thursday and her fever spiked, and her blood pressure went dangerously low, and they are keeping her in the hospital until they can get the infection under control. Please pray that the Lord will touch her and the infection can be cleared completely and she can go home to her family. Thank you so much praying friends. We so appreciate it.

Amen

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The Jobs I Cannot Do

Dear Lord,
Lately I feel as though I am responsible for way more than I can manage on my own. I am ill-equipped. It is at these times when I cry out for help, and yet I know that without You, I am ill-equipped to do even those jobs in which I feel confident. Please be with me each day, Father. Move through me to accomplish Your will, and only then will what I do be done right.
Amen

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the fire came down!

"Now when Solomon had made an end of praying,

the fire came down from heaven, and consumed

the burnt-offering and the sacrifices;

and the glory of the LORD filled the house."

(2 Chronicles 7:1)

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Let's pray with such fervor that the fire comes down from heaven! Let's lift up our voices to petition our loving God and allow Him to move so mightily that the glory of Him fills the house! Cry out and reach up. Pour out and receive abundantly. We serve a good and loving God who desires nothing less than to grace us with good things. Ask in faith and He will hear our cry and grant us the desires of our heart.

God, you are so good!!

Amen

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Holy Inefficiency

My God, I pray you'd help me be more inefficient this day and all days.

When I'm captured by Your words in Your Word, help me to linger just that bit longer in Your sweet presence.

When I'm moved to speak my heart into Your loving care, help me to wait on the gentle voice of Your Spirit to me.

When I'm being my part of the body in Your Body, the invisible and visible Church, help me to lean into who I am in You.

When I see You, the Christ, in my fellow image-bearers in this world, help me to not turn away and walk on by because I don't have the time to waste.

For I long to be holy as You are holy.

Amen

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God's Love

Father, you love us with an everlasting, sacrificial love that knows no bounds. You love us even when we grieve you, and there is nothing we can do to ever quench that love. You have placed that love in us so that we might share it. Help us to love others as you have loved us. Amen

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SUPER BOWL SUNDAY

Today many people will forget Church, and be glued to the TV for Super Bowl, so I think it's appropriate to pray for the game and the day. This would be my prayer.

Dear Lord, you can use anything to accomplish your purposes. Perhaps today as people all around the country are watching the Super Bowl, I pray there will be safety to the players, and fans. I pray that as families gather, your Name will be lifted up, and honored. As we celebrate this Super Sunday, may our hearts be reminded that without YOU, there would be no pleasure in life, but the fleeting kind. There would no peace, except the peace you bring to the heart and soul of man. Lord, I pray the you will quiet any riots that rowdy fans will engage in after the game. Satan is the god of the world.....Defeat him today in any plans he had to hurt and destroy people. You are our Love and our Salvation, our Lord and King...May we remember that today!... I love you, Amen! (And may the best team win)
Amen

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may today be the day

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Heavenly Father, when will we be love?

There is nothing in our way but ourselves. Work in us, O Lord, and replace our worldly thoughts, images and feelings with your holy spirit. By your grace and mighty example, we can be patient—always. We can forgive—always. We can protect—always. We can be love.

O, to be known by love! What a day that will be. We can imagine that day, dear Lord, because you have shown the way.

May today be the day we follow. May today be the day we become love.

Amen

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the prayer of faith

"Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry?

let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the

elders of the church; and let them pray over him,

anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the

Lord shall raise him up; and if he have

committed sins, they shall be forgiven him."

(James 5:13-16)

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Thank you, Lord, for the amazing power of your sweet Holy Spirit. Thank you for the anointing that comes straight from your throne. Thank you for a doubtless faith that allows us to tap into the sweet

grace and healing from your loving Hands. Touch those reading this today. Immerse them in the sweetness of who You are and cover them with a mighty touch from your hand. Minister to each need according to your perfect will. We love you and we give you all glory and all praise and all honor.

Amen

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