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

---

Please visit The Prayer List and pray with us.

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

---

Please visit The Prayer List and pray with us.

Believe

"As for me, I will call upon God;

And The Lord shall save me"

(Psalm 55:16)

Amen

---

Please visit The Prayer List and pray with us.

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

---

Please visit The Prayer List and pray with us.

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

---

Please visit The Prayer List and pray with us.

Be strong

Amen

---

Please visit The Prayer List and pray with us.

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

---

Please visit The Prayer List and pray with us.

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.

---

Please visit The Prayer List and pray with us.

Imagine

John 14:2 (NLT)
     ….. I am going to prepare a place for you…..

1 Corinthians 2:9 (NLT)
     That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”

Father it is beyond our imagination what heaven must be like and the glorious relationships that are fulfilled there in eternal love and endearing fellowship. To imagine no sin, no disease, do death no tears and no good byes. It is the prepared place of joy fulfilled, of peace that will never be disturbed and of hope that will never diminish. And yet Father, “For now we see in a mirror dimly…..” 1 Cor.13:12 (ESV)

And Father, though our eyes are now deemed with tears, yet our vision of heaven and its wonders are clear through faith in your promise. So when we so goodbye to our loved ones here we will wait with great expectation for our eternal hello up there…… Imagine that!

"Glory belongs to God, whose power is at work in us. By this power he can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine." Eph. 3:20 (GW)

Amen

---

Please visit The Prayer List and pray with us.

Lord, Have Mercy

For all who are ill today we ask that you would appear in healing.

For all who struggle with addictions we ask that you would come in power.

For those who lack wisdom we intercede asking that the Spirit of Wisdom is manifested.

For all who weep and despair we pray that your arms of love would surround them.

For all who mourn losses of all kinds we pray that you would come in comfort.

Lord, have mercy on us and give ear to our supplication.

Amen

---

Please visit The Prayer List and pray with us.

A New Serenity Prayer

God, grant me the serenity
to accept the people I cannot change,
which is pretty much everyone,
since I'm clearly not you, God.
At least not the last time I checked.

And while you're at it, God,
please give me the courage
to change what I need to change about myself,
which is frankly a lot, since, once again,
I'm not you, which means I'm not perfect.
It's better for me to focus on changing myself
than to worry about changing other people,
who, as you'll no doubt remember me saying,
I can't change anyway.

Finally, give me the wisdom to just shut up
whenever I think that I'm clearly smarter
than everyone else in the room,
that no one knows what they're talking about except me,
or that I alone have all the answers.

Basically, God,
grant me the wisdom
to remember that I'm
not you.

Amen.

... shared with thanks to the author, Fr. James Martin

---

Please visit The Prayer List and pray with us.

Father, remind us of who we are in Christ. Teach us that our identity is as your children who have been justified. Help us to realize that we have been, are being, and will be, sanctified and glorified. Let us know your unfathomable love. Amen

---

Please visit The Prayer List and pray with us.

A DAY OF WORSHIP

I love Sundays.  A day set apart for Worship.

"Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty;
Heaven and earth are full of Thy Glory:
Glory be to Thee, O Lord most high."
Amen

I pray, O God, for all human hearts that today are lifted up to Thee in earnest desire, and for every group of men and women who are met together to praise and magnify Thy name.  Whatever be their mode of worship, be graciously pleased to accept their humble offices of prayer and praise, and lead them unto life eternal, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

This prayer is taken from a wonderful book of prayers by John Baillie in a Diary of Private Prayer published in 1949.

---

Please visit The Prayer List and pray with us.

Training

1 Corinthians 9:25 (NLT)
   All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.

Father it is understood by all athletes that the road to victory is paved with rigorous challenges that can only be overcome with discipline, determination and dedicated training.

We have seen this exemplified in many stories this week as told in the life experiences of the Olympic Athletes. What is expected from each country for their athletes is that they are faithful and do their best.

Father, I cannot imagine any less expectation for us who represent heaven in your Name than that we should also be faithful and do our best. This of course will require discipline, determination and dedicated training. But, Oh the joy of hearing you say: “ ….Well done, my good and faithful servant…..”  Matthew 25:21 (NLT)

Then, Father, we can say with anticipation as the Apostle Paul said: ”…. I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. ⁸And now the prize awaits me—“ 2 Timothy 4:7-8 (NLT)


Amen

---

Please visit The Prayer List and pray with us.