Daily Prayer: March 2019

THE OLD RUGGED CROSS

THE OLD RUGGED CROSS

On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross

The emblem of suffering and shame.

And I love that old cross

Where the dearest and best

For a world of lost sinners was slain.

So I'll cherish the old rugged cross

Till my trophies at last I lay down

And I'll cling to the old rugged cross

And exchange it someday for a crown.

To the old rugged cross I will ever be true.

It's shame and reproach gladly bear.

Then he'll call me someday

To my home far away

Where his glory forever I'll share.

Precious Savior, what a powerful love You have shown us. Thank You for the glory of the cross and for the eternal purpose 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 never fade. Thank You for the cross of love that brings life through Your death. Thank You for enduring the cross and despising the shame. And thank You for doing it because You love me. In the power of Your cross of love I pray. I love You. Amen.

The Path of His Passion ~ Bill Crowder
Amen

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Our Children’s Greatest Danger

Judges 2:10-11 (GW)

“¹⁰That whole generation had joined their ancestors in death. So another generation grew up after them. They had no personal experience with the LORD or with what he had done for Israel. ¹¹ The people of Israel did what the LORD considered evil….”

Father, there are many evils in the world that endanger our children, but none greater than to ignore, neglect, or refuse the primary responsibility to teach and train our children by example and knowledge to know You in a personal and dynamic relationship. You are the creator of life, the giver of life, the essence of life and the very meaning of life. “For you are the fountain of life….” Psalm 36:9 (NLT)

Father I recognize that our children may choose to not know you, but we can give them the example, the guidance and the truth about what it means to know God and the glorious and enormous value of that overflowing relationship of love and joy.

Indeed, Father, may we take to heart the admonition of Deuteronomy 11:18-22 (NLT)
¹⁸ “So commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these words of mine. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. ¹⁹Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. ²⁰Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, ²¹ so that as long as the sky remains above the earth, you and your children may flourish in the land the LORD swore to give your ancestors. ²²“Be careful to obey all these commands I am giving you. Show love to the LORD your God by walking in his ways and holding tightly to him.”

In the Name of Him alone who is love, Amen.

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Your Truth ... Our Strength

Lord, thank You for the gracious gift of Your Word. Thank You that we can have access to Your divine words of truth which bring both conviction and comfort. Jesus said when He prayed for us, “sanctify them with truth. Your Word is truth.” Help us to rest in You, and to find comfort in Your presence. When we feel weak, remind us of the truth that our strength comes from You as we take joy in You. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen

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Transform Us Lord

Repentance is one of the most beautiful words in the English language. The prayer offered in this image encapsulates what it takes to repent. It takes prayer to make an substantial change. It takes prayer inspired courage to change. Change, like wisdom, is an issue of the heart.

We need your help to change Lord. Help us to accept others. Please transform us and conform us into the image of your Son as we pray.

You are Lord.

Amen

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WHEN I SURVEY THE WONDROUS CROSS

"When I survey the wondrous cross

On which the Price of glory died,

My richest gain I count but loss,

And pour contempt on all my pride.

See, from His head, His hands, His feet,

Sorrow and love flow mingled down;

Did e're such love and sorrow meet,

Or thorns compose so rich a crown?"*

Holy God, what a price You paid to redeem my heart. Loving Christ, what a sacrifice You made to forgive my sins! Precious Spirit, what a gift You have to inhabit my life! Teach me the joy of a heart that worships You with this passion ~~"Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were a present far too small: Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all." Dear God, help me to know it and to live it ~~by the grace of Your wonderful cross. In the name of the One who loved me enough to take my cross. I love You. Amen.

The Path of His Passion - Bill Crowder
*When I survey the Cross ~ Isaac Watts

Amen

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The Key to Life

Deuteronomy 30:19-20 (NLT)
¹⁹“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. ……. Oh, that you would choose life……… ²⁰You can make this choice by loving the LORD your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life…….”

Father we know there are mysteries in life that we may never understand. We also know there are revelations from You about life that are clear, compelling and comprehensible. As Moses states in: Deuteronomy 32:47 (NLT) “These instructions are not empty words—they are your life!……”

Thank You Father that You have given us to “The Key to Life” in Your Word and it is concise: “loving the LORD your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. Help us to follow You and find the wonderful and abundant life You have planned for us. May we remember: “The LORD our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all that he has revealed to us, so that we may obey all the terms of these instructions."
Deuteronomy 29:29 (NLT)

We worship and praise You Father in Jesus Name.
Amen

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You Satisfy My Soul

“O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in your sanctuary and gazed upon your power and glory. Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you! I will praise you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer. You satisfy me more than the richest feast. I will praise you with songs of joy.” Amen.
‭‭

Psalms‬ ‭63:1-5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

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teach me to seek you.

O my God teach my heart where and how to seek you, where and how to find you.

You are my God and you are my All and I have never seen you.

You have made me and remade me,
You have bestowed on me all the good things I possess,
Still I do not know you.

I have not yet done that for which I was made.
Teach me to seek you.
I cannot seek you unless you teach me
or find you unless you show yourself to me.

Let me seek you in my desire, let me desire you in my seeking.

Let me find you by loving you, let me love you when I find you.

Amen

... a prayer of Anselm of Canterbury

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WHAT A FRIEND!

What a friend we have in Jesus,

All our sins and griefs to bear!

What a privilege to carry

Everything to God in prayer!

O, what peace we often forfeit,

O, what needless pain we bear,

All because we do not carry

Everything to God in prayer.

Loving Christ, I long to see Your look of grace and mercy but fear the failures of my soul that might produce it. Forgive me for all my bluster and self-sufficiency. Teach my heart the value of communion with You in secret that prepares me for the challenges and temptations that produce all-to-public failures. Teach me to listen to You, to lean upon You, to love You, and to learn from You ~~that I might stand for You in Your strength. Teach me to repent when I fail and to rejoice when I learn to stand in You. Loving Christ, I long to see Your look of grace and mercy and hear You say, "Well done." I love You. Amen

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The Good Life

Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

Thank you Father that the joys of life do not depend on the circumstances of life. What a variety of experiences life brings every day. Some negative, some positive, some surprising, some intentional and all meaningful. Meaningful not for how they impact our lives but how You use them in our lives. Romans 8:28 is such a great verse of Your sovereign care for us: “…we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.”

Father, we know that all things are not good but how reassuring and comforting to know that in all things our good is a primary concern for You. We know that You are not limited or inhibited from accomplishing Your purpose for us. And we know that our life is never better than when we are fitting into Your will. So Father the joys of life is that we can say with King David: “ …. I am confident I will see the LORD’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living. Psalm 27:13 (NLT)

Thank you Father for the good life even when life may not seem so good. In and through Jesus Name we praise You. Amen.

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Your Wisdom in our Service

Our Father, Lord of Creation, Your Son is not only the perfection of Your power, but also the fullness of Your wisdom. He is with us and He loves us. He has encouraged us in prayer to ask that we might receive. We ask You now for wisdom and knowledge for the purpose of serving. We want to love You and serve You not only in Your coming kingdom, but now in our present life. We want to serve those around us in accordance with Your will. You have blessed us greatly with every good thing and in our service we desire above all to bring glory to Your great Name.
men

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seeking peace and justice

Oh Lord,

May we seek peace over war,

compassion over indifference,
and mercy over judgement.

May we be quick to listen and slow to anger.

May we not do harm as we work towards justice.

May our lives be marked by humility and love.

Amen

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We have to trust....

Sometimes the hardest part of our Christian walk is the part about trusting. Oh, we say that we trust. We act like we trust. We tell others that we trust. We quote scriptures about trust.

But when it comes down to it, we really don’t fully trust Him in all the details of our life.

Truth is, we have to trust that He has a plan. We have to trust that the plan He has for us is beautiful and perfect. We have to trust that even in the midst of the mess, and the scary, and the unknown, God has a purpose and a plan for our life.

Trust in the LORD.... with all your heart.

My prayer for us all is that we will put this powerful verse to practice in our lives and begin to walk with Him in a deeply renewed trust in the Creator and the Author of our lives.

Simply trust the One who can do all things....

Amen

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when we are weak

Father,

We are weak. We need your strength and your healing as we struggle through this life. We can stand firm in knowing you are with us, and that you are strong. We need your power to help us get through and to show your glory to the unbelieving world.

So may we be humble in our weakness, knowing you provide all we need. You provide the way through, and you are our only source of true power and strength in this world.

Amen

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YOU ARE ENOUGH!

Dear Father, at this holy season of the year, when you walked that lonely road to Calvary. Were falsely accused, betrayed by one of your disciples, deserted by the rest, prayed alone in the garden, while they slept......I wonder, would I have done the same. Yes, I'm sure I would have, the flesh is so weak even if our spirit is so willing.

As I read, meditate and study The Path of Your Passion, I pray that my heart will be crushed and humbled at the price you paid for my salvation. You knew it would be only You and the Father when it came to the end of that journey to the cross....and that was enough. Oh God, help me to realize that in my life and journey YOU ARE ENOUGH! Oh Lord consecrate my life, help me to keep all your statues and perform them in obedience to your Holy Word. May my wants and desires be in line with Your Will every day. I love you Lord. Amen.

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The Greatest Legacy

Deuteronomy 6:5-7 (NLT)
5 And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. 6 And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. 7 Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.

Father the best way we can protect our children and preserve their future and the generations yet to be born is to model and teach them the value and priority of loving God and obeying Him. There is no greater truth or life experience than having this personal relationship of love with our Creator, Redeemer, Savior, Lord and Friend.

Thank you Father for the blessed assurance of your love for us: “This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” 1 John 4:10 (NLT)

Father, enable us to help our children to know Your love and to flourish in that glorious relationship with You that is both life preserving and eternally secure. As the Apostle Paul writes: “38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39 (NLT)

Thank You Father, in Jesus Name. Amen

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Don’t Lose Heart

Dear Father,
I will not lose heart over all that is happening around us. This world is not my home and even though our physical selves are wasting away day by day any, no matter how we try to care for them, yet our inward selves, our spirits are being renewed by Your Spirit day by day. The light and momentary struggles we face are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs all the struggles we face. So I am fixing my eyes, keeping my gaze on You, Your Word, Your Truth which I see by faith, rather than the circumstances of this life what I see is temporary—what I cannot see is eternal, forever, permanent, never ending. Thank You, Holy Spirit.
Amen

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A Lenten Reflection

Gracious God,

Thank you for the gift of today.
Refresh me. Invite me to discover your presence

In each person that I meet
And every event that I encounter.

Teach me when to speak and when to listen
When to ponder and when to share.
In moments of challenge and decision
Attune my heart to the whisperings of your Wisdom.

As I undertake ordinary and unnoticed tasks,
Gift me with simple joy.
When my day goes well, may I rejoice.
When it grows difficult, surprise me with new possibilities.

When life is overwhelming, call me to Sabbath moments
To restore your Peace and Harmony.
May my living today reveal your Goodness.
Amen.

– Sister Pat Bergen, C.S.J.

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what if...

I saw this today, and oh, man.... what if we did this??

What if we prayed instead of pointing fingers? What if we prayed instead of spreading gossip? What if we prayed instead of reveling in someone’s despair?

What if we prayed instead of harboring malice? What if we prayed instead of stewing in anger? What if we prayed instead of digging into someone’s past????

Oh, my friends.... What if we just PRAYED?

“Devote yourselves to prayer....” (Colossians 4:2)

Amen

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Lenten Prayer

Jesus, as we enter the Lenten season, may we be mindful of the suffering you endured on our behalf, and the reason you suffered. Keep us mindful that we live in a broken world and that we are people who still sin. As we think about our brokenness and the brokenness of those around us, let us also remember that as you rose from the dead, so shall we also rise and be made whole. Amen

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CHILD LIKE FAITH

Forgive us, Lord, that as we grow to maturity, our faith is blighted with doubts, withered with worry, tainted ith sophistication. We pray that thou wilt make us like children again in faith ~~not childish, but childlike in the simplicity of a faith that is willing to trust thee even though we cannot see what tomorrow will bring.

We ask thee to give to each of us that childlike faith, that simplicity of mind which is willing to lay aside all egotism and conceit, which recognizes vanity for what it is ~~ an empty show, which knows that we are incapable of thinking the thoughts of God, which is willing to be humbled again. Amen.
~Peter Marshall (1902-1949)

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Men of God

Nehemiah 4:14 (NLT)
¹⁴Then as I looked over the situation, I called together the nobles and the rest of the people and said to them, “Don’t be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes!”

Father, as I think on the life and times of Nehemiah I long for that kind of leadership today. His character, his courage and his counsel were invaluable for the hope and future of his people. He was truly a man who understood the challenges that confronted them. He was an encourager, reminding his people who God is, and inspired others by offering the motivation needed for defending what was most precious to them.

Father, in Nehemiah you have given us an example of true leadership that excels in having the right priorities of God, family and home security. How we long for men like him, men of faith who are courageous and embody true spiritual leadership.

Father help us to take the challenge of I Cor. 16:13 to heart, in Jesus Name I pray.

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