My LORD and My King

 

 

In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.

 

—Judges 21:25 (NLT)

 

 

 

 

My LORD and My King,

 

May You remain forever my only LORD and King, so that the way I conduct my life will be according to Your Truth and not according to my own opinion.

 

Help me to seek Your perfect will, rather than my selfish will; Your eternal plans, rather than my fleeting plans; Your righteous desires, rather than my corrupt desires; and Your pure motives, rather than my sinful motives—so that my heart would be fully Yours and I would reflect the character of Christ.

 

Keep me from the chaos that comes from deciding for myself what is right and what is wrong—based on my own limited and flawed intellect and perspective—and give me the faith to trust You for the best answers, knowing Your intellect is infinitely beyond my own and Your perfect perspective is limitless.

 

As I commit to obediently follow Your instructions—as revealed to my spirit by the Holy Spirit through Your Word—let my actions reflect Your standards for morality, mercy, forgiveness, grace, justice, truth, and above all, love.

May You remain forever my only LORD and King, so that the way I conduct my life will be according to Your Truth and not according to my own opinion.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Confess, Turn, and Receive Mercy!

 

 

People who conceal their sins will not prosper,

    but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy.

 

—Proverbs 28:13 (NLT)

 

 

 

Merciful and Compassionate LORD,

 

Keep me from the foolishness of trying to conceal my sins. Help me to confess and turn from them, so that I will receive mercy.

 

By Your Holy Spirit, convict me of my sins—and expose the evil that they contain and the power that they have to destroy me—so that I might learn from my sins and not repeat them. 

 

Help me willingly and openly confess my sins to You, for You already know them; tremble before Your justice, knowing that I deserve punishment; and fall upon Your mercy and grace, that I may be delivered from them through Your promise of forgiveness.

 

Help me to truly repent of my sins—to turn away from them and run the other direction, straight into Your merciful and compassionate arms of love. Then let me glorify You for the unmerited favor that You pour over me.

 

Keep me from the foolishness of trying to conceal my sins. Help me to confess and turn from them, so that I will receive mercy.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Those Who Wish to Boast

 

This is what the LORD says:

“Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom,

    or the powerful boast in their power,

    or the rich boast in their riches. 

But those who wish to boast

    should boast in this alone:

that they truly know me and understand that I am the LORD

    who demonstrates unfailing love

    and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth,

and that I delight in these things.

    I, the LORD, have spoken!”

 

—Jeremiah 9:23-24 (NLT)

 

 

Heavenly Father,

 

May I never boast in my own wisdom, power, or riches—but may I instead know You for who You are and understand that You are the LORD!

 

Help me not to depend on my own wisdom to get me safely home to You—but rather help me depend on the wisdom I find in Your Word, as revealed by Your Spirit.

 

Help me not to depend on my own strength—but rather help me to find my strength in the power of Your righteous right hand to hold me up so that, though I may stumble, I will not fall.

 

Help me not to depend on my own riches, which are here today and gone tomorrow, to sustain my needs—but rather help me to depend on Your unending provision for every need that I have by Your immeasurable riches in glory.

 

Help me to seek to know You more intimately—so that my understanding of the truth of who You are, and of who I am in Christ, will carry me through all things, according to the power of Your unfailing love for me.

 

May I never boast in my own wisdom, power, or riches—but may I instead know You for who You are and understand that You are the LORD!

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Pleasing to You

 

 

May the words of my mouth

    and the meditation of my heart

be pleasing to you,

    O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

 

—Psalm 19:14 (NLT)

 

 

 

 

Father God,

 

May this simple prayer—and the high and holy standard it sets forth—be true in my life today, so that You would be pleased!

 

Let my heart be so filled with gratitude and love for You, that I would always allow Your love—both for me and for others—to form every word that I say and permeate my every thought! 

 

Let every word that escapes from my lips, go forth with Your blessing—and be released to Your delight, for Your glory, honor, and praise!

 

Let every thought that I invite to dance within my head and dwell within my heart carry Your approval—and bring You great pleasure!

 

Help me live in the truth that my life is not my own to live but is to be lived for the One who is my Rock and my Redeemer, who redeemed me from the consequence of my sin—which was certain death—and gave me a new life, with You, forever!

 

May this simple prayer—and the high and holy standard it sets forth—be true in my life today, so that You would be pleased!

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

To Those With Fearful Hearts

 

 

Say to those with fearful hearts,

    “Be strong, and do not fear,

for your God is coming to destroy your enemies.

    He is coming to save you.”

 

—Isaiah 35:4 (NLT)

 

 

Just and Merciful God,

 

In these disquieting times, quiet my fearful heart, so that I can be strong and fearlessly walk the path that You have placed before me—fully believing that soon You will come to destroy my enemies and save me completely from this evil world in which I now live.

 

Help me to see that Your perfect morality is evident in Your complete hatred of immorality—which is, sin—and it leads to Your perfect execution of judgment on all who have sinned.

 

But help me to be assured that Your perfect morality is also revealed in Your absolute and unfailing love for all of humanity—which leads to Your perfect exercise of mercy for those of us who, though we have sinned, have sincerely loved Your Son, Jesus, and placed all our hope in Him.

 

With confidence help me rest in the knowledge that You are coming soon to destroy all that is evil and set all things right—every hurt, every offense, every injustice—according to Your perfect judgment and mercy, in order to restore us completely to Yourself.

 

In these disquieting times, quiet my fearful heart, so that I can be strong and fearlessly walk the path that You have placed before me—fully believing that soon You will come to destroy my enemies and save me completely from this evil world in which I now live.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Love and Loyalty to the LORD!

 

Love the LORD, all you godly ones!
    For the LORD protects those who are loyal to him,
    but he harshly punishes the arrogant.

So be strong and courageous,
    all you who put your hope in the LORD!

 

—Psalm 31:23-24 (NLT)

 

 

Forever Faithful LORD,

 

May the evidence that I love You be demonstrated by my undivided loyalty to You—as You comfort me with the knowledge that I remain under Your protection and that I can trust You to be forever just.  Make me strong and courageous, as I choose to make You my only hope!

 

Help me to prove my love for You, by walking uprightly before You—choosing never to divide my loyalty, but rather, making Christ alone the Lord of my heart and my life.

 

Let me always walk humbly with You, rejecting all pride that may try to raise its ugly head within me—so I might escape the punishment that is reserved for the arrogant, and so I can represent Christ well to the lost of this world.

 

Let me receive the strength and courage I need to face all the evil that surrounds me without fear—strength and courage that You give freely to those who put all their hope in You.

 

May the evidence that I love You be demonstrated by my undivided loyalty to You—as You comfort me with the knowledge that I remain under Your protection and that I can trust You to be forever just.  Make me strong and courageous, as I choose to make You my only hope!

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Live to Please the Spirit

 

 

Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.  Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.

 

—Galatians 6:7-8 (NLT)

 

Heavenly Father,

 

Help me live to please Your Spirit—planting only good seeds and harvesting the best that You have for me here, in this world—as I look forward, with confidence, to that time when You will call me to my heavenly home.

 

Don’t allow me to forget that there are either good consequences or bad consequences associated with everything that I think, say and do—for You are a Holy and Just God. 

 

Remind me that when I live for myself—living only to satisfy my own sinful nature—only death and decay can come as a result.  But when I live in faithful obedience to Your Spirit, I get to enjoy a harvest of abundant and everlasting life. 

 

Keep me mindful that while You will show me mercy, completely forgive me, and even extend to me Your grace when I repent of my bad choices, there will always be consequences of my sin which remain—consequences that hurt both myself and others.

 

Show me how the choices I make—that is, the kind of seeds that I plant—will determine the kind of harvest that I will reap.  And help me to choose wisely to plant the seeds that lead to life.

 

Help me live to please Your Spirit—planting only good seeds and harvesting the best that You have for me here, in this world—as I look forward, with confidence, to that time when You will call me to my heavenly home.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Where is Your King?

 

In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.

 

—Judges 21:25 (NLT)

 

My LORD and My King,

 

May You remain forever my only LORD and King, so that the way I conduct my life will be according to Your Truth and not according to my own opinion.

 

Help me to seek Your perfect will, rather than my selfish will; Your eternal plans, rather than my fleeting plans; Your righteous desires, rather than my corrupt desires; and Your pure motives, rather than my sinful motives—so that my heart would be fully Yours and I would reflect the character of Christ.

 

Keep me from the chaos that comes from deciding for myself what is right and what is wrong—based on my own limited and flawed intellect and perspective—and give me the faith to trust You for the best answers, knowing Your intellect is infinitely beyond my own and Your perfect perspective is limitless.

 

As I commit to obediently follow Your instructions—as revealed to my spirit by the Holy Spirit through Your Word—let my actions reflect Your standards for morality, mercy, forgiveness, grace, justice, truth, and above all, love.

May You remain forever my only LORD and King, so that the way I conduct my life will be according to Your Truth and not according to my own opinion.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Receive Mercy

 

People who conceal their sins will not prosper,

    but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy.

 

—Proverbs 28:13 (NLT)

 

 

Merciful and Compassionate LORD,

 

Keep me from the foolishness of trying to conceal my sins. Help me to confess and turn from them, so that I will receive mercy.

 

By Your Holy Spirit, convict me of my sins—and expose the evil that they contain and the power that they have to destroy me—so that I might learn from my sins and not repeat them. 

 

Help me willingly and openly confess my sins to You, for You already know them; tremble before Your justice, knowing that I deserve punishment; and fall upon Your mercy and grace, that I may be delivered from them through Your promise of forgiveness.

 

Help me to truly repent of my sins—to turn away from them and run the other direction, straight into Your merciful and compassionate arms of love. Then let me glorify You for the unmerited favor that You pour over me.

 

Keep me from the foolishness of trying to conceal my sins. Help me to confess and turn from them, so that I will receive mercy.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Boast in This Alone!

 

This is what the LORD says:

“Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom,

    or the powerful boast in their power,

    or the rich boast in their riches. 

But those who wish to boast

    should boast in this alone:

that they truly know me and understand that I am the LORD

    who demonstrates unfailing love

    and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth,

and that I delight in these things.

    I, the LORD, have spoken!”

 

—Jeremiah 9:23-24 (NLT)

 

Heavenly Father,

 

May I never boast in my own wisdom, power, or riches—but may I instead know You for who You are, and understand that You are the LORD!

 

Help me not to depend on my own wisdom to get me safely home to You—but rather help me depend on the wisdom I find in Your Word as revealed by Your Spirit to guide me along Your paths of peace and safety.

 

Help me not to depend on my own strength—but rather help me to find my strength in the power of Your righteous right hand to hold me up so that, though I may stumble, I will not fall.

 

Help me not to depend on my own riches, which are here today and gone tomorrow, to sustain my needs—but rather help me to depend on Your unending provision for every need that I have by Your immeasurable riches in glory.

 

Help me to seek to know You more intimately—so that my understanding of the truth of who You are, and of who I am in Christ, will carry me through all things, according to the power of Your unfailing love for me.

 

May I never boast in my own wisdom, power, or riches—but may I instead know You for who You are, and understand that You are the LORD!

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

My Mouth and My Heart

 

May the words of my mouth

    and the meditation of my heart

be pleasing to you,

    O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

 

—Psalm 19:14 (NLT)

 

Father God,

 

May this simple prayer—and the high and holy standard it sets forth—be true in my life today, so that You would be pleased!

 

Let my heart be so filled with gratitude and love for You, that I would always allow Your love—both for me and for others—to form every word that I say and permeate my every thought! 

 

Let every word that escapes from my lips, go forth with Your blessing—and be released to Your delight, for Your glory, honor, and praise!

 

Let every thought that I invite to dance within my head and dwell within my heart carry Your approval—and bring You great pleasure!

 

Help me live in the truth that my life is not my own to live but is to be lived for the One who is my Rock and my Redeemer, who redeemed me from the consequence of my sin—which was certain death—and gave me a new life, with You, forever!

 

May this simple prayer—and the high and holy standard it sets forth—be true in my life today, so that You would be pleased!

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

He is Coming to Save You

 

Say to those with fearful hearts,

    “Be strong, and do not fear,

for your God is coming to destroy your enemies.

    He is coming to save you.”

 

—Isaiah 35:4 (NLT)

 

Just and Merciful God,

 

In these disquieting times, quiet my fearful heart, so that I can be strong and fearlessly walk the path that You have placed before me—fully believing that soon You will come to destroy my enemies and save me completely from this evil world in which I now live.

 

Help me to see that Your perfect morality is evident in Your complete hatred of immorality—which is, sin—and it leads to Your perfect execution of judgment on all who have sinned.

 

But help me to be assured that Your perfect morality is also revealed in Your absolute and unfailing love for all of humanity—which leads to Your perfect exercise of mercy for those of us who, though we have sinned, have sincerely loved Your Son, Jesus, and placed all our hope in Him.

 

With confidence help me rest in the knowledge that You are coming soon to destroy all that is evil and set all things right—every hurt, every offense, every injustice—according to Your perfect judgment and mercy, in order to restore us completely to Yourself.

 

In these disquieting times, quiet my fearful heart, so that I can be strong and fearlessly walk the path that You have placed before me—fully believing that soon You will come to destroy my enemies and save me completely from this evil world in which I now live.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Love the LORD!

 

Love the LORD, all you godly ones!
    For the LORD protects those who are loyal to him,
    but he harshly punishes the arrogant.

So be strong and courageous,
    all you who put your hope in the LORD!

 

—Psalm 31:23-24 (NLT)

 

Forever Faithful LORD,

 

May the evidence that I love You be demonstrated by my undivided loyalty to You—as You comfort me with the knowledge that I remain under Your protection and that I can trust You to be forever just.  Make me strong and courageous, as I choose to make You my only hope!

 

Help me to prove my love for You, by walking uprightly before You—choosing never to divide my loyalty, but rather, making Christ alone the Lord of my heart and my life.

 

Let me always walk humbly with You, rejecting all pride that may try to raise its ugly head within me—so I might escape the punishment that is reserved for the arrogant, and so I can represent Christ well to the lost of this world.

 

Let me receive the strength and courage I need to face all the evil that surrounds me without fear—strength and courage that You give freely to those who put all their hope in You.

 

May the evidence that I love You be demonstrated by my undivided loyalty to You—as You comfort me with the knowledge that I remain under Your protection and that I can trust You to be forever just.  Make me strong and courageous, as I choose to make You my only hope!

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Don't Be Misled

 

Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.  Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.

 

—Galatians 6:7-8 (NLT)

 

Heavenly Father,

 

Help me live to please Your Spirit—planting only good seeds and harvesting the best that You have for me here, in this world—as I look forward, with confidence, to that time when You will call me to my heavenly home.

 

Don’t allow me to forget that there are either good consequences or bad consequences associated with everything that I think, say and do—for You are a Holy and Just God. 

 

Remind me that when I live for myself—living only to satisfy my own sinful nature—only death and decay can come as a result.  But when I live in faithful obedience to Your Spirit, I get to enjoy a harvest of abundant and everlasting life. 

 

Keep me mindful that while You will show me mercy, completely forgive me, and even extend to me Your grace when I repent of my bad choices, there will always be consequences of my sin which remain—consequences that hurt both myself and others.

 

Show me how the choices I make—that is, the kind of seeds that I plant—will determine the kind of harvest that I will reap.  And help me to choose wisely to plant the seeds that lead to life.

 

Help me live to please Your Spirit—planting only good seeds and harvesting the best that You have for me here, in this world—as I look forward, with confidence, to that time when You will call me to my heavenly home.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.