Daily Prayer

God, be merciful to me, a sinner!

He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus:

‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’

But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying,

‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’

I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” [Luke 18:9-14]

Lord, this parable speaks to me so deeply about my need for your mercy in my life. So often I pray in the attitude of the Pharisee. Help me Lord to pray like the tax collector. Cause humility to rise in my soul when I pray for myself and for others. We so need your mercy Lord. Remove the blinders of pride that prevent us from seeing that need. And fill us with your mercy and compassion for those all around us.

Amen

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One act of thanksgiving, when things go wrong with us, is worth a thousand thanks when things are agreeable to our inclinations.

~Saint John of Avila

I'm learning that all prayer should begin with Thanksgiving... giving continually thanks doesn't leave room for all the negative things that surround us. Lord let me live a life of Thanksgiving! Amen.
Amen

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Delay is Not Denial

We get discouraged in prayer by thinking God has said no when in fact He's said nothing at all.
"Wait" is an answer. Delay is not denial. God often delays His answer to cultivate patience and persistence, and build our faith. Or to bring our will around to conform to His own. ~Sue Bohlin

Dear Lord, help us not to get discouraged in our prayer life and learn to patiently wait on You.

in Jesus' name amen.

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Guidance

Dear Father God,

I pray this morning for guidance as we make decisions regarding our childhood home. I pray light for the path and a sure place to set my foot. I thank you, Father, for Your continued presence, Your never-ending love, and the continual stream of gifts that pours into my life each and every day. I am not alone. You have given helpers and counselors and You never leave me.

And, Lord Jesus, we had a terrible accident here in town yesterday morning where a young mother lost her life. Please, please be with her children and family.

Amen

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the greater work

"Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray,
and cry aloud; and He shall hear my voice"
(Psalm 55:17)

Prayer is an essential ingredient in our spiritual lives. The bible tells us to pray without ceasing and to pray about everything. That doesn't mean we have to stay on our knees 24 hours a day, but that we should always be in an attitude of prayer. That is what keeps the line of communication open between us and God. That is what keeps our spirits connected with God's heart.

There are times when I cry out to Him and don't really know what to say. Times that I find myself flat on my face before Him and just softly singing praise to Him or saying His name over and over. It is in those times that I know the Holy Spirit intercedes for me. An effective prayer life isn't about what we say, it's about the One we are saying it to. Our sweet Lord is always there to listen. When we cry out, He hears and He responds.

Prayer doesn't equip us for greater works.

Prayer IS the greater work.
- Oswald Chambers

Amen

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Thanking God for You

I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers [Ephesians 1:16]

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you. [Philippians 1:3]

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you [Colossians 1:3]

We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers [Thessalonians 1:2]

Throughout his letters the Apostle Paul gives us many examples of how he prayed. One aspect of his prayers is the way that he gave thanks for the people he ministered to. Taking a lead from him I suggest that we pray a prayer like this one.

Father we so often forget to give thanks for the people that are closest to us - for that we ask for forgiveness. We ask you to fill us with thanksgiving and gratitude for these and the many others who are within our circle of family and friends.

We give thanks to you Lord for these as we remember all of the ways that they have blessed our lives. Without these our lives would be harder. Without your work in them we might be discouraged. We thank you Lord for them and we mention them in our prayers.

Amen

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PRAYING THE PSALMS

"Create in me a pure heart, O God,

and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me from your presence

or take your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation

and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

O Lord open my lips

and my mouth will declare your praise.

You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it.

You do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

a broken and contrite heart,

O God, you will not despise.

Amen

Amen

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No One Knows Your Needs Better...

Matthew 6:32 - “...for your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things.”

St. Augustine once said that we were created with a “God-shaped” void. I agree. Only God can meet the deepest longings of our hearts. There is nothing that can satisfy apart from your relationship with Him, but it's not because He is a heavy-handed dictator forcing you to accept life the way He dishes it out! Who knows what will satisfy your deepest needs better than the One who made you? As your Creator, He can see what your needs are going to be tomorrow and ten years from tomorrow. Don’t you think He knows what you need today? ~Adrian Rogers

What do you need today? Notice I’m not asking, "What do you want?” but "What do you need?" Does your Father know what that is? Then trust that He will provide.

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out of work, but not crushed

today's prayer is for everyone who is out of work, especially my friends david and chris

from 2 corinthians

we are hard pressed on every side
but not crushed
perplexed
but not abandoned
struck down
but not destroyed

we always carry around on our body the death of jesus
so that the life of jesus may be revealed in our body

and on this day, dear lord, we pray for our friends, our neighbors, our families and all those who are seeking employment... that they may find their destiny

so we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen
for what is seen is temporary, but what us unseen is eternal

may the lord be with you in your times of joy
and your moments of trial

Amen

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prayer begins with worship

Prayer begins with worship. When we pray, we are acknowledging who God is and that we need Him desperately. We are recognizing His power and His Sovereignty. We are bowing before Him in honor and reverence.

When we look at the example of prayer that Jesus gave us in Matthew 6:9-13, known as 'The Lord's Prayer', we see the importance of beginning with worship in the very first verse of that passage of scripture.

"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name". When we pray this, we are agreeing that God is who He says He is and that He can do what He says He can do. Hallow is translated from hagiazo and means 'holy, to set apart, to make a person or thing the opposite of common'.

When we pray to our heavenly Father, we acknowledge His holiness and the fact that He is set apart from man and is the One true God. Our worship of the Father has begun. We bow before Him and give Him full authority over our lives. He is holy. He is all power.

When the storms in our lives are raging and the circumstances seem to threaten, begin to worship in prayer. Once we attribute to God all that He is due, our hearts will be ready to submit to His will and our prayer lives will flourish. He is so worthy.

Prayer is a discipline that when exercised, will give
you a greater intimacy with Your Father, but when
neglected, will make you feel distanced from Him."
- Kay Arthur

Our sweet Father, may we never take for granted the awesomeness of who you are. Help us to always begin our prayers with worship of your power and your majesty. Your holiness and your sovereignty. Let us bow before you and submit fully to your authority and your will. Thank you for allowing us the privilege of being able to worship you in spirit and in truth. You are worthy!

Amen

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A prayer for times of mourning

Tomorrow it will be one month since my father died. I did OK through his final illness, death, and the period immediately afterwards. But it has caught up with me now. The tears are flowing freely. And so I pray for God's strength to guide me through the tears in His time.

I found this lovely prayer on A Concord Pastor Comments. It touched my soul in tender places, and I share it with you now in hopes that others who grieve may also find comfort.

Dear God,

There is an empty chair at our table,
an ache in our hearts
and tears on our faces.

We may try to shield one another
from the grief we bear
but we cannot hide it from you.

We pray for (names)
whose presence we miss
in these homecoming days.

Open our eyes and our hearts
to the healing and warmth
of the light of your presence.

Assure us, Lord, that those we miss
have a place at your table
and a home in your heart
as well as in ours.

Open our hearts to joyful memories
of the love we shared
with those who have gone before us.

Help us tell the stories
that make the past present
and bring us close to those we miss.

Teach us to lean on each other
and on you, Lord,
for the strength we need
to walk through difficult times.

Give us quiet moments
with you, with our thoughts,
with our memories and prayers.

Be with us, Lord,
and hold us in your arms
even as you hold those whom we miss.

This is the day you have made, Lord:
help us to rejoice in it
and in the promise of your peace.

Amen.

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The Seven Words of The Serenity Prayer

This image reminds me of a time in the late 90s when I was a part of ToughLove, a parents support group. Each night before we closed our meeting we would pray the Serenity Prayer and this is what we would pray:

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

I once led our ToughLove group in a discussion about this prayer that we prayed each week. I examined seven words from the prayer. He is a recap of what I said:

God: The Westminster Catechism defines as a spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth. If you are going to ask for help you need to ask somone who is both willing and able to help.
Serenity: Synonyms are calmness, tranquillity, peacefulness, quietness, uncloudedness. Worry is the opposite of serenity; a frustrated attempt to “do something”. When we act out of worry and other emotions we create more problems. When we act out of serenity we can have confidence in our actions.
Accept: To receive willingly or favorably, agree to, concur with, release. Wanting a “normal” life causes us to deny the way things really are. Only when we “accept” can we focus on the things we can change.
Change: To make different. Often we want things to be different as long as we don’t have to change. If we always do what we’ve always done, we’ll get what we’ve always got.
Courage: The ability to meet danger or opposition with fearlessness, calmness and firmness. The most courageous word in our language is often “no” (i.e. to old habits). Sometimes we need encouragement from others to support our actions.
Wisdom: Synonyms are discernment, judgment, uncommon-sense. Like serenity, wisdom often comes through patience and experience. Wisdom often comes from other people who have “been there” before.
Know: To be sure of, understand, recognize, distinguish between. To act or not to act - often our knowing is less than perfect. Often we can rationalize ourselves out of doing something we know to do.

If you find yourself worried, troubled, anxious, or just dealing with some angst in your life try praying the Serenity Prayer ... it may help you to cast your cares on the Lord.

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He Gathers the Lambs in His Arms

Isaiah 40:10-12

"See the Sovereign Lord comes with power and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.

He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.

Who measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breath of his hand marked off heavens?"

Dear Lord, sometimes I follow close behind You. Sometimes You carry me. I want to stay so close to You that I can feel the fabric of your robe and smell the scent of Your presence. When You gather me in your arms and carry me close to your heart, I know that the hand that holds all things together is the hand that will never let me go. I love you Jesus. Amen!

(Shepherd picture from googleimages.com)

Amen

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A Soldier Knelt and Prayed

A young man enlisted, and was sent to his regiment. The first night he was in the barracks with about fifteen other young men, who passed the time playing cards and gambling. Before retiring, he fell on his knees and prayed, and they began to curse him and jeer at him and throw boots at him.

So it went on the next night and the next, and finally the young man went and told the chaplain what had taken place, and asked what he should do.

“Well,” said the chaplain, “you are not at home now, and the other men have just as much right to the barracks as you have. It makes them mad to hear you pray, and the Lord will hear you just as well if you say your prayers in bed and don’t provoke them.”

For weeks after the chaplain did not see the young man again, but one day he met him, and asked —

“By the way, did you take my advice?”

“I did, for two or three nights.”

“How did it work?”

“Well,” said the young man, “I felt like a whipped hound and the third night I got out of bed, knelt down and prayed.”

“Well,” asked the chaplain, “How did that work?”

The young soldier answered: “We have a prayer meeting there now every night, and three have been converted, and we are praying for the rest.”

Oh, friends, I am so tired of weak Christianity. Let us be out and out for Christ; let us give no uncertain sound. If the world wants to call us fools, let them to it. It is only a little while; the crowning day is coming. Thank God for the privilege we have of confessing Christ. ~Amen

Moody’s Anecdotes, pp. 73-74

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