Sing to the LORD

 

I will sing to the LORD as long as I live.
    I will praise my God to my last breath!

May all my thoughts be pleasing to him,
    for I rejoice in the LORD.

 

—Psalm 104:33-34 (NLT)

 

Heavenly Father,

 

Oh, that all my thoughts would be pleasing to You—that You would be the source of all my joy and the object of all my praise, for as long as I live!

 

Give me a strong voice, so l can continually lift up songs of praise and worship to You—for as long as You put breath in my lungs.

 

Give me a pure heart—a heart that is motivated only by my love for You and for others—so that my every thought would please you, causing all my words and actions to bring You glory.

 

Give me a rejoicing spirit—so that the light of joy that shines from within me would be the Light of Christ.

 

Oh, that all my thoughts would be pleasing to You—that You would be the source of all my joy and the object of all my praise, for as long as I live!

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

My Best Sacrifice to God

 

“Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God,
    and keep the vows you made to the Most High.”

 

—Psalm 50:14 (NLT)

 

 

Most High God,

 

May my life be marked by an expression of continuous thankfulness to You—for all that You are, and for all that You have done, are doing, and have yet to bring to pass!

 

May my sense of gratitude for You be revealed in the thankfulness of my heart, through every thought I think, every word I speak, and every action I take—that You might receive the honor that You are due.

 

May I keep every vow that I make to You—as a faithful response to my experience of Your perfect faithfulness to me.

 

May my thankfulness and faithfulness to You overshadow every temporary trouble that may come against me—so that I am kept in every way, within the sheltering peace of Your love for me.

 

May my life be marked by an expression of continuous thankfulness to You—for all that You are, and for all that You have done, are doing, and have yet to bring to pass!

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Withdraw and Keep Away from Evil

 

Abstain from every form of evil [withdraw and keep away from it].

 

—1 Thessalonians 5:22 (AMP)

 

Heavenly Father,

 

Help me choose not to have anything to do with evil—to withdraw from it and keep away from it!

 

Because Christ has broken sin’s power over me—by the sacrifice of His life on the cross for my sin—I have been given the freedom to choose not to sin.

 

So, grant me the strength to walk with You in integrity and with purity of heart—always conscious that I am called to represent Christ to this dark and evil world—in my thoughts, with my words and by my actions.

 

And when I feel this world of evil crowding in on me, when I feel my peace being stolen from me, or when I am tempted to buy into the lies of darkness and join in its evilness, be for me a refuge from the storm, a strong tower—where I can run and where I am kept safe in every way.

 

Keep me from the temptation to try to see how close I can come to evil, and yet still not sin.  And let me also abstain from even the appearance of evil—from anything that might even look like it could be sin.

 

Help me consistently choose to move away from darkness and toward the Light of true holiness that can only be found in You.

Help me choose not to have anything to do with evil—to withdraw from it and keep away from it!

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

What is Best for Me, The Way I Should Go

“I am the LORD your God,

who teaches you what is best for you, 

who directs you in the way your should go.”

—Isaiah 48:17b

 

 

O LORD, My God,

 

Thank You for being the One who teaches me what is best for me—the One who directs me in the way that I should go.

 

Keep me far from the arrogance of believing that I am the one who knows what is best for me—and in humility let me look to You and always trust You to teach me that which is best.

 

Don’t allow me to leave Your side—to wander off after my own desires, choosing my own path.  Let me instead walk each step of my journey with You—never trailing behind You, nor blindly running ahead of You.

 

Help me live according to Your Word and allow the Truth that it teaches to instruct me—so that I can learn what is best for me, as Your Spirit directs me in the way I should go.

 

Thank You for being the One who teaches me what is best for me—the One who directs me in the way that I should go.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Not Too Important to Help Someone

 

Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.  If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.

 

—Galatians 6: 2-3 (NLT)

 

Heavenly Father,

 

Keep me from getting so caught up in my own self-perceived importance that I fail to be obedient to Your call to share the burdens of those You place in my path.

 

Give me the heart to do the hard work of sharing the burdens of others—of lightening their load of care and helping them back to the peace and joy that You have called them to in Christ.

 

In willingly obedience, let me submit to the law of Christ—to be faithful to love You with all my heart, soul, mind and strength, and allow the love of Christ to reach through me, to love others as I have been so greatly loved.

 

Save me from the pride and arrogance that tempts me to think more of myself than I ought to think—when I know that any good in me comes from You alone, and can only be seen when I submit myself completely to Your plans and purposes for me.

Keep me from getting so caught up in my own self-perceived importance that I fail to be obedient to Your call to share the burdens of those You place in my path.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

My Most Essential Need

 

“Seek the LORD [search diligently for Him and long for Him as your most essential need] so that you may live….”

 

—Amos 5:6a (AMP)

 

LORD of Life,

 

Help me keep my relationship with You in its rightful place—as the most important thing in my life—so that I can truly live.

 

Give me a heart to seek after You—to search for You diligently—that I would know and better understand Your character and Your attributes, as You reveal them to me, in Your Word and by Your Spirit.

 

Within my understanding of who You are, help me also to discover who I am to You—along with Your expectations for how I should relate to You, and honor You with my life.

 

Be my deepest longing and help me to realize that You alone are my most essential need.  For in You I find everything I need for this life here on earth, as You prepare me for the life that is to come.

 

Help me keep my relationship with You in its rightful place—as the most important thing in my life—so that I can truly live.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Power to the Weak, Strength to the Powerless

 

He gives power to the weak
    and strength to the powerless.

 Even youths will become weak and tired,
    and young men will fall in exhaustion.

But those who trust in the LORD find new strength.
    They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
    They will walk and not faint.

 

—Isaiah 40:29-31 (NLT)

 

LORD of All Power and Strength,

 

When I feel weak and powerless, fill me with Your power and strength!  As I patiently wait for You, cause me to rise up high on wings like an eagle, and soar into Your wondrous presence—where I will find the strength I need for my journey forward with You.

 

You alone are the source of my strength!  When I am weak, You give me power to keep going!  When I feel powerless, You renew my strength by reminding me that You are all powerful!

 

Even the youngest and strongest of men grow weak and tired.  Only those who trust in You completely find that new strength—a strength that continually sustains them and doesn’t allow them to stumble and fall in exhaustion.

 

Only by Your power and strength, can we run toward You and not grow weary—walk with You through life and not faint!

 

When I feel weak and powerless, fill me with Your power and strength!  As I patiently wait for You, cause me to rise up high on wings like an eagle, and soar into Your wondrous presence—where I will find the strength I need for my journey forward with You.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

People Cannot See...From Beginning to End!

 

Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.

 

—Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NLT)

 

Heavenly Father,

 

Oh, that I would see the beauty of everything that You have created—of all things You have done—and rest in the comfort and assurance of Your sovereignty, mercy, grace and love.

 

Help me to accept that I am not able to see the whole scope of the work You are doing from beginning to end—and that sometimes it will be hard for me to see the beauty of what You have done, because the things that You have planned are still unfolding before me.

 

Thank You for that glimpse of the perfection of eternity that You have planted in my heart—a taste of what is yet to come that keeps me never quite satisfied with anything this world has to offer, but always yearning for the perfect world that will only come by Your perfect rule.

 

Thank You for making me in Your image—and for showing me that the longing and hungering of my heart can only be truly satisfied by more of You in my life.

Oh, that I would see the beauty of everything that You have created—of all things You have done—and rest in the comfort and assurance of Your sovereignty, mercy, grace and love.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Like a Lamp That Provides Light

 

“Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light.”

 

—Matthew 6:22 (NLT)

Sovereign God,

 

Help me remember that a healthy eye is one that has fixed its gaze upon You!  So let my eyes see You, all around me, in each moment of every day and night.

 

Fill me with the Light of Life—as You reveal Yourself to me and cause the lamps of my eyes to flood my whole body with the Light that gives Life to my soul.

 

Fill me with the Light of Truth that I find in You—and help me walk in that Truth, unmoved by my circumstances, wholly devoted to Your Word, Your Will, and Your Way.

 

Fill me with the Light of Love—and help me to accept and receive the fullness of the Love of Christ, so that I can’t help but release that same Love to every person that You put before me.

 

Help me remember that a healthy eye is one that has fixed its gaze upon You!  So let my eyes see You, all around me, in each moment of every day and night.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Fully Convinced

 

Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God.  He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises.

 

—Romans 4:20-21 (NLT)

 

Heavenly Father,

May my faith never waver, but rather grow ever stronger, so that my life will bring glory to You—and may I ever remain fully convinced that You are able and will do everything that You have promised, at just the right time, according to Your perfect plan.

 

Remind me that—though my life has been filled with many mistakes, much sin, and multiple failures of my faith—You have always remained faithful to love and forgive me, and to use every circumstance I find myself in, to call me to a deeper faith in You.

 

Grant me the wisdom to seek out Your promises within the pages of Your Word, so I might, by faith, remain obedient to You in all things—and teach me to trust You even more, through my experience of Your faithfulness to me.

 

With strengthened faith, let me never again allow any doubt or unbelief to cause me to question Your faithfulness or Your ability to carry out that which You have promised—but let me remain fully convinced that You are able!

 

May my faith never waver, but rather grow ever stronger, so that my life will bring glory to You—and may I ever remain fully convinced that You are able and will do everything that You have promised, at just the right time, according to Your perfect plan.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Things, Which You Do Not Know

 

“Thus says the LORD who made the earth, the LORD who formed it to establish it, the LORD is His name, ‘Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’” 

—Jeremiah 33:2-3 (NASB)

 

O LORD of All Creation,

 

How wonderfully amazing it is that You—the One who made the earth and everything in it, who formed it and established it by Your Word—would not only invite me to call to You, but would promise to answer me and tell me great and unsearchable things that I do not know!

 

May I forever remain in reverent fear and overwhelming awe of Your power and majesty—as You continue to surround me with the glories of Your creation and reveal to me the intricacies of the order by which You alone have established all things.

 

Through Your unfailing love for me, teach me to know more perfectly Your will and Your ways—so that my will would be conformed to Yours, and so my prayers would be offered up in harmony with Your will, Your plans, and Your purposes for me. 

 

Grant me the courage to call out boldly to you with prayers of faith.  And help me to believe that You always hear and will answer my call—and that You will reveal to me great things that I cannot discover within my own intellect or power.

 

How wonderfully amazing it is that You—the One who made the earth and everything in it, who formed it and established it by Your Word—would not only invite me to call to You, but would promise to answer me and tell me great and unsearchable things that I do not know!

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

The Overcoming Power of Good

 

 

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

 

—Romans 12:21 (NIV)

 

Heavenly Father,

 

Let me never be overcome by the evil that surrounds me, but teach me to overcome that evil with good!

 

When I feel overwhelmed by the evil that is evident all around me, remind me of the power of Christ’s love which has delivered me out of the enemy’s hand!   

 

And help me to enforce the enemy's defeat in my life—as You lead me to do the next good and right thing which You have placed before me—so that others will see Your glory and be drawn to You.

 

Remind me that good will always win over evil in the end, and help me to rest in the wonderful hope that, if I remain surrendered to Your will, You will set all things right—every hurt, every offense, every injustice—according to the perfect timing of the working of Your plan, in order that You will receive the most glory.

 

Help me not be moved by how others act—understanding that other people are broken, just as I am broken, and in need of the healing and wholeness that can only be found in our Savior, Jesus Christ.   

 

Help me to see that they are not really operating out of their hate, but are operating out of their hurt—and help me respond to that hurt with the compassionate love of Christ.

 

Let me never be overcome by the evil that surrounds me, but teach me to overcome that evil with good!

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

The Peace of Trusting

 

The LORD directs our steps,
    so why try to understand everything along the way?

 

—Proverbs 20:24 (NLT)

 

Heavenly Father,

 

When I don’t quite understand all that is going on, grant me the faith I need to trust You and the patience I need to wait and watch, as You unfold before me—according to Your perfect timing—Your plan to use all things to accomplish Your purposes.

 

Keep me in Your peace, by helping me to accept that the full impact of Your plans and purposes—for those things that happen both to me and all around me—is infinitely beyond my ability to fully comprehend, but still a part of Your plan.  

 

Don’t allow my days to be so consumed by my own “need to understand” the reason behind why certain things happen, that I miss doing the next good and right thing, with the opportunity that You have placed immediately before me—a gracious and loving invitation to join in with what You are doing.

 

Keep me from the temptation to “make You in my image”—thinking I know best what You should do and how You should do it.  Rather be the Lord of my life—as the Sovereign God that You are—in my heart of hearts.

 

When I don’t quite understand all that is going on, grant me the faith I need to trust You and the patience I need to wait and watch, as You unfold before me—according to Your perfect timing—Your plan to use all things to accomplish Your purposes.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.