Category: prayer

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Praise God

Trust God

PSALM 30 No matter what life throws at us, one thing we must do is praise the Lord for he alone is orchestrator of our lives. King David in writing this psalm is reminding us all that both good and bad come from the hand of the Lord so that this truth may be known: “And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” [Rom 8:28]  God has a purpose beyond what we can see at the moment so it is befitting that we praise Him in the highs and the lows. That means we must trust His plan; even if we don’t see the purpose. When we choose praise and prayer more than lamenting then we are able to have a mindset that honors the Lord. Maybe that is why King David wrote: “Then you turned my lament into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and covered me with joy.” [Ps 30:11]

Today stop and praise the Lord for His plan and purposes are higher than the heavens and thus we can dance with joy.  

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God calls us to pray

1 Timothy 2 Prayer’s Purpose

We have been encouraged over and over to pray for others, but did you notice the reason why? Paul, as a wise counselor, tells his disciple Timothy to pray not just for those he cares about, but for all people and especially those in authority over us. Since it is election season, we often forget that we are to be praying for those who have the responsibility to lead us, so they will lead us responsibly. 

Paul tells Timothy why and this applies to us as well. “since he wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” [1 Tim 2:4] So, our prayers are not just that they lead us wisely, but our prayers may be the very instrument to lead them in some way to come to God and be saved. 

What leader do you need to be praying for this very day, even if you have problems with how they lead and why they lead as they do. Pray for them to come to know the “Way, the Truth, and the Life” that they may one day stand before God justified. 

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Praising God!

Psalm 13-15 Singing

The psalmist is singing because the Lord has vindicated him. I loved the MSG reading, “I am singing at the top of my lungs, I am so full of answered prayers.” Are we singing today as we enter our houses of worship? When we sing, do we ponder all He has done for He is a faithful conqueror? Let the god of this world take note: we sing because the true God has been faithful to answer all our prayers. Get thee behind me, Satan for your time is short and today we choose to honor the Christ who paid for my/our sin (s). 

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Praying and Praising

The power of prayer

Psalm 23 and 24 teach us both practical ideas for praying and praising God. He is our Shepherd and He is our provider and protector. Here’s an idea you might use as you meditate on these psalms: ACTS (A = Adoration, C = Confession, T = Thanksgiving, S = Supplication) You can build your own prayer using this as a springboard:

A….Lord you are my shepherd and You alone are sovereign, and know each created being that has life and breath.

C…Lord, look within my heart. Cleanse me where I am found not to be blameless, where my motives are impure. Reveal to me if I have any untruthfulness or have made any promises with no intention of keeping them. Cleanse me that I may be pure and holy before you as I enter my time of worship.

T…Lord, I know and am thankful that you promise godly people are rewarded by the Lord, and vindicated by the God who delivers them.

S….Lord, how wonderful to know these promises and pray that all who choose you will know them as well. “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”

You might close with a summarized and personalized Aaronic blessing: Lord may you bless and keep me as you make your face to shine upon me. Be gracious to me and bless me with your peace.

What prayer will you offer today using A-C-T-S?

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Praying for Others

ACTS  20 Praying a Blessing 

As Paul was preparing to leave those he loved he pronounced a blessing over them in his absence. “And now I entrust you to God and to the message of his grace” [Acts 20:32] These are words we often use as we set off on a journey leaving our beloveds behind. In this way we give those we love into hands of God for their provision and protection. We do this because we trust God to watch over them and us as we are separated. If you have not done this it would be good to start that as a practice. We do not know when we will be reunited here or in heaven so it is good to pray this for those we love. 

Then as Paul was departing, he reminded them it is more blessed to give than receive. The Ephesians had received the Word of God and we have as well. Who will we share God’s blessing today? Who is leaving on a journey and would be blessed if we prayed over them entrusting them to God. Today, praying for my son who is half way around the world working. How about you?

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A Psalm of Praise

Psalm 18 I doubt any of us have faced enemies as King David did. The OT graphically portrays those who hated David and sought to kill him. As I said, I doubt few of us have faced such vengeance and hatred. These attitudes and behaviors come out of the pit of hell and are encouraged by the enemy, Satan. We saw it in the first family when Cain killed his brother Abel and now in the psalm we see it in the life of Saul. How do you face such enemies? You do it by looking for and praising the God who is sovereign and in control of our every waking moment even when we do not understand what is taking place. Instead of saying why me, say instead as David did: I love you, Lord, my source of strength! 

It is God’s strength that will carry us through the deepest trials of life. We pay attention to the circumstances around us and see that in Him we are safe, for He is our refuge. We do it when we cry out to the Lord and seek His face both in the ongoing circumstances and in the future when it has all passed. 

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“A Manual on Prayer”

Luke 11 Our greatest need is not “how” to pray but to pray. When asked, Jesus gave his followers a simple manual consisting of three essential elements of prayer followed by two parables to show the relevance of prayer and ended with these words: “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it!”[vs 28]
First, begin at the beginning: Hallow the Father’s name, for he is holy and abides in heaven: “The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven.” [Ps 11:4]
Secondly, seek God’s forgiveness for sins of omission and commission so that you can forgive others. “But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous, forgiving us our sins and cleansing us from all unrighteousness.” [1Jn 1:9]
Lastly, we seek God’s protection and direction to remain faithful. Claim the promise that Jesus has “Disarm[ed] the rulers and authorities; he has made a public disgrace of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” [Col 2:15]

We ask then how should we pray. Pray shamelessly and confidently: “Let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help.”[Heb 4:16] for “we have boldness and confident access to God because of Christ’s faithfulness” [Eph 3:12]

Beloved, prayer is how we remove the barriers that keep us from true fellowship with God.

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John the Baptist and the Lamb of God

Jan 4th Luke 3 Dr. Luke wants us to see God’s perfect plan unfolding for His Son Jesus to be the perfect “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” [Jn 1:29]

John will fulfill Isaiah 40:3: “A voice crying in the wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord.” It was not in the temple where all religious rituals were being performed but in the stillness of the desert that God spoke and prepared his heart. His prayer may have been what the psalmist prayed: “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.” [Ps 19:14]

The wilderness was where the Holy Spirit prepared him to preach “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin.” John bore fruit in his “season” to prepare the people for the entrance of the Lamb of God, the perfect Lamb, Jesus. As the people listened, their hearts were turned, and they inquired, “What shall we do?”

Where are you today and is God preparing you to present the Lamb of God to someone this day? That is the question God is asking each one of us. Our answer should be the same as John’s.

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How About You?

2 Cor 10: Obedience in Word and Deed
It always amazes me when I see myself, as Paul describes it. He says in chapter 10 that we are disobedient to the heavenly light, and we do it when we do not bring our thoughts in obedience to Christ. He writes: “we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” [2Cor 10:5] This verse was my “go to” verse at a very hard time when I was not obeying, and it caught me and straightened me out! Further on, Paul tells us why: ” what we are in word by letters when absent, such persons we are also in deed when present.” [2 Cor 10:11] In other words, Paul says to be consistent in word and deed!

How about you?

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1 and 2 Thessalonians “Prayer Warriors”

Paul, Silas and Timothy are true praying persons. No matter the situation, we can find them praying for this new fledgling church even after facing persecution in Philippi and now the Judaizers who followed them to Thessalonica. They are a reminder of the verse that says a three stranded cord cannot be broken or like Samuel who prayed for the Israelites and reminded them that he could not stop praying for them even though they desired a king and rejected God. 

Paul, Silas and Timothy constantly thanked God for the Thessalonians; their work of faith, their labor of love and their endurance in the face of persecution. That is the way to face afflictions that come our way because the enemy seeks to undermine and destroy the faith. Yet, the Thessalonians persevered and were a testimony to that perseverance. 

How about us? Do we persevere in our prayer life even when times are challenging. Do we thank God for the saints in our congregations and the missionaries around the world?  

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