the voice of faith

Today I thought that I would share a few quotes about prayer:

“To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.” [Martin Luther King, Jr.]

“Prayer is as natural an expression of faith as breathing is of life” [Jonathan Edwards]

“Prayer is the voice of faith.” [William Van Horne]

These quotes speak to me of how normal and natural it is to pray.

So with that, let us give voice to our faith and pray.

Our hearts are filled with your presence Lord and we cannot help to pray.

Your love consumes us and your compassion fills us.

You have given us everything we need.

We are thankful and ask you today for help to lead lives worthy of your calling.

When we struggle help us to remember that you are there.

When our lives seem easy open our eyes to see those who need us.

We offer ourselves to you asking for your kingdom to come and your will to be done.

To you be all glory and honor.

Amen

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a prayer for families

The Old Testament ends with one of the sweetest promises in all of scripture.

This is how the prophet Malachi puts it:

I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord arrives. His preaching will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers. 

Don't you love the way that it speaks about hearts turning? I know of families that need God's help to turn hearts toward each other. Please join me in prayer.

Father, we come to you as parents confessing our obstinate hearts. Turn our hearts Lord to our children. Help us to see our children with your eyes. We need your perspective and your wisdom. We need your heart for our children.

We ask you to turn the hearts of our children back to home. We pray for every prodigal and every wounded child. Turn the hearts of our children lord and help them to see us with your eyes. They need your heart Father.

Finally we ask for every orphan. We pray for those of all ages who are without parents. Turn the hearts of these dear Father to spiritual moms and dads who have hearts turned towards them.

We thank you that you have chosen the title of Father. We pray in your name.

Amen

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psalm 34

Lord of All,

Help us seek all that You are and who You are. Let us seek You and You alone. We ask for Your will to be done in our lives, and as come before You this day and submit every part of our being to You.

We know you are good, that Your protect within Your sovereign will and no plan of yours will be thwarted. See to it that we seek Your face, and listen to Your voice always, because You are good we trust in You.

I will extol the Lord at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.

I will glory in the Lord;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.

Glorify the Lord with me;
let us exalt his name together.

I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.

 Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.

 This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
 he saved him out of all his troubles.

The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them.

Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

 Fear the Lord, you his holy people,
 for those who fear him lack nothing. (Psalm 34: 1-9)


 

a simple prayer

This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. -Matthew 6:8 MSG

We invite You Father to come into our lives.

We believe that You are the answer to our needs.

We thank you that You care about our needs.

We need your presence in our lives.

Come Holy Spirit.

Amen

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pierce our hearts with your love

Father God pierce our hearts with your love.

Not our will but your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.

Lead us not into a path of unrighteousness.

Set a guard over our mouths, O Lord; keep watch over the door of our lips. Let not our hearts be drawn to anything that is evil.

Let the morning bring word of your unfailing love, for I choose to put my trust in you. Show us the way we should go, for you alone lift up our soul.

For you Lord Jesus, are the lover of our soul.

Amen

- a prayer offered by Chuck Owen

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a prayer from psalm 46

Father,

You will lead us in the fiercest battle: the one for our souls.

The Lord Almighty is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Lead us in the fire. Be with us in the storm. Our hearts are crying out for your care, your righteousness. Our minds know what we shouldn't do, and our bodies betray us. Father, we need you.

My soul is Yours, O Lord. Where else would we go but with the Lord of Hosts?

Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
    he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

 Make my heart beat as Yours beats. Make my heart loves what You love. Take captive all that fights for my attention. Destroy the war of sin and flesh inside me.

You are the one who calms the wind and waves and makes my heart be still.

He makes wars cease
    to the ends of the earth.

Though the earth gives way, the mountains move into the sea, the nations rage, I know You are in control.

God is our refuge and strength,
    an ever-present help in trouble.


Amen

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Almighty God

Almighty God,
the fountain of all wisdom,
you know our necessities before we ask
and our ignorance in asking:

Have compassion on our weakness,
and mercifully give us those things
which for our unworthiness we dare not,
and for our blindness we cannot ask;

through the worthiness of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God,
now and for ever.

Amen

Book of Common Prayer

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WHO IS LIKE YOU?

Psalms 113 ~ The psalmist calls us to duty:

Praise the LORD!
Praise, O servants of the LORD!
Blessed be the name of the LORD.
From this time forth and for evermore!
From the rising of the sun, to its going down.
The LORD's name is to be praised.
The LORD is high above all nations,
His glory above the heavens.

Then the psalmists ask a question:

Who is like the LORD our God,
Who dwells on high,
Who humbles Himself to behold
The things that are in heaven and on the earth?

Father God, Lord and Savior, who is like You?  No one!  That is why our hearts cry out in praise to You.  Bless Your NAME, the name above all names.  Lord, we rejoice to praise You from the rising of the sun to its going down, and we praise you in the night watches.  Who do we have but YOU?
Accept our praise and adoration.  To YOU be all the glory!  I love You.  Amen

googleimages.com

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ONE LOAF

Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body,

for we all partake of the one loaf.

1 Corinthians 10:17 (NIV)

Acts 17:26 (NET)

     “From one man he made every nation of the human race….”

Genesis 1:26-27 (NLT)
     ²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like ourselves….. ²⁷ So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

Psalms 8:3-4 (NET)

      Of what importance is the human race, that you should notice them? Of what importance is mankind, that you should pay attention to them,

Psalm 144:3 (NLT)
     O LORD, who are we that you should notice us, mere mortals that you should care for us?

Romans 5:8 (NET)

     But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us

1 John 3:16 (NLT)
     “We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us….”

Dear Father, the question for the ages is: “Why do you notice us, care for us, and gave your Son to die for us? How infinitely precious and priceless is your love for us!  Father I am reminded of the Apostle Paul’s prayer for us: “ ….. I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸ may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—”  Ephesians 3:17-19 (NIV)

Oh Father this is what our world needs so desperately. There is such division, strife, hatred and violence that only your love can forgive, heal and change us. I pray that our nation and the world will grasp the reality that though we are many colors and cultures we are one loaf, one human race. Father you exhort us in Malachi 2:10 (HCSB) “Don’t all of us have one Father? Didn’t one God create us? Why then do we act treacherously against one another….”

Father save us from our self that we may selflessly love each other the way you love us. In the name of Your beloved Son and our Savior Jesus. Amen

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the clown's prayer

As I stumble through this life,
help me to create more laughter than tears,
dispense more happiness than gloom,
spread more cheer than despair.

Never let me become so indifferent,
that I will fail to see the wonders in the eyes of a child,
or the twinkle in the eyes of the aged.

Never let me forget that my total effort is to cheer people,
make them happy, and forget momentarily,
all the unpleasantness in their lives.

And in my final moment, may I hear You whisper:

"When you made My people smile, you made Me smile."

Amen

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help me not to compare

unfailing kindness: hesed

Father God,

We lift your name on high, knowing you are the everlasting God. You are infinite, powerful, and just. Yet you are close to us... and You are gentle, and you are merciful. We praise you because your name is worthy to be praised!

Please search our hearts today. Reveal to us any hidden sin: any idol we have placed above you, and help us to turn away from our sin and toward you. Our sin is grievous, oh, Lord. Yet you are slow to anger and swift to show us grace. May our hearts be filled with gratitude over your unfailing kindness.

Your unfailing kindness: a word some layered with meaning in the Old Testament that it cannot be just your kindness. It's one word in Hebrew: hesed but it means so much. It's about your grace, your mercy, your compassion... more than just your kindness to us.

Prepare our hearts for this day, oh Lord. Guide us in the way in which you'd have us go. Show us your will. May we encounter each person today with love and kindness, including ourselves.

Nothing is too hard for you. May we stand in this strength and power, knowing it comes not from us, but from you alone.

In Jesus' Name,

Amen

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NEVER WILL I LEAVE YOU

Father God, as You promised Your people of old, so you promise me today, "Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you".  Lord, I want to be where You are.  Go before me to prepare the way.  Stay with me to direct my every step.  Surround me with Your presence so that I may say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid.  What can man do to me"?  I love You.  Amen.

 

 

Keep bright in us the vision

of days when war will cease.

When hatred and division

Give way to love and peace.

Till dawns the morning glorious

When truth and justice reign

And Christ shall rule victorious

O're all the world's domain.

               ~William W Reid Jr. (1958)

 



Amen

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Balance

Tristan on the Beam in perfect balance

I love this little, big man. He is demonstrating one of the most important principles in living. Life is about balance. One aspect of it, and there are many, is concentration and commitment. Let alone the joy of achievement. Way to go Tristan and will done. I love you and am proud of you. Grandpa

Proverbs 28:2 (NLT)
     When there is moral rot within a nation, its government topples easily. But wise and knowledgeable leaders bring stability.(Balance)

As mentioned above, stability is one of the vital virtues that affect life, family or government. Another example is the balance between wisdom and knowledge that results in stability which brings peace and prosperity. Consider the balance of love and truth; work and rest; faith and action; trust and faithfulness. There are so many of these spoken of throughout the Bible. God gives us this stability or balance in the Gospel, the good news, of His love and sacrifice for us. How wonderful that in Christ and through our trust in Him we have an abundant life in the balance of God's purpose and plan for us.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)
     ¹¹ 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.

Father, how grateful we are that in a world that is broken by sin, rebellion, disbelief and is totally unstable You, in grace, give us stability and balance. 

Thank You, in the name or Jesus, who is both the center and circumstance of our life, a perfect balance. Amen

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serenity prayer in times such as these

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a servants prayer

O Divine Master,

Grant that I may not so much seek

To be consoled as to console;

To be understood as to understand;

To be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen 

-excerpted from a prayer by St Francis  

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for discernment

Holy Father,

We exalt Your glorious and powerful name; the name above all names, the name that makes demons tremble, the name that causes angels to bow down and worship, the name that we cry out to in our suffering. Your compassion for us is always near, and Your love for us never fails.

We come before You today, Father, asking for Your wisdom and discernment in a time when things are often far too muddled and confusing. Father, we long for truth. As challenging as it can be to hear and to know, Your truth is what gives us a solid foundation. Lord God, help us to see the truth. Open our hearts and minds, and enter in to permeate the power of the truth of Your Word to us! For Your truth is power, Your truth guides and protects, and Your truth is what we need to stand strong and stand sure.

We thank You for continuing to shape and form us into You image. Father, guide our steps so that we may bring You glory and honor. Help us to shine the light of Your truth into the dark places of this world.

Amen

To all, life Thou givest - to both great and small;  
In all life Thou livest, the true life of all;  
We blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree,  
And wither and perish - but naught changeth Thee. 
(from Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise written by Walters Chalmers Smith)
Amen

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GET MOVING

This prayer blog is so vital because it leads us into prayer.  Communication with the Almighty, the Creator of the universe, our precious Lord and Savior!  God promises us many things about prayer throughout the Scriptures.

God does not ignore our prayers ~ Psalm 9:12

Our prayers bring us into God's presence ~ Psalm 145:18

God honors persistence in prayer ~ Matthew 7:7

God will give wisdom if you ask for it ~ James 1:5

A sincere prayer brings wonderful results ~ James 5:16

God hears out prayers when they are in line with His will ~ I John 5:14

 

These are wonderful promises.  Put prayer is also Action!  In Exodus 14:15 "Then the Lord said, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving!"

 

 

Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of prayer and the opportunity to be in your presence and know you hear us.  But Lord, I pray that we will hear your voice saying

"Get Moving"  for our prayers must be accompanied by a willingness to obey with our actions.  Let us be people of prayer and action, sharing your goodness and mercy to all who will listen.  I love You.  Amen.

Amen

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We The People

We the People – The three greatest and most profound words ever spoken or printed to form a government for the citizens of any country. They are the foundation for freedom, the structure for law and order, and the frame work for honest, honorable and humble relationships.

From “We The People” come presidents, congress, supreme court Justices, state government leaders, corporations, educational systems and other institutions. All were created to represent the people and are accountable to the people for their varied responsibilities. These and more were designed for free people in order to protect them by limited regulations intended to guard and keep safe this most sacred gift of freedom.

The introduction to the Declaration of Independence July 4. 1776, quoted in part: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, -“

Heavenly Father you ordained this freedom for the human race from the beginning. “¹⁵ The LORD God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. ¹⁶ But the LORD God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden—¹⁷ except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.” Genesis 2:15-17 (NLT)

This original command is confirmed throughout Scripture and the Apostle Peter reminds us: “ ¹⁶ Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.       1 Peter 2:16-17 (ESV)

Heavenly Father it is your will that people be free. Satan, the great adversary, and all those who join him in rebellion against You want to dominate and destroy people. But Your plan and purpose is for a free people.  That is why on our Liberty Bell is imprinted: “…. proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof….” Leviticus 25:10 (KJV)

Thank you Father that this weekend We the People celebrate this priceless gift and joyous privilege of freedom!

In Jesus name, Amen.

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a blessing

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praying for our enemies

For those who have caused me pain and brought suffering into my life,

Lord help me to forgive and release my desire for revenge.

For people that have marginalized my efforts and contributions,

Lord cause grace and mercy to flow through me to them. 

For men and women in power who leverage pain for their purposes,

Lord give me a vision to help those who most need my support.

For everyone I contact everyday in every way,

Lord make me an instrument of your love and peace in the world. 

Amen

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