Tag: prayer

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22
Jul '21

He is Waiting for You

Posted on Jul 22, 2021 in Devotions | Tags: , ,

22
Jul '21
Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. (Romans 8:26-27)
 
Have you ever felt prompted by the Lord to pray, but didn’t know what to pray?
 
Or have you ever known you needed to pray, but were unable to? 
 
Thankfully, the word of God says that the Holy Spirit is able to rise up within us and intercede for us on our behalf. 
 
You don’t have to worry whether your payers “sound good enough” or if they meet a minimum word requirement.
 
There is no fancy formula of religiosity that is needed.
 
What matters is that we make sure our attention and affections are completely turned to Him with the concerns, petitions and praises of our hearts.
 
Even the most frantic, inaudible, clumsy and intelligible prayers can be profound and deep when they are birthed from the depths of your heart. Rest assured that God still hears those prayers all the way to Heaven!
 
Whenever you feel weak and frail in prayer, lean on the Holy Spirit and ask Him to fill your mouth.
 
He always knows what you need to pray for and is waiting for you to call upon Him.
 
Many times while you are praying, the Holy Spirit may tell you what to pray or ask for by reminding you of a certain person, thing, situation, or give you a mental image. Never underestimate His ways to communicate with you!
 
As you go through today, be reminded of what a privilege and wonder it is to be able to commune with the Creator of the universe at any time.
 
He delights in you more than you realize, and loves when your attention and affection turn to Him!
 
Even the simplest of prayers like, “Jesus, I love you” are adored by Him.  
 
When I read this devotion it blessed me. I pray it uplifts and encourages you in your walk with The Lord.
 
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!

15
Jul '21

Even in the Silence

Posted on Jul 15, 2021 in Devotions | Tags: , , ,

15
Jul '21
Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard . . . (1 Samuel 1:13)
 
God is neither impressed nor moved by our vocabulary or oratory skills.
 
But, as always, God is concerned with the heart.
 
God would say to Hannah’s son, Samuel, “…the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” God speaks the language of the heart.
 
Have you ever spoke to God without speaking? Where only the groaning of your inner person can be heard? Extraordinarily, we serve a God whose understanding of his creatures extends even to wordless prayers (Rom. 8:23, 26-27).
 
That God comprehends our wordless prayers is both hopeful and comforting. We serve a God who not only searches and knows our heart, but He hears us when we are too overwhelmed for language. God speaks the language of our hearts.
 
There are times when I’m in too much pain and anguish to speak words.
 
There are times that fear and anxiety are so suffocating that I can’t breathe, much more speak.
 
There are times when I am so exposed that I am ashamed to call upon the name of the Lord, nor could I present Him a verbal prayer.
 
Praise be to God that in these moments of pain, and weakness, and fear, we serve a God who hears us when we’re too overwhelmed for language.
 
God heard the inner groaning of Hannah. So likewise, God hears and understands our inner thoughts, groanings, and prayers. In Christ, by the groanings of the Holy Spirit, all of our prayers are honored. Even the ones we don’t understand ourselves.
 
Even in the silence, God hears you.
 
Your prayer today, “…”
 
“Even in the silence, God hears you.” When I read this devotion those seven words stood out to me, incredibly powerful. When you choose to go to God in prayer, He hears you, even in the silence. Make the choice today, fall at His feet and even if it’s time spent with Him in silence or in tears, He hears you, He sees you. Choose Him!
 
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!

13
Jul '21

A Conversation

Posted on Jul 13, 2021 in Devotions | Tags: , ,

13
Jul '21
But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. (Matthew 6:6)
 
No man is greater than his prayer life. It is as one saint said, “the people who are not praying are straying…”
 
Anyone can be “religious.” So often, that is what Sunday becomes, a shop window where we put forward the best version of ourselves. Church becomes a place where we are more “religious” than “real.”
 
Yet, in the prayer closet, no one can show off.
 
There is no one to impress.
 
There is no one to fool except yourself.
 
Thus our Lord’s admonition today, “when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” Jesus knows that the Father wants real. Jesus knows that the secret to praying is praying in secret. It’s like Drake White said;
 
“What you love, what you hate.
 
I’ll take the real, leave the fake.
 
I want the sinner and the saint.”
 
God wants us to be “real,” and that begins with prayer. Prayer is not performance. Prayer is not a time to drum up theological phrases. Instead, prayer is petition, simple and simply profound.
 
A conversation between you and God that begins with you and God. You have needs. You have wants. You have sins that need forgiveness, and you have people that you need to forgive.
 
Everything that you need and want begins in the prayer closest. That’s the reward— God hears real prayers. God will meet your needs. He will grant you your request. God will answer your prayers (Matt. 7:11).
 
But those prayers must be real. We do not pray for show. We do not pray to display our piety. We pray to meet God where we are so that He might make us more like Him. So every day, we pray in secret so that God may know us and that we may know Him.
 
Your prayer today, “God, give me the courage to be alone with you. See me for who I am, not who I pretend to be. You know my needs, God. Help me.”
 
I recently read this devotion, I felt it was full of such truth and needed to be shared. Prayer is the key to finding peace, joy, love and fulfillment.
 
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!

19
Oct '18

The Right Way to Pray

Posted on Oct 19, 2018 in Devotions | Tags: ,

19
Oct '18

But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. (Matthew 6:6) 

 

I admire people who record prayer requests in journals tattered from daily handling, those who keep track of every prayer and praise and then faithfully update their lists. I’m inspired by those who gather with others to pray and whose kneeling wears out the carpet at their bedsides. For years, I tried to copy their styles, to emulate a perfect prayer life, and to imitate the eloquence of the so-much-more-articulate-than-me folks. I strived to unravel what I thought was a mystery, as I longed to learn the right way to pray. 

 

Eventually, I learned that our Lord simply desires prayer that begins and ends with humility (Matthew 6:5). He invites us into an intimate exchange through which He promises to listen (v. 6). He never requires fancy or memorized words or phrases (v. 7). He assures us that prayer is a gift, an opportunity to honor His majesty (vv. 9–10), to display our confidence in His provision (v. 11), and to affirm our security in His forgiveness and guidance (vv. 12–13). 

 

God assures us He hears and cares about every single spoken and unspoken prayer, as well as the prayers that slip down our cheeks as silent tears. As we place our trust in God and His perfect love for us, we can be sure praying with a humble heart that’s surrendered to and dependent on Him is always the right way to pray. 

 

Lord, thank You for reminding us You hear every prayer. Amen. 

 

What I love about today’s devotion is it’s an incredible reminder that everyone’s “prayer closet” looks different and it’s not for us to strive to be like any one person when we pray. Our relationship and time with God looks different from person to person but as today’s devotion states one thing should be the same and that’s praying with a humble heart that’s surrendered to and dependent on Him. Today, stop looking at your neighbor and judging yourself based on there relationship with God and focus on your own relationship with God and He will meet you right where you are when you surrender all to Him. All to Jesus I surrender and that includes my prayer life. Calling on Jesus as our loving Savior and Lord is the right way to pray. 

 

Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord! 

 

Today’s Reading is Ecclesiastes 12:13 


15
Nov '16

What A Friend!

Posted on Nov 15, 2016 in Devotions | Tags: , ,

15
Nov '16
 
(Christ Jesus) Made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. (Philippians 2:7)

The Maker of all things is the Maker of all human beings, and each of us is deemed worthy of His individual attention and love. God demonstrated that love in person on the gnarly hills of Israel and ultimately on the cross.

When Jesus visited earth in the form of a servant, He showed that the hand of God is not too big for the smallest person in the world. It is a hand engraved with our individual names and engraved also with wounds, the cost to God of loving us so much.

Now, when I find myself wallowing in self-pity, overwhelmed by the ache of loneliness that is articulated so well in books like Job and Ecclesiastes, I turn to the Gospel accounts of Jesus’s stories and deeds. If I conclude that my existence “under the sun” (Eccl. 1:3) makes no difference to God, I contradict one of the main reasons God came to earth. To the question Do I matter? Jesus is indeed the answer.

Father, when we are overwhelmed by the ache of loneliness and pain, we can run only to You. Jesus showed us how much we matter to You, and we thank You! Amen.

What a Friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer.
O, what peace we often forfeit
O, what needless pain we bear–
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer.
–Joseph Scriven
 
When I woke this morning my husband was singing this hymn quietly to himself and I couldn’t help but think how fitting it was to the devotion The Lord had led me to early this morning. I felt I needed to include it in today’s devotion. I pray it blesses you today as much as it did me. I’m going to be singing this to myself all day, reminding myself, what a friend I have in Jesus, all my sins and griefs to bear, what a privilege to carry, everything to God in prayer. 
 
 
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!

Today’s Reading is Ecclesiastes 1:1-11
 
 
 
 
 

02
Sep '16

Prayer

Posted on Sep 2, 2016 in Devotions | Tags: , ,

02
Sep '16
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints. (Ephesians 6:18)
 
God wants to be the center of your life: the center of your conversation, the center of your entertainment, and the center of your relationships. Prayer keeps Him in the center of all you do. We must equip ourselves every single day by spending time in prayer. When we turn to God in prayer, we discover that God is faithful in unexpected ways!
 
You may be thinking, how do I pray, the bible gives instruction, pray ye, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. 
 
Start your day out with The Lords Prayer, it takes seconds to say The Lords Prayer and it will change your day and your life forever if you will choose to make time to meet the master. He is waiting. 
 
Heavenly Father, time spent in prayer is never wasted may we find that to be true as we draw closer to you. Help us to see that prayer is the best armor against all trials, prayer changes everything. Amen.
 
Today’s Reading is Philippians 4:4-7
 
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!