I hope that each of you will have a wonderful Independence Day!
Today, I am focusing on prayer, specifically prayer for our country.
I am feeling burdened by what I am hearing and reading in the news, and am hoping that those of us who have faith in the Lord will join me in prayer, asking God to shed an extra measure of mercy and grace on our country.
Will you join me ?
Have you thought about the fact that prayer is an amazing privilege? In prayer, we have access to God, which brings us into a personal fellowship with our Creator! This privilege includes untold blessings for ourselves, our families, friends, church, and country. Our prayers bring a blessing to God as well!
Pride can often be a stumbling block to effective prayer. None of us know how to pray as we should. We need to accept the fact of our dependence on Him and ask the Holy Spirit to intercede for us when we pray. (Romans 8:26)
My hope is for your encouragement in believing God’s promise that He hears your prayers and that He will answer. Admitting our helplessness brings Him close.
To quote Ole Hallesby, a Norwegian theologian and noted author on the subject, “By prayer, we couple the powers of heaven to our helplessness, the powers which can capture strongholds and make the impossible possible.”
Are you feeling helpless? Your Father is waiting to hear your heart!
This is my prayer. Every morning. Every day.
His unfailing Love is my Life Path.
He is my Guide and I trust in Him.
No matter what today’s obstacles may be, following His lead always keeps me on the right path.
“Ask and it will be given to you; . . .” (Matthew 7:7).
What do you pray for?
A few thoughts as Thanksgiving draws near…
Thankfulness always enhances our relationship with God and usually spills over to build better relationships with others.
Borrowing a quote from Andrew Murray that I like: “Thanksgiving will draw our hearts out to God and keep us engaged with Him; it will take our attention from ourselves and give the Spirit room in our hearts.”
We should remind ourselves that thankfulness, by itself, flows as a gift of the Holy Spirit and His residence in us as believers, cementing our relationship with God and Jesus Christ.
Regardless of our current circumstances, the Holy Spirit can guide us through God’s Word to boundless reasons for thanking the Lord!
Is thankfulness a main ingredient in your prayers? What are you thankful for today?
It is a great blessing to live near the ocean, where I can take soul-refreshing walks along a beautiful beach. As I walk, I talk with the Lord about what is weighing on my mind and I pray and thank Him for everything, regardless of my feelings.
Throughout the storms over the past couple of years and time of uncertainty, I sense that the Lord has been encouraging me to pray more often and to encourage those who haven’t put their trust and faith in God to seek, and find, a closer relationship with Him. He also regularly encourages me to pray for the many and widely varying needs of others.
I have also been sharing verses recently that couple prayer with thanksgiving. The Bible tells us that prayers coupled with thankfulness are especially pleasing to God. They help us to meet the purpose of our creation – His glorification.
I also sense that good things are on the horizon. We need to keep praying, but we also need to remember that, as Oswald Chambers phrases it, “the biggest answers to our prayers are in the realm of the unseen.”
What are some of the things that God would like to hear you thank Him for today?
Need some help with difficulties in a relationship?
Have you tried talking to the Lord about the problem?
If so, did you explain your own feelings about any problems and this person?
If you’re not already aware, God cares.
He knows who should and shouldn’t be in your life and doesn’t want you to continue in a hurtful relationship.
He’s also continually on the alert for your prayers, not just when you are in crisis.
He wants to be the most important relationship in your life.
He wants to bless you and guide you in your relationships every step of the way.
In your prayers, remember to include a request for His guidance for the person you care about.
Do you ever feel like your prayers aren’t reaching their destination? Like the Lord is a million miles away and couldn’t possibly be tuning in to your prayers and the cries of your heart?
I want to encourage you today – God is listening! He is nearer to you than you realize! Nearer to you than your own soul and your most secret thoughts! It is difficult for us to comprehend this fully, but we need to take this truth in and operate from this place of assurance that He hears you!
He is talking to you. Can you hear Him?