Jesus Gives Us the Model for Prayer :: By Nathele Graham

Prayer is talking to God. Sometimes a person, especially a new Christian, is unsure of how to pray. How does a person approach God? He’s the Almighty, and it can be intimidating to talk to Him as a friend, yet with humility and respect. This fellowship with God is only possible through Jesus Christ.

“According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him” (Ephesians 3:11-12).

Don’t be drawn into the error of praying to “saints” or to Mary. Only pray through the blessed name of Jesus.

Sometimes, prayer is presented as a list of things that you want God to do for you. Remember, God can see the future and knows if what you want from Him is best. If His answer to your prayer is “No,” you can be sure that He has something better in store for you.

Jesus knew that people would have difficulty in going directly to God with prayer, so He included an example of how a prayer should be presented to God. The Sermon on the Mount contains much wisdom from Jesus, and prayer is part of that wisdom.

“But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him” (Matthew 6:7-8).

It’s comforting to know that God knows what I need even when I don’t. He will always provide for our needs, but He does like to hear from us in prayer. It’s good that Jesus gave us a structure for prayer, and we should all study it. We call it The Lord’s Prayer, but it’s really an example of prayer.

“After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name” (Matthew 6:9).

Notice that prayer is addressed to “Our Father,” not to Mary or to any man-made saint. Jesus told us we can talk to God as a father. Sometimes our human father isn’t a good example to follow, or many people don’t really know their father. God is the perfect Father. He will always listen and cares about your desires. A good human father will listen to what you want but will guide you to what is best. If you ask God for something that’s sinful, He will say “No,” but He will listen to you as you talk with Him. Talk with Him many times every day, and listen.

What is your desire? Do you only want selfish things, like a better job or more money in the bank? God wants the best for us, but our desire should align with God’s desire. He wants to reign on earth, and one day He will. We need to pray for that day to come.

“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).

We need to be a part of the answer to that prayer. Do you live a worldly life, partaking in the lusts of the flesh? That doesn’t show a desire for God’s rule in your life. In Heaven, there’s no desire to sin, and that will be a relief from this sin-saturated life on Earth. God’s kingdom will be established on Earth, but it will come after much tribulation and judgment from God. Christians will not go through the Great Tribulation but will be Raptured before it starts. You may have trouble believing there will be a Rapture, but as long as you believe in Jesus, you’ll be taken with all Christians. That’s our Blessed Hope. We can do our part by praying for it. Also by sharing the Gospel and living in a way that honors God. Do His will on Earth, and other people will see Him living in you.

One of the basic needs in life is food; we need it every day. The Israelites had to learn to trust God. Their lack of faith caused them to wander 40 years before entering the Promised Land. The trip from Egypt should have taken around two weeks, but they feared that God wouldn’t help them conquer their land. God had done miracles to save them, but they didn’t think He would save them from the Nephilim. When they didn’t have enough food to feed everybody, they complained to God that the slavery in Egypt was better than freedom.

“Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no. And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily” (Exodus 16:4-5).

This was manna, the daily bread provided daily by God. It wasn’t welfare, because they had to do their part and gather it. God always provides, and we shouldn’t pray for a pantry filled with food, but ask Him to fill our needs for the day.

“Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11).

Bread is important to all people. Especially the Bread of Life. “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst” (John 6:35). Please, Lord, give me my Daily Bread.

Sometimes it’s hard to forgive others. We are very aware of our own feelings and know when someone has offended us. Forgiveness is part of God’s kingdom on Earth.

“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Matthew 6:12). 

Jesus paid our sin-debt and purchased our redemption, so we need to forgive others as He’s forgiven us. We like forgiveness, but don’t like to forgive. That’s a human failure that needs to be changed. Christians should understand forgiveness because we have been forgiven so much. Sin separates us from God, but Jesus shed His blood to take our sins away. He is our example of how to live. He even forgave the people at the foot of the cross who had driven the nails into Him.

“Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots” (Luke 23:34).

That tells us a lot about forgiveness. Those men didn’t ask to be forgiven, but Jesus asked for their forgiveness, even though they didn’t care. That needs to be our view of forgiving others.

Temptation comes to us all. Whether it’s a temptation to swipe a candy bar or the temptation for carnal sin, we are all tempted. Satan is at the bottom of all evil, is a liar, and places temptation in our way.

“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” (Matthew 6:13).

This is more properly translated “deliver us from the evil one.”

Temptation has been around since Genesis. When God forbids something, it’s for our own good. Satan can make the vilest thing look tempting, simply to get us to sin. God forbade Adam and Eve to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, so that’s the thing that the serpent used to tempt Eve. There was plenty of food to eat in the Garden of Eden, but the serpent made the forbidden fruit look like the most desirable food. Eve should have never spoken to the serpent, but she did. God said not to eat the fruit, but Eve tried to be even more “holy.”

“And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die” (Genesis 3:2-3).

When she added to God’s word, Satan knew he could befuddle her. He made it look as if God was trying to ruin their fun. When God forbids something, it’s always for our benefit. Eve ate the fruit, then Adam ate, and they did die (they lost their immortality). If you’re tempted to do something God has forbidden, it’s the evil one who’s tempting you. In this fallen world, we are all dead in our sins, but the Good News is that Jesus Christ stepped into His creation to shed His blood as the final sacrifice to take our sin away. True faith in Him will bring eternal life.

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). 

Stay close to God, and pray without ceasing.

The Lord’s Prayer is one of the first prayers we learn as children. It’s a model for prayer throughout our life. Sometimes there isn’t time for a long, formal prayer. That’s when we pray a “bullet” prayer – quick and to the point. If you’re in traffic and a car is heading toward you, you don’t have time to follow this example of prayer. People tend to turn to God as a last resort, but He should be our first line of defense.

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

The Greek word “merimnao” is translated “be careful,” but the definition is “anxious, troubled with cares.” If you don’t talk with God about your finances or job situation, you’ll be very anxious. If you do talk to Him about everything, you’ll have His perfect peace.

What is prayer to you? Is it a list of things you require from God? Certainly, we can go boldly before God and petition Him for things we think we need, but we must always remember that He is sovereign and knows whether or not what we ask is what is best for us. God knows that if you pray for a certain thing, that thing may turn out to be all wrong. It’s not always easy to accept God’s perfect knowledge of what’s best, but it’s always important to be humble in our petitions.

Jesus knew how to pray, and we would be wise to study His prayers. When He prayed in Gethsemane, He knew He was about to be arrested and beaten. Worse than that, He knew that it would be the first time in eternity He was going to feel the full weight of sin – our sin. That sin would separate Him from God the Father and God the Holy Spirit, which was something He had never faced before. Alone in the garden, He prayed.

“…and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt” (Matthew 25:39b).

We all face things that overwhelm us with fear and worry. If we can remember to go to God in prayer when life is in turmoil, then submit to His will, He will help us through the turmoil.

The book of Hebrews is an interesting study. It was written to help Jewish people who had come to Christ understand that Jesus is superior to the Law and to angels and to humans. We can all learn from this book. Jesus is described as our High Priest. The Aaronic priesthood was ordained by God, and the Jewish people understood the role of the High Priest. He could enter into the Holy of holies once a year and put the blood of the sacrificed animal on the altar to atone for sin. When Jesus died, He put His own blood on the altar in Heaven, and human priests are no longer necessary for intercession between humans and God.

“For if the blood of bulls and goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Hebrews 9:13-14).

Jesus sprinkled His own blood on the altar in Heaven, and we no longer need priests to intercede for us. Christians are blessed to be able to take our prayers and petitions directly to God.

“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

We don’t have to be fearful of God, just humble and respectful. We can speak to Him without the need for a priest. We can speak boldly but not arrogantly. Never forget that when we pray, we are talking directly to God, and we need to be humble. We confess our sins directly to Him and ask forgiveness directly from Him. Jesus made this possible.

Brothers and sisters, we are heading for very troubled times. Christians will be taken in the Rapture, but until then, Satan will be trying harder to bring fear into our lives.

In the letter to the Ephesians, Paul talks about the importance of marriage, and how a husband should behave, how a wife should behave, and how children should behave. This structure of family and values is under satanic attack. Men have walked away from being husbands and fathers, while wives want full authority. Too often, there isn’t even a marriage. All of this is encouraged by the evil one and his lies. Paul goes on to talk about spiritual warfare and who we should fight against.

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12).

This is a spiritual battle, and we need God fighting for us. Paul encourages us to put on the full armor of God, then names the individual parts of that armor. Prayer is part of that armor.

“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints” (Ephesians 6:18).

If you’re a Christian, you’re a saint and need prayer. Satan hates you, but God loves you. We need to pray for each other. When you use the model that Jesus gave, you can’t go wrong. Worship God for His holiness, and Satan will flee.

The Lord’s Prayer is a model, and as you become more comfortable with talking with God, you’ll learn to pray with your own words. Pray continually.

God bless you all

Nathele Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com

Recommended prophecy sites:

www.raptureready.com
www.prophecyupdate.com
www.raptureforums.com

All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.

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“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6).

 

The post Jesus Gives Us the Model for Prayer :: By Nathele Graham appeared first on Rapture Ready.

Source: Jesus Gives Us the Model for Prayer :: By Nathele Graham

On Retroactive Prayer | CultureWatch

On Retroactive Prayer

God, prayer, and mystery:

As someone who has long loved, studied and taught theology and philosophy, I at least find interesting the sorts of things I will discuss here. But some folks at least might be a bit puzzled by my title. We all know what prayer is, I assume. But what is retroactive prayer?

Well, the term itself is easy enough to define. One definition says this: “taking effect from a date in the past” Another says, “extending in scope or effect to a prior time or to conditions that existed or originated in the past”. The way I am using the phrase here is this: can – or should – we pray for past events, for those things which have already occurred?

If it were possible to do so, one could imagine praying for so many different things:
-Lord, please allow Hitler to never have been born.
-God, could you please have prevented the Civil War from occurring.
-Jesus, help me to have better prepared for that test I failed last year.
-Lord help my team win the 1998 Superbowl.

You get my drift. But the issue is, are such prayers nonsensical and meaningless. ‘What is past is past,’ one can rightly argue. But other believers might want to say that God is God, so he can do anything. As to the latter proposition, well, not quite. There are many things God cannot do, such as lie, deny himself, or do that which is logically impossible. But see much more detail on that here: https://billmuehlenberg.com/2017/01/15/can-god-anything/

However, another matter that arises here is how God relates to time – and to us. Most theologians will argue that God created both time and space, so God transcends both things. And yet we know that the eternal God is fully capable of interacting and getting involved with both time and space. The Incarnation is a primary example of this.

But how do we understand God in this regard? What does it mean to say that he is eternal or everlasting? Is he outside of time, is he in an ‘eternal now,’ or some other option? All these issues and much more have been discussed by philosophers, theologians and philosophers of religion for many centuries now. See my recommended reading list on this below.

Case in point

The reason I speak to all this now has to do with a practical and spiritual consideration. Let me explain. Several years ago I learned of one great suffering saint in the US and his battle with ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease. I refer to John Paine.

A video had been made about him and was quite moving. In it he shared his powerful testimony, even though he was in so much pain and suffering. Thankfully he had a great Christian family who supported him throughout all this. I wrote up his story here: https://billmuehlenberg.com/2024/09/15/pain-gain-and-christ/

I was interested in his case for a number of reasons, including the fact that my own wife struggled with cancer, including in her brain, and I knew of some great champs here in Australia who were also dealing with this. I also learned that he had told his story in a book: The Luckiest Man: How a Seventeen-Year Battle with ALS Led Me to Intimacy with God (Thomas Nelson, 2018).

The Luckiest Man: How a Seventeen-Year Battle with ALS Led Me to Intimacy with God by Paine, John R. (Author), Haines, Seth (Primary Contributor)

I ordered it back then, hoping to write more about his story. But for some reason I was never able to secure a copy. But here is the thing: ever since I learned about him and his plight, I have been praying for him on a daily basis. He and some of the others I referred to have been on my regular prayer list.

As I would pray for hm each night, I would often wonder how he was getting on. So today I finally got around to looking him up. After a quick online search, I learned that he had in fact passed away mid-May, 2021! I had found this brief mention of his Facebook site. It said this:

John R. Paine

15 May 2021

I want everyone to know that John Paine went home to be with his Savior and Lord on Wednesday morning. We are so grateful for the love poured out on our family!

-The Paine Family

So he had died on May 12, 2021. But then some obvious questions arose: Were my prayers wasted then? Was it of no avail for me to have been asking God all along to give him grace and strength and comfort, even though he had been dead for a while now?

Good questions. But I thought to myself, ‘No, at the very least I was also praying for his family. I had been asking God to comfort and uplift them as well during this difficult time.’ So my prayers were certainly of use to his family members and loved ones.

Again, the issues of God and his relationship to time arise in situations like his. If God is above time, and is aware of all events in time, past, present and future, then how do our particular prayers that ARE rooted in a particular moment in time work with God, in terms of him hearing and answering them?

Were my prayers of the past year or two for John heard by God in eternity past, or in some other fashion? Even though my prayer took place AFTER John had passed away, could God still somehow hear or answer or work those prayers into his purposes – in this case for a past event? Does God respond to and answer retrospective prayers?

How does all this even work? We finite and fallen creatures cannot of course get our heads around all this. We cannot know all the answers here to these perplexing question and conundrums. We dare not weaken in faith because such things remain as puzzling mysteries to us.

But we DO know certain biblical truths:
-Prayer in important
-God commands us to pray
-He answers prayer
-His answers can be ‘yes,’ ‘no,’ or ‘wait’
-What we do in love and faith for him will not be wasted

Yes, we should seek to pray wisely and in line with the will of God. One might argue that I was not praying wisely here. I clearly was praying in ignorance. I assumed he was still alive, and I prayed accordingly. But I had kept wondering how he was doing, so it took me a while to do what I should have done earlier on: try to ascertain his present condition.

So for this whole time of praying for him on a daily basis, perhaps much of that prayer may not have been relevant or appropriate or in line with the will of God. Maybe. As I say, I will not think for a moment that these prayers were all futile or wasted. As mentioned, at least his family would have received some of the benefits of my prayers

I guess however that when I go through my mental list of the many folks to pray for tonight, I will not be praying for John any longer. I still might do a few prayers for his remaining loved ones – even four years on now from his passing.

Like ants wondering what we humans are on about, we might be in the same place in regard to God. There is so much mystery. There is so much we do not know. There are so many unanswered questions. There is so much wonder and so much to marvel at.

We serve a mighty God, a marvellous God, and a mind-blowing God. Just this morning I again read this from Psalm 36:4-9:

Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens,
    your faithfulness to the skies.
Your righteousness is like the highest mountains,
    your justice like the great deep.
    You, Lord, preserve both people and animals.
How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!
    People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They feast on the abundance of your house;
    you give them drink from your river of delights.
For with you is the fountain of life;
    in your light we see light.

Even though we might have a million questions, we can still fully trust and follow our Lord. God has revealed enough about himself and his purposes to enable us to have full confidence in who he is and what he is seeking to do on planet earth. That should be sufficient for all of his children.

For further reading

For those who are interested in such topics, there are plenty of important titles out there worth exploring. Here is a small sampling of some of the better ones from a more scholarly and academic perspective, broken down into two main sections:

God and time

Beilby, James, ed., Divine Foreknowledge: Four Views. IVP, 2001.
Craig, William Lane, The Only Wise God: The Compatibility of Divine Foreknowledge and Human Freedom. Wipf and Stock, 1987, 2000.
Craig, William Lane, Time and Eternity. Crossway Books, 2001.
Cullman, Oscar, Christ and Time. SCM, 1962.
Deweese, Garrett, God and the Nature of Time. Ashgate Publishing, 2004.
Ganssle, Gregory, ed., God and Time: Essays on the Divine Nature. Oxford University Press, 2002.
Ganssle, Gregory, ed., God and Time: Four Views. IVP, 2001.
Hasker, William, God, Time and Knowledge. Cornell University Press, 1989.
Helm, Paul, Eternal God. Clarendon Press, 1988.
Padgett, Alan, God, Eternity and the Nature of Time. Palgrave Macmillan: 1992.
Picirilli, Robert, God in Eternity and Time: A New Case for Human Freedom. B&H, 2022.
Pike, Nelson, God and Timelessness. Schocken Books, 1970.
Roy, Steven, How Much Does God Foreknow? IVP, 2006.
Tapp, Christian and Edmund Runggaldier, eds., God, Eternity, and Time. Ashgate, 2011.

God – Philosophical discussions

Craig, William Lane , Systematic Philosophical Theology, Vol. 1: Prolegomena, On Scripture, On Faith. Wiley-Blackwell, 2025.
Craig, William Lane , Systematic Philosophical Theology, Vol. 2a: On God: Attributes of God. Wiley-Blackwell, 2025.
Davis, Stephen, God, Reason and Theistic Proofs. Edinburgh University Press, 1997.
Davis, Stephen, Logic and the Nature of God. Eerdmans, 1983.
Dolezal, James, God Without Parts: Divine Simplicity and the Metaphysics of God’s Absoluteness. Pickwick, 2011.
Ganssle, Gregory, ed., Philosophical Essays on Divine Causation. Routledge, 2021.
Huffman, Douglas and Eric Johnson, eds., God Under Fire. Zondervan, 2002.
Kenny, Anthony, The God of the Philosophers. Oxford University Press, 1979.
Morris, Thomas, The Concept of God. Oxford University Press, 1987.
Morris, Thomas, The Logic of God Incarnate. Cornell University Press, 1986.
Morris, Thomas, Our Idea of God. IVP, 1991.
Nash, Ronald, The Concept of God. Academie Books, 1983.
Plantinga, Alvin, God and Other Minds: A Study of the Rational Justification of Belief in God. Cornell University Press, 1990.
Richards, Jay Wesley, The Untamed God: A Philosophical Exploration of Divine Perfection, Simplicity and Immutability. IVP, 2003.
Swinburne, Richard, The Coherence of Theism. Oxford University Press, 1977.
Vardy, Peter, The Puzzle of God. Fount, 1990, 1999.
Ward, Keith, God and the Philosophers. Fortress Press, 2009.
Wierenga, Edward, The Nature of God. Cornell University Press, 1989.

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The post On Retroactive Prayer appeared first on CultureWatch.

Our Father | Ligonier Ministries

The next time you attend a prayer meeting, pay close attention to the manner in which individuals address God. Invariably, the form of address will be something like this, “Our dear heavenly Father,” “Father,” “Father God,” or some other form of reference to God as Father. Not everyone customarily addresses God in the first instance in prayer by using the title “Father.” However, the use of the term Father in addressing God in prayer is overwhelmingly found as the preference among people who pray. What is the significance of this? It would seem that the instructions of our Lord in giving the model prayer, “The Lord’s Prayer,” is emulated by our propensity for addressing God as Father. Since Jesus said, “When you pray, say, ‘Our Father,’” that form of address has become the virtual standard form of Christian prayer. Because this form of prayer is used so frequently, we often take for granted its astonishing significance.

The German scholar Joachim Jeremias has argued that in almost every prayer that Jesus utters in the New Testament, He addresses God as Father. Jeremias notes that this represents a radical departure from Jewish custom and tradition. Though Jewish people were given a lengthy number of appropriate titles for God in personal prayer, significantly absent from the approved list was the title “Father.” To be sure, the Jews would use the term “Father” indirectly by addressing God as the Father of people, but never by way of a direct address, in which the person praying addressed God in personal terms as “Father.” Jeremias also notes that the serious reaction against Jesus by His contemporaries indicated that they heard in His addressing God as Father a blasphemous utterance by which Jesus was presuming, by this term of address, a certain equality that He enjoyed with the Father. Jeremias goes on to argue that there is no record of any Jew addressing God directly as Father until the tenth century a.d. in Italy, with the notable exception of Jesus. Though Jeremias’ findings have been challenged in some quarters, it remains a matter of record that Jesus’ use of the term “Father” in personal prayer is an extraordinary use.

Since the science of comparative religion reached its zenith in the nineteenth century and liberal theologians sought to reduce the core essence of all religion to the universal fatherhood of God and the universal brotherhood of man, it has followed from such liberal assumptions that to consider God as Father would be a most basic assumption in any religion. However, when we look again at the way in which the term functions in the New Testament and in the teaching of the Apostles, we see that there is no doctrine of universal fatherhood of God in the Bible, except for His role as the creator of all men. Rather, the fatherhood of God has as its primary reference a filial (father/son) relationship that is restricted.

In the first and most important case, God has only one child, His only-begotten Son, the monogenēs, which restricts this filial relationship to Christ. We do not have the natural right to call God “Father.” That right is bestowed upon us only through God’s gracious work of adoption. This is an extraordinary privilege, that those who are in Christ now have the right to address God in such a personal, intimate, filial term as “Father.” Therefore, we ought never to take for granted this unspeakable privilege bestowed upon us by God’s grace. We note in the Lord’s Prayer that Jesus instructs us that now when we pray, we are to refer to God as “Our Father.” Again the “ourness” of this relationship is grounded in the unique ministry of Jesus by which, through adoption, He is our elder brother and He gives to us those privileges that by nature belong only to Him. Now, by adopting us, He says that we may regard God, not only as His Father, but as our Father.

The first petition of the Lord’s Prayer is found in the words, “Hallowed be Thy Name.” The opening address, “Our Father, who art in Heaven,” is simply that, an address. From that address, Jesus instructs His disciples to offer certain petitions in prayer. The first and chief of those petitions is that we pray that the name of God will be hallowed. This is also extraordinary in that as the prayer continues, we ask that the will of God be done on earth as it is in heaven and that His kingdom would come on earth as it is in heaven. Both of these desires can only be met when and if the God of the kingdom of heaven and of earth is treated with supreme reverence, honor, and adoration. When we fail to observe the third commandment, when we fail to honor God as God, and use His name as a curse word, or in a flippant, careless manner, we fail to fulfill this first petition. Perhaps nothing is more commonplace in our culture than the expression that comes from people’s lips on many occasions, when they say simply, “Oh, my God.” This careless reference to God indicates how far removed our culture is from fulfilling the petition of the Lord’s Prayer. It should be a priority for the church and for every individual Christian to make sure that the way in which we speak of God is a way that communicates respect, awe, adoration, and reverence. How we use the name of God reveals more clearly than any creed we ever confess our deepest attitudes towards the God of the sacred name.

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7 Lessons Learned While in the Darkness of Despair (Psalm 88) | The Log College

7 Lessons Learned While in the Darkness of Despair (Psalm 88)

JUNE 4, 2018 / RICHARD BARGAS

In light of all the comments made in regard to Robin Williams’ death, I thought this post might be helpful. Depression is a serious matter that so many people struggle with, but it is an affliction that some Christians see as a weakness of faith and unbecoming for a person who claims Christ as Savior. But throughout Church history, there have been those who have struggled with an internal darkness that comes upon them. Whether we call it melancholy, depression, or some other name, the Word of God gives hope even in the midst of the dark nights of affliction. Tim Challies wrote about the struggle that hymn writer William Cowper (pronounced “Cooper”) faced his whole life, even after coming to Christ.

William Cowper was born in 1731 in Berkhamsted, England. His mother died when he was only 6 years old, leaving him to be raised by his father. The mental pain Cowper struggled with was primarily depression…. He had four major battles with it through his life, leading him to attempt suicide on several occasions. He was never successful, however, and God would preserve his life until death by dropsy in 1800, aged 69. Cowper apparently became a believer in 1764 while in residence at St. Albans Insane Asylum. He happened upon a Bible on a bench in the garden, and God used John 11 and Romans 3:25 to open his eyes to the goodness of Jesus and the sufficiency of his atoning work…. Throughout the rest of his life he remained convinced of God’s sovereignty and goodness, even if at times he had great difficulty believing he himself was a beneficiary of them. Cowper’s hymn writing came as a result of his friendship with John Newton. They became friends in 1767 when Cowper moved to Olney, England to be under Newton’s ministry.[1]

With Cowper and others in mind, I would like to briefly point out 7 lessons that we can learn while in the darkness of despair so that we can help others who are struggling, or so that we might find comfort and relief from our great God and Savior.

1. Scripture does not deny the reality of a “darkness of the soul” (Ps. 88; Job 1)

• The mere existence of Psalm 88 (among others) and the book of Job, as well as other parts of Scripture demonstrates for us that there is such a thing as “spiritual depression” (to use D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones’ preferred term).
• By denying this reality, we become like Job’s worthless counselors for those who are in the most need of spiritual healing and care. Not only that, but we may also be guilty of speaking against many godly people who suffered while maintaining their righteous stand before God. It is one thing when a person suffers for their sinful choices, but what about those who suffer for no apparent cause of their own? Do not all those suffering, sinner or saint, require the grace of God to be applied to their souls?
• Finally, when we deny this reality, we not only deny the truth of Scripture but also experience. We hurt those who are truly suffering and need us to minister to them, not lecture them to some sort of Stoic idea that is foreign to Christianity. Godly people really do suffer!

2. God does not always give answers for our suffering (Ps 88; Job)

• We live in an age where a problem is introduced and resolved in the span of a 30 minute sit-com on TV. And there is a tragic perversion of Christianity that exists and is thriving that teaches that God doesn’t want you to be unhappy, but rather he wants to bless you with all the material possessions you desire. Many readers might reject this theology, but struggle dealing with how to deal with a godly person who sees no end in their suffering. But we cannot demand or even expect that God will either remove suffering in this life or even give an answer to the question “why?” But life is not like a movie or sit-com and Scripture accurately portrays real life.
• As Derek Kidner has written,“The happy ending of most psalms of this kind seems to be a bonus, not a due; its withholding is not a proof of either God’s displeasure or his defeat.” [2]
• Sometimes suffering is hard and long, and it may not end with a healing, comfort, or even any apparent reason why the suffering has occurred.

     3. God needs to be our anchor and life-line in the darkness or we shall have no hope (v. 1)

• Verse 1 is the only positive line in the whole psalm. It frames the whole because it is a starkly honest conversation between the psalmist and his God. But what if the psalmist had no understanding of God or no relationship with him? What if the psalmist’s god was not the One true and living God? How could he account for his suffering?
• Was it because his god was too weak? Incompetent? Evil? Unloving? All of these would make some sense and would have caused the psalmist to either seek his own aid or allow the darkness to swallow him up in death. But the reality of God’s existence and his goodness of character cause him to seek him and plead with him for help. There is hope to be found in our God and His Son Jesus Christ.

     4. Even in despair, prayer tethers us to the Lord, so do not allow the darkness to silence you (vv. 1-2, 9, 13)

• “This author, like Job, does not give up. He completes his prayer, still in the dark and totally unrewarded. The taunt, ‘Does Job fear God for naught?’, is answered yet again.” Kidner, 350.
• Night and day impassioned cries come from the heart of the psalmist. He knows God hears, but he cannot understand why he has not answered his prayer. But the lack of understanding and answers to his prayers do not stop him from praying. The prayers are not long, sterile, liturgical prayers either. They are passionate pleadings mixed with heart-felt questions. The psalmist does not understand, and so he asks and argues his case before God. His prayers are wrestling with the One whom he seeks a blessing from. He will not let go until he is either dead or God has heard his prayers and answered by lifting the darkness.

     5. The grave is silent, but God attends to the living (vv. 3-5, 10-12) 

• “Am I dead?”, asked the psalmist. He asked this because he felt that God was treating him like someone who is in the grave, long lost and forgotten. But he was not dead, and as a man still in the land of the living he would still be able to praise the Lord for his steadfast love, faithfulness and righteousness. And as one among the living, the Lord could still act in working wonders that would remove the pain and suffering that would lead the psalmist to further praise and glory. At death there is no praise from the dead. But we must keep pleading and praying and trusting until our last breath.

     6. Hard providences point to our Sovereign God’s Mysterious Ways (vv. 6-8, 16-18; Isa 55:8-9)

• C.T. Studd wrote, “A man is not known by his effervescence but by the amount of real suffering he can stand” [3]. Many Christians would like to protect the honor of the Lord by denying that God is sovereign in all things, including the suffering of men. But the psalmist knows his God and he knows that God is sovereign not only in the good, but also the bad, including suffering.
• Job 2:9-10 speaks about this idea. It says, “Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.” But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.” Just because we do not understand why God does not stop our suffering or why he doesn’t bring relief does not mean that there is no reason.
• Isa 55:8-9 says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

      7. Behind a frowning providence hides the smile of God (vv. 14-15; Matt 27:46; 2Cor 6:10) 

• In the end, God is good and knows what is best. And that includes our suffering and the darkest clouds of despair. After all, God the Father turned from His only begotten Son in the midst of the worst of his suffering for both Jesus’ glory and our good. But had we been standing there at the Place of the Skull, would we have believed that was true?

The [Cowper] hymn “God Moves in a Mysterious Way” is a combination of assertions about God’s goodness, sovereignty and wisdom along with commands to take courage and trust in him. Cowper’s use of the metaphors of storms, mines, smiles, and flowers illustrate this meaning in a timeless way. The hymn is a beautiful expression of the kind of faith that sustained Cowper through long periods of darkness and despair.!We cannot yet claim to know all the mysteries of God’s plan for William Cowper’s life. In time, as Cowper himself says, God will make plain his bright designs. But until then we can praise God for one of the fruits that is already evident—this hymn. Only he knows how many saints have had their faith sustained amidst storms and sorrows by these words. It reminds us that many of the greatest hymns grow out of life’s most difficult circumstances. [1]

William Cowper, 1774 “God Moves in a Mysterious Way”

God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea And rides upon the storm.Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never failing skill
He treasures up His bright designs And works His sov’reign will.
Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take; The clouds ye so much dread

Are big with mercy and shall break

In blessings on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, But trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.
His purposes will ripen fast, Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste, But sweet will be the flow’r.
Blind unbelief is sure to err
And scan His work in vain;
God is His own interpreter,
And He will make it plain.

---

[1] (Source: http://www.challies.com/articles/hymn-stories-god-moves-in-a- mysterious-way, Accessed 4/2/14)

[2] Derek Kidner, TOTC, Psalms 73-150, 350.

[3] Quoted by Steven J. Lawson, HOTC, Psalms 76-150, 70.

A Prayer for Repentance – Your Daily Prayer – May 18 | Christianity.com

Reading the Psalms profoundly transforms our faith by teaching us to bring every part of our heart to God, offering comfort, conviction, and a deeper understanding of His love and guidance through His Word.

Living with Less Podcast

A Prayer for Repentance 
By Chelsey DeMatteis 

Bible Reading:
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’” – Psalm 91:1-2

Read or Listen Below:

As a new believer, I was still in the early stages of understanding what it meant to bring all things to the Lord, and I mean all of it: the good, the bad, the seemingly ridiculous, and the downright ugliest parts of who I was. God used the Psalms penned by David as an example for me to live by and later as a guide to share with those around me. 

As I grew to love the Word of God, I found myself writing Psalms repeatedly. Psalms 91 and 119 became anthems of song to me. They steadied my heart, called me to repentance, and reminded me how much my Heavenly Father loves me. 

Psalm 91:16 says, He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and fortress, my God, whom I trust.”  He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.

This portion of scripture tells us that those of us who dwell in the tender, loving care of our Savior will always be safe. Though the trials and tribulations of this world will happen, we can rest in and trust that God is holding all things together. He tells us that He is a shield to us and that we need not be afraid of the darts the enemy of this world shoots our way—because we are sealed and saved by the Highest. 

Psalm 119 has been another anchor to my Spirit over the years. It calls my heart to repentance and then leads me into praise. It reminds me how big God is and what a gift it is to be His daughter. 

“Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord! Blessed are those who keep his testimonies,  seek him with their whole heart, and do no wrong, but walk in his ways! You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently.  Oh, that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes! Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments. I will praise you with an upright heart when I learn your righteous rules. I will keep your statutes;  do not utterly forsake me!” – Psalm 119:1-8

Do you see what a gift these Psalms are to our hearts as we walk with Jesus? They tell us who God is, what He desires for our lives, and the blessings we receive as we walk rightly with Him. I’m incredibly thankful for the leadership and guidance of those women who studied these scriptures years ago. 

As you walk in the ways of the Lord, be steadfast in the pursuit of His Word. It will lead and guide you to a deeper understanding of your Father’s heart and give you a glimpse into all He desires for your life.

Let’s Pray:

Father, thank you for the gift of your Word. Please help me have understanding and wisdom as I take the time to study scripture to understand better who you are and who you’ve called me to be. Lead my heart to a place of repentance and praise. Grow in me a boldness to share your truth with those around me and give me the words to tell them about the glorious grace they can receive by walking with you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Photo Credit: © Getty Images/AntonioGuillem 

Chelsey is the voice behind the Living with Less Podcast and author of the 52-week devotional More of Him, Less of Me: Living a Christ-centered Life in a Me-centered World. She writes devotions for Lifeway Women’s Journey Magazine, Crosswalk.com, and iBelieve.com. She also writes Bible reading plans for the YouVersion Bible App. Chelsey lives in Ohio with her husband and two children. You can connect with her on Instagram @chelseydematteis and at her website ChelseyDeMatteis.com.

Listen to the Your Nightly Prayer Podcast

We’re proud to announce we’ve just launched a new nighttime companion to Your Daily Prayer: the Your Nightly Prayer devotional. You can find it on the website at crosswalk.com/devotionals/your-nightly-prayer, where you can sign up to receive it every evening in your inbox. We hope it’s a relaxing and soothing way to wind down your day with rich meditations on God. Check out an episode below:

Now that you’ve prayed, are you in need of someone to pray for YOU? Click the button below 

https://www.christianity.com/devotionals/your-daily-prayer/a-prayer-for-repentance-your-daily-prayer.html

How Shall We Then Live? | CultureWatch

How Shall We Then Live?

On getting the heart of God for our predicament:

Many will recognise the words found in my title. Actually, they might have one of two different books and authors in mind. Both in their own ways were Christian apologists and culture warriors. They both had a very clear understanding of where we as believers are at in the post-Christian West. The two books are these:

How Should We Then Live? The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture by Francis Schaeffer (Fleming H. Revell, 1976)

How Now Shall We Live? by Charles Colson and Nancy Pearcey (Tyndale House Publishers, 1999)

Both men had God’s heart and mind on the sad situation the Christian Church finds itself in. Both knew that we were in dire straits, and believers needed to snap out of their daydreaming and lethargy and gird themselves for action. Both were deeply concerned for what was happening all around them.

And what is happening to us today is not unlike what happened to ancient Israel. Because of sin and disobedience, both the northern and southern kingdoms were judged by God. In the south, Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed and many Jews were taken into captivity. Those who loved God deeply could only grieve and weep. Consider seven key passages on this:

Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by
   Look around and see. Lamentations 1:12

My eyes will flow without ceasing,
    without respite,
until the Lord from heaven
    looks down and sees;
my eyes cause me grief
    at the fate of all the daughters of my city. Lamentations 3:49-51

By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. There on the poplars we hung our harps, for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” How can we sing the songs of the LORD while in a foreign land? Psalm 137:1-4

O God, the nations have come into your inheritance;
    they have defiled your holy temple;
    they have laid Jerusalem in ruins.…
How long, O Lord? Psalm 79:1, 5

The Spirit then lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the LORD upon me. I came to the exiles who lived at Tel Abib near the Kebar River. And there, where they were living, I sat among them for seven days, overwhelmed. Ezekiel 3:14-15

They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.” When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. Nehemiah 1:3-4

So the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.” I was very much afraid, but I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” Nehemiah 2:2-3

These texts make clear the sort of heart attitude we need to have in our own similar situation. And it should be fairly obvious how Israel’s Babylonian captivity is not unlike where the church in the West today is at. As I wrote in an earlier piece:

To see his relevance for believers today, consider these parallels. As to the Babylonian captivity:

-The Israelites found themselves in a hostile culture, whose values, worldviews and language was quite different.
-They went from being the predominant culture to a counterculture.
-They went from being cultural leaders to cultural captives.

So too the church today:

-The church has moved from the mainstream to the sidelines.
-The church has moved from being a world leader to a world follower.
-The church has moved from being a light on a hill to a light hidden under a bowl. https://billmuehlenberg.com/2024/09/13/exilic-witness-lessons-from-daniel/

How should we then live? I have often spoken and written about this matter. And I always say we need to get God’s heart on all this. We should grieve over what he grieves over. We should be broken-hearted over what breaks his heart. We should be greatly concerned about what he is concerned about.

It is NOT business as usual. We are in dire straits, and we need to get the mind and heart of God on all this. Here I want to simply share some commentary from other Christian writers on the two Nehemiah passages. Wallace Benn says this about the Neh. 1 passage:

Nehemiah was expressing a deep concern for the welfare of the people of God, the church of his day. The state of the church then caused him to weep, mourn, and above all, pray (1:4).

How concerned are you about the welfare of your church? We should be first concerned about the health and well-being of the congregation we are part of. In this day of a growing lack of commitment, when regular attendance at church can mean twice a month rather than twice a week, how committed are you to your church and how prayerful are you about its well-being? As a church warden (lay elder) once said to me, “If we prayed as often for our ministers as we are willing to criticize them, the church would be a much healthier place!”

Nehemiah was not only concerned about the well-being of his own congregation in Susa; he had a wider vision, and so should we. How concerned are you about the health of the church in your city or area? In your country? While we cannot meet the needs of Christians everywhere, we should have a concern to pray and support suffering believers in some particular part of God’s world. Nehemiah wasn’t parochial in vision or concern; he had wide horizons, and that concern drove him not to depression or a fatalistic attitude but to God in prayer.

Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther: Restoring the Church (Preaching the Word) by Benn, Wallace P. (Author), Hughes, R. Kent (Series Editor)

And on the Neh. 2 text he says this:

How does the work of God get done? It gets done by a person with a concern for the glory of God and the well-being of his people, a prayerful heart that engages in persistent prayer with others, claiming God’s promises, a dedicated and involved person who is ready and willing to be used by God. In every generation, these are the kind of people God raises up and uses to get his work done. Nehemiah was certainly like that.

James Hamilton Jr. speaks of Nehemiah’s great concern for God’s people, and asks us about our chief concerns:

If you care more about how your favorite college football team does on Saturday than you do about how the gospel is advancing, that’s probably because your identity is more shaped by the time you’ve spent watching and talking about football than the time you’ve spent studying the Bible. Which do you know better: the roster, stats, and prospects of your team, or the contents of the Scriptures? Who do you feel more passionate about: the players on your favorite team, or pastors and missionaries and co-laborers in the gospel? Which would grieve you more: seeing your favorite team lose the national championship, or hearing that Christians are being persecuted in a faraway place?

Nehemiah is in exile in Persia, but though he is in the world he is not of it. He doesn’t mourn like those who have no hope. He mourns because the enemies of God’s kingdom have prevailed, and he mourns because he loves God’s kingdom more than life. He also doesn’t stop with prayer. Nehemiah intends to go into action, and in verse 11 he asks that God will prosper what he sets out to do:

Please, Lord, let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and to that of Your servants who delight to revere Your name. Give Your servant success today, and have compassion on him in the presence of this man.

And lastly, these comments from Mark Roberts:

Let me clarify that in commending a vulnerability that allows for sadness, I do not intend to sanctify unhappiness. Many Christians walk around with dour faces, not because they feel the broken heart of God, but because they are mired in self-pity. The fact that someone cries for days at a time does not guarantee his or her fitness for ministry! My intent is rather to challenge popular Christianity, which emphasizes joy to such an extent that a genuine, Spirit-filled sadness has no place in the Christian life. For all Christians, and especially for leaders open to the heart of God, there is indeed “a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance” (Eccl. 3:4).

Notice in this passage what Nehemiah did with his grief. He did not try to forget it, nor did he simply pine away; rather, he fasted and prayed. He took his grief before God. Prayer is the place to process God’s work in our hearts; it is where we discover and clarify God’s call upon our lives. Prayer provides the only sure foundation for our lives and our leadership.

These are all helpful reminders of how we must deal with what we find happening all around us. The world is certainly in a mess, but all too often that is because the church is in a mess. We need to get God’s heart on this, we need to pray about this, and we need to act on this.

[1614 words]

The post How Shall We Then Live? appeared first on CultureWatch.

May 3 Morning Verse of the Day

REJOICE IN HOPE (12:12a)

Living the supernatural life inevitably brings opposition from the world and sometimes even sparks resentment by fellow Christians. Even after years of faithful service to the Lord, some see few, if any, apparent results from their labors. Without hope we could never survive. “For in hope we have been saved,” Paul has already explained, “but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one also hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it” (Rom. 8:24–25).
Rejoicing in that hope, we know that, if we are “steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord,” our “toil is not in vain” (1 Cor. 15:58). We can therefore look forward to one day hearing, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matt. 25:21). We know that “in the future there is laid up for [us] the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to [us] on that day; and … to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Tim. 4:8).

PERSEVERE IN TRIBULATION (12:12b)

It is because we can rejoice in hope that we also can persevere in tribulation, whatever its form or severity. Because we have perfect assurance concerning the ultimate outcome of our lives, we are able to persist against any obstacle and endure any suffering. That is why Paul could declare with perfect confidence that “we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Rom. 5:2–5).

BE DEVOTED TO PRAYER (12:12c)

Doubtless one of the reasons the Lord allows His children to go through tribulation is to drive them to Himself. The believer who has the strength to persevere in trials, afflictions, adversity, and misfortune—sometimes even deprivation and destitution—will pray more than occasionally. He will be devoted to prayer, in communion with his Lord as a constant part of his life. So should we all be, no matter what the circumstances of our lives.
Proskartereō (devoted) means literally to be strong toward something, and it also carries the ideas of steadfast and unwavering. It was with such devoted … prayer that early Christians worshiped, both before and after the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 1:14; 2:42). It was to enable the apostles to devote themselves “to prayer, and to the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:4) that deacons were first appointed in the church.
Devoted, steadfast prayer should be as continual a part of a Christian’s spiritual life as breathing is a part of his physical life. The victorious Christian prays “with the spirit and … with the mind” (1 Cor. 14:15). As he prays with his own spirit, he also prays “in the Holy Spirit” (Jude 20; cf. Eph. 6:18). He prays “without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17). Paul therefore admonished Timothy to have “the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands” (1 Tim. 2:8).

MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1991). Romans (Vol. 2, pp. 191–193). Moody Press.

12. Be joyful in hope, enduring in affliction, persistent in prayer.
    The hope of future salvation (cf. 5:2, 4, 5; 8:24, 25; 15:4, 13) stimulates present joy; in fact, to such an extent that God’s children are even able patiently to endure in the midst of affliction. This endurance indicates strength to bear up under stress, plus the persistent application of this strength. It is not the product of human wisdom or skill but of God’s grace. Therefore Paul immediately adds “(Be) persistent in prayer.”
    Without constant prayer such joy and endurance would be impossible. The opposition coming from the side of the world and the doubts from within would prove too strong. In fact, without steadfastness in prayer obedience to none of the exhortations of chapter 12 or of other passages can be expected.

Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953–2001). Exposition of Paul’s Epistle to the Romans (Vols. 12–13, pp. 415–416). Baker Book House.

How to hear God’s voice | Denison Forum

How to hear God’s voice 

In the summer of 1775, just a few months after the “shot heard round the world” signaled the start of the American Revolution, the Continental Congress met in Philadelphia to decide how their fledgling army would try to defeat the strongest military in the world. So, shortly after selecting George Washington to lead their forces, Congress chose to appeal to a different kind of strength as well.

The result was what we might call the first national day of prayer, a call for all of the Colonies to join together in “a Day of public Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer; that they may with united Hearts & Voice, unfeignedly confess their Sins before God, and supplicate the all wise and merciful disposer of events, to avert the Desolation and Calamities of an unnatural war.”

Since that time, thirty-six of our nation’s forty-seven presidents have proclaimed a National Day of Prayer as the need arose. However, the practice became more formalized in 1952 when President Truman signed a bill making it an annual event. President Reagan then designated the first Thursday in May for the yearly observance starting in 1988.

And, given the controversies, divisions, and general angst in our culture today, the timing could not be better for another call to join with believers around the country to pursue that same humility, confession, and supplication.

So, where should we start?

God listens to your heart

A great place to begin is nationaldayofprayer.org. The site includes links to help you find a local gathering of Christians with whom you can pray, digital tools for guided prayer, and a national prayer written by NDP Task Force President, Kathy Branzell. Our First15 ministry also offers guided prayers and devotionals on a number of topics.

When it comes to prayer, however, it’s crucial that we treat such resources more as guides than scripts. They can provide a helpful place to start, but if that time consists mainly of praying someone else’s words, then we’re limiting the degree to which God has room to speak some of his own. That’s why whenever Jesus taught about prayer, he emphasized the heart behind the words more than the words themselves.

In Matthew 6, for example, Christ began his instruction by warning us not to pray like the hypocrites, who “love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others” (Matthew 6:5). Later on in his ministry, he made a similar point with a parable about a pharisee and a tax collector, noting that only the tax collector’s prayer of genuine repentance and desire for communion with the Lord was effective (Luke 18:9–14).

If God leads you to utilize any of the resources available to help you enter a time of prayer today, then go forward with confidence. But just remember that there is nothing magical about the words you say. Instead, God looks at your heart, and when we pray, that is what he listens to the most.

So take some time to ensure your heart is right with the Lord before attempting to converse about anything else. And, once you have, make sure you continue to include him in the conversation.

Communication is key

While it may sound unnecessary to focus on making sure that God is involved in our prayers, the truth is that most of us are guilty of leaving him out from time to time. It’s (hopefully) not a conscious choice on our part, but it can be easy to treat the Lord as if he is the target of our prayers rather than a participant in them.

And while there are any number of people, places, and subjects for which we can pray today, the only way to know if you’re really praying about the right ones is to ask God. Fortunately, he stands ready to help when we do.

Paul, for example, describes how the Holy Spirit “helps us in our weakness,” and “intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” (Romans 8:26). And the very nature of prayer as an ongoing conversation between us and the Lord reminds us that it’s not enough to rattle off some requests, say amen, and move on with our day (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

When God tore the veil that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple following Christ’s death (Matthew 27:51), he did so to make clear that he wants a personal relationship with us and the kind of communion that is only possible when we assign prayer the same level of importance as he does.

Again, that doesn’t mean regurgitating sacred-sounding words or acting as though God is ready to smite us if we say the wrong thing. But communication is key to every relationship we have, and that is just as true with God as it is with a spouse, friend, or family member. If we want to draw close to the Lord, then genuine prayer is essential. And it starts taking the time to hear his voice rather than just filling the space with your own.

How to hear God’s voice

Learning to listen when we pray is one of the most important aspects of communing with God. Unfortunately, it’s also the part of prayer that can feel most difficult. The truth is that few of us are comfortable with silence, and until you learn to recognize the Lord’s voice, that period of quiet can be difficult to endure without losing focus or seeking a distraction.

To further complicate matters, the way in which God chooses to speak tends to differ from person to person. For some, it may be an audible voice in your head. For others—and, I suspect, for most—it’s more of a presence or sense of peace when your thoughts begin to echo his.

If all that sounds strange, it’s alright. It makes sense that talking with God would be as unique as he is, but that fact doesn’t necessarily make it any easier. That’s our problem, though, not God’s. And Scripture is filled with examples of the Lord meeting people where they are.

He may show up through thoughts that seem as new to you as the people with whom you’re talking, a push in a particular direction when seeking his guidance, or a more overt manifestation of his presence in your life. No matter how it happens, the more time you spend in prayer and actively listening for the Lord’s voice to arrive in whatever way he chooses to speak, the easier it gets to recognize.

So, on this National Day of Prayer, be intentional about taking at least as much time to listen as you do to talk. Ask God to help you recognize his voice and to block out all others. Then continue to go through your day, open to his leading.

We serve an omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God who exists beyond the confines of space and time. And he wants to talk with you.

Will you say yes?

Quote of the day:

“To be used of God. Is there anything more encouraging, more fulfilling? Perhaps not, but there is something more basic: to meet with God. To linger in His presence, to shut out the noise of the city and, in quietness, give Him the praise He deserves. Before we engage ourselves in His work, let’s meet Him in His Word…in prayer…in worship.” —Chuck Swindoll

Our latest website resources:

• What Christians believe—and why it matters
• New study: Mifepristone far more dangerous than advertised
• A review of Michael Heiser’s “The Unseen Realm”
• Trump’s first hundred days and Judge Hannah Dugan’s arrest
• Deion Sanders’ advice to his son Shedeur after draft slide

The post How to hear God’s voice  appeared first on Denison Forum.

Celebrate the National Day of Prayer | IFA

Intercessor, today is the National Day of Prayer.

The National Day of Prayer was first established in 1952 and assigned to the first Thursday of May in 1988. For over 70 years, presidents have signed National Day of Prayer proclamations, calling people of faith together for a day dedicated to God.

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Every year, the National Day of Prayer Task Force gives each National Day of Prayer a theme and a prayer. This year’s theme is “pour out to the God of hope and be filled,” taken from Romans 15:13, Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

IFA has always cared deeply about the National Day of Prayer, and IFA President and CEO Dave Kubal serves on the board of directors for the National Day of Prayer Task Force, so we have provided several ways for you to honor this special day this year.

• We have released a new prayer guide titled Prayers of Protection Over President Trump & Administration Officials. As many continue obstruct, protect, and even threaten the President and his administration, we felt it was important for for intercessors to unite in praying for the physical protection of those in power. Click here to download this new prayer guide!
• We are close to officially launching David Kubal’s newest book, Impacting Generations: How Ordinary People Can Influence the Future of Nations. Click here to preorder your copy!
• Finally, just like last year, we will be in D.C. for a special edition of Pray with America’s Leaders. Join IFA CPO Kris Kubal live in DC for an exciting time of prayer in the nation’s capital. Click the picture below to pray live with us at 12 PM ET!

As we lift up our nation in prayer this year, let’s thank God for all He’s done. When we celebrated last year’s National Day of Prayer, we were in a much darker place as a nation, hot on the heels of then-President Biden honoring the “International Transgender Day of Visibility” on Resurrection Sunday. Since then, we watched in awe as God saved President Trump’s life in Pennsylvania, protected him from a second assassination attempt, and brought him back to the White House.

Since returning to the Oval Office, President Trump has not shied away from glorifying God. In a sharp contrast to his predecessor, he put out a strong gospel message at the beginning of Holy Week. He has also repeatedly credited God with saving his life. Most recently, the President marked the end of the first 100 days of his second term with worship and prayer in the White House.

This National Day of Prayer, we are thankful for leaders and a president who honor the Lord. We are also no longer the only nation praying, as Ukraine became the second nation in the world to institute a National Day of Prayer earlier this year.

Pray for the Lord’s plans and purposes for America to be fulfilled with us on this sacred day across our nation.

How are you praying for our nation today? Share your prayers with us in the comments!

(Photo Credit: blackrancho via Canva Teams)

Source: https://ifapray.org/blog/celebrate-the-national-day-of-prayer/

Calvin On Prayer — Jesus Is Our Mediator and Intercessor | The Riddleblog

As Calvin begins to wrap up his discussion of prayer, he points out that all proper Christian prayer depends upon the intercession of Jesus, who ensures that our prayers are heard by the Father. This is why we are to pray to the Father only in the name of Jesus.

17. Prayer in the Name of Jesus

Calvin reminds us that in light of Christ’s intercession for his people, we can pray without shame or fear.

Since no man is worthy to present himself to God and come into his sight, the Heavenly Father himself, to free us at once from shame and fear, which might well have thrown our hearts into despair, has given us his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, to be our advocate [1 John 2:1] and mediator with him [1 Tim. 2:5; cf. Heb. 8:6 and 9:15], by whose guidance we may confidently come to him, and with such an intercessor, trusting nothing we ask in his name will be denied us, as nothing can be denied to him by the Father. And to this must be referred all that we previously taught about faith. For just as the promise commends Christ the Mediator to us, so, unless the hope of obtaining our requests depends upon him, it cuts itself off from the benefit of prayer.

The knowledge of Christ’s mediation and intercession on our behalf also keeps away any unwillingness to pray due to any sense of our unworthiness. We are not worthy, but Christ is!

For as soon as God’s dread majesty comes to mind, we cannot but tremble and be driven far away by the recognition of our own unworthiness, until Christ comes forward as intermediary, to change the throne of dreadful glory into the throne of grace. As the apostle also teaches how we should dare with all confidence to appear, to receive mercy, and to find grace in timely help [Heb. 4:16]. And as a rule has been established to call upon God, and a promise given that those who call upon him shall be heard, so too we are particularly bidden to call upon him in Christ’s name; and we have the promise made that we shall obtain what we have asked in his name. “Hitherto,” he says, “you have asked nothing in my name; ask and you will receive.” [John 16:24] “In that day you will ask in my name” [John 16:26], and “whatever you ask … I will do it that the Father may be glorified in the Son” [John 14:13].

This is why must always call upon God in the name of Jesus and none other

Hence it is incontrovertibly clear that those who call upon God in another name than that of Christ obstinately flout his commands and count his will as nought—indeed, have no promise of obtaining anything. Indeed, as Paul says, “all God’s promises find their yea and amen in him” [2 Cor. 1:20]. That is, they are confirmed and fulfilled.

Calvin, Institutes 3.20.17

https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/the-riddleblog/calvin-on-prayer-reverance-and-moderation

Friday Prayer Guide

Adoration

How great You are, O Sovereign Lord! There is no one like You, and there is no God besides You, according to all that I have heard with my ears. (2 Samuel 7:22; 1 Chronicles 17:20)

O Lord, the God of our fathers, are You not the God who is in heaven? Are You not the ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Your hand, and no one is able to withstand You. (2 Chronicles 20:6)

For with You is the fountain of life;
In Your light we see light. (Psalm 36:9)

O come, let us sing to the Lord;
Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;
Let us shout for joy to Him with psalms.
The Lord is the great God,
The great King above all gods.
O come, let us worship and bow down,
Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
He is our God and we are the people of His pasture
And the sheep under His care. (Psalm 95:1–3, 6–7)

I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
May my meditation be pleasing to Him;
I will be glad in the Lord. (Psalm 104:33–34)

Pause to express your thoughts of praise and worship.

Confession

Out of the depths I have called to You, O Lord.
O Lord, hear my voice,
And let Your ears be attentive
To the voice of my supplications.
If You, Lord, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
But there is forgiveness with You,
That You may be feared. (Psalm 130:1–4)

You have been just in all that has happened to me; You have acted faithfully, while I did wrong. (Nehemiah 9:33)

I return to the Lord my God,
For I have stumbled because of my iniquity.
I take words with me and return to the Lord,
Saying, “Take away all iniquity and receive me graciously,
That I may offer the fruit of my lips.” (Hosea 14:1–2)

Ask the Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the Lord and thank Him for His forgiveness.

The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
Slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness.
God will not always strive with us,
Nor will He harbor His anger forever;
He does not treat us as our sins deserve
Or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
So great is His love for those who fear Him;
As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on His children,
So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.
You know how I am formed;
You remember that I am dust. (Psalm 103:8–14)

Renewal

Lord, renew me by Your Spirit as I offer these prayers to You:

Who is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master finds so doing when he comes. (Matthew 24:45–46)

May I watch and pray so that I will not fall into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. (Matthew 26:41)

May I abide in Christ, so that when He appears, I will have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. (1 John 2:28)

May I be ready, for the Son of Man will come at an hour when I do not expect Him. (Matthew 24:44; Luke 12:40)

Pause to add your own prayers for personal renewal.

Petition

Father, using Your word as a guide, I offer You my prayers concerning my need for wisdom.

May God grant me, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in my inner being, so that Christ may dwell in my heart through faith. And may I, being rooted and grounded in love, be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth of the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that I may be filled to all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:16–19)

If I have found grace in Your sight, teach me Your ways, so I may know You and continue to find favor with You. (Exodus 33:13)

Whatever I do, may I do all to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31)

May I not let Your word depart from my mouth, but meditate on it day and night, so that I may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then I will make my way prosperous, and I will act wisely. (Joshua 1:8)

May I meditate on Your precepts
And consider Your ways.
May I delight in Your statutes,
And not forget Your word.
Deal bountifully with Your servant,
That I may live and keep Your word.
Open my eyes that I may see
Wonderful things from Your law. (Psalm 119:15–18)

Let me be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger, for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. (James 1:19–20)

May I guard my heart with all diligence,
For out of it flow the issues of life.
May I put away perversity from my mouth
And keep corrupt talk far from my lips.
May I let my eyes look straight ahead,
And fix my gaze straight before me.
May I ponder the path of my feet
So that all my ways will be established.
May I not turn to the right or to the left
But keep my foot from evil. (Proverbs 4:23–27)

Let my light shine before men, that they may see my good deeds and praise my Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:13–16)

May I do all things without complaining or arguing, so that I may become blameless and pure, a child of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom I shine as a light in the world, holding fast the word of life. (Philippians 2:14–16)

May I clothe myself with humility toward others, for God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. May I humble myself under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt me in due time, casting all my anxiety upon Him, because He cares for me. (1 Peter 5:5–7)

Pause here to express any additional personal requests, especially concerning family and ministry:Family Ministry Sharing Christ with others Helping others grow in Him Career

My activities for this day
Special concerns

Intercession

Lord, I now prepare my heart for intercessory prayer for missions.

Finally, brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it is with you, and that we may be delivered from perverse and evil men, for not all have faith. (2 Thessalonians 3:1–2)

The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore, I will pray that the Lord of the harvest will send out workers into His harvest. (Matthew 9:37–38; Luke 10:2)

In the spirit of these passages, I pray for:Local missions National missions World missions The fulfillment of the Great Commission Special concerns

Affirmation

Feed my mind and heart, O Lord, as I affirm these truths from Your word concerning my hope as a follower of Christ:

I do not lose heart; even though my outward man is perishing, yet my inner man is being renewed day by day. For this light affliction which is momentary is working for me a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while I do not look at the things which are seen but at the things which are unseen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are unseen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16–18)

Peace You leave with me; Your peace You give to me. Not as the world gives, do You give to me. I will not let my heart be troubled nor let it be fearful. (John 14:27)

Those who wait for the Lord
Will renew their strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles;
They will run and not grow weary;
They will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40:31)

I am always of good courage and know that as long as I am at home in the body, I am away from the Lord. For I live by faith, not by sight. I am of good courage and would prefer to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:6–8)

Since I am a child of God, I am an heir of God and a joint heir with Christ, if indeed I share in His sufferings in order that I may also share in His glory. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed to me. (Romans 8:17–18)

Pause to reflect upon these biblical affirmations.

Thanksgiving

For who You are and for what You have done, accept my thanks, O Lord:

I will praise You, O Lord, with all my heart;
I will tell of all Your wonders.
I will be glad and rejoice in You;
I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High. (Psalm 9:1–2)

We give thanks to You, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign. (Revelation 11:17)

I will sing of Your strength,
Yes, I will sing of Your mercy in the morning,
For You have been my stronghold,
My refuge in times of trouble.
To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises,
For God is my fortress, my loving God. (Psalm 59:16–17)

Pause to offer your own expressions of thanksgiving.

Closing Prayer

Teach me to number my days,
That I may gain a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:12)

Better is one day in Your courts than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
Than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
The Lord will give grace and glory;
No good thing does He withhold
From those who walk in integrity.
O Lord of hosts,
Blessed is the man who trusts in You! (Psalm 84:10–12)

To the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. (1 Timothy 1:17)

Boa, K. (1993). Handbook to prayer: praying scripture back to God. Atlanta: Trinity House.

4 Prayers to Begin the Morning and 4 Prayers to End the Day | Christianity.com

Start and end each day with simple prayers to center your heart on God.

I don’t know about you, but one of the things that captures my heart about the TV series The Chosen is the simple morning and evening prayers Jesus and his disciples offer consistently.

In the morning, they say something along the lines of, “Thank you, living and enduring King, for you have mercifully restored my soul within me. Great is your faithfulness.” And when they prepare for sleep, they offer something like, “Blessed are you, Lord our God and King of the Universe, who brings sleep to my eyes and slumber to my eyelids. May it be your will, O Lord and God of my ancestors, that I lie down in peace and arise in peace.”

Both are traditional Jewish prayers—a variation of the Modeh Ani in the morning and the Shema in the evening—and remind me a bit of the simple prayer I was taught to pray as a little girl: “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep, may angels watch me in the night, and keep me in thy blessed sight. Amen.”

The beautiful thing about authentic Christianity is there is no single perfectly correct way to pray. We know the Lord urges us to “rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV), and prayer can look different for everyone. 

Still, some mornings and nights are harder than others. Perhaps we are grieving, depressed, or exhausted, and praying feels incredibly hard. Or perhaps we crave a little guidance on what to say as we discover our own unique manner of authentic prayer.

If that’s what you’re seeking, I offer a collection of four morning and four evening prayers to help you on your personal journey.

1. A Morning Prayer of Gratitude

Heavenly Father,
Thank you for this new day. I don’t know what today will bring, but right now, I pause to focus on you and your perfect majesty. You alone are the Lord, creator of the universe, and King of all creation. You are El Shaddai, God Almighty, the Alpha and the Omega who reigns supreme over all things. Thank you for restoring life within my body, the body you handcrafted in my mother’s womb. Thank you for the breath in my lungs and the simple blessings you give me—my muscles and my tendons, my senses, and my soul. Most importantly, thank you for the opportunity for salvation. You didn’t have to rescue me from eternal darkness, yet you loved me so much that you sent your one and only son to pay the price of my sin, giving me a pathway to eternal life in heaven with you.  

Help me right now to bask in the silence of this new day, a day of your creation and perfect artistry. Help me to be grateful for the blessings you give me and all the ways you provide for me. I love you with all my heart and all my mind and all my soul, now and forevermore.
Amen.

2. A Morning Prayer for Protection

Almighty God,
I come before you today with my head bowed, and my hands outstretched, offering every ounce of myself to you completely. I know I live in a fallen world where the evil one likes to tempt and trap your precious children and lead us astray. Yet I pledge to keep my focus on you, the lighthouse in the storm and the lantern shining in the darkest night. You alone are my rock and my salvation, my protector and my guide. You keep my feet on your path and my hands steady, and you alone save me from the wiles of deception. 

Protect me, O Lord, and wrap me in the comforting and saving cloak of your protection. Encircle me with your arms, like a mother hen gathers her chicks close, and help me know that even when I can’t feel you, see you, or sense you, I can trust that you are there protecting me and providing for me. 

Surround me with your love and strength, which I know is an impenetrable armor against the evil one. Help me trust that I have the perfect armor of God shielding me from all harm—the shield of faith, the sword of the Spirit, the helmet of salvation, and the belt of truth.

In your holy and precious name, I pray,
Amen.

3. A Morning Prayer for Strength

Father God,
I’m so weary. Yet I know that as the apostle Paul says, I can do all things through you, for you give me strength. You alone know the path before me today, and I commit myself and the entirety of my being to you and to your purpose. Because of that, I know I don’t have to fear anything, for you are with me. You surround me and lift me up with your perfect might, giving me the supernatural ability to do your work through a power not my own. 

Lord, please push my flawed human nature aside and help me get out of your way. Use me as your instrument to do your work in the world today, no matter how difficult this might be. Give me strength and power and conviction to remain persistent in the face of adversity, no matter what challenges or obstacles come my way. 

Help instill a spirit of courage within me to do all you desire. In fact, let your desires become my own, pushing aside my own concerns and priorities for yours alone.  

Help me remember that you are El Elyon, the Most High God. You are the master and supreme ruler over all creation, and all creation bows to you. 

Blessed are you, my Father God.

4. A Morning Prayer for Peace and Serenity

Precious Lord,
You know the stresses and anxieties and worries of my heart. You know how distracted I can get and how my fears cause me to stumble and doubt. 

Yet, no matter what, you reign supreme. You alone control all things. You put breath in my lungs and blood in my veins. You knitted me together in your perfect will, and you know the desires of my heart and the nightmares that plague me.  

Sometimes, I get so fearful about the changes going on around me. Wars and rumors of wars escalate. Natural disasters wreak havoc on my brothers and sisters near and far. 

Yet, no matter what, I know that you remain in control. You are God of the mountains and the valleys, the highs and the lows. You are there in the joys and the despair, now and forever. 

Help me focus on the peace and serenity of you and your kingdom, pushing aside the worries of today. Fortify me as I remember the tranquility you promise, a tranquility that transcends the chaos of this earthly existence. You are El Olam, the Everlasting God, and Jehovah Shalom, and the Lord is Peace. In you, I can set down my burdens, surrendering all I am forevermore.
Amen.

1. An Evening Prayer for Surrender and True Rest

Holy Lord,
What a day this has been. Yet now I find myself here with you, ready to offer my body and mind to you completely in perfect surrender. Yes, I surrender all I am to you, Lord. You, who created me and who knows every intimate aspect of my heart and soul, I implore you to hold me close. I give all I am over to you entirely, holding nothing back. 

You are Jehovah Rapha, the Lord that Heals, and I ask you, please, to heal my body and my mind while I sleep. Give me true and perfect rest as I bow to you in humble submission. Cleanse me of all unrighteousness, and refresh my soul for your perfect purpose.  

I know that tomorrow is a beautiful new day, with joy and hope I cannot even begin to imagine. So, as I give myself over to you, release the old and usher in the new. Guard me as I rest and renew my strength within me. 

I know that you alone provide perfect and restorative rest, the kind of rest no human can achieve on their own. As the psalmist says in Psalm 4:8, “In peace, I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.”

Blessed are you, Lord of Lords and King of Kings, now and forever.
Amen.

2. An Evening Prayer for Joy

Oh, Heavenly Father,
Thank you for today. I am grateful for all the simple blessings you provide, from the air I breathe to the thoughts in my mind to the people who surround me on this beautiful planet you created.

Thank you for all the experiences, challenges, and happenings of this day, a day that you created. Help me to cling to the joy of you and your promises, a joy that transcends mere feeling. I know that biblical joy goes beyond happiness to cultivate an abiding sense of hopeful well-being and bliss, the kind that only comes from knowing and trusting in you, Father God. 

As I sleep, fill me with dreams that echo that joy, sending peace, kindness, goodness and gentleness into every inch of my being. Help me to awaken filled with the power and promise of that joy, becoming a beacon of light that draws everyone I encounter close to you. 

Fill me with the deep soul knowledge that the psalmist expressed in Psalm 16:11: “You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”

Thank you, Father God—my rock and my redeemer, my savior and my protector—for the joy that comes from belonging to you, now and always.
Amen.

3. An Evening Prayer for Forgiveness

Dear God,
You know the desires of my heart and the stains of my soul. You know the ways I do right by you and the ways I go astray. Forgive me, Lord, for the things I have done today, as well as for the things I have left undone. Forgive my harsh words, my lack of patience, and the ways I have not loved others as I have loved myself. Forgive all my transgressions and for looking past those you wanted me to help. 

I know on my own I can never be good enough for you. But what I can do is try—try to love you and love others, try to follow Jesus and heed your commands, try to set my mind and my heart and my soul on doing right by you, whatever that looks like. 

You alone are God, gracious, righteous, and merciful. You are Jehovah Tsidkenu, the Lord our Righteousness—only good, only just, only love. As 1 John 1:5 proclaims, you are all light—in you, there is no darkness at all.

Wash me clean and create a new heart in me, oh Lord my God, King of the Universe. Forgive me and usher me back to you every moment of every day, now and forever.
Amen.

4. An Evening Prayer for Comfort

Father God,
I know that you are my protector and my guide, my light in the darkness. You are Jehovah-Raah, the Lord my Shepherd, and you look after me and claim me as your own. 

Your son, Jesus, told his followers that he is the good shepherd, laying down his life for his sheep. He said that he knows his sheep, and his sheep know him (John 10:11-18). What a comfort, oh Lord, that you love me enough to claim me as your own. 

As I give myself over to sleep, grant me deep soul comfort to truly know and understand that I belong to you. You will leave the 99 to chase after me (Matthew 18:10-14), pursuing me to the ends of the earth.  

I have nothing to fear in you, Lord. So help me, please, to fully set aside all my concerns and take perfect comfort in the truth of your love and your protection. Grant me true solace in the knowledge of your vast and magnificent love that has no boundaries or earthly limits. Enable me to trust that you hold all things in your hands—this world, my life, all creation—and nothing has power over you. 

In your perfect and blessed name, I pray,
Amen.

I hope these morning and evening prayers give you a starting point to begin your own prayers, bookending each day with praise and thanksgiving as you omit every moment of your life to the Lord.

Jessica Brodie is an award-winning Christian novelist, journalist, editor, blogger, and writing coach. She is also the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism. Her first novel, The Memory Garden, releases this spring. Learn more about Jessica’s writing and ministry and read her faith blog at http://jessicabrodie.com. She has a weekly YouTube devotional and podcast. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and more. She’s also produced a free eBook, A God-Centered Life: 10 Faith-Based Practices When You’re Feeling Anxious, Grumpy, or Stressed.

Read more: https://www.christianity.com/wiki/slideshows/short-prayers-to-begin-and-end-the-day.html

Wednesday Prayer Guide

Adoration

I have tasted and seen that the Lord is good;
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
O fear the Lord, you His saints,
For those who fear Him lack nothing. (Psalm 34:8–9)

I thank You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Your works are wonderful,
And my soul knows it full well. (Psalm 139:14)

All Your works will praise you, O Lord,
And Your saints will bless You.
They will speak of the glory of Your kingdom
And talk of Your power,
So that all men may know of Your mighty acts
And the glorious majesty of Your kingdom.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
And Your dominion endures through all generations. (Psalm 145:10–13)

Blessed are You, O Lord, God of Israel, our father, forever and ever. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for everything in heaven and earth is Yours. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom, and You are exalted as head over all. Both riches and honor come from You, and You are the ruler of all things. In Your hand is power and might to exalt and to give strength to all. Therefore, my God, I give You thanks and praise Your glorious name. (1 Chronicles 29:10–13)

Pause to express your thoughts of praise and worship.

Confession

God is wise in heart and mighty in strength.
Who has resisted Him without harm? (Job 9:4)

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity
And in whose spirit is no deceit.
When I kept silent, my bones wasted away
Through my groaning all day long.
For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;
My strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.
I acknowledged my sin to You
And did not hide my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
And You forgave the guilt of my sin. (Psalm 32:1–5)

Come, let us return to the Lord.
For He has torn us, but He will heal us;
He has injured us but He will bind up our wounds.
After two days He will revive us;
On the third day He will raise us up,
That we may live before Him. (Hosea 6:1–2)

Ask the Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the Lord and thank Him for His forgiveness.

I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake,
And I will not remember your sins. (Isaiah 43:25)

This is what the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, says:
“In repentance and rest is your salvation;
In quietness and trust is your strength.” (Isaiah 30:15)

Renewal

Lord, renew me by Your Spirit as I offer these prayers to You:

May I not profane Your holy name, but acknowledge You as holy before others. You are the Lord, who sanctifies me. (Leviticus 22:32)

May I be a person of faith, who does not doubt the promises of God, and not a double-minded man, who is unstable in all his ways. (James 1:6, 8)

May I abound in love and faith toward the Lord Jesus and to all the saints. (Philemon 5)

May I be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 2:1)

Pause to add your own prayers for personal renewal.

Petition

Father, using Your word as a guide, I offer You my prayers concerning my love for others.

Concerning love, You have said:
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. (Matthew 22:37–40)

Whatever I want others to do to me, may I also do to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:12)

Love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy; love does not boast, it is not arrogant, it does not behave rudely; it does not seek its own, it is not provoked, it keeps no record of wrongs; it does not rejoice in unrighteousness but rejoices with the truth; it bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13:4–8)

May I love my enemies and pray for those who persecute me. (Matthew 5:44)

May I be an imitator of God as a beloved child, and walk in love, just as Christ loved me and gave Himself up for me as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 5:1–2)

May I sanctify Christ as Lord in my heart, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks me to give the reason for the hope that is in me, but with gentleness and respect. (1 Peter 3:15)

I should walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of every opportunity. My speech should always be with grace, seasoned with salt, so that I may know how to answer each person. (Colossians 4:5–6)

Is this not the fast You have chosen:
To loose the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the cords of the yoke,
And to let the oppressed go free
And break every yoke?
Is it not to share our food with the hungry
And to provide the poor wanderer with shelter;
When we see the naked, to clothe him,
And not to turn away from our own flesh?
Then our light will break forth like the dawn,
And our healing will quickly appear,
And our righteousness will go before us;
The glory of the Lord will be our rear guard.
Then we will call, and the Lord will answer;
We will cry, and He will say, “Here I am.” (Isaiah 58:6–9)

May I not let any corrupt word come out of my mouth, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may impart grace to those who hear. May I not grieve the Holy Spirit of God by whom I was sealed for the day of redemption. May I put away all bitterness and anger and wrath and shouting and slander, along with all malice. And may I be kind and compassionate to others, forgiving them just as God in Christ also forgave me. (Ephesians 4:29–32)

May I do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility may I esteem others as more important than myself. Let me look not only to my own interests, but also to the interests of others. (Philippians 2:3–4)

May I be of one mind with others and be sympathetic: loving them as brothers and sisters, being compassionate and humble. May I not return evil for evil or insult for insult, but blessing instead, because to this I was called, that I may inherit a blessing. (1 Peter 3:8–9)

Pause here to express any additional personal requests, especially concerning relationships with others:Greater love and compassion for others Loved ones Those who do not know Christ Those in need

My activities for this day
Special concerns

Intercession

Lord, I now prepare my heart for intercessory prayer for evangelism.

May I devote myself to prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. I pray that God may open to me a door for the word, so that I may speak the mystery of Christ and proclaim it clearly, as I ought to speak. (Colossians 4:2–4)

I pray that words may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel. (Ephesians 6:19)

In the spirit of these passages, I pray for those who do not know Christ:Friends Relatives Neighbors Coworkers Special opportunities

Affirmation

Feed my mind and heart, O Lord, as I affirm these truths from Your word concerning my life in Christ:

You have shown me what is good;
And what does the Lord require of me
But to act justly and to love mercy
And to walk humbly with my God? (Micah 6:8)

Though I walk in the flesh, I do not war according to the flesh. The weapons of my warfare are not fleshly, but divinely powerful to overthrow strongholds, casting down arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:3–5)

May I not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but of the world. And the world and its lusts are passing away, but the one who does the will of God abides forever. (1 John 2:15–17)

I will not lay up for myself treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But I will lay up for myself treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where my treasure is, there my heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19–21; Luke 12:34)

I make it my ambition to please the Lord, whether I am at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. (2 Corinthians 5:9–10)

Pause to reflect upon these biblical affirmations.

Thanksgiving

For who You are and for what You have done, accept my thanks, O Lord:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is incorruptible and undefiled and unfading, reserved in heaven for us who through faith are guarded by the power of God for salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:3–5)

Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is nothing on earth I desire besides You.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. (Psalm 73:25–26)

Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why are you disturbed within me?
Hope in God, for I will yet praise Him,
The help of my countenance and my God. (Psalm 42:11)

I call this to mind,
And therefore I have hope:
The Lord’s mercies never cease,
For His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:21–23)

Pause to offer your own expressions of thanksgiving.

Closing Prayer

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be pleasing in Your sight,
O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)

God is able to do immeasurably more than all that we ask or think, according to His power that is at work within us. To Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever. (Ephesians 3:20–21)

Boa, K. (1993). Handbook to prayer: praying scripture back to God. Atlanta: Trinity House.

Tuesday Prayer Guide

Adoration

I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise will always be in my mouth.
My soul will make its boast in the Lord;
The humble will hear and be glad.
O magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt His name together. (Psalm 34:1–3)

Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous;
Praise is becoming to the upright. (Psalm 33:1)

As for me, I will always have hope,
And I will praise You more and more.
My mouth will tell of Your righteousness
And of Your salvation all day long,
Though I know not its measure.
I will come in the strength of the Lord God;
I will proclaim Your righteousness, Yours alone.
Since my youth, O God, You have taught me,
And to this day I declare Your wondrous deeds. (Psalm 71:14–17)

Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
Come before Him with joyful singing.
The Lord, He is God.
It is He who made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
I will enter Your gates with thanksgiving
And Your courts with praise;
I will give thanks to You and bless Your name.
For the Lord is good
And Your lovingkindness endures forever;
Your faithfulness continues through all generations. (Psalm 100:1–5)

Pause to express your thoughts of praise and worship.

Confession

Have mercy on me, O God,
According to Your loyal love;
According to the greatness of Your compassion
Blot out my transgressions.
Wash me completely from my iniquity
And cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions,
And my sin is ever before me.
Against You, You only, have I sinned
And done what is evil in Your sight,
So that You are justified when You speak
And blameless when You judge. (Psalm 51:1–4)

Who can discern his errors?
Cleanse me from hidden faults.
Keep Your servant also from presumptuous sins;
Let them not rule over me.
Then will I be blameless,
And innocent of great transgression. (Psalm 19:12–13)

Ask the Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the Lord and thank Him for His forgiveness.

Purge me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Cause me to hear joy and gladness,
That the bones You have crushed may rejoice.
Hide Your face from my sins
And blot out all my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from Your presence
Or take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation
And uphold me with a willing spirit.
Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners will be converted to You. (Psalm 51:7–13)

Renewal

Lord, renew me by Your Spirit as I offer these prayers to You:

May I return to my God,
Maintain mercy and justice,
And wait on my God continually. (Hosea 12:6)

May I rejoice in my tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into my heart through the Holy Spirit who was given to me. (Romans 5:3–5)

May I rejoice in hope, persevere in affliction, and continue steadfastly in prayer. (Romans 12:12)

May I not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time I will reap a harvest if I do not give up. (Galatians 6:9)

Pause to add your own prayers for personal renewal.

Petition

Father, using Your word as a guide, I offer You my prayers concerning growth in holiness.

If I abide in You, and Your words abide in me, I can ask whatever I wish, and it will be done for me. By this is Your Father glorified, that I bear much fruit, showing myself to be Your disciple. As the Father has loved You, You also have loved me. May I abide in Your love. If I keep Your commandments, I will abide in Your love, just as You kept Your Father’s commandments and abide in His love. You have told me this so that Your joy may be in me and that my joy may be full. (John 15:7–11)

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me and know my anxious thoughts,
And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:23–24)

O Lord, set a guard over my mouth;
Keep watch over the door of my lips.
Do not let my heart turn aside to any evil thing. (Psalm 141:3–4a)

Direct my footsteps according to Your word, And let no iniquity have dominion over me. (Psalm 119:133)

May I be diligent to add to my faith, virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are mine in increasing measure, they will keep me from being barren and unfruitful in the full knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:5–8)

I will not let sin reign in my mortal body that I should obey its lusts. Nor will I present the members of my body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but I will present myself to God as one who is alive from the dead and my members as instruments of righteousness to God. (Romans 6:12–13)

As an alien and a stranger in the world, may I abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against my soul. (1 Peter 2:11)

The works of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envyings, drunkenness, revelries, and the like. Those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:19–23)

May I put away all filthiness and the overflow of wickedness, and in meekness accept the word planted in me, which is able to save my soul. May I be a doer of the word and not merely a hearer who deceives himself. (James 1:21–22)

As I walk in the Spirit, I will not fulfill the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh; for they oppose each other, so that I may not do the things that I wish. But if I am led by the Spirit, I am not under the law. (Galatians 5:16–18)

Pause here to express any additional personal requests, especially concerning spiritual insight:Understanding and insight into the word Understanding my identity in Christ Who I am Where I came from Where I am going Understanding God’s purpose for my life

My activities for this day
Special concerns

Intercession

Lord, I now prepare my heart for intercessory prayer for believers.

May your love abound more and more in full knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ—having been filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1:9–11)

Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in good health, even as your soul prospers. (3 John 2)

In the spirit of these passages, I pray for:Personal friends Those in ministry Those who are oppressed and in need Special concerns

Affirmation

Feed my mind and heart, O Lord, as I affirm these truths from Your word concerning my identity in Christ:

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, they have become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

If I died with Christ, I believe that I will also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, cannot die again; death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. In the same way, may I consider myself to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:8–11)

I did not receive a spirit of slavery again to fear, but I received the Spirit of adoption by whom I cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself testifies with my spirit that I am a child of God. (Romans 8:15–16)

My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in me, whom I have from God, and I am not my own. For I was bought at a price; therefore may I glorify God in my body. (1 Corinthians 6:19–20)

Pause to reflect upon these biblical affirmations.

Thanksgiving

For who You are and for what You have done, accept my thanks, O Lord:

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
Will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
My God, in whom I trust.” (Psalm 91:1–2)

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1)

Lord, thank You that You have made these promises:
For those who revere Your name, the Sun of righteousness will rise with healing in His wings. And they will go out and leap like calves released from the stall. (Malachi 4:2)

Because I love You, You will deliver me;
You will protect me, for I acknowledge Your name.
I will call upon You, and You will answer me;
You will be with me in trouble,
You will deliver me and honor me.
With long life You will satisfy me
And show me Your salvation. (Psalm 91:14–16)

Pause to offer your own expressions of thanksgiving.

Closing Prayer

Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (Psalm 23:6)

Every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea and all that is in them, will sing:
“To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
Be blessing and honor and glory and power
For ever and ever!” (Revelation 5:13)

May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip us in every good thing to do His will, working in us what is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. (Hebrews 13:20–21)

Boa, K. (1993). Handbook to prayer: praying scripture back to God. Atlanta: Trinity House.

Prayer for Wicked and Evil Politicians | IFA

The following is an excerpt from our daily devotional series Intercessors Win.

As intercessors, it is our duty and privilege to pray the will of God. However, praying the will of God doesn’t always mean we pray for people to be blessed.

Get involved in state-level prayer with IFA.

Of course, we always pray first and foremost that people will be saved. However, according to Scripture, there are some who have given themselves over to a degenerate mind and no longer listen to their conscience. These people have no hope of salvation, for they have rejected God for the final time.

I’ve written before about how to pray when people have become the enemies of God. Today, however, I want to invite you simply to pray with me about the wicked, evil politicians in America.

As we pray the prayer below together, please note that I am not calling any specific person wicked or evil. We should judge the fruit of every person’s behavior, just as Jesus mentioned pertaining to false prophets in Matthew 7:15-20:

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.”

The fruit of every person’s behavior must be compared to the Word of God, the Bible, according to Isaiah 8:20:

“To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:20).

And many other Scriptures list the works of the flesh and of evil. Therefore, even though I am not applying the prayer below to any particular person in this article, we should always discern evil behavior based on these criteria of Scripture—and should stand for righteousness, no matter how the world tries to lead us or how much the world likes a particular person or organization.

That said, would you pray with me today for the wicked and evil politicians in America at every level?

Pray this:

“Dear Heavenly Father, we come to You in Jesus’ name.

Father God, Your Word says to enter into Your gates with thanksgiving, and into Your courts with praise. Therefore, Father, we thank You that You alone sit above the circle of the earth as the Judge and Redeemer of mankind and of nations. You alone are great and fair and wise and just, and You hear every righteous prayer. We praise You for that, Father God. We praise You for who You are, and we thank You that You can be depended upon.

Father, we lift our voices and cry to You right now for Your help and justice in America.

We ask You, Father, first and foremost, that if there are any unrighteous politicians in America who can still be saved—from the local town level to the highest levels of government—we ask You to save them:

• Wake up their consciences to see the horrors of every sin they are involved in or perpetuating.
• Convict them of sin, righteousness, and judgment.
• Show them Jesus so clearly that they cannot deny He exists.
• Let them have a holy terror when they see Jesus. Reinforce to them that judgment is coming if they are not clothed in the white robes of righteousness, washed and forgiven by Your grace through the blood of Jesus Christ.
• Let them experience a holy horror at what they have done and are doing.
• Grant them a deep, heart-felt, gut-level, transformational REPENTANCE, and turn them around to go after the righteousness of Christ.
• Help them bend the knee to Jesus, making Him the Lord and Savior of their lives!
• Help them then to make right everything they have done that was wrong; help them to mend, restore, and rectify every evil they have perpetuated against the American people at any level!

But Father God, for those wicked and evil politicians who have given themselves over to a degenerate mind—those who have rejected You for the last time, who have no conscience left and for whom there is no hope of salvation—for these, Father, we ask:

1. Expose them:

• Reveal their evil works of darkness to the world.
• Let Your light shine in the darkest places, and do not allow them to hide what they have done any more.
• Let truth-telling witnesses and truth-telling whistleblowers come forward, and let them tell their stories at the right places, to the right people, at the right time.
• Let people listen to these truth-tellers according to Your will.
• Let every media outlet share and reveal these stories of evil according to Your will.
• Let there be no more coverups any more, Father! Expose the unfruitful works of darkness, and let the American people be incensed!
• Let these wicked and evil politicians become disgusted with their sin, and cause every one of their colleagues to be revolted by their sin as well.
• Let every person surrounding these wicked and evil politicians decide to keep no company with evil and divisive men; let the wicked person be found alone and without any help that would perpetuate his or her wickedness.

2. Hinder them:

• Let their evil plans come to nothing.
• Hinder and prevent them from carrying out any more evil. Bind their hands from doing any evil.
• Remove their resources; transfer those resources into the hands of the righteous.
• Let confusion and chaos enter the camp of the enemy, but let righteous order and victory be found in the camp of the Lord.
• Let the wicked turn upon themselves, as they did so many times in Scripture when YOU intervened on the day of battle.

3. Bring them to justice:

• As the great Judge of the earth, Father, we ask You to force the correct law enforcement departments to get involved in each situation and case, according to Your will.
• Let reliable, solid evidence come forth and be preserved.
• Let all truthful, reliable, solid evidence be considered admissible to court—but let zero evidence be admitted to any court anywhere that is doctored, false, or fabricated in any way.
• Cause these cases to be assigned to righteous judges, and protect those judges and their families.
• Cause these cases to be prosecuted and brought to court by righteous attorneys, and protect those attorneys, their families, and their businesses.
• Give the witnesses a holy boldness to appear in court and speak truth with credibility. Protect these witnesses and their families.
• Make the wickedness and evil which have been perpetuated upon the American people so odious in the sight of law enforcement that they prosecute these cases to the fullest extent of the law.
• Eliminate the two-tiered justice system, Father, and ensure that the wicked and evil politicians are prosecuted and brought to justice no matter who they are, who their friends are, who has paid them money, or to whom THEY have paid money.
• Let the juries, councils, commissions, and committees see, hear, discern, and recognize TRUTH. Let them refuse to rest until the wicked ones are brought to justice, and give them no peace until they see righteousness and justice served.
• Convict each perpetrator, Father God, and cause them to be sentenced according to Your will.
• Force them to take their punishment and prevent them from escaping from it.
• Remove them from political office in every capacity, and let a righteous person who will uphold Your values and Your Word take their place in every instance. Position and prepare those righteous people to assume office now, so they will be ready when the time comes.

Father, Psalm 109:8 says, “Let his days be few, and let another take his office.” While we do NOT pray for the death of any person, we do ask that every wicked politician’s DAYS IN OFFICE would be few, and that a righteous person would take their office.

Father, You have ways to bring the wicked to justice—and we ask You to do it. We ask that, starting right now, the countdowns would begin and the clocks would begin to tick if they haven’t already—and that left and right, wicked politicians would be exposed and removed:

• From city councils, school boards, and every other office at the local level;
• From election commissions and everything associated with them;
• From mayor’s offices;
• From state legislatures;
• From governor’s offices;
• From every level of the federal government.

Thank You, Father. We depend on You to give us righteous leaders and righteous government. Let us rise up and vote Your will, but we depend on You to do the rest which we cannot. Help us, Father.

Thank You, Abba Father. Thank You, Lord Jesus; and thank You, precious Holy Spirit. We love You, and we give You all the praise. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen and amen.”

Beloved, we must always obey the Word of God to pray first for our leaders:

“Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior” (1 Timothy 2:1-3).

… But that doesn’t mean we ever pray for them to get a free pass to do whatever they want to do. As Christians, we MUST stand for righteousness and justice, which are the foundations of God’s throne. These are bold prayers, but they are Biblical and therefore in line with God’s will. As we pray, our God who sits on the throne of the universe WILL hear and answer … so take heart! As 1 John 5:4-5 says:

“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”

Did you like this article? If so, share it!

Jamie Rohrbaugh is the founder and CEO of From His Presence, a global discipleship ministry. She has written over 40 books, including The Way Forward: 10 Prayers for Your Journey Into the Promised Land, All Things New, Finding Deep Soul Healing 101, and Healing from Father Wounds. She seeks to equip you to carry God’s manifest glory everywhere you go. Her resources have been published by YouVersion Bible Plans, The Elijah List, Crosswalk, and various other ministry outlets. You can find free mentoring and encouragement on her website or YouTube channel. Download her free prayer tool, 25 Prayers That Will Build Your Life, here. Photo Credit: Pedro Lima on Unsplash.

Source: https://ifapray.org/blog/prayer-for-wicked-and-evil-politicians-2/

Sunday Prayer Guide

Adoration

Not to us, O Lord, not to us,
But to Your name give glory,
Because of Your lovingkindness and truth. (Psalm 115:1)

It is good to give thanks to the Lord
And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High,
To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning
And Your faithfulness at night. (Psalm 92:1–2)

Great and marvelous are Your works,
Lord God Almighty!
Righteous and true are Your ways,
King of the nations!
Who will not fear You, O Lord,
And glorify Your name?
For You alone are holy.
All nations will come and worship before You,
For Your righteous acts have been revealed. (Revelation 15:3–4)

O sing to the Lord a new song;
Sing to the Lord, all the earth.
Sing to the Lord, bless His name;
Proclaim the good news of His salvation day after day.
Declare His glory among the nations,
His marvelous works among all people.
Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
He is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the nations are idols,
But the Lord made the heavens.
Splendor and majesty are before Him;
Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary. (Psalm 96:1–6)

Pause to express your thoughts of praise and worship.

Confession

This is the one You esteem:
He who is humble and contrite of spirit,
And who trembles at Your word. (Isaiah 66:2b)

Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
As in obeying the voice of the Lord?
To obey is better than sacrifice,
And to heed is better than the fat of rams. (1 Samuel 15:22)

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
A broken and contrite heart,
O God, You will not despise. (Psalm 51:17)

If I confess my sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive me my sins and purify me from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

The Lord does not see as man sees. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7)

Ask the Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the Lord and thank Him for His forgiveness.

Thank You that You have said:
Come now, let us reason together.
Though your sins are like scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red as crimson,
They shall be like wool. (Isaiah 1:18)

Renewal

Lord, renew me by Your Spirit as I offer these prayers to You:

By Your grace, I want to hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.” (Matthew 25:21)

May I be careful to lead a blameless life.
May I walk in the integrity of my heart in the midst of my house.
May I set no wicked thing before my eyes.
I hate the work of those who fall away;
May it not cling to me. (Psalm 101:2–3)

With regard to my former way of life, may I put off my old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires, and be renewed in the spirit of my mind; and may I put on the new self, which was created according to God in righteousness and true holiness. (Ephesians 4:22–24)

May I consecrate myself and be holy, because You are the Lord my God. May I keep Your statutes and practice them, for You are the Lord who sanctifies me. (Leviticus 20:7–8)

Pause to add your own prayers for personal renewal.

Petition

Father, using Your word as a guide, I offer You my prayers concerning dedication to You.

Since I have been raised with Christ, I should seek the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. May I set my mind on the things above, not on the things on the earth, for I died, and my life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is my life appears, then I also will appear with Him in glory. (Colossians 3:1–4)

In view of God’s mercy, may I present my body as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, which is my reasonable service. May I not be conformed to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of my mind, that I may prove that the will of God is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:1–2)

May I cast down arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of You, and take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5)

He who does not take his cross and follow after You is not worthy of You. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for Your sake will find it. (Matthew 10:38–39) May I take my cross and lose my life for Your sake.

May I trust in the Lord and do good; may I dwell in the land and feed on Your faithfulness. When I delight myself in the Lord, You will give me the desires of my heart. I will commit my way to the Lord and trust in You, and You will bring it to pass. You will bring forth my righteousness like the light, and my justice like the noonday. (Psalm 37:3–6)

Come, my children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
Who is the man who desires life
And loves many days that he may see good?
Keep your tongue from evil
And your lips from speaking guile.
Depart from evil and do good;
Seek peace and pursue it.
The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
And His ears are attentive to their cry. (Psalm 34:11–15)
May I learn the fear of the Lord.

Show me Your ways, O Lord,
Teach me Your paths;
Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
For You are the God of my salvation,
And my hope is in You all day long.
Remember, O Lord, Your compassions and Your mercies,
For they are from of old. (Psalm 25:4–6)

O Lord my God, may I fear You, walk in all Your ways, love You, and serve You with all my heart and with all my soul. (Deuteronomy 10:12)

Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come;
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give me today my daily bread,
And forgive me my debts as I also have forgiven my debtors.
And lead me not into temptation,
But deliver me from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. (Matthew 6:9–13)

Pause here to express any additional personal requests, especially concerning growth in Christ:Greater desire to know and please Him Greater love and commitment to Him Grace to practice His presence Grace to glorify Him in my life

My activities for this day
Special concerns

Intercession

Lord, I now prepare my heart for intercessory prayer for churches and ministries.

May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and has given us eternal consolation and good hope by grace, comfort our hearts and strengthen us in every good work and word. (2 Thessalonians 2:16–17)

We should bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2)

Confess your sins to one other and pray for one other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man accomplishes much. (James 5:16)

In the spirit of these passages, I pray for:My local church Other churches Evangelism and discipleship ministries Educational ministries Special concerns

Affirmation

Feed my mind and heart, O Lord, as I affirm these truths from Your word concerning salvation:

You are the resurrection and the life. He who believes in You will live, even though he dies, and whoever lives and believes in You will never die. (John 11:25–26)

I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate me from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus my Lord. (Romans 8:38–39)

By grace I have been saved through faith, and this not of myself; it is the gift of God, not of works, so that no one can boast. For I am God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand for me to do. (Ephesians 2:8–10)

Your sheep hear Your voice, and You know them, and they follow You. You give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of Your hand. The Father, who has given them to You, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of the Father’s hand. You and the Father are one. (John 10:27–30)

The Father has qualified me to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. For He has rescued me from the dominion of darkness and brought me into the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom I have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:12–14)

Pause to reflect upon these biblical affirmations.

Thanksgiving

For who You are and for what You have done, accept my thanks, O Lord:

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord;
My soul will be joyful in my God.
For He has clothed me with garments of salvation
And arrayed me in a robe of righteousness,
As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments,
And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. (Isaiah 61:10)

My soul silently waits for God alone;
My salvation comes from Him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation;
He is my stronghold; I will never be shaken. (Psalm 62:1–2)

I will both lie down in peace and sleep,
For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. (Psalm 4:8)

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
My God is my rock; I will take refuge in Him,
My shield and the horn of my salvation,
My stronghold and my refuge—
My Savior; You save me from violence. (2 Samuel 22:2–3)

Pause to offer your own expressions of thanksgiving.

Closing Prayer

Satisfy us in the morning with Your loyal love,
That we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. (Psalm 90:14)

The God of all grace, who called me to His eternal glory in Christ, after I have suffered a little while, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish me. To him be the glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 5:10–11)

To You who are able to keep me from falling and to present me before Your glorious presence faultless and with great joy—to the only God my Savior, through Jesus Christ my Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all ages and now and forever. Amen. (Jude 24–25)

Boa, K. (1993). Handbook to prayer: praying scripture back to God. Atlanta: Trinity House.

April 19 | THINKING BIBLICALLY

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matt. 5:8).

✧✧✧

The way you think determines the way you behave.

God is concerned about the way you think. That’s why Paul said, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom. 12:2). In Philippians 4:8 he instructs us to think about that which is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute, excellent, and praiseworthy.
When Jesus spoke of a pure heart in Matthew 5:8, He was talking about sanctified thinking. The Greek word translated “heart” is kardia, from which we get the word cardiac. While we often relate heart to the emotions (e.g., “He has a broken heart”), the Bible relates it primarily to the intellect (e.g., “Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders,” Matt. 15:19). That’s why you must “watch over your heart with all diligence” (Prov. 4:23).
In a secondary way, however, heart relates to the will and emotions because they are influenced by the intellect. If you are committed to something, it will affect your will, which in turn will affect your emotions.
The Greek word translated “pure” in Matthew 5:8 means “to cleanse.” In the moral sense it speaks of being free from the filth of sin. It also refers to something that is unmixed, unalloyed, or unadulterated. Spiritual integrity and sincere motives are appropriate applications of its meaning to the Christian life.
Jesus was saying the Kingdom citizen is blessed because he or she has pure thoughts and pure motives that together produce holy living. Someone might claim to be religious and have pure motives, but if his behavior isn’t righteous, his heart isn’t fixed on God. Similarly, you can go to church, carry a Bible, and recite verses, but if your heart isn’t clean, you haven’t met God’s standard.
You must do the will of God from a pure heart (Eph. 6:6). Toward that end, make David’s prayer yours as well: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Ps. 51:10).

✧✧✧

Suggestions for Prayer: Memorize Psalm 19:14 and make it a part of your daily prayers.

For Further Study: Read the following verses, noting the characteristics of a pure heart: Psalm 9:1; 26:2; 27:8; 28:7; 57:7.

MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1993). Drawing Near—Daily Readings for a Deeper Faith (p. 122). Crossway Books.

Friday Prayer Guide

Adoration

How great You are, O Sovereign Lord! There is no one like You, and there is no God besides You, according to all that I have heard with my ears. (2 Samuel 7:22; 1 Chronicles 17:20)

O Lord, the God of our fathers, are You not the God who is in heaven? Are You not the ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Your hand, and no one is able to withstand You. (2 Chronicles 20:6)

For with You is the fountain of life;
In Your light we see light. (Psalm 36:9)

O come, let us sing to the Lord;
Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;
Let us shout for joy to Him with psalms.
The Lord is the great God,
The great King above all gods.
O come, let us worship and bow down,
Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
He is our God and we are the people of His pasture
And the sheep under His care. (Psalm 95:1–3, 6–7)

I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
May my meditation be pleasing to Him;
I will be glad in the Lord. (Psalm 104:33–34)

Pause to express your thoughts of praise and worship.

Confession

Out of the depths I have called to You, O Lord.
O Lord, hear my voice,
And let Your ears be attentive
To the voice of my supplications.
If You, Lord, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
But there is forgiveness with You,
That You may be feared. (Psalm 130:1–4)

You have been just in all that has happened to me; You have acted faithfully, while I did wrong. (Nehemiah 9:33)

I return to the Lord my God,
For I have stumbled because of my iniquity.
I take words with me and return to the Lord,
Saying, “Take away all iniquity and receive me graciously,
That I may offer the fruit of my lips.” (Hosea 14:1–2)

Ask the Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the Lord and thank Him for His forgiveness.

The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
Slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness.
God will not always strive with us,
Nor will He harbor His anger forever;
He does not treat us as our sins deserve
Or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
So great is His love for those who fear Him;
As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on His children,
So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.
You know how I am formed;
You remember that I am dust. (Psalm 103:8–14)

Renewal

Lord, renew me by Your Spirit as I offer these prayers to You:

Who is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master finds so doing when he comes. (Matthew 24:45–46)

May I watch and pray so that I will not fall into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. (Matthew 26:41)

May I abide in Christ, so that when He appears, I will have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. (1 John 2:28)

May I be ready, for the Son of Man will come at an hour when I do not expect Him. (Matthew 24:44; Luke 12:40)

Pause to add your own prayers for personal renewal.

Petition

Father, using Your word as a guide, I offer You my prayers concerning my need for wisdom.

May God grant me, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in my inner being, so that Christ may dwell in my heart through faith. And may I, being rooted and grounded in love, be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth of the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that I may be filled to all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:16–19)

If I have found grace in Your sight, teach me Your ways, so I may know You and continue to find favor with You. (Exodus 33:13)

Whatever I do, may I do all to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31)

May I not let Your word depart from my mouth, but meditate on it day and night, so that I may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then I will make my way prosperous, and I will act wisely. (Joshua 1:8)

May I meditate on Your precepts
And consider Your ways.
May I delight in Your statutes,
And not forget Your word.
Deal bountifully with Your servant,
That I may live and keep Your word.
Open my eyes that I may see
Wonderful things from Your law. (Psalm 119:15–18)

Let me be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger, for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. (James 1:19–20)

May I guard my heart with all diligence,
For out of it flow the issues of life.
May I put away perversity from my mouth
And keep corrupt talk far from my lips.
May I let my eyes look straight ahead,
And fix my gaze straight before me.
May I ponder the path of my feet
So that all my ways will be established.
May I not turn to the right or to the left
But keep my foot from evil. (Proverbs 4:23–27)

Let my light shine before men, that they may see my good deeds and praise my Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:13–16)

May I do all things without complaining or arguing, so that I may become blameless and pure, a child of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom I shine as a light in the world, holding fast the word of life. (Philippians 2:14–16)

May I clothe myself with humility toward others, for God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. May I humble myself under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt me in due time, casting all my anxiety upon Him, because He cares for me. (1 Peter 5:5–7)

Pause here to express any additional personal requests, especially concerning family and ministry:Family Ministry Sharing Christ with others Helping others grow in Him Career

My activities for this day
Special concerns

Intercession

Lord, I now prepare my heart for intercessory prayer for missions.

Finally, brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it is with you, and that we may be delivered from perverse and evil men, for not all have faith. (2 Thessalonians 3:1–2)

The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore, I will pray that the Lord of the harvest will send out workers into His harvest. (Matthew 9:37–38; Luke 10:2)

In the spirit of these passages, I pray for:Local missions National missions World missions The fulfillment of the Great Commission Special concerns

Affirmation

Feed my mind and heart, O Lord, as I affirm these truths from Your word concerning my hope as a follower of Christ:

I do not lose heart; even though my outward man is perishing, yet my inner man is being renewed day by day. For this light affliction which is momentary is working for me a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while I do not look at the things which are seen but at the things which are unseen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are unseen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16–18)

Peace You leave with me; Your peace You give to me. Not as the world gives, do You give to me. I will not let my heart be troubled nor let it be fearful. (John 14:27)

Those who wait for the Lord
Will renew their strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles;
They will run and not grow weary;
They will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40:31)

I am always of good courage and know that as long as I am at home in the body, I am away from the Lord. For I live by faith, not by sight. I am of good courage and would prefer to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:6–8)

Since I am a child of God, I am an heir of God and a joint heir with Christ, if indeed I share in His sufferings in order that I may also share in His glory. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed to me. (Romans 8:17–18)

Pause to reflect upon these biblical affirmations.

Thanksgiving

For who You are and for what You have done, accept my thanks, O Lord:

I will praise You, O Lord, with all my heart;
I will tell of all Your wonders.
I will be glad and rejoice in You;
I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High. (Psalm 9:1–2)

We give thanks to You, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign. (Revelation 11:17)

I will sing of Your strength,
Yes, I will sing of Your mercy in the morning,
For You have been my stronghold,
My refuge in times of trouble.
To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises,
For God is my fortress, my loving God. (Psalm 59:16–17)

Pause to offer your own expressions of thanksgiving.

Closing Prayer

Teach me to number my days,
That I may gain a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:12)

Better is one day in Your courts than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
Than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
The Lord will give grace and glory;
No good thing does He withhold
From those who walk in integrity.
O Lord of hosts,
Blessed is the man who trusts in You! (Psalm 84:10–12)

To the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. (1 Timothy 1:17)

Boa, K. (1993). Handbook to prayer: praying scripture back to God. Atlanta: Trinity House.

Why are young adults fueling “meaningful spiritual renewal”? | Denison Forum

Why are young adults fueling “meaningful spiritual renewal”?

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Two-thirds of all US adults now say they have made a personal commitment to Jesus that is still important in their life today, marking a 12 percent increase in the last four years. Barna researchers say this “may be the clearest indication of meaningful spiritual renewal in the United States.” In similar news, new data from the Bible Society in the UK reports that two million more people in Great Britain attended church in 2024 than in 2018.

Here’s an especially encouraging fact: Young adults in both countries are fueling the increase. Perhaps this is in part the result of the anxiety and depression so many of them are feeling as they grow increasingly pessimistic about their future. The greater our challenges, the more we recognize our need for a Power greater than ourselves.

But what God does, Satan corrupts. In this case, he wants to use our frustrations and failures to turn us from our Father rather than toward him. He whispers in our souls that we are not worthy of God’s favor, that our sins have cost us his best.

I have certainly been a victim of this deception over the years. In fact, I can hear his subtle doubts about grace in my heart even now. Perhaps you can hear them in yours as well.

An event on Maundy Thursday exposes this lie and invites us to consider an astounding dimension of Jesus’ love for us.

“What is there of Judas in our hearts?”

If Jesus could forgive Judas Iscariot, would you agree that he can forgive anyone?

Frederick Buechner writes of our Lord’s arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane:

There can be no doubt in Jesus’ mind what the kiss of Judas means, but it is Judas that he is blessing, and Judas that he is prepared to go out and die for now. Judas is only the first in a procession of betrayers two thousand years long. If Jesus were to exclude him from his love and forgiveness, to one degree or another he would have to exclude mankind.

Br. Geoffrey Tristam of the Society of St. John the Evangelist in Boston makes his point by asking, “What is there of Judas in our hearts? When have we turned away from the light and betrayed Jesus in our words and through our actions?”

I can unfortunately answer his questions easily. I assume you can as well.

Here’s the amazing rest of the story: The Savior who chose to die for Judas and all the Judases to follow prayed that same night for Judas and all the Judases to follow.

Including you and me.

The night I met Billy Graham

I’ll never forget meeting Billy Graham. I was part of a team sent from Dallas to invite the greatest evangelist since Paul to conduct an evangelistic mission in our city. When we spoke with Mr. Graham, he asked for our names as he shook our hands and welcomed us with gracious warmth. Then, as I began our presentation, he looked into my eyes and, it seemed, into my soul. I’ll always remember the depth and holiness of those blue eyes and the heart they revealed.

Knowing his personal “connection” with God, if I could have asked Billy Graham to pray for my personal needs, I would have felt immeasurably relieved and blessed. I presume that any of us would feel the same.

Now consider that Someone infinitely more connected with God is doing just that on our behalf today.

After his last supper with his disciples, Jesus spent significant time teaching them before his impending death (John 14–16). Then he “lifted up his eyes to heaven” and began to pray (John 17:1). He interceded for his apostolic disciples (vv. 6–19), then he prayed “for those who will believe in me through their word” (v. 20).

This phrase includes you and me.

What’s more, Jesus is continuing his intercession for us today. He is “at the right hand of God,” where he is “interceding for us” (Romans 8:34). “Interceding” could be translated “continually pleading on our behalf.” Hebrews 7 adds: “He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them” (v. 25, my emphasis).

Think of it: The divine Son of God is praying for you right now.

“When God prefers to remain anonymous”

We will not know until we are in heaven the degree to which Jesus’ intercession marked and changed our lives. But we do know that the Father “always” hears his Son (John 11:42). And we know that Jesus only prays for his “perfect” will for us to be done (Romans 12:2).

I can imagine Jesus praying for the men who knocked on my apartment door in August of 1973 to invite my brother and me to their church. I learned later that we were the last people they visited that day. If we had not been home, they would not have come back. If our father had not happened to overhear our conversation, he would not have put us on their bus the next morning, a day that led to our eventual response to the gospel.

If “coincidence is when God prefers to remain anonymous,” I wonder how many such “chance” encounters are the direct result of Jesus’ intercession on our behalf.

And there’s more: As the Son of God prays for us, the Spirit of God who indwells every believer (1 Corinthians 3:16) prays within us: “We do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” (Romans 8:26). With this promise: “The Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God” (v. 27).

“You have taken up my cause, O Lord”

In the hard places of life, we may be moved to ask,

Will the Lord spurn forever, and never again be favorable? Has his steadfast love forever ceased? Are his promises at an end for all time? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger shut up his compassion? (Psalm 77:7–9).

But the greater our pain, the more we need the One who can heal us. The deeper our grief, the more we need his grace. When we pray to the One who is praying for us, we can testify:

I called on your name, O Lᴏʀᴅ, from the depths of the pit; you heard my plea, “Do not close your ear to my cry for help!” You came near when I called on you; you said, “Do not fear!” You have taken up my cause, O Lord; you have redeemed my life (Lamentations 3:55–58; cf. Psalm 31:22).

Where does Judas live in your heart? That’s the very place Jesus is praying for you now.

Will you join him?

Quote for the day:

“Grace, like water, flows to the lowest part.” —Philip Yancey

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APRIL 17.—MORNING. [Or August 1.]“Only the Lord establish His word.”

1 SAMUEL 1:19–28

THE sacrifice was ended, but the devout family did not think of leaving the sacred courts until once more they had bowed before the Lord. They were not tired of worship, but having begun well they would finish well. One heart there was in that family which adored with an unusual joy. Hannah had come up to the tabernacle “a woman of a sorrowful spirit,” but not so did she return home. How sweet to leave our burdens behind us after we have joined in worship with the people of God. May our family devotions at this time have the like soothing effect upon any troubled one among us.
19 ¶ And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the LORD, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the LORD remembered her.
20 Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the LORD.
How doubly precious a blessing is when it comes in answer to prayer. Have we nothing to ask for? Have we not also choice favours which have this increased sweetness in them that we “asked them of the Lord”?
21 And the man Elkanah, and all his house, went up to offer unto the LORD the yearly sacrifice, and his vow.
Parents must not neglect the service of God because of their children, and when mothers are lawfully detained at home, the rest of the household must not make idle excuses for staying away too.
22 But Hannah went not up; for she said unto her husband, I will not go up until the child be weaned, and then I will bring him, that he may appear before the LORD, and there abide for ever.
23 And Elkanah her husband said unto her, Do what seemeth thee good; tarry until thou have weaned him; only the LORD establish his word. (What a choice saying, “Only the Lord establish his word.” We ought to think everything less important than this. If God will but deal with us according to promise, other things are of little consequence.) So the woman abode, and gave her son suck until she weaned him.
24 ¶ And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bullocks, and one ephah of flour, and a bottle of wine, and brought him unto the house of the LORD in Shiloh: and the child was young.
It was natural that the mother should be sorry to part with her dear boy; yet grace triumphed over nature, and she went up to resign her child to the Lord with a glad heart, which expressed its gratitude in an offering of thanksgiving. What God had lent her she returned to him without reluctance. O that all our dear children may be the Lord’s. It were better to part with them to be God’s servants, than to keep them with us, and see them graceless.
25 And they slew a bullock, and brought the child to Eli.
26 And she said, Oh, my lord, as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the LORD.
27 For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him:
28 Therefore also I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the LORD. (She gave up this one child, and the Lord sent her five others ere long. The Lord takes care to be in no one’s debt, he rewards plenteously those who cheerfully make sacrifices for his cause.) And he worshipped the LORD there. (Eli rejoiced in the good woman’s piety, and all gracious hearts are glad to see others ardent in love to God. Perhaps, however, the text means that Samuel also worshipped the Lord there, and how delightful it is to see young children truly pray. Is there no little Samuel in this house who will worship the Lord now? Let us all endeavour to do so with our whole hearts.)

  What shall I render to my God
     For all his kindness shown?
  My feet shall visit thine abode,
     My songs address thy throne.

  Among the saints that fill thine house,
     My offerings shall be paid;
  There shall my zeal perform the vows
     My soul in anguish made.

Spurgeon, C. H. (1964). The Interpreter: Spurgeon’s Devotional Bible (p. 223). Baker Book House.