7 Prayers That Work

Well, Lord, What's next? I don't understand what's going on. I have trouble hoping, praying , and believing when I can't predict the future. I think you might like it that way, because whenever you told the Israelites what would happen, they didn't believe you. And when you said "Follow me," they questioned everything you did. They had a trust problem. And so do I. Why don't I trust you more? You've proven your love by dying for me. You've verified your love by always meeting my needs. You've reminded me of your power by rescuing me,  even from my own messes. What's next?  What are you doing? You are setting up things for your glory and for my good. You are wooing souls, convicting hearts, forgiving sins. Your mercies never fail. You will never leave us alone . These are your promises. And I believe them, even when I can't figure anything out. This wouldn't be faith if I could. Thank you for listening to my questions and dir...

Oh, Lord Jesus, I worship you. You alone are what I need,  what I depend on for life and joy. Forgive me for looking anywhere else. I need resilience. I want to recover,  rebound , overcome all the fears that attack me, from the habits that bind me, from the voices that poison my heart and my mind. Only you can do this work in me. Only you can filter the lies from the truth. Holy Spirit, reveal yourself to me. Take control of my mind. Instruct my heart with understanding and obedience to your prompting. Fill me with all the knowledge of you so I can attain the resurrection of life, the purpose for which I was born. Resurrect my faith in you and your process of completing me. Resurrect my shortcomings and my failures. Breathe life into all the dead spaces inside me. I need you. You have formed me, called me, empowered me. I am yours. Always and forever. You can do anything you want with me. You can take the dead places inside me and resurrect them. You can take the broken...

  I read 1 Samuel 14 today. Such a cool story.  Back story :  Jonathan and his father King Saul are the only people in the arm with swords (can you imagine!?) because the Philistines had a monopoly on blacksmithing. That's not a good strategy for winning a war. Problem : Jonathan wants to attack an entire Philistine outpost on a cliff, at night, with only his armor-bearer. They have one sword, and they have to scale a cliff to get to the enemy. Jonathan is tired of losing . He's tired of his father disobeying God's commands. He wants justice . He wants righteousness . He knows they should be ridding their land of the Philistine's godless influence.  And he's not afraid of the cost. What Jonathan says : "Come, let's go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised fellows. Perhaps the Lord will act on our behalf. Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving , whether by many or by few." (1 Sam. 14:6) What happens : They go--just the two of them--and call up...

1 Corinthians 13 (MSG) :  So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love. Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have. Love doesn’t strut, Doesn’t have a swelled head, Doesn’t force itself on others, Isn’t always “me first,” Doesn’t fly off the handle, Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others, Doesn’t revel when others grovel, Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, Puts up with anything, Trusts God always, Always looks for the best, Never looks back, But keeps going to the end. Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled. But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust ste...

I'd like to share a prayer of praise formed from Psalm 66.   It seems pertinent in helping assuage our fear over the global implications during this COVID-19 pandemic. Praise our God, people of the world! Let the sound of our praise be heard by everyone. He has preserved our lives and kept us from going under forever. Yes, He is testing us-- God is refining us like silver in the fire, drawing our insecurities, fears, and faithlessness to the surface, not to kill us or harm us, but to perfect us-- to make us completely pure. He has brought us into the prisons of this world, giving us burdens to bear and offenses to carry. Why? Why would God do this, if He loves us? Here's why: He leads us through fire and water, through the deserts and wilderness of our spiritual journeys to lead us into a place of abundance. He brings us into the open spaces of freedom. Without the fire, we would never recognize the gift of choice, love, and abundance. Lord, I w...

Oh, Lord, This life is not about me. My pain is not about me. My relationships are not about me. My purpose is not about me. My success is not about me. My plans are not about me. Or at least, they shouldn't be. It's all about you working through me, changing me, changing the world. What an enormous task you've begun! I wonder why you use me at all. So when I sin-- when I misrepresent you-- when I disappoint myself-- when I hurt others-- when I give up-- when I hide-- when I don't believe-- it's all about me. Life is hard. Wisdom is difficult. I only have my own perspective. But I need yours. Sometimes your heart is hard to see because I can only see mine. I must lean into you, dig deeper, remove my blinders, open my soul to listen. You alone. Forgive me for listening to the voices around me instead of yours. Amen.

Dear Lord, Remember me. Touch me. I'm discouraged. I don't know what to do or where to turn. I feel like nothing I do turns out right. I want to give up and crawl in a hole, but that doesn't feel good, either. Give me the faith to trust your plan for my life. Give me the courage to keep moving forward. Give me vision when I'm overwhelmed. Give me grace when I'm angry and hurt. Give me perseverance when I want to quit. Make me like Jesus. That's probably what you're doing, because this process is painful. So maybe you're up to something in my life after all. I love you, and I'm trying to trust you. Amen.

A God who is omniscient is the reason I pray. You create and impart all knowledge, even those who choose to believe You don't exist. I am awed by Your patience and Your grace in allowing each of us to search, resist, or find You as we will. You don't push. You don't cajole. You don't condemn. You just love. You must know that Your love is irresistible to me. Your love persuades me to see You and experience You for who You are, somehow a deity who knows everything about me and yet is not repulsed by me. You aren't afraid that more knowledge of life and science will turn me away from You. Indeed, more knowledge ought to produce more faith. An omniscient God knows that knowledge and faith are congruent and complimentary. You invented science--You designed its intricacies. I'm sure much of science is yet to be discovered. And yet my ignorance doesn't anger You. You smile and wait, like a patient father, for this over-confident human to grasp even a tou...

Lord, God, Help me to wait patiently for your words, for your moving of the Holy Spirit, for your prompting and prodding of me toward the work you have for me, even if that work is corrective. Convicting. Give me patience and faith not to move forward in my own strength, not to make an idol of my own wisdom or abilities. I need you. I know I do. Give me the humility to remember that. I recount the wonders you have done already-- You have nothing to prove to me. Your grace is sufficient. Overflowing. Overwhelming. Help me to bask in your presence and your provision. Here I am. I have come. I desire to do your will, regardless of the personal cost. Do not withhold your mercy from me. May your love and your truth protect my mind and my heart. I am yours. Amen. taken from Psalm 40

"Dear God, if it's Your will, please . . ." That's the spiritual way to pray, right? For God's will. And then we proceed to tell Him what His will should be. We'd like a clear-cut path toward a desirable destination. And a nice view along the way. In Hebrews 11, you can read about a whole list of people who spoke with God and heard His response. They heard God's will, about moving to a new land, shaking off slavery, conquering kingdoms, enduring persecution. They prayed for God's will (a plan), they submitted to God's will (their obedience), and then God led them in His will (their destiny). God's will can mean all 3 things. So what and how should we pray for God's will? Accept an unknown outcome  Here are two curious aspects of God's will--He often doesn't tell us the details first, and He doesn't even promise we'll know why something happened. He just expects blind obedience to His written Word. Heb. 11:39 says, ...

You want God to hear your prayers? Praise him first. God suggests the context of praise if we want to enter his presence; He knows that if we focus on his goodness instead of our own resourcefulness, we will have faith to endure and conquer the hardships of life. Praise builds faith. Self-focus undermines faith and places us on a path of never-ending anxiety. So praise the Lord for who he is. It will determine who you become! Psalm 100 Shout for joy to the Lord all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are people and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.  For the Lord is good and his lov e endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.