Category Archives: Prayer

Thankful Thursday ~ Compassion

 

I am thankful for God’s compassion for us.

Before he formed us in our mother’s womb, before his creation multiplied on the earth He planned a way for us to be made alive with Christ. His compassion for the lost world because of sin sent His son to the cross to suffer and die for us. Without the sacrifice on Jesus’ part on behalf of us we would still be dead in our sins, separated from God, utterly lost. We are redeemed through Christ’s blood.

Thank you God for your compassion.

Thank you Jesus for your sacrifice.

Thank you Holy Spirit for your work in our lives to help us to be a compassionate people who love like God and sacrifice like Jesus.

Ephesians 4:32, 5: 1-2 ~

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you.

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

Praying that God through His Spirit helps us to be a compassionate people who see the world through His eyes…

For more Thankful posts visit Iris at Sting My Heart.

Thankful Thursday

I’m thankful that God chose me, that He forgives me, that He loves me, and that He continues to lead me and protect me.

I am thankful for our new evening Home group that encourages me and gives me the opportunity to encourage.

I am thankful for learning about other people and cultures in bloggy world. It opens up the world to me in ways that I never dreamed of before.

I’m thankful to be able to pray for people all over the world.

I am thankful that Jesus laid down His life for me and brought me out of darkness into His light.

I am thankful that God fills me with joy!

I Thessalonians 5: 23-24 ~ “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.”

For more thankful posts head over to Sting My Heart.

Taste and See ~ John Piper

I’m reading along in Taste and See (Savoring The Supremacy of God in All of Life) 140 meditations by Piper and I wanted to share these verses that he references in meditation #18 titled How to Pray For The Soul (Yours Or Another’s) Praying in sync with the way God works ~

How to pray for your soul and others…

1. Psalm 119:36 ~

“Turn my heart toward your statutes and not towards selfish gain.”

2. Psalm 119:18 ~

“Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.”

3. Ephesians 1:18 ~

“I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.”

4. Psalm 86:11 ~

“Teach me your way, O lord and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.”

5. Psalm 90:14 ~

“Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.”

6. Ephesians 3:16 ~

“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being.”

7. Colossians 1:10 ~

“And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.”

8. Mathew 6:9 ~

“This then is how you should pray: “Our Father in heaven hallowed be your name”

Pray all this in Jesus’ name because of Romans 8:32 ~ “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things.”

Piper expounded on each of these but I’m just giving you the skeleton and letting you consider these verses in enriching your prayer life for yourself and others.

Blessings…

Ht: Lana G! for the photograph of my father praying.

Thankful Thursday ~ Ephesians 3: 14-20

 I am thankful today for all we have in Christ and for my friends and family.

My gift for you who visit here and all who participate in Thankful Thursday is this prayer from Ephesians. It is so rich and so full. Blessings on all of you at this wonderful Christmas time.

Ephesians 3:14-20 ~

“For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives it name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, 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! Amen.”

For more Thankful Thursday visit Lynn.

The Beautiful Garden of Prayer ~ Hymn

The Beautiful Garden of Prayer

There’s a garden where Jesus is waiting,
There’s a place that is wondrously fair,
For it glows with the light of His presence.
’Tis the beautiful garden of prayer.

Refrain

Oh, the beautiful garden, the garden of prayer!
Oh, the beautiful garden of prayer!
There my Savior awaits, and He opens the gates
To the beautiful garden of prayer.

There’s a garden where Jesus is waiting,
And I go with my burden and care,
Just to learn from His lips words of comfort
In the beautiful garden of prayer.

Refrain

There’s a garden where Jesus is waiting,
And He bids you to come, meet Him there;
Just to bow and receive a new blessing
In the beautiful garden of prayer.

Refrain

Words: Elea­nor All­en Schroll, in Hymns for To­day (Fill­more Bros. Co., 1920).

Thankful Thursday ~ October 4th

  

I Thessalonians 5:16-18 ~

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Well it’s been quite a week and we’re gearing up for a celebration filled weekend. All of our children are flying into L.A. on Friday evening for my nephew’s wedding on Saturday. They’ll be here a very short time and we’re filling up a lot of that time with family get-togethers besides the wedding on Saturday evening.

I am so thankful to all of you who have been praying for our son Josh after his TIA episode last week. He’s doing well and he’s had 3 procedures/tests inflicted on him this week. He’s done with everything the neurologist ordered now and we’re waiting for the results/findings. Dear and I and Josh and Laura are very grateful to the blog world that is so willing and ready to pray for those in the body they have never met face to face!

Josh at about 14 months old, Easter of 1980

I am so thankful I will see each of my kids this weekend and be able to give them a hug.

I am thankful to Family and Friends who have been upholding us in prayer along with our bloggy friends.

I am thankful to God who upholds us, answers prayers, and gives us peace and joy.

I am thankful to my Savior Jesus Christ whose sacrifice for us on the cross opened up the door for our relationship with the Father and because of that we have the undeserved benefits that come with being a Child of God.

God bless you all with a wonderful Thankful Thursday!

To see more Thankful Thursday posts click on Sting My Heart.

Overwhelmed and Thankful

I’m overwhelmed and thankful to family, face to face friends, and friends I’ve never seen, who have poured out their support, love, and prayers for my son and our family. He’s doing well and is having follow-up tests. God created us to glorify Him in community and it’s in times like these that we see how beautiful community is. Blessings on each and every one of you. I’m praying that God would return the blessing I have received back to you. Have a wonderful weekend.  Ellen b.

2 Thessalonians 3:16 ~ “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.”

Thankful Thursday ~ Prayer Request

Update: Josh was released from the hospital late last night after a CAT Scan and being monitored for a few hours. They believe he had a TIA. He will be having a follow-up and two more tests in the near future. THANK YOU so much for all your prayers. It is so GOOD to be covered. We have no idea what is wrought by our prayers. Things we might not see here or understand. Never believe the lie that your prayers are unimportant! Blessings on all of you.

While I’m writing this post our firstborn Josh is at the ER in Tacoma, Washington because of an episode of aphasia. His wife Laura is there with him. We’re waiting to hear about his examination and if anything serious presents itself. He and Laura were in Tacoma today attending the funeral of Laura’s new sister-in-law’s mother.  It’s times like these that it makes it so hard being 1200 miles away. So what do I thank God for today.

I thank Him that He loves Josh and Laura and has redeemed them for His own.

I thank Him that He is surrounding them with His love and comfort right now.

I thank Him that our other son Dan and daughter Katie are driving to Tacoma to keep Laura and Josh company at the hospital.

I thank Him that Josh and Laura have been at the side of Laura’s brother and his new wife as they grieve over the sudden death of this new wife’s mother and they were at the funeral today lending support.  (Tacoma is approximately an hour’s drive from their and our homes in Washington).

I thank Him that as soon as I told one member of my family everyone was called and asked to pray! That’s a lot of prayer warriors!

I thank Him that now my bloggy friends will be praying, too.

Pray that this mommy’s heart would be still and trust in Her loving God and Savior. (Pray for the dad, too…)

There are more Thankful Thursday posts here.

Prayer ~ O Gracious Light

 

O gracious Light
Pure brightness of the everlasting Father in heaven,
O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed!
Now as we come to the setting of the sun,
And our eyes behold the vesper light,
We sing praises, O God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
You are worthy at all times to be praised by happy voices,
O Son of God, O giver of life,
And to be glorified through all the worlds. [Amen]
~ Phos Hilaron

This is attributed by some to the martyr and bishop Athenogenes (d. c. 305), who is said by tradition to have sung this hymn (“O Cheerful Light”) as he was burned for his faith.

I John 1:5 ~ This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

John 8:12 ~ Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

I Peter 2:9 ~ But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Revelation 22:5 ~ And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

In Other Words Tuesday ~ Praying…

“Praying is no easy matter.  It demands a relationship in which you allow someone other than yourself to enter into the very center of your person, to see there what you would rather leave in darkness, and to touch there what you would rather leave untouched.  Why would you really want to do that?”

~ Henri Nouwen ~

 Praying might not be easy but we can be more confident in our prayers if we are praying according to God’s Word. When I let the Word of God along with the Holy Spirit reveal what He wants me to deal with in my life He equips me to follow through in obedience. If I try to go into my heart without the help of God’s truth and His instruction I might tend to dwell too much on me and not enough on God’s truth and what He can do with the sin in my heart. I’m going to share another quote about prayer in response to the quote above.

This comes from Bonhoeffer’s Life Together ~

“The Scripture meditation leads to prayer. We have already said that the most promising method of prayer is to allow oneself to be guided by the word of the Scriptures, to pray on the basis of the word of Scripture. In this way we shall not become victims of our own emptiness. Prayer means nothing else but the readiness and willingness to receive and appropriate the Word, and, what is more, to accept it in one’s personal situation, particular tasks, decisions, sins, and temptations. What can never enter the corporate prayer of the fellowship may here be silently made known to God. According to a word of Scripture we pray for the clarification of our day, for preservation from sin, for growth in sanctification, for faithfulness and strength in our work. And we may be certain that our prayer will be heard, because it is a response to God’s Word and promise. Because God’s Word has found its fulfillment in Jesus Christ, all prayers that we pray conforming to this Word are certainly heard and answered in Jesus Christ.

It is one of the particular difficulties of meditation that our thoughts are likely to wander and go their own way, toward other persons or to some events in our life. Much as this may distress and shame us again and again, we must not lose heart and become anxious, or even conclude that meditation is really not something for us. When this happens it is often a help not to snatch back our thoughts convulsively, but quite calmly to incorporate into our prayer the people and the events to which our thoughts keep straying and thus in all patience return to the starting point of the meditation.”

Boenhoffer’s language might be “dated” for our ears but the truth here is so good to read. I especially appreciate this last paragraph. We can pray about what our minds wander to and then get back to the point of our prayer and the scripture we are meditating on. However hard prayer may be for us we should never abandon it.

There are more In Other Words contributors at Fruit in Season…

ht: Life Together. Copyright 1954 by Harper Collins Publishers.