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.