Category: Prayer

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A September Benediction

The Lord is my light and my salvation-whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life-of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1

May our Lord God bless you this day, and fill your life with His life, so that you might have joy and assurance, overflowing

May He look upon you in favor and grant you peace, through the outpouring of His love and His Spirit

For the Lord is good in all that He does

He blesses us with gifts we seldom measure, and is always gracious unto us, though we could never deserve all he has given

May the Lord give you understanding this day, and bring you wisdom in these times that test us, so that you might be able to stand and not falter

On this day, may His strength be your strength, and give you the endurance to weather every storm of life

For our God is stronger than anything that will come upon us. His power in us is more than enough to see us through

May you draw close to our Lord, Jesus Christ, this day, and speak to Him in faith filled prayers, so that He might pour His life giving Spirit into you, and fill you

May the life of Christ dwell richly within you and begin to revitalize your life. May His love overwhelm you, so that He can be magnified in you, and His love shine forth from your life

I pray that the Lord would give you an appetite for His Word, so that your faith and knowledge would be magnified; that God might equip you through His Word in order that your doubts might vanish and that your faith might be made more sure

May you always have Godly answers for those who ask questions of your faith, not only for your benefit, but also, for the strength and salvation of all those you know

May you realize again this day, that our God is faithful, and that He will never leave you or forsake you. That He watches over His children night and day, protecting us from all evil and the schemes of man

Know this, that we will continue to suffer earthly pains, but He has blessed us with the gift of eternal life in full measure

May the Lord, our God, walk beside you each day, so that you will feel and know His very presence, and understand His boundless love for you

For our God is the source and giver of all life. The one who has blessed us beyond all understanding

May His love so overwhelm your senses, that you have no choice but to rejoice and give Him praise; and that you would offer your life to Him with thanksgiving

For He is the one true God, creator, and illuminating light above all creation. 8/10/2006

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Wait For the Lord

Who among you fears the Lord, Who obeys the voice of His Servant? Who walks in darkness and has no light? Let Them trust in the name of the Lord and rely upon their God. Isaiah 50:10

If the way before you is unclear, trust in the Lord. If the path ahead is shrouded in clouds and remains obscured, wait upon your Lord, God.

For He alone, knows the future. He will guide your steps.

Do not run ahead before Him, but allow His lead to direct your every move. Wait upon Him. Trust in the Lord.

A clear way awaits you  just ahead, but for now, it is better to wait. Lean upon Him, and He will show you a perfect way.

There are times when great barriers gather around us, difficult circumstances, that may cast a shadow of fear upon us. Simply, trust in the Lord, for He is stronger than anything set before us.

Without Him we have no strength, but through His Spirit and by His Hand, He can deliver us safely and give us power to overcome.

For the Lord goes with all those who trust in Him.. He walks beside those who reach out for His hand. Oh what a trustworthy God is ours!

Fear is our reminder to believe in Him, to give ourselves over to His will, and trust in all of His ways for us.

The things that happen in this world will push us, if we let them. They will drop us into hard places, if we allow them to.

But when we trust in God, and follow after our Lord Jesus Christ, our footing will become secure.

Even when great mountains seem to loom before us, and threats and fear rise up against us, our God will protect us. He will provide a way, so that we might prosper and not perish; So that we might rejoice, instead of despair.

For our God is good. He is mighty and powerful above all things, and will provide a way for all those who love Him.    12/28/2007

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Buy the Field

‘And you have said to me, Oh Lord God, “Buy the field for money, and take witnesses! -yet the city has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans”   Jeremiah 32:25

I once managed a community garden that was truly a wonderful place. It was blessed with many talented people, who each contributed to making it one of the most productive and beautiful volunteer gardens I ever worked at. One cold winter day, when the north wind blew strong through its quiet rows, we received some devastating news. The nearby community center was going to be expanded and the footprint for the new building was to be located directly upon the garden. The city was going to break ground on the project in Spring, and we were told to clear the site within the next month. I can still remember how shocked and devastated everyone was. For many, it was a place to be with their friends, others used it to conduct field trips and educational work for local schools and community classes. After twelve years of existence, we were deeply going to miss our shared place of community.

Everyone was too upset to do anything for a few weeks, so the garden just laid dormant. Then in March we came together to meet and decide what was needed to dismantle and decommission the garden. After many minutes of complaint and anguish filled comments, a man stood up and said a very surprising thing. He told us, ” Let’s go ahead and do our normal Spring planting.  We should act like nothing is going to happen to this wonderful place. Be optimistic, these city projects often get tied up at City Hall for years and I happen to know that this project has some opposition that will likely force some long delays”. At first, nobody could believe that this might happen, but after much discussion a feeling of optimism began to grow. Within a week we had begun cleaning up the garden and planting the most ambitious effort in all our history.  We wanted to show the community and the council just how important and valuable the garden was for our town. To this day, the community garden lives on and remains a blessing to the community.

The prophet Jeremiah once gave a speech similar to the one this man gave to our community garden. He was spending time in the Jerusalem jail for speaking God’s Word to the King of Judah, Zedekiah. Even though the enemy was about to take and destroy the entire city, then lead many of its people into captivity, He told them he was going to do something very odd, but optimistic. He was going to purchase a piece of property, a field to grow crops.. a place to grow a garden. He wanted to make it clear, that even in that dark hour, God was at work. Our Lord God wanted to tell His people that this was not the final chapter of the Jewish nation. He said, ‘be optimistic even when destruction and doom lie at the very door’, because I have a plan and a heart of love for my people. I will someday bring them back to this place and they will live in abundance once again.

Spring 2020 has brought illness and loss that have caused many to lose hope in their future. Some of us have lost loved ones, others have lost their way to make a living. How this all ends up is still quite unclear. But there is one thing that we should never lose, and that is our trust  in the love and saving work of Jesus Christ. Remember His promise, “I will never leave you or forsake you”.  He is there with us through every trouble and trial that befalls us. Look up to Him and pray, even when there seems to be no hope. Grab ahold of Him with all your strength, and He will give you reason to rejoice, even in times of despair. Jesus will encourage you to carry on with life  and to be optimistic, even when it seems everything is going in the wrong direction. Praise be, to our God!

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A Late Night Cry for Healing

“Take heart, your faith has healed you” Matthew 9:22

Lord, heal the wounds that have been inflicted upon my life. Pour out your mercy, so that I may be made whole.

Bring about renewal in my heart, so that am made sound and strong

Speak your Word deep unto me, so that I may know the truth, and listen, for your will and your council

Lord, I humbly go before You. I stand at the feet of your throne, confessing my sins and my lack of faith, so that you might heal me and correct every way that is crooked

Pour our your Spirit. Do what only you can do. Bless my life with your presence, and heal me, so that I may again, glorify You

Help me run with endurance. Train up my heart and my mind. Convince my spirit with your Truth, and by the revelation of your perfect love, so that I may serve You each day

I rest in You, and quiet my soul before You. I meditate upon your ways

The things that I have schemed for, I leave aside, so that your will becomes my all in all

My life has become weak, because I forgot to seek You each day. I focused upon earthly things, and not those of heaven. What great affliction has overtaken me!

Yet, I will return again and give glory to my God, through the entire expression of my life

I have been healed by God before. He has pulled me up from impossible places, where there was no light or hope, and now, I will trust that He will help me again.

For He is a God who loves His children. All who go before Him that are sick and broken, can be healed and made new again.   6/27/2007

 

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On This Good Friday

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, and sat down at the right hand of the thrown of God. Hebrews 12:2

On this Good Friday, I give thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ; Our God and Savior, the one who has loved us throughout time

I praise Him for His sacrifice on this day so long ago and for His obedience to His Father in heaven, so that all His children might live and not perish

How painful His death, nailed there upon that wooden cross. What an incredible act, to bring a forgiveness of sin, for all of mankind, so that we might have hope through the power of His resurrection

Jesus Christ, you are the beginning and the end. The one who spoke this universe into creation. You blessed our world with a richness unlike any other, so we might live in all fullness before you

You thought of us since the beginning of time, and have loved what you have made, for it is good

How ugly and filled with depravity, then, is our sin. It leads us away from You and separates us, so that we become weak and confused in our lives; Falling into all kinds of misfortune and loss

Sin is separation from God

Jesus Christ is the healing power that returns us to Him

On that cross, Jesus carried the weight of all our sins. He shouldered the entirety of them, because He was God

As He died, He cast them away forever. He laid them to rest, so that our guilt might not condemn us, So that we might have hope in life; And hope in life, after death

Great was the sacrifice of Jesus Christ

How wonderful, that our God would love us so completely. That He would give up the life of His Son so that we might live, and suffer the pain of the cross plus the weight of all our sin;  so that we might find our way back to a communion with Him

We were made to live our lives in close friendship with our God, designed to be in love with Him. So that we might experience the true abundance of life as a human; To feel joy in life and to give joy to our creator

Blessed is the one who comes before Christ and gives thanks to Him. Who recognizes the incredible work that was accomplished upon the cross

They will begin to be transformed by the workings of God, and made pure by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ

None of us will be perfect in this world. We will do things and experience wrongs that are not right

But we do have a blessed hope of forgiveness that will never fail or falter. Both on this Good Friday, and for the rest of eternity   4/10/2020

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Manzanita Lanterns

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.” Matthew 5:14

Late each winter, I enjoy seeing the appearance of the manzanita bloom in nearby gardens and on local hillsides. Few plants blossom at this time of year, but this sturdy shrub braves the cold and rain and sends forth a profusion of tiny flowers. Shaped like a tiny creme pink Japanese  lantern, each is a miniature work of fine art and craftsmanship . On a calm sunny morning, their spicy honey fragrance fills the air, attracting Bumble Bees and other pollinators. Many of these insects time their emergence to when the Manzanita begins to flower. These blooms are one of the first signs of Spring, reminding me that warmer and more pleasant days will soon arrive.

Manzanita Blossoms

In all gardens throughout the world, there are those messenger plants, that signal a change of season or the coming of more pleasant days. Some brave snow and ice, wind and rains, even heat and drought. Yet they spring forth in spite of these hardships and bring us great joy and hope. I think of the Crocus that push up through winter snows with a flash of their brilliant golden blooms. They are like little splashes of sunshine set on earth to melt winter’s snow. In other places there are the Forsythia, Daffodil, Daphne, Magnolias, and the Bleeding Heart. What plant is a messenger in your part of the world? I thank God for these wonderful plants that bring hope, and joy to our lives.

Have you ever thought of yourself as a messenger of hope? A light that shines in the darkness, bringing good news and the beauty of the Gospel message of Jesus Christ? When we receive His gift of salvation, we are changed and made new. His Spirit fills our life and we begin to shine God’s light out to world around us. Every believer, has the light of Christ shining from within them. This is not an ordinary light. It is the kind of light that draws attention like a flower blooming right through a patch of snow and ice. It is concentrated and brilliant like an attractive blossom which draws life towards it and nourishes those who draw from its nectar. It is life giving and life sustaining.

Don’t hide His light or save it to shine another day, because it will likely lose its brilliance. Jesus once said, “Don’t hide your light under a bowl, but put it on a stand for all to see. Let your light shine before all people, that they might see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven”. Matthew 5:15-16

Take note of those early flowers that brighten those grey days of late winter. Let them remind you of how Christ wishes us to shine His light to all the world.

 

 

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Turning Your Attention to Prayer

“Hello world, are you listening? Can you hear me today, amidst the deafening roar? I am reaching out to you; holding out my arms; waiting for you patiently. I am your safe passage through the storm”

Our God calls out to us each day. He has a desire to meet with us, so that He can share His life with our life, and bless us with His wisdom and love.

But do we listen?

He speaks in a still and quiet voice. Can we even hear Him?

There is so much noise that surrounds us these days. So much distraction. It deafens us, and prevents us from hearing Him

The God of our world, our closest friend, the one who loves us. He is near to us

God surrounds us with His presence. He touches our lives. But can we feel or understand this?

He reaches out to us every hour, each day. How is it that we don’t sense Him?  When we long to know God, and have a closer relationship with our creator

Please, turn off the noise, get away from the disruptions. Bring yourself into a place where you can reach Him

Switch off the phone, silence all distractions. Don’t watch the news all day, it will not give you peace. Bring yourself into a place where you can hear God

Seek Him, and you will find Him

Reach out to your God in a quiet place, where His Spirit may be felt. Speak to Him with all of your heart in prayer, and you will sense His quiet gentle voice

Shut out the buzz of life around you. even if it is only for a little while each day.  There, you will find His presence; In that place He will lift you. You will gain a greater understanding, and a new vision, that will make your life more whole each day.    12/21/2019

Find a place that is closer to God
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A Prayer for This Day

 

May the Lord, our God, touch your life this day, and make His way known to you. Through His Spirit, and by His Word, may you draw near to Him, for He is near to you.

Today, I pray that He will move in your life; with His love, and by the revelation of His goodness. Of which no person on earth can resist, nor can they deny, once they have come to know Him

May the Lord reveal His love and good intentions, for your life and for all that you may do. So that your joy may be full, and your purpose full of great intention

God is truly ready to work wonders in your life. He is always willing to reveal Himself, as you are able to receive Him, and to lend His hand along the path of His way in your life

May He walk beside you this day, and guide you in His truth. So that He may reveal still greater depths of His life, through the learning of His Word

Pray to Him. Believing

Seek God with all your heart and He will begin to astonish you, by the working of His life, into yours

What a great God, is ours, that He chooses to bless and never curse all who love and seek Him; and to all who conduct their lives with honesty and faith

What a great savior, is our Lord. Who frees us from the dark workings, of sin, and of death, and who shepherds us into safe places, forever more

May the Lord deliver you this very day, and strengthen you to endure

For in these days there is suffering and pain, but the joy of our God’s salvation will always see us through these things

For in His strength and with His love we will be consistently victorious  10/25/2006

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Our Place in God’s Creation

 

The Earth and all that lies within it are God’s. He sustains it, and cares for it; Our maker owns every particle of its being

For by His awesome power, God created the universe, and our World. Through His wisdom, He made them incredible, intricate, beautiful

And because of God’s love, He formed life on this planet

What a wonder is life. The dust from remnants of past stars; the material of the earth and sea, animated, to live and breath

We know of no other place where this has happened, in the entire universe

Life is precious. It is a gift of God. Because, life was made by His choice and given to the living, so that we may share in the benefit of honoring who He is

May all the Earth worship His name

God placed man above everything that He created on Earth. He assigned us stewardship over this precious creation, so that we would fill the earth. But also, so that we could care for His world as He would like, with love, kindness, respect; through justice and obedience unto Him

So that in all that we do, we endeavor that His earth remains good

Lord, you have made us a little less than the angels. You have given us this amazing home. You have blessed us with everything that we need to live and we have thrived upon this earth

When we have done selfish things and forgotten our God, you have offered us forgiveness of our sins, and offered us a way to escape our guilt and condemnation.

Even offering us Your Son, Jesus Christ, so that we might have hope and to live life in all richness and joy. So that we might have everlasting life through His sacrifice. We can live in Your creation, forever

How great are the gifts of our God?

We live here today on this Earth, our home. We look out at the beauty that God has made, and the ugliness we have brought upon the land and on His people, by the destructive ways of our sin

Oh, that we could all see our God this day and know the love in His heart for us. So that we might turn to Him and honor His goodness and power

That we might rightly see the path that lies before us. A way that leads to life, and not to destruction

The presence of God fills the entire universe. He is not far from you now

Seek Him with all your heart and effort and He will reveal Himself to you. He will show you the wonders of His being     1/21/2020

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Our Incredible God

Tenaya Canyon, Yosemite Park

Our God dwells above all the heavens and Earth. He stretches His hands and they reach beyond the universe; From one side to another

His presence fills every part of this marvelous creation, so that there is no place that He does not know

How awesome is our God, who was before time, and gave birth to this creation. Who thought of it long before it came to be

He has known each moment in history, so that nothing that has happened has ever escaped His eyes

God knows where every string of time is destined. He is as familiar with the future as He is of the past

How blind we are to the ways of God, and limited in our senses, of His glory and power. We see upwards and out, and strive to make sense of it all

But God fills every dimension, He holds them all in the palm of His hand

Glorious father in heaven, we seek You. Because You placed it in our hearts to do so. We are in awe of all Your wonderful works, and of the love You have for us

Our God dwells in unapproachable light, He is a consuming fire. The most solid things in nature, vaporize in His presence. Nothing can stand before Him

He shields Himself with darkness, yet His light shines forth and illuminates all there is

Everything God has done in creation is good, because it all originated from His perfect design. A plan that is still unfolding before us

We strain our minds to make sense of what we see and feel, so that we might understand the answer to our deepest questions.

The answers rest in God

Awesome God, King over all creation, we seek You, because You fill our needful hearts. Come and reveal to us Your glorious Word, so that we might begin to know the truth that will set us free

The God of infinite wisdom once set aside His glory and power, and came to this earth as a man, Jesus Christ

He walked amongst us, our mighty creator, holy and true, yet gentle, filled with a great love and compassion for us

In histories darkest moment, we put to death the author of life. Yet, it pleased our God to suffer and die for us, for our sins had overtaken us, and death ruled over our lives

When He died and was raise to life again, He removed death’s power, and made a safe pathway for us to follow after Him; So that we could have eternal life and dwell with Him, forever

Our God is truly awesome, yet filled with great love for us   2/2/2006