Daily Prayer: August 2016

prayer thoughts

"Prayer is as natural an expression of FAITH

as breathing is of LIFE"

(Jonathan Edwards)

"satan tries to limit your praying because

he knows your praying will limit him"

"Praying must come out of a cleansed heart and be presented and urged with the 'lifting up of holy hands'." It must be fortified by a life aiming, unceasingly, to obey God, to attain conformity to the divine law, and to come into submission to the divine will."

(E. M. Bounds)

Amen

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Unity in Diversity

Father,

I pray for unity and diversity in your church. May we truly be Christ's body, many different organs in one body. May each member, within Your clear boundaries, become the unique member You intended it to be. May we not be simply repetitious clones or total chaos, but Your body doing Your work in Your way. May we stop dividing over personalities and methodologies and learn from each other, that we may unite behind Your purposes.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen

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Fruit of the Spirit: Patience

Father, make us patient people. Help us to bear long with others, and help us to be patient in waiting on you. Let us not run ahead of you and try to do your work in our own strength. Keep us trusting when things don't go as quickly as we want. Help us to also be patient with ourselves, knowing that you are patient with us. Amen

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Prayer for KC Bob

Colossians 1:3 (NLT)
We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Though I have not had the privilege to meet or visit with KC Bob, I count him as a collogue in Christ's service. To me he is a brother, a friend and sometimes a counselor through his blogs. I find him to be honest in his comments, fair in his evaluations and sensitive to the concerns of others. He is truly a good man.

So brother Bob I pray for God's healing grace on you body, injured by your fall. I pray for strength for you spirit during the time of your recovery. I pray for joy you will experience in the trial of your suffering, knowing how true God's promise is: "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." Romans 8:28 (NLT)

So Father may you comfort and bless your servant Bob, and enrich his life with the peace of your presence and the healing power of your great compassion. Thank you for your love for him and your love for us all.

Through Jesus our Lord

Amen

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Grant Us Your Salvation

Show us your mercy, O Lord;
And grant us your salvation.
Clothe the country leaders with righteousness;
Let your people sing with joy.
Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;
For only in you can we live in safety.
Lord, keep the nations under your care;
And guide us in the way of justice and truth.
Let your way be known upon earth;
Your saving health among all nations.
Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten;
Nor the hope of the poor be taken away.
Create in us clean hearts, O God;
And sustain us by your Holy Spirit.

Amen

Adapted from The Book of Common Prayer, 1979

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Prayer for Teachers

Almighty God,

We come to you today and give thanks for all our teachers.

Thank you for the way in which they give of themselves each day in the classroom,
serving and instructing the next generation of this land.

We thank you for them all now.

Father, please fill their hearts with courage now by your mighty Spirit.

Fill them with your strength,
so they may rise to every challenge and not grow weary.

Fill them with your wisdom,
so that they may be able to make good judgement when guiding and helping others.

Fill them with your peace,
so that when stress and anxiety comes it would not overwhelm them.

Fill them with your joy,
so that the passion they have for their subject may
become an infectious passion that spreads.

We ask all this in the wonderful name of Jesus.

Amen.

-from www.lords-prayer-words.com

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God's Power

Father,

Help Your people trust in Your Son and His power to build His church. Not in our organizations and programs. Not in charismatic leaders and spiritual gimmicks. Not in political power or societal clout. But may we trust in You even in the dark times, when things do not seem to be going our way. May we rest in you and not in our own ability.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen

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Fruit of the Spirit: Peace

Father, we pray for Shalom in our relationship with you and with our relationships with others. Grant us the peace which is far beyond understanding. Help us to be peacemakers. Amen

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BETTER IS ONE DAY

This is the prayer of my heart...will you join me?

How lovely is Your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty.
For my soul longs and even faints for You.
For here my heart is satisfied within Your presence.
I sing beneath the shadow of Your wings.

Better is one day in Your Courts
Than a thousand elsewhere.

One thing I ask and I would seek. To see Your beauty,
To find You in the place Your glory dwells.

My heart and flesh cry out for You the Living God
Your Spirit's water to my soul.
I've tasted and I've seen. Come once again to me
I will draw near to You. I will draw near to You.

Better is one day in Your Courts
Than a thousand elsewhere.

Matt Redman ~ Thank You Music ~ 1995

Amen

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Home

Psalm 90:1 (NLT)

Lord, through all the generations you have been our home!

Father home is a relationship uniquely shared in and with You. It has no boundaries or limitations. It is as infinite, as eternal, and as secure as You. It is the place of love, nurture, peace and joy because it is in You. It is the place of hope, assurance and confidence because it is in You.

Father as Spurgeon commented on dwelling place, (home): “It is a remarkable expression, the like of which is nowhere in Sacred Scripture, that God is a dwelling place, (home).” The Apostle Paul echoes the same sentiment in Colossians 3:3 (NLT) “….your real life is hidden with Christ in God.”

Father, in You we are home and have all the implications of that sacred place. Thank You that we can, in the great refrain of that invitation hymn, say to others:

Come home, come home,
You who are weary, come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
Calling, O sinner, come home!

In the Name of Jesus who is the way home,

Amen

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Prayer for a difficult friend

We sometimes come across our fellow brothers and sisters whom we are not sure how to deal with. In the end, it is still with love and acceptance, forgiveness and understanding. May God have mercy on us.

Father,
I may be blind to my own role in this relationships. Help me see the truth about myself. Apply the healing power of Your Word to my heart and mind. Deliver me from any stronghold that causes me to harm people with my words and actions. Save me from self-destructive patterns.

I struggle in my relationship with this person. I need You to give me wisdom on how to love her well. You are my shield and defender. Show me how, when and where to erect boundaries in our relationship. I believe You are my healer and I trust You to guard my heart and mind.

I need Your specific directions on how to interact with her.

I want to love her with a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. (1 Timothy 1:5)

Help me to love her courageously. Fill me with Your truth and compel me to fearlessly tell the truth with love. Let Your perfect love cast out all of my fears related to our relationship.

I surrender to You what I think our relationship should be. Please transform it so that it honors You.

In Jesus, I pray. Amen

Adapted from Bible Study Tools

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The Middle Ground

Sometimes we can see answers to prayer as falling into two categories. We can look for a blatant miracle, an instantaneous answer (I have seen some of those). Or we can expect them to happen in the normal course of events: nothing necessarily unusual, but things would just happen the way we prayed. But there is a sort of of middle ground between the obviously miraculous and the simply normal. I am dealing with pancreatic cancer, and at one point the doctors were fairly certain that the cancer had metastasized and gone to my liver and become inoperable. But two negative biopsies have called that into question. I am not out of the woods yet; I still face surgery and the possibility of the cancer recurring. I have not experienced a clear miracle, but it does seem a striking answer to prayer.

Father,

Help us to accept Your answers in the way You want to give them. Help us also to trust You, no matter how You answer our prayers, even if You do not grant them. But help us to always accept Your will Your way. And thank You that You do answer; help us to wait for You and trust You for Your answer in Your time.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen

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Fruit of the Spirit: Joy

Father give us the joy that goes beyond happiness, that is constant regardless of our circumstances, that surpasses our understanding. May our joy come from the realization that we are your beloved children and that you are a good, kind, and loving Father. Amen

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TEN THOUSAND REASONS

O Lord, You are rich in love and You are slow to anger;
Your Name is great and Your heart is kind
For all Your goodness I will keep on singing
Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find.

And on that day, when my strength is failing,
The end draws near and my time has come;
Still my soul will sing Your praise unending
Ten thousand years and then forevermore. Amen and Amen!

*Thank You Music ~ Jonas Myrin~Matt Redman

Amen

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God is Faithful

1 Peter 5:7 (NLT) ”Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.”

Psalm 55:22 (NLT) ”Give your burdens to the LORD, and he will take care of you…..”

Father as I meditate on these two verses I am well aware that the worries and burdens of life are a fierce combination. One is interior (worry) and the others is exterior (burdens) and together they create a fearful disposition of dysfunction and defeat. Humanly speaking it is impossible to overcome them. We may ignore them, deny them, or try to bear up courageously against their assault. But the reality of their combined affect will ultimately be apparent.

“However”, what a beautiful word. Father, You make all the difference in the world. And as we trust You with our worries and burdens you give us the assurance and strength to not only endure but also succeed.

We are mindful of your promise: ”The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure”. 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NLT)

Father the way you have shown us to deal with our worries and burdens is to simply trust your faithfulness. “God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says……” 1 Corinthians 1:9 (NLT)

Thank You Father because in the words of that great chorus we also can sing:

Great is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness
Lord unto me

Thank you Father, in Jesus Name.

Amen

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I need you Lord

Dear Father in Heaven,
I thank you for this life you have given me.
Forgive me for when I feel my life is not complete.
What I have is all in you.
What I am is because of you.
In my strength, you humble me.
In my weakness, you are my strength.
In what I can do, I need to be thankful.
In what I cannot do, I need to depend on you.
Lord, have mercy on me.

Amen

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He is Good!

I am so thankful that we have a God who is our Refuge! Oh my friends, He loves us and He cares for us! He hears our cries of despair and defeat. He is always available in our time of trouble.

Do you know Him? If not, begin searching and seeking and let Him speak to your heart!

If you know Him, continue pursuing Him with all of your might! Immerse yourself in prayer and bible study! Let Him truly be your refuge!

Prayer is our intimate connection with our God and Savior. Don't neglect it. Practice it daily. You will be amazed at what God will do in your life. He is Good!

Amen

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For Those Who Suffer for Christ

Father,

I pray for those who suffer for the name of Christ. I pray You will give them the strength of their convictions, that You will give them courage to stand for You, that You will give them peace and comfort in the midst of their trials. I pray that we who are at moment safe from such persecution may show the same conviction and support those who are persecuted in whatever way possible. I pray that the blood of the martyrs will be once more the seed from which the church grows. I pray the persecutions may cease, but I also pray they may cease because the Christians are too many to persecute.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen

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MY STRONG TOWER

Dear Lord, Your Name contains the fullness of everything I need. Your Name is Creator, Provider, Savior, Healer, Father, Sustainer, Deliverer, Redeemer, and Friend. In Your Name I find rest when I am weary, strength when I am weak, safety when I am pursued, hope when I am discouraged and joy when I am sorrowful. I will praise You as long as I live. I love You. Amen

*googleimages.com

Amen

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Is God On Our Side?

Psalm 56:9 (NLT)
”….This I know: God is on my side!

Psalm 118:6 (NLT)
”The LORD is for me….”

Isaiah 8:10 (NLT)
” ….For God is with us!”

Romans 8:31 (NLT)

“What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? “

Father the promise of your presence with us provides the greatest peace and assurance we could ever imagine or hope for. The Psalmist David rightly said: “I praise God for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? ….” Psalm 56:4 (NLT)

Then, Father, we have the reassuring words of Jesus: “…..be sure of this: I am with you always, …...” Matthew 28:20 (NLT)

Father I am reminded of the old Scottish Song: “Cheer up ye Saints of God there’s nothing to worry about, nothing to make you feel afraid, nothing to make you doubt. Remember, Jesus never fails so why not trust him and shout! You’ll be sorry you worried at all tomorrow morning.”

Father, such is our song, our peace and our assurance because we know you are: “on our side, for us, and with us always.”

To your glorious name be honor and praise beyond all the ages of time and endless eternity, through Jesus our Lord we pray.

Amen

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Prayer for the martyrs

Almighty God, our God of peace and hope. We pray for the saints who stayed faithful unto death, who triumphed over suffering and who were faithful to you even as they face death. We pray O God that you strengthen them with your grace as they endure reproach and persecution, as they faithfully bear witness to the name of Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever more.

We pray you will give us courage to stand up for you in our relative safety and comfort. Give us the urgency to spread your good news to unbelievers so that they may hear of your love for them. Give us the courage to speak up. Give us the courage to voice out. Give us the words to tell of your gift of salvation.

Amen

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Make My Life A Prayer To You

Make my life a prayer to you
I wanna do what you want me to
No empty words and no white lies
No token prayers no compromise

I wanna shine the light you gave
Through your son you sent to save us
From ourselves and our despair
It comforts me to know you're really there

I wanna die and let you give
Your life to me so I might live
And share the hope you gave me
The love that set me free

I wanna tell the world out there
You're not some fable or fairy tale
That I've made up inside my head
You're God the son and you've risen from the dead

Well I wanna thank you know
For being patient with me
Oh it's so hard to see
When my eyes are on me

I guess I'll have to trust
And just believe what you say
Oh you're coming again
Coming to take me away

Amen

... from a song by Keith and Melody Green

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World of Violence

Father,

We live in a world full of violence. Help us to trust You in the face of this. Give Your people Your peace in spite of what is going on around us. Help us to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem when dealing with the violence around us. I pray for reconciliation and justice and the end of the various types of violence we are experiencing. But I pray more than that our hearts may be fixed on You and not overwhelmed by things around us.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen

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Prayer for Mercy

Let your continual mercy, O Lord, cleanse and defend your Church; and, because it cannot continue in safety without your help, protect and govern it always by your goodness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Book of Common Prayer

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