Prayer for a Renewed Soul-Thirst for Jesus

From Scotty Smith:

     O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips. Ps. 63:1-5

Dear Lord Jesus, we want what David had—an intense yearning and craving for you. Make us so thirsty that we’ll remain insatiable until you hydrate our hearts with the gospel; satiate us with your steadfast love; quench us with fresh grace.

It’s a dangerous thing not to miss fellowship with you, Jesus. It’s a deceptive thing to enjoy you, but no longer actually need you. It’s a deceitful thing to be satisfied with correct theology about you, without experiencing rich communion with you. It’s a deadly thing to find our ultimate satisfaction in anyone or anything else but you.

Only your steadfast love is better than life, Lord Jesus—only your mercy drenched, grace propelled, God-favor-filled affection for us. Nothing else will do. You’ve created a gospel-shaped vacuum in our hearts—a screaming empty place that fits only you. Forgive us when we try to cram human love, creature comforts, or anything else into that place. Keep us redemptively discontent until our hearts rest again in you.

Lord Jesus, our cry isn’t just for ourselves as individuals, but also for our churches. Forgive us for being so organized, creative, and “right,” that we no longer miss your presence. If you actually “left the house,” how long would it take before we knew the difference? Show us, convict us, forgive us, and change us.

Let us see and experience your power and glory in fresh ways, Jesus. We want to lift our hearts, voices, hands, and whole lives to you as a sacrifice of praise. May the truth and grace of the gospel satisfy us, as “fat and rich food”. So very Amen we pray, with longing and expectant hearts.

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PREPARING THE WAY....

Thank you Lord, for Your easy yoke and Your light burden.  Thank You for reaching out to us, for offering us Your hand, for revealing Yourself even to those who do not seek You.  Help me never interpose myself between You and the ones You are calling.  Help me to clear the path of stumbling blocks and obstacles, to flatten out the mountains and fill in the valleys, and to prepare the way for You in the lives of others.  I love You.  Amen.



Oxen and Yoke from googleimages.com

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EMERGENCY

Father, there are those moments in life when we cry out to You…… “EMERGENCY”.  In those horrible moments when fear grips our frail hearts, tears blind our eyes and shock numbs our minds. It is that dreaded moment when the outcome is uncertain and waiting for an answer seems to linger in one eternal breath.

Father it is in this moment we cry out “EMERGENCY”.  And with the Psalmist we implore: “Listen to my prayer, O God. Do not ignore my cry for help! ² Please listen and answer me, for I am overwhelmed by my troubles.” Psalm 55:1-2 (NLT)

Being an ever faithful Father you hear, answer and provide the grace, courage and strength to sustain us in and through the crisis. Our emergency never takes You by surprise, our weakness never inhibits Your power and our uncertainty never diminishes Your faithfulness.

Thank You Father that our times are in Your hands and that You are more than adequate for and in every emergency.

(for my grandson Nick, who today, had an emergency and all is well.)

Amen

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Peace in the Storm

Dear Lord,

You are near every day, working in the hearts and lives of those I love and hold dear. You know each fear and anxiety, each cry of the heart, and every tear that falls. I ask today, dear Lord, for peace, the peace that passes all understanding. I pray this for my son, his estranged wife, and my precious grandchildren. I pray that love and patience would fill my son's heart, that You would put a watch over his mouth, and that forgiveness and self control would fill his days as he faces the trials ahead. I pray wisdom and understanding for my daughter in law. I pray that she too would forgive and be filled with Your holy spirit, and I pray that my little grandchildren's hearts and minds would be protected by Your love.

I bring my dear husband before you and pray that You would fill him with peace and love too. I pray that You would overwhelm him (and me too) with Your love and forgiveness enabling him to love and forgive others. I pray that he would be willing to befriend our daughter's friends and that he would truly love them as You do. I pray wisdom for my daughter as she chooses friends and I ask your protection over her. I pray salvation for the friends who don't yet know you; for Matt, Sergio, Jake, and Joe.

And Lord, I pray that You would give me peace, wisdom, and understanding in the midst of what can sometime feel crazy stressful and chaotic. Forgive me for my wrong actions and attitudes. Fill me with Your love and peace also that in the midst of the storm I might be a beacon of Your grace and mercy.

Amen

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Drawn out by the Spirit

"Howbeit when, He, the Spirit of Truth, is come,

He will guide you into all truth"

(John 16:13)

Never can we rise to face God by what we are and by what we know!

Only by love and faith are we lifted thus to know Him and adore Him!

The Holy Spirit invites us to "Pour yourself out! Give yourself to Me! Empty Yourself! Bring your empty earthen vessels and come to Me in meekness like a child!

Drawn out of ourselves by the Holy Spirit of God, we finally are delivered from ourselves. We are delivered because we finally seek God for Himself alone.

Lord, deliver me from myself today! Help me to live for You and for others.

(taken from A.W. Tozer - Mornings with Tozer)

Amen

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AMAZING LOVE

"Amazing Love, how can it be?  That Thou, my God, shouldst dis for me?"

Precious Savior, what a powerful love you have shown us.  Thank You for the glory of the cross and for the eternal purposes you accomplished there.  Thank You for the way that You have opened heaven and for the privilege it is now to be called a child of God.  Thank You that Your love endures forever and will ever fade.  Thank You for the cross of love that brings life through Your death.  Thank You for enduring the cross and despising its shame.  And thank You for doing it because You loved me.  In the power of Your cross of love I pray, Amen.


Taken from The Path of His Passion ~ Bill Crowder
Painting ~ by Vladimir ~ Drinking Tea
Amen

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Hope in the Midst of Moral Collapse

Judges 21:25 (NLT)

    In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.

Father, in this reference to Israel during the time of the Judges it speaks of such subjective nonsense devoid of moral values, common sense and Godly fear. The rejection of your will, your word and your way can only result in the most depraved, deplorable and disgusting conditions.

Father it reminds me of Proverbs 14:12 (NLT) “There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.”

It is the folly of human presumption that dares to leave you out of their thoughts, hearts, and souls that precipitates such disaster.

Father this leaves me with a heavy heart but not without hope, because You revealed Yourself to Moses as: “Yahweh! The LORD! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. ⁷I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin…..” Exodus 34:6-7 (NLT)

Father we are not without hope or help if we will just turn our hearts to you in humility, repentance and faith. Thank You for Your grace that is greater than all our sins. 

Amen

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Jehovah-Jireh

The Lord will provide. - Genesis 22:14b

A key element to trusting the Lord when we pray is having the understanding that God is our provider. In this passage in Genesis God provided a ram to substitute for the sacrifice of Abraham's son Isaac. Believing that He will provide for our needs sets our heart in a good place when we pray.

We confess that you are our provider Father ... you will provide for our needs ... we bring them to you now.

Amen

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persistence in prayer

"Persistence in prayer is not an

attempt to change God's mind, but

to get ourselves to the place

where He can trust us with the answer"

(W. Wiersbe)

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"Pray without ceasing" - 1 Thessalonians 5:17

Amen

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Lorica of St. Patrick

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ in breadth, Christ in length, Christ in height,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,Christ in every ear that hears me.
Amen

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MARY'S GIFT

Mark 14:3 "While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard.  She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head."

"Her sorrow overwhelmed her.  Here was Jesus.  Talking, Laughing, Smiling. And all the while she could only think of the terrible moment when he would be lost to her.  Driven by overwhelming sorrow, Mary decided to show Jesus her love while he was still alive, not while she wept over his cold still body.  She wanted Jesus to know how much she cared ~~so much that she was willing to make a fool of herself in front of the men who surrounded him."
   (Taken from The Carpenter's Cloth ~ Christ's Journey tot he Cross and Beyond by Sigmund Brouwer)

Dear Lord, Let my love for you overwhelm me.  Make me willing to be made a fool to others because my love for you is more important than what people think of me.  I love You, I worship You, I thank you for Your sacrifice and my salvation.   Amen

Amen

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Worship

Joshua 22:4-5 (ESV) 

   ^“Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments and to cling to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul."

Father as I meditate on this advice given by Joshua it seems to define and describe the true meaning of worship.  To walk with you in obedience out of our relationship with you, serving you as an expression of our faith, in humility interacting with you and praising you for which you are total worthy.

Father, may we this day, be able to demonstrate our worship of You with hearts and souls overflowing in love!

Amen

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Far More than your Wildest Dreams

My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth.

I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in.

And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love.

Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.

God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.

Glory to God in the church!
Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus!
Glory down all the generations!
Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes!

Amen

-Ephesians 3:14-19 MSG

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Believe

"As for me, I will call upon God;

And The Lord shall save me"

(Psalm 55:16)

Amen

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First Week of Lent

Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan: Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations; and, as you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Scot McKnight

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INVINCIBLE

Joshua 1:5 & 9 (NLT)
   ^“No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you…… ⁹ This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

Romans 8:31 (NLT)
     ….”If God is for us, who can ever be against us?

Father it is beyond amazing that there is nothing in all of creation that can defeat us, detour us or destroy us.  This seems so impossible and improbable. We know our weaknesses, frailty and incredible limitations. We know that we are dust and so vulnerable to almost everything in life. And yet, Father, it is not about what or who opposes us but who is with us.  Because of your presence, power and promise we need never have fear in the present or in the future. Uncertainty does not have to daunt us.

Father, your promise is true and strong. And though I know times of illness, testing, hardship, suffering and yes death will come, but not until you say when and how and where. And even then we will be invincible in your will and undefeated in your purpose. You give us your Word that: “…..despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.” Rom. 8:37 (NLT)

So Father, I just want to personally lay claim to Isaiah 43:1-3 (NLT)
   ^“1  …… listen to the LORD who created you. ……, the one who formed you says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. ² When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. ³ For I am the LORD…..”

Invincible. Yes Father, that’s what you make us in Jesus your beloved Son.

Amen

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Be strong

Amen

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Father, bless those that are hurting. Bring healing to those who are sick. We pray for wisdom for those who are facing difficult decisions. Give them grace and strength and lead them in the way you want them to go. Bring glory to yourself through them and encourage them. Amen

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For those who weep

Wanda, our dear friend and fellow blogger, is not posting a prayer today because she is with her brother who is battling the last stages of cancer. And yesterday, my friend Ann Kiemel passed away from cancer. In these troubling times it is good to pray. Here is a prayer from the Book of Common Prayer:

"Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, give rest to the weary, bless the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous; and all for your love’s sake. Amen"

Whatever you may be going through ... however hard the journey ... I pray that you might find the hope and strength to endure.

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