Tag Archives: pray

April 9, 2015 · 7:37 AM

Mercy And Grace

  

As I’m driving somewhere with my preschool son in the car, most of the time he will say, “Dada, I NEED your phone.” I typically respond back, “You don’t NEED IT. You want it.” I wonder if that’s how God sees us with our prayers sometimes. We often cry out in desperation, “God, I NEED this answer to prayer!” The truth is that many of those NEED prayers are truly want prayers. We WANT it very badly and are desperate to get the answer, but the truth is, a lot of those prayers are not really needs. 

I’ve been reflecting on Hebrews 4:16 quite a bit. It says, “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. (NLT)” I’ve quoted this scripture in many of my prayers, but I haven’t really broke it down until recently. I know that if I approach God’s throne of grace in prayer, He hears me. I often assume that because He hears me, He should answer according to the way I’m praying. That line of thinking has led to a lot of disappointment misdirected at God. 

The verse says that at His throne of grace, we will receive mercy. When I hear that, I think of blind Bartimaeus outside of Jericho. He heard that Jesus was passing by and knew that He healed people. Bartimaeus yelled out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me! (NLT)” Jesus called him over, had mercy on him and healed him. When we approach God’s throne of grace, we are often crying out for God to have mercy on our request. Sometimes, He calls us over like Bartimaeus and grants us mercy and other times He gives us grace.

The last part of Hebrews 4:16 says that we will find grace to help us when we need it most. In II Corinthians 12:7-10, Paul talks of a thorn in his flesh that he asked God to remove. Instead of giving him mercy by removing it, God replied to him, “My grace is all you need.” God told him He wasn’t going to answer his request for mercy, but instead He would give him the grace to help him when he needed it most. He does the same for us. He gives us grace that is sufficient when He doesn’t answer our petition for mercy.

I don’t know what makes God choose grace over mercy so often. I wish I did. What I do know is that when He chooses grace, it’s enough. He has promised that whatever I face, He will give me grace that is sufficient to endure. He will be strong when I’m weak. He will carry me when I can’t seem to find the strength to move forward. Each time I approach God’s throne of grace, I know that I will either receive mercy to grant my request or I will receive grace to help me through the situation. Either way, I know that God has heard my plea and is giving me just what I need in order for Him to fulfill His purpose.

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January 1, 2015 · 2:30 AM

A New Year’s Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you for all of the blessings you gave me last year. I don’t always stop and say, “Thanks,” when you give them to me. Partly because I forget to and partly because I don’t always recognize them. I know that you bring things into my life and take them out as part of your plan. I confess that I don’t always understand your plan so I don’t always agree with what you do. This year, I pray that you open my eyes to see your plan better and help me to accept it even though I may not understand it.

As I look back on the past year, there were a lot of victories, but there were also significant losses. At times, I was broken to the point where I couldn’t see your hand in the situations. I didn’t know if I could go on, but you were faithful to stand by my side in the darkest valley. Your Holy Spirit was my comforter and my encourager. You lifted my head and gave me the strength to get back up. In the coming year, I pray that you would be my guide through valleys and mountain tops. Lead me where you want me to go and I will follow.

As this new year starts, I want to recommit my whole self to you. I give you my heart, my soul, my past, my present and my future. I can’t change the things that have happened in the past, but I can give you control over how I think about them. Help me to walk in your freedom this year. Remove any chains that are holding me back and help me to strip off any weights that are slowing me down. I want to be free to serve the way you want me to. I want to live this year for your purpose so I can find more of mine.

I don’t know what this year will bring, but to you, it’s already history. You know each step I will take. I pray that you will use your Word to be a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Give me the courage to step out in faith when you call me and the patience to stand still as I wait to hear your voice. My desire is to be more obedient to your will this year than in any other year of my life. I know that’s not an easy thing to do, but when the next year rolls around I want you to be able to say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

I pray that you will continue to bless me and my family so that we can be a blessing to others. I pray that you would use us to do the miraculous and to be the answer to the prayers of others. May your light shine through our lives brighter than ever so that when people see us, they see you. Help us to be a reflection of you through our words and actions. Use us to point others to the cross and to encourage them through your Word. We give you permission to do with our lives this year as you see fit. Make us a city on a hill that can’t be hidden and salt that brings flavor to the world if those we connect with.

In the name of jesus I pray,

Amen.

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December 29, 2014 · 7:51 AM

Trusting God’s Resolutions

My pastor preached a series based out of Psalm 103 on the benefits that God gives. Verse five particularly stood out to me as I read it in the Amplified version. It says, “Who satisfies your mouth [your necessity and desire at your personal age and situation] with good so that your youth, renewed, is like the eagle’s [strong, overcoming, soaring]!” There is so much promise for us packed into this one verse.

The first half reminds me that God knows what we need and what we want. I’ve been trying to teach my son the difference between those two for a while now. He will say, “Dada, I need that toy.” I reply, “No. You want that toy. You don’t need it.” I figure I’m a lot like that with God. I pray to God often about my needs and He points out that they are wants. Like a good father, He wants to bless us with our needs and wants, but He wants us to understand the difference.

The last part of that first half reminds me that God knows what’s going on in my life and where He’s taking me. He knows what each situation needs so that the outcome is for my benefit. What He knows it needs and what I think it needs are often different. In my prayers, I’m learning to ask God to resolve my problems in the best way He knows how instead of me telling Him how I’d like them to be resolved. I find that I’m happier with His resolutions.

I had always been confused by the next part of the verse. I had never understood the phrase “so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s” until I learned about the molting process. The adult eagle will shed his feathers and grow new ones for his exact age and even for the season he is in. God knows what season if life each of us are in. He provides us with the things we need in order to be renewed accordingly. He understands what worked for you five years ago won’t be the same thing you need today. He gives us good things that are relevant to where we are in life.

The final part of that verse says why He gives us those good things. It’s so we can be strong, overcoming and soaring. Strength helps us face the future challenges in life. Overcoming is how He wants us to live each day. We may get knocked down, but an overcomer gets back up and keeps moving forward no matter what. God also provides us with wings to soar. He wants us to rise high and fly. The higher we go, the closer we get to seeing things from His perspective. When we get His perspective, we know how to pray better.

God offers lots of benefits to us as believers. I think once we begin to understand what they are and why He gives them, we are more apt to do what it takes to receive them. God is good to us and sees our bigger picture. He’s not afraid to give us what we need instead of what we want. We may not always like how He answers our prayers, but as we soar higher in life, we’ll have his perspective and be able to look back and see what He was doing. He has your best interest at heart. Accept the gifts He gives for each season of your life.

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November 5, 2014 · 6:15 AM

Prayer: God Never Changes

Lord,

I want to start off by praising you for giving me another day to live. I don’t want to take any day you give me for granted. I know all too well that things can change instantly. I’m thankful that you have provided for my needs. You have given me all that I have and made sure that I have more than enough. Even through lean times, you have sustained me to ensure I didn’t go without the necessities of life. In times of plenty and in times of poverty, you have supplied all of my needs.

I’ve learned throughout my life that you are consistent. As I watch the seasons change, I’m reminded that you never change. It seems as though everything changes here, but I can count on you never changing. Your love for me doesn’t depend on what time of year it is, how well I serve you or how much money I have. It is constant as well. I’m reminded of the scripture in Romans 5:8 that says, “But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” Your love isn’t conditional. It never changes.

In a world of changing situations and changing people, it’s good to know you never do. You are my rock and my foundation. I can always rely on and trust in you because I know you will always be there for me. When people have deserted me, you have stood by me. When people have failed me, you have never let me down. When others have knocked me down, you were the one who picked me up. I have learned to put my trust in you rather than in others. Thank you for your faithfulness.

Help me to forgive those who have failed me, let me down or hurt me. Help me to seek forgiveness from those I’ve hurt, let down or failed. There’s not one of us who are perfect. There’s not one who doesn’t need grace from another or from you. Teach me how to give your type of love, forgiveness and grace to others. I want to be proactive in demonstrating the kind of love you have shown me. I know I have a long way to go, but you are the one who can help me get there.

I now pray for those who have wronged me in some way. Bless them, Lord, instead of cursing them. Show them the same compassion you showed to me. I can hear your words as you prayed for those who put you there: “Father, forgive them.” I pray the same for those who have wronged me in some way because I know it was a part of your plan to get me where you needed me and to make me who you wanted me to be. Help them to find their forgiveness in you. May they see you as the unchanging rock you are and learn to trust in you rather than to hurt others.

In Jesus’ name I pray.

Amen.

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September 23, 2014 · 7:59 AM

Prayer Changes Us

In II Timothy 2:1, Paul says, “I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf and give thanks for them.” When I read those words, I wonder if they challenged Timothy as much as they do me. Paul didn’t tell him to just pray for people he liked. He didn’t tell him to just pray for Christians. He told him to pray for all people and to ask God to help them.

To me, that’s hard to do. There are people that selfishly I don’t want God to help. I’m like Jonah a lot of times. I know God’s desire is to bring others to repentance, but I don’t always act in accordance with that. When God told Jonah to go to Nineveh, he disobeyed because he didn’t like them. We know that because later, when God spared the city, Jonah threw a hissy fit. He said, “I knew you were a merciful God. You are eager to turn back from destroying people.”

I wonder if Timothy was beginning to show the same signs. I wonder if he was being selective in who he shared the Gospel with. It’s not up to us to be selective with it or with our prayers. God doesn’t want anyone to perish. When we truly get that, we will start praying for others. We will intercede on their behalf. We won’t hold back from sharing the Gospel because we know that’s what God’s heart is.

God knows we let our human emotions get in the way of His will. We let how we feel about someone to override how He feels for them. Paul knew the remedy for the situation is to pray for them and to give thanks for them. When we begin to pray blessings on people we don’t like and thank God for them, our vision of them changes. We stop seeing them as humans and start seeing them as souls. We quit looking at their value to us, and see the value God places on them.

I’ve always heard that prayer changes things. One of the biggest things it changes is us. That’s why Paul urges Timothy to pray. He knew as a young minister, he could fall into the trap of being selective with the Gospel. He knew that Timothy needed a greater vision. One that included all men, not just a few. It’s a vision that you and I need today. The way we get it is to begin praying for all and asking God to help them. If we truly want to see the world changed, we have to get on our knees and spend some time interceding.

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August 13, 2014 · 7:34 AM

Unanswered Prayers

Garth Brooks sang a song called “Unanswered Prayers” in the 90’s. In it he tells the story of how he and his wife ran into his high school flame. He remembered how he had prayed every night that God would make her his. He promised he’d never ask God for anything again if He would just answer this one prayer. As they talked he realized they were very different people. When he walked away, he thanked God for his wife because God knew what He was doing after all. He then finishes the song with, “Some of God’s greatest gift are unanswered prayers.”

I don’t know about you, but I find myself asking God for a lot. I have a specific time of prayer dedicated to just asking God for things I need, my family needs or that my friends need. A lot of times they go unanswered, they are delayed or answered in a way that I wasn’t even praying for. I’ve had some of my most passionate prayers feel like they were falling on deaf ears. I’ve felt like my tears were for nothing. I’ve even been mad at God for not answering my prayers the way I thought they should have been answered. Thankfully, God is patient with me.

Have you ever read “If you give a mouse a cookie”? It’s a children’s book that says if you give a mouse a cookie, he’ll want a glass of milk. If you give him some milk, then he’ll want something else. If you give him that then he’ll want another thing. The book goes full circle to where if you give him this final thing, he’ll want a cookie. And if you give him a cookie, he’ll want some milk. I wonder if God looks at some of our prayers that way. We ask for something we don’t really need or is unhealthy for us and when we get it, He knows it will lead to needing other things that will create a cycle.

We don’t have the ability to see the cycle, but God does. He knows just what we need. James 1:17 says that every good and perfect gift comes from the Father. He wants to give us good things, but we don’t always ask for those things. James 4:3 says, “And when you ask you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong – you want only what will give you pleasure.” When I think of the prayers that aren’t answered, I try to go back and look at my motives. I try to think of why I wanted that so badly. Then I look at what a God did instead and I see that all along, He knew what He was doing.

You may be struggling with unanswered prayers right now. I’m not saying your motives are wrong or that you’re asking for your own pleasure. I’m saying that you should trust God to answer them His way. Say what Jesus said on His prayer, “Not my will be done, but yours.” Give God the freedom to answer your prayers the way He sees fit. He’s going to do it His way anyway. Giving Him the freedom helps you to accept it and helps to give you perspective. Who knows? Garth may be right. Some of God’s greatest gifts just may be unanswered prayers.

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August 4, 2014 · 8:06 AM

Unexpected Help

I once heard the story of a town that was about to be flooded. There was a man in that town who prayed that God would save him from the flood. A little while later, the sheriff came and knocked on his door. He told him to evacuate before the flood came. The man replied, “God will save me.” Not long after that, the floods began to rise and water came into his house. He called on God again to save him. By now, he had gotten on his roof because the water was so high. A boat came by and offered to take him to safety, but he replied that God would save him.

The water rose so high that he was standing on the highest gable of his roof to keep from being swept away by the water. He cried out in desperation for God to save him. It wasn’t long before a helicopter flew overhead, saw him and lowered a man down in a basket. The man refused to get in the basket and told them that God would save him. After the helicopter left, the floods swept the man off his roof and he died. When he got to Heaven, he asked God why He didn’t save him. God replied, “I sent the sheriff, a boat and a helicopter. Why didn’t you accept my help?”

We often pass on God’s help because it’s doesn’t come in the packaging we want or expect. We think that God has to act supernaturally in order to truly help us. The fact is that God mainly uses other people to bring about His answers into our lives. He sends people to give us money in our desperation, but our pride won’t let us accept it. He has people offer vehicles, groceries, jobs and other things that we need, but we pass on them because we think God is going to open up the heavens, send a beam of light with harp playing angels to deliver what we need. We miss so many blessings because we refuse the answers God gives through others.

The next time you ask God for help, look around. He may be answering it in a way that you weren’t expecting. He could be using one person to get you to take a step of faith that will open the door for future blessings. I know I’ve seen God be a blessing to my family in desperate times. The answer didn’t always come from where I thought it would. In fact, it has never come from where I thought it would. That doesn’t mean that it wasn’t God. It just means that God has a better plan than I do and I need to accept His help when and how He sends it.

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July 23, 2014 · 8:21 AM

Prayer For My Day

Heavenly Father,

I recognize that you are the King of Kings and The Lord of Lords. You are the creator of a universe so vast that we can barely comprehend it. You speak and galaxies come into existence. Your word is powerful and true. It always accomplishes what you want it to. You can see beyond the farthest star and choose to look into our hearts and lives. Jesus said that not even a sparrow falls without you knowing about it. You are deeply concerned with us and our world.

I know you see the turmoil that this world is engulfed in. There’s fighting between countries, terrorist who are killing innocents, Christians who are being persecuted and so many other evil things going on. It’s easy to look at all of that and be fearful. I pray that you would give me peace. Send your Holy Spirit to comfort me and to remind me of what you have said. You will not leave me or forsake me. You will not leave me abandoned even though the world appears to be falling apart.

I pray that you would help me to see others who are concerned about everything so I can remind them that you are in control. Help me to be an encourager to them. Give me words to speak so that they will have your peace as well. Use me today in someone’s life. Let me speak life into them. Give me words of hope. I don’t want to say anything that isn’t from you, so guide and direct my speech. I yield myself to you and your plan. I know that it is far better than the plan I have.

Thank you for all you’ve done for me. Thank you that you have always provided in my moment of need. I can’t think of a time when you didn’t come through just in time. You have been faithful to me even when I’ve been unfaithful to you. You’ve loved me when I haven’t shown you love. What you give me isn’t conditional on what I do. You freely give all you have because I’m your child. You are an amazing father who cares for me. I don’t say thank you enough for the consistency of your blessings. With all I have in me, I say, “Thank you!”

Watch over me today and protect me. Put people in my path that you want me to be a blessing to. Open my ears to hear your voice and give me the courage to do all that you ask of me. I want to walk by faith and not sight and that takes courage. I’ll step out in faith today if you ask me to. I’ll speak your words to someone in need if you prompt me to. I’ll be your hands and feet to whoever you ask me to because of all you’ve done for me. I love you and praise you.

In Jesus name,

Amen.

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July 15, 2014 · 7:37 AM

Restoring Your Connection

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A lot of the work I do for my employer is away from the office. In order to be able to connect to our intranet, I use a virtual private network (VPN). I have to plug in a special code along with my log in codes after I connect to the internet. Once that happens the VPN goes to work and I get a message that says, “Connection has been restored.” At that moment, my emails begin to download and I can access all the information on our severs that I need. I can start working again

Peter described us as aliens or sojourners here on this earth. Our real home is in Heaven. We are away from where we belong, yet we still have to connect with God. He tells us that we are to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against our souls. We must stay connected with God while we are here on earth so that we can receive His messages to us. We must stay in constant communication with Him so that we have everything we need in order to fulfill what He has called us to do.

So many Christians live their lives without being truly connected to God. They don’t read their Bible, they don’t pray or seek His face. It’s not that they don’t want to. It’s that everything else in their life seems to eat up all of their time. I know what that’s like because I’ve lived a lot of my Christian life like that. When times got tough, I wasn’t connected and I was overcome by my situation. It wasn’t until that point that I truly cried out to God for help. I had no way out. I was desperate. I asked for forgiveness and my connection with Him was restored.

From that time on, I have had to fight with my schedule to make sure I stay connected. I have to carve out time that won’t be interrupted. If we don’t make God a priority in our lives, we will lose that all important connection with Him. We will wander through this life without direction or purpose. We will be busy all the time yet have nothing to show for our busyness. It’s in stating connected to God that we find our purpose. It’s in that quality time that we spend in His Word that we receive His messages to us. It’s in prayer that we cast our cares on Him and take on His burden.

We are all sojourners. We are travelers through this world. It’s the responsibility of each one of us to find ways to connect with God while we are here. Don’t get so caught up in living on the road that you fail to pray and get into His Word. The things of this world are temporary. If we aren’t connecting with our Heavenly Father, we get deceived into thinking they are the things that matter for eternity. Ultimately, it’s our relationship with Him that decides our eternity. It should have the highest importance in our lives. If you’ve lost that connection with Him, there’s no time like the present to get on your knees and restore it. The power is in your hands.

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July 10, 2014 · 7:33 AM

Testimony Time

In our small group, we are reading through “Good to Great in God’s Eyes” by Chip Ingram. Last night we were discussing the chapter “Pray Great Prayers”. As we were talking about keeping a prayer journal, my wife mentioned that because of the digital age, that’s something our kids are missing out on. The vast majority aren’t keeping journals. Because they aren’t, they can’t flip through pages to see where they thought the world was going to come to an end and then it didn’t. They don’t have a record of the ways that God has moved in their life.

In the chapter we discussed, Chip mentioned that he keeps a prayer journal where he writes down things that are too big for him to handle. By writing them down, he is transferring them over to God. He said he also leaves a little space under each one so that when it gets answered, he can put a note in there. When his faith needs a boost, he goes back through that journal to remind himself of the times when he was faced with the impossible and then he reads the notes below it where God answered. It helps him when he faces other impossible situations.

As we discussed that, we began to talk about how we remember years ago when churches would have testimony time. It’s something that’s missing from our modern church. I believe it’s something that is still necessary. Scripture says that we overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. We need to hear the stories of what God is doing in people’s lives. We need to see His hand at work around us. It reminds us that He’s still listening and that whatever we are facing, isn’t too big for God.

We then went around the room and shared stories of a God answering prayers, big and small. Each person in our group could point to a time when God answered. That built my faith up. God knows your need and He hears your prayers. You don’t have to use your prayers to try to persuade God to move in your favor. You simply need to make your requests known to Him. Call out the promises He has made in His Word. Remind Him of what He’s done for others. Your heartfelt prayers touch the heart of God. Your need is not too big and it’s not too small. He’s not so concerned with everything else in the world that He doesn’t have time for you or your needs.

If you need your faith built today, ask someone what God has done for them. Ask them what prayers He has answered. If He’s answered something, then tell others. They need to hear what He has done for you. Your testimony will help them be an overcomer in their situation. If you don’t know who to tell, then use the comments below to share what God has done for you. People will read it and be blessed. God still moves today. God still answers prayers. Tell Him what you need, He’s listening right now.

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