Daily Prayer: August 2013

NEVER ALONE

"Jesus never sends a man ahead alone. He blazes a clear way through every thicket and woods, and then softly calls, "Follow me. Lets go on together, you and I." He has been everywhere we are called to go. His feet have trodden down smooth a path through every experience that comes to us. He knows each road, and knows it well: the valley road of disappointment with its dark shadows; the steep path of temptation down through the rocky ravines and slippery gullies; the narrow path of pain, with brambly thorn bushes so close on each side, with their slash and sting; the dizzy road along the heights of victory; the old beaten road of commonplace daily routine. Every path he had trodden and glorified and will walk anew with each of us. The only safe way to travel is with Him alongside and in control."

~~Dr. Samuel Dickey Gordon (1859-1936)

Dear Heavenly Father. All I can speak is Thank You for always being with me. Always being my guide. Always preparing a path of escape. Always being alongside me every step of the way in this life I live. I love you so. I worship you with this prayer. Amen

Amen

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Mystery

Proverbs 27:1 (ESV)
“Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.”

Father, it seems like every day is a mystery. It is a daily adventure of faith and discovery. We have our plans and goals which hopefully give us a sense of direction. Yet, we are totally clueless as to what will actually take place.

But what I imagine we would hope to do is to live today with meaning, purpose and end with some kind of achievement. The satisfaction of a day well lived would be very fulfilling. So Father, I join the prayer of the Psalmist who implored you to……………^“teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” Psalms 90:12 (ESV)

That’s good enough for me and I hope pleases you! Thanks

Amen

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pray for a seeking heart

We are driven by our thirst for the cool water that

springs forth from the Fountain of the Living God.

We yearn. We long.

and therefore, we SEEK.

We find Him and are never satisfied.

We seek Him again and again.

Too often, we seek Him and find Him and so we seek no more.

What a tragedy! The fulfilling, growing, mind-blowing, spirit-filled

life is one that is found by seeking Him and finding Him and then seeking Him some more!

We were created to long for Him. To worship the Creator with all of our hearts. To worship Him with expectancy of spirit.

A furious longing.

To seek Him with fervor!

He should be unrivaled in our affection and our worship.

We need to search for Him in-depth and in great need.

Unhindered.

And then when we find Him, we will desire to keep searching. To keep seeking. To keep yearning for more of the One True God that will satisfy our deepest needs.

Seek Him and you will find Him.

"And you will seek me and find me when you search for me with all of your heart" (Jeremiah 29:13

Amen

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The Insanity of Prayer

A recent article, titled “The definition of insanity” is the most overused cliché of all time, begins by saying:

"It’s often said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

I can relate to that! I recently told a few friends that my prayer life often resembles this definition of insanity. I keep praying the same things and expecting a different result - or maybe just any result. One of my friends replied asking me why I even pray. I responded by saying that praying is like breathing for me.

When I speak of prayer as spiritual breathing I am reminded of how, in my twenties, I never prayed even though my wife Ellen was blind for 3 of those years. Then she was healed and I became aware of God. Eventually I prayed my first real prayer and it has become like breathing in the sense of I do it without thinking to do it. It comes naturally just like breathing. Yet some of the prayers are versions of insanity as I ask for the same things over and over and do not see answers. Even so, I find peace in knowing that God has heard me - and perhaps that it a good enough "answer".

Real life example of my insane prayer life: As many of you know my wife Ann has been disabled for six years now and I watch her struggle every day to do basic things as she gets in and out of her wheelchair. I pray all of the time for her and I sometimes express my frustrations to the Lord. I sometimes feel a bit insane as I pray and do not see improvements in Ann's health. So I wonder if the real challenge is to be content (through prayer) with the challenges and pain that she and I experience. Being content with pain? Now that sounds insane!! What do you think?

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A MOTHER'S LONELY HEART

Dear Lord, sometimes I feel so lonely. Now that I am in the Fall and Winter seasons of my life, I love my family so deeply and dearly, but long for more calls from them. I realize they all are busy with jobs and families of their own, but in honesty I long to hear "Hey Mom, just thinking of you this morning. I love you."

Forgive me Lord for those feelings, as I know that my children love me deeply and dearly too. I'm taken back to my own Mother, and had I known she would leave us at 79, would have called her every day. As it was, I did call her a lot, and fortunately lived close enough to spend time with her. But it feel so good to share my heart with you Lord. I'm so glad to be your daughter, and enjoy that you talk me every day in Your Word and in my heart. I will find my rest in You. I love you. Amen.

Amen

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Stretched

Father my emotions are stretched like a rubber band to the breaking point, from rage to compassion. Rage over the deaths of a young man in Oklahoma to the death of an old World War II Vet in Washington, both victims of cruel, heartless and senseless murder. Compassion for the unbearable loss their family and friends suffer. I know your justice will be served, and I can’t imagine the pain in your heart over the brutality of the human race in every conceivable conflict and yet you express emotions in such a telling way.

Genesis 6:5-6 (ESV)
⁵The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. ⁶And the LORD was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.

Father sometimes I just don’t know what to pray but I will ask for help, mercy and your just intervention in a world that will never make sense without you.

Father, You are the God of all hope and so we don’t give up because we trust you. So I say with the Psalmist:

^“…I trust in you, O LORD; I say, "You are my God." My times are in your hand;” Psalm 31:14-15 (ESV)

Amen

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the God who sees

I love the account of Hagar in Genesis. A woman alone, destitute and desperate in the wilderness. She is feeling helpless and hopeless and then God shows up. Right where she is at, in her misery and her loneliness, the God who sees, El Roi, reveals Himself to her.

So she called the Lord who spoke to her: The God Who Sees, for she said, “In this place, have I actually seen the One who sees me? ” (Genesis 16:13 HCSB)

When we find ourselves in this same situation, our God will show up and show Himself to us in this same way. The God who sees us. He knows everything about us. He hears our cries. He sees our deepest need. And He will reveal Himself to us and minister to the aching and empty places in our spirits.

Fall on your face before Him and cry out. He will show up and satisfy what only He can.

Amen

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For the eyes of our heart ...

I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better.

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people, and His incomparably great power for us who believe.

Amen

...from Ephesians 1:16-19

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Prayer for Egypt

Father, we lift up your children in Egypt. Protect them from those who would do them harm and give them the grace to love their neighbors and show the beauty of the Gospel. Amen

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ARE YOU WASHED?

I Corinthians 6:11
"And that is what some of you were. BUT you were washed, you were sanctified you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of our God."

Oh Dear Lord, of the many wonders of Your world, these three words tell so much about You ~~wash, sanctify and justify. And I have experienced each of them first hand! In Your giant, gentle hands this grimy sinner has been washed clean, acquitted of all crimes. Unstained! Unpolluted! And, as it were not enough, made an heir. You freely gave me what I could not give myself: a bath, a robe a name. How can I thank You. I love You. Amen.

Amen

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The Sigh of My Heart

Psalm 119:5 (ESV)
Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes!

Spurgeon comments on this prayer:

“The sigh of the text is really a prayer, though it does not exactly take that form. Desires and longings are of the essence of supplication, and it little matters what shape they take. "O that" is as acceptable a prayer as "Our Father."

John Gill further explains:

“The psalmist, sensible of his own inability, as every good man is, to keep the commands of God, prays for grace, direction, and assistance in it; that the ways of his mind, his thoughts, affections, and inclinations, might be directed to an observance of the divine precepts….”

Father, I absolutely sense this need in my walk with You. That you grant me the ability and strength through Your Spirit to so live daily as to find compliance and comfort in obeying your Word. The Psalmist is so wise in understanding his own inability and Your total sufficiency in granting him the desire of his heart.

So Father, I also pray that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes! It is the way of peace as I live to please You. It is the sigh of my heart.

Amen

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Nothing I asked for ...

I asked God for strength that I might achieve.

I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey.

I asked for health that I might do greater things.

I was given infirmity that I might do better things.

I asked for riches that I might be happy.

I was given poverty that I might be wise.

I asked for power that I might have the praise of men.

I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God.

I asked for all things that I might enjoy life.

I was given life that I might enjoy all things.

I got nothing I asked for, but everything I hoped for.

Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.

I am, among all men, most richly blessed.

Amen

... Admiral Chester Nimitz

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Seek Him

Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:12, 13 ESV)

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That my life may be an act of worship ...

Lord, I would trust Thee completely; I would be altogether Thine; I would exalt Thee above all.

I desire that I may feel no sense of possessing anything outside of Thee.

I want constantly to be aware of Thy overshadowing Presence and to hear Thy speaking Voice.

I long to live in restful sincerity of heart.

I want to live so fully in the Spirit that all my thought may be as sweet incense ascending to Thee and every act of my life may be an act of worship.

Therefore I pray in the words of Thy great servant of old,

"I beseech Thee so for to cleanse the intent of mine heart with the unspeakable gift of Thy grace, that I may perfectly love Thee and worthily praise Thee."

And all this I confidently believe Thou wilt grant me through the merits of Jesus Christ Thy Son.

Amen.

... A.W. Tozer, "The Pursuit of God"

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Prayer for a New School Year

Father, we pray for the students as they go to school. Give them peace and grace. Give them sound minds to learn. Protect them. Bless their parents and help them to be supportive of their children. Give favor to the teachers, granting them grace and wisdom. Let them patiently impart knowledge to those who are in their care. Make our schools safe places for all who go there. In Jesus name. Amen

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TEACH ME HUMILITY

Proverbs 11:2 "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom."

Dear Lord, wisdom is a gift of Your grace and Your grace is given only to the humble. Pride repels Your grace, but humility protects us from temptation, preserves our peace and prepares us for Your blessing. Thank You, Father, for telling us how to live in the way that pleases You. Help me to not be prideful, but teach me humility. I love You. Amen

Amen

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What Does God Ask of Us?

Father, when I say I love you I sometimes wonder how you would like me to express that love. Then, I remember how in your Word you have stated clearly the response you desire. Such as in Deuteronomy 10:12 (ESV)

"….. what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul,”

Father to fear you is to live my life out of respect for you. To walk in your ways is to live my life in fellowship with you. To love you is to live my life worshiping you. To serve you is to live my life really caring for others with all of my heart and soul.

Father, thank you for this practical way of loving you and being helpful to others. Surely this is the meaning of what you require and what I long to do.

Amen

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Waiting

Dear Lord,
Help me to wait patiently. Open my eyes to the little blessing You pour into each and every day of my life, the little things that are so easy to overlook; raucous laughter of children, the buzz of "my" hummingbirds, and surprise pumpkins in what is supposed to be my flower garden. Thank you for walks in the woods, dragonflies hovering, and sunshine over all of it. Thank you for clay on my hands, water to wash, and eyes to see not only they physical, but the spiritual as well. Help me, Lord, to enjoy the wait and count the blessings.
Amen
PS. Thank you so very much for the blessing of a new grandson. I am incredibly blessed to share this joy with my son and his beautiful bride.

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Words of encouragement

"God allows in His wisdom that which

He could easily prevent in His power"

---

"Just as water ever seeks and fills the lowest

Place, so the moment God finds you

Abased and empty, His glory and power flow in"

---( Andrew Murray)

---

Amen

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That I may see my own faults ...

O Lord and Master of my life, do not give me the spirit of laziness, meddling, self-importance and idle talk.

Instead, grace me, Your servant, with the spirit of modesty, Humility, patience, and love.

Indeed, my Lord and King, grant that I may see my own faults,

And not condemn my brothers and sisters, for You are blessed unto ages of ages.

Amen.

...a prayer of Ephraim of Edessa, translation by Fr James Silver, Drew University and thanks to Hoss

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Father, we pray for those who are discouraged, for those who are struggling with their actions, for those who are having a hard time realizing who they are in Christ. Let them see their place as your children who are loved and treasured. Lift them up and encourage them. Help them to live as the new creation they are. Amen

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The Mercy of God

"Holy Father. Thy wisdom excites our admiration. Thy power fills us with fear. Thy omnipresence turns every spot of the earth into holy ground, but how shall we thank Thee enough for Thy mercy which comes down to the lowest part of our need to give us beauty for ashes, and the oil of joy for mourning and for the spirit of heaviness a garment of praise? We bless and magnify Thy mercy, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen"
~A.W. Tozer

Amen

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The Answer

Father, what we need to heal the brokenness of our world you have generously and freely provided. If only we had the humility to receive it, the wisdom to use it and the courage to proclaim it. Of course Father what we are praying about is the acceptance of the Gospel spoken of in John 3:16 “For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”

But Father, I wonder when we will be desperate enough and determined enough to have the resolve to acknowledge You as the one who has given us the answer and the way in Your Son. He is the only way to forgiveness, peace and reconciliation on earth. It is a narrow way because it is only through faith in Him and yet it is wide because it encompasses the whole world.

Father I pray that the announcement given long ago on a hill outside of Bethlehem will be heard and accepted today: Peace on Earth “…..by making peace through the blood of His cross—. Colossians 1:20 (HCSB)

Father, this is the way You have chosen and it is Your answer.

Amen

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Help me become more childlike in heart ...

Dear Heavenly Father, please help me become more childlike in heart. Grant me the courage to leave behind the destructive attitudes of pretense and pride. Please forgive me for thinking more highly of myself than I ought. Help me to leave myself out of the picture and simply fix my eyes on Jesus. Help me to humbly accept the easy yoke of Jesus and simply be the person you called me to be. Please give me inner peace and security to daily choose this way of living so that I might know the rest that comes from living in your will, staying in step with the Holy Spirit. In Jesus' name, amen.

... prayer offered by Bill Williams, who writes at a spiritual oasis.

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