Tag Archives: prayer

Alone

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I would be lost as to how to pray, if not for God’s infinite mercy. He gave us a prayer to teach and inspire us: 

This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name, 
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.’
Matthew 6:9-13 NIV

Now let this prayer come from your heart—
O Lord my Father, let me rest in You.
I am Your child surround me with Your holiness and love.
I praise Your holy name.
I am tired of the evil of this world.
Deliver us and bring us into Your presence,
where there is fullness of joy.
I bow before Your throne.
Your mercy and forgiveness reach to the skies
let it spill over to those around me.
let it spill over to those around me.
I thank You for providing all or needs.
How great is Your grace.
How great is Your kingdom.
How great is Your power.
How marvelous is Your glory.
How wonderful that You share it all with us—forever in Christ.

A New Year Prayer

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Reaching beyond the clouds

As I look to this new year, God gives me this song— 

I will sing of the steadfast love of the LORD, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations. Psalm 89:1 ESV

When doubts about this new year arise and I worry if my faith will be enough for the road ahead. I hold onto this—

Your unfailing love, O LORD, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. Psalm 36:5 NLT

My peace and thanks before God in the new year—

Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands! Psalm 90:17 ESV

This is my prayer for me and my family for this coming new year and I can rejoice.

Problems that seem bigger than my prayers

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Zion National Park

When my problems are bigger than my prayers I go to this verse:

Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor His ear too dull to hear. Isaiah 59:1

Holding onto this verse when I pray for family and friends really adds zest to my prayers, and bounce to my worship.

He Hears Me

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God bends down to listen

My voice is not too faint, 
My prayer not too small.
My God bends down to listen,
and grants me mercy when I call.

I love the LORD because he hears my voice
and my prayer for mercy.
Because he bends down to listen,
I will pray as long as I have breath!
Death wrapped its ropes around me;
the terrors of the grave overtook me.
I saw only trouble and sorrow.
Then I called on the name of the LORD:
“Please, LORD, save me!”
How kind the LORD is! How good he is!
So merciful, this God of ours!
The LORD protects those of childlike faith;
I was facing death, and he saved me.
Let my soul be at rest again,
for the LORD has been good to me.
He has saved me from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling.
And so I walk in the LORD’s presence
as I live here on earth!
Psalm 116:1-9 NLT

Prayer in the Woods

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Have you ever thanked God for prayer? Think about it, the Creator of all, who is the Alpha and Omega, the King of kings and Lord of lords, invites us to commune with Him in prayer. It is beyond my ability to comprehend… yet this privilege is given to me. Sometimes I fail to show up… yet this privilege is not taken away. At times I pray with a wrong attitude… yet this privilege is God working in me, not to kick me to the side, but to bring me closer to His side. Thank you Lord for the gift of prayer.

The Joy of My Salvation

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Exuberance

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and make me willing to obey You. Psalm 51:12 NLT

What a wonderful prayer.

I know the verse says Your (God’s) salvation, and I have put “my” in there. Truly it is God’s salvation of me, but now it is my joy also. This joy struck me as I was praying this morning—God’s salvation, my salvation allows me to commune with Him. That when I pray for people, the mighty power of God will be brought to bear for good in all situations, no matter how dire. Prayer with real purpose is part of the joy of Your (my) salvation. How good is that?!

A Long Way Off

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The Puget Sound

The reason I sometimes fail to pray Is that God appears to be a long way off. The reality is I don’t comprehend the power and purpose of prayer. The purpose of prayer is to commune with Jesus, to spend time with Him. As I do that, I refresh my awe at His power, love, and mercy. Worship and praise follow when I draw close to God. Humble worship stops me from asking God to tag along in what I want to do, instead I fall at the feet of Jesus and desire to follow Him.

“Come near to God and He will come near to you… Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will lift you up.” James 4:8-10

Prayer is Falling Up

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Storm clouds over the Bitterroot Valley, Montana

A prayer for when I am anxious and consumed by worry. To remind me God is good and loving and greater than all my fears.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! 

His faithful love endures forever. 

Give thanks to the God of gods. 

His faithful love endures forever. 

Give thanks to the Lord of lords. 

His faithful love endures forever. 

Give thanks to him who alone does mighty miracles. 

His faithful love endures forever.

 Psalm 136:1-4

Heaven Comes Down

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Clouds of heaven invading the darkness

Prayer is one of the great undervalued gifts from God. Think about it—in Jesus, I have a clear, secure channel to talk directly with God.

Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? Romans 8:34-35

Jesus has made it so easy that often I take it for granted.

So, if the problems of this day have crowded out your praying, stop right now and ask God to restore one of the joys of salvation in Christ—talking with Him, and worshiping up close and personal with the Lord of all.

Oh, one other amazing thing He wants to talk with you right now.

Praying Through the Pain

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Hope in the dead of Winter

I find it hard to pray without my mind wandering in the best of times. But, when I am hurting and in pain, then I find it difficult to put two words together in prayer. So what are we to do when our prayers are moans and groans… rasping laments beginning and ending with two feeble words—O God!

How does God expect us to pray in pain?

We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.  Romans 8:23-24

I have attended many deliveries in my career and for most anesthesia was not available. I would often hear screams during labor—“O God help me!” or “Lordy, Lordy!” Were these words of anguish really prayers? The one thing that kept these mothers praying through the pain was the thought of new life coming.

Pain, or grief, or a deep hurt from our point of view seems to interfere with our prayers to God. But like a woman in labor who cries out to God—keep praying for our groans are not lost upon God. There is new life coming.

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will. Romans 8:26-27