Today has been a heavy day. In the midst of a tragedy like the one in Boston, our hearts are heavy.
When things like today happen--it's important that we turn to our faith and pray, both as individuals and together as Believers.
Pray for our nation.
Pray for our leaders.
Pray for the first responders.
Pray for those afflicted and their loved ones.
Pray for the return of Christ.
And pray like the below.
Father, You are the same yesterday, today and forever; You do not change. You have promised in Your Word that if we, Your people who are called by Your name—we Christians, the church—will humble ourselves and pray, and seek Your face and turn from our wicked ways, You will hear and heal our land. (Hebrews 13:8; Malachi 3:6; 2 Chronicles 7:14)
You are a refuge for the poor and needy, a shelter from the storm, a shade from the heat. But You are also our God, who deals with Your people as Your vineyard—when we go our own way, bearing bad grapes instead of good, You have said You will take away our hedge and break down our wall. (Isaiah 25:4; 5:1-6)
Have mercy on Your people. We pray in hope because of Your great love, knowing that Your compassion never fails. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. You do not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men. Help us examine and test our ways, and return to You. (Lamentations 3:22-23, 33, 40)
Monday, April 15, 2013
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Effective Prayer, Pt. 2
Recently we posted about Effective Prayer. See Pt. 1 here.
Effective prayer is prayer that is offered in the name of Jesus (John 14:12-14), in His authority, according to His nature and character, asking for what He would ask. It is prayer according to the will of the Father(1 John 5:14-15), which certainly includes praying Scripture—prayers taken directly from the Bible, such as the beautiful prayers of the Apostle Paul, or verses of Scripture turned into prayers. We are on powerful praying ground when we pray God’s Word, whether extemporaneously or with written prayers.
Remember, too, that effective prayer doesn’t mean eloquent prayer—it’s not the number of words, nor the beauty of our words that make a difference. It’s the fervency of our heart, not emotions, but genuine love for God and for others. God’s Word tells us that though we look on the outside appearance of a person, God looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). That’s as true of prayer as any other part of life.
Effective prayer is prayer that is offered in the name of Jesus (John 14:12-14), in His authority, according to His nature and character, asking for what He would ask. It is prayer according to the will of the Father(1 John 5:14-15), which certainly includes praying Scripture—prayers taken directly from the Bible, such as the beautiful prayers of the Apostle Paul, or verses of Scripture turned into prayers. We are on powerful praying ground when we pray God’s Word, whether extemporaneously or with written prayers.
Remember, too, that effective prayer doesn’t mean eloquent prayer—it’s not the number of words, nor the beauty of our words that make a difference. It’s the fervency of our heart, not emotions, but genuine love for God and for others. God’s Word tells us that though we look on the outside appearance of a person, God looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). That’s as true of prayer as any other part of life.
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Effective Prayer, Pt. 1
Sometimes people equate Jesus’ teaching on “vain repetitions” or “babbling” (Matthew 6:7) with reading prayers or praying for the same things every day. But the word Jesus used means using words that are “meaningless” or “mechanically repeated.”
A mechanical prayer would be words repeated by rote, requiring no thought, no concentration, having no heart—words so familiar that our thoughts easily drift as we pray.
Many times, that might occur around the dinner table--where are prayers sound like heartless incantations.
That’s the opposite of the “effective, fervent prayer” that James speaks of (James 5:16).
Certainly we can pray for our loved ones every day without being vainly repetitious.
A mechanical prayer would be words repeated by rote, requiring no thought, no concentration, having no heart—words so familiar that our thoughts easily drift as we pray.
Many times, that might occur around the dinner table--where are prayers sound like heartless incantations.
That’s the opposite of the “effective, fervent prayer” that James speaks of (James 5:16).
Certainly we can pray for our loved ones every day without being vainly repetitious.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
A Holy Week Prayer
In this special week for our faith, one particular verse is heavy on our hearts.
"Open their hearts to respond to the truth of the gospel." Acts 16:14
Only God can open the hearts of the cold, blind and distant. They neither understand or receive the truth without God. Pray today--pray this week--that they would have their hearts touched with His love and power.
"Open their hearts to respond to the truth of the gospel." Acts 16:14
Only God can open the hearts of the cold, blind and distant. They neither understand or receive the truth without God. Pray today--pray this week--that they would have their hearts touched with His love and power.
Thursday, March 21, 2013
#ThankfulThursday
What are you thankful for?
We're thankful for so many things--but none moreso that Jesus Christ.
The foundation of PrayerPower is our belief in God as the only Creator of everything that exists; in Jesus Christ His only Son – God in the flesh, Who became the sinless human sacrifice for the sins of mankind through His death on the cross – and in the Holy Spirit, One with the Father and the Son in the triune Godhead, living in the redeemed children of God as our Comforter and Teacher.
We believe that the redeemed of the Lord, all who have accepted God's free gift of salvation in Jesus Christ, constitute His body, the Church, assigned the task of making disciples of all nations, sharing the truth of the gospel with every human being by every possible means.
We believe in the power of Jesus. And we're so thankful for Him.
We're thankful for so many things--but none moreso that Jesus Christ.
The foundation of PrayerPower is our belief in God as the only Creator of everything that exists; in Jesus Christ His only Son – God in the flesh, Who became the sinless human sacrifice for the sins of mankind through His death on the cross – and in the Holy Spirit, One with the Father and the Son in the triune Godhead, living in the redeemed children of God as our Comforter and Teacher.
We believe that the redeemed of the Lord, all who have accepted God's free gift of salvation in Jesus Christ, constitute His body, the Church, assigned the task of making disciples of all nations, sharing the truth of the gospel with every human being by every possible means.
We believe in the power of Jesus. And we're so thankful for Him.
Does God Hear Every Prayer?
Do you think God hears every prayer?
We would like to think God hears every prayer, but the Bible makes plain that’s not always so.
There are times when God may choose not to listen, when He pays no attention to our prayers.
Isaiah tells us our iniquities (unconfessed sins) separate us from God so that He will not hear. David says, “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened….”
Unconfessed sins, sins that we cherish or hold on to, separate us from close, personal fellowship with God.
James puts it this way: “Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts….”
Isaiah, David, and James all address the impact of unconfessed sins on our prayer lives.
We must take initiative to confess our sins and be forgiven, to wash our hands and purify our hearts if we want God to hear our prayers and have personal fellowship with us.
That’s why this is such a significant verse to pray. Can anything be more important to us than having our prayers heard and walking in close fellowship with God?
Scripture References:
James 4:8
Isaiah 59:2
Psalm 66:18
1 John 1:9
Psalm 65:1
1 John 1:3
We would like to think God hears every prayer, but the Bible makes plain that’s not always so.
There are times when God may choose not to listen, when He pays no attention to our prayers.
Isaiah tells us our iniquities (unconfessed sins) separate us from God so that He will not hear. David says, “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened….”
Unconfessed sins, sins that we cherish or hold on to, separate us from close, personal fellowship with God.
James puts it this way: “Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts….”
Isaiah, David, and James all address the impact of unconfessed sins on our prayer lives.
We must take initiative to confess our sins and be forgiven, to wash our hands and purify our hearts if we want God to hear our prayers and have personal fellowship with us.
That’s why this is such a significant verse to pray. Can anything be more important to us than having our prayers heard and walking in close fellowship with God?
Scripture References:
James 4:8
Isaiah 59:2
Psalm 66:18
1 John 1:9
Psalm 65:1
1 John 1:3
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Needs.
We all have needs.
Abraham Maslow, the famous Psychologist, was best known for the creation of the pyramid that illustrated a hierarchy of needs.
At the base level, Maslow theorized that humans have Physiological needs, followed by Safety, Love, Esteem and Self-Actualization.
We all have needs.
We need sleep. We need food. We need water. In the morning, some of us need coffee.
We all have needs.
As a Believer, we also have spiritual needs, which is why Matthew 6:33 is such a special verse.
"Father, help us to seek Your kingdom and righteousness as the priority of our lives every day."
Do you have any needs in your life? Praying Matthew 6:33 could be your answer!
What makes this one simple verse such a powerful and effective prayer?
Why, with so many practical, material needs always present in our lives, would we choose to pray Matthew 6:33 about seeking God’s kingdom and righteousness? Why not simply ask for God’s provision?
Apart from the fact that this is the way we should all be living, the last half of this verse is a wonderful promise. It says when we seek God’s kingdom and righteousness first in our lives “all these things will be given” to us as well.
What things? In the context of this passage, in Matthew 6:25-32 Jesus is saying we should not worry about the basic necessities of life—what we’ll eat, what we’ll wear. Instead, we should seek God’s kingdom and righteousness before everything else, and as we do, we can trust that He will meet our needs.
Abraham Maslow, the famous Psychologist, was best known for the creation of the pyramid that illustrated a hierarchy of needs.
At the base level, Maslow theorized that humans have Physiological needs, followed by Safety, Love, Esteem and Self-Actualization.
We all have needs.
We need sleep. We need food. We need water. In the morning, some of us need coffee.
We all have needs.
As a Believer, we also have spiritual needs, which is why Matthew 6:33 is such a special verse.
"Father, help us to seek Your kingdom and righteousness as the priority of our lives every day."
Do you have any needs in your life? Praying Matthew 6:33 could be your answer!
What makes this one simple verse such a powerful and effective prayer?
Why, with so many practical, material needs always present in our lives, would we choose to pray Matthew 6:33 about seeking God’s kingdom and righteousness? Why not simply ask for God’s provision?
Apart from the fact that this is the way we should all be living, the last half of this verse is a wonderful promise. It says when we seek God’s kingdom and righteousness first in our lives “all these things will be given” to us as well.
What things? In the context of this passage, in Matthew 6:25-32 Jesus is saying we should not worry about the basic necessities of life—what we’ll eat, what we’ll wear. Instead, we should seek God’s kingdom and righteousness before everything else, and as we do, we can trust that He will meet our needs.
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