My Ears Open, My Mouth Shut

 

As you enter the house of God, keep your ears open and your mouth shut. It is evil to make mindless offerings to God.  Don’t make rash promises, and don’t be hasty in bringing matters before God.  After all, God is in heaven, and you are here on earth.  So let your words be few.

 

—Ecclesiastes 5:1-2 (NLT)

 

 

Almighty God,

 

Help me carefully guard my steps as I enter Your house—as I come before Your Presence—that I might not foolishly dishonor You.

 

Let me never come before You unless my ears are ready to listen, my heart is ready to receive, and my flesh is ready to obey all that You would ask of me.

 

Help me to thoughtfully consider every offering that I bring to You—that I might offer it with the humble acknowledgment that You alone are the One who takes each thing that I have to offer and makes it worthy to be received.

 

Keep me from making rash promises to You and to others—but help me consider my weaknesses and my propensity to fail to deliver on my promises, apart from Your power at work in me enabling me to do so.

 

Never allow me to come before You carelessly, abruptly, irreverently, or arrogantly—as if I deserved Your attention or could dictate to You what You should do to accommodate my wishes.

 

For You are the LORD of Heaven and Earth, God Almighty, the Creator and Sustainer of all there is, and all that there will ever be.  So, let my words be few.

 

Help me carefully guard my steps as I enter Your house—as I come before Your Presence—that I might not foolishly dishonor You.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Shining Like Bright Lights!

 

Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.

 

—Philippians 2:14-15 (NLT)

 

 

Heavenly Father,

 

Help me to live a life free from complaining and arguing, so others would not have reason to criticize me. May my life be clean and innocent—like a bright light of hope in a world that is darkened by crooked and perverse people.

 

Help me never to complain about anything but choose a life full of gratefulness and thanksgiving—knowing that Your plan for me is always good and that You use everything that I experience to draw me to Yourself, turning all of it to my benefit and for Your glory.

 

Help me not to needlessly stir up strife between myself and others with petty arguments, when You want me to walk humbly before others, full of truth and grace, as expressed in the perfect love of Christ—leaving to You the work of changing hearts.

 

As Your very own child, let my response to the Truth of Your Word and the promptings of Your Spirit always be one of willing obedience, so others will have no room to criticize me and so they might be drawn to the light of Christ at work in me.

 

Help me to live a life free from complaining and arguing, so others would not have reason to criticize me. May my life be clean and innocent—like a bright light of hope, in a world that is darkened by crooked and perverse people.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

 

The LORD is Good!

 

 

The LORD is good,

A stronghold in the day of trouble,

And He knows those who take refuge in Him.

 

—Nahum 1:7 (NASB)

 

 

 

 

Good and Gracious LORD,

 

Thank You that You know me as Your very own—and that, out of Your goodness You shelter me and supply me with everything I need, no matter what troubles rage around me, when I make You my place of refuge.

 

You are good—for I have tasted and seen and known this for myself!  There is nothing in You that is not good—and You are the Giver of all things good!

 

You are a stronghold in the day of trouble—an unwavering and abiding place of safety and provision!  Out of Your treasury of good things, You provide for my every need and, even in doing so, never diminish Your supply!

 

You are personally and intimately acquainted with those who choose to take their refuge in You—calling them Your own and drawing them into the shelter of Your loving care forever!

Thank You that You know me as Your very own—and that, out of Your goodness You shelter me and supply me with everything I need, no matter what troubles rage around me, when I make You my place of refuge.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Safe!

 

 

I lay down and slept,

    yet I woke up in safety,

    for the LORD was watching over me.

 

—Psalm 3:5 (NLT)

 

 

 

Ever-watchful LORD,

 

How blessed I am to be able to lie down and sleep—knowing that I am under Your ever-watchful care!

 

Thank You for the comforting truth that You never take Your eyes off me—that You are always there to keep me safe in every way.

 

Thank You that when the troubles and worries of this world try to steal my peace away from me, I need only cry out to You and You are there to hear me and to restore my peace—with the full assurance that You are in control of whatever circumstances that I may have to face.

 

Help me not to forget that—because I am Your very own—You will always use every circumstance I may have to endure for my good and will not withhold any good thing from me, if I walk uprightly before You.

 

How blessed I am to be able to lie down and sleep—knowing that I am under Your ever-watchful care!

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

The Almighty One!

 

 

“I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.”

 

—Revelation 1:8 (NLT)

 

 

 

 

Lord God Almighty,

 

You alone are worthy of all my praise and worship! There is no one like You—and without You I am nothing!

 

You, Lord God, are the beginning of all there is and the end of all there is—Creator and Sustainer of everything that exists and the One who gives me life.  You always have been and always will be the Almighty One, the eternal Lord and Ruler over everything—past, present, and future.

 

Without You, I have nothing—nothing eternal, constant, and unchanging to put my hope in, nothing that can save me from the death I bring upon myself because of my sin, and nothing that can transform me into the person that You intended for me to be.

 

Therefore, You are my reason for living, the power behind every good thought I have, every true word I speak, every good thing I do, and the Almighty source of the strength by which I live my life—all held in the hope that I might glorify You.

 

Because of the spirit of Christ in me, I am fully equipped to be everything that You want me to be—to complete Your plan and purpose for me—while I remain here on earth.  Help me to believe and live in this Truth!

 

You alone are worthy of all my praise and worship! There is no one like You—and without You I am nothing!

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

No One Like The Sovereign LORD!

 

 

“How great you are, O Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you. We have never even heard of another God like you!”

 

—2 Samuel 7:22 (NLT)

 

 

 

 

 

O Sovereign LORD,

 

Let all that I am boldly and freely declare—to anyone who will hear—how uniquely great and marvelously wonderful You are!

 

There is no god that surpasses Your greatness, for it is from You alone that greatness flows!  Anything or anyone that is made great is made so by Your divine design, according to Your divine purposes, and ultimately for Your highest glory, honor, and praise!

 

There is no other god that is Sovereign, but You!  For it is You who created all things and holds all power and authority in Your hand—assigning that power and authority to those You choose!

 

There is no other god that is like You—alive and living within those who believe!  For You didn’t wait for me to love You and desire a relationship with You, but rather You loved me first—when I was bound in filthy sin—and called me to Yourself and made my heart Your home, forever!

 

Why would I follow after some other god—when I have never even heard of another God like You?  None better, none greater, none higher, none like You!

 

Let all that I am boldly and freely declare—to anyone who will hear—how uniquely great and marvelously wonderful You are!

 

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.