Tag: prayer

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Only God

Daily Reading

Psalm 140-145

Daily Thought

What makes an evil king evil? King Ahab of Israel, an evil king, was going to war. He asked King Jehoshaphat, a righteous king, to join him. Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Inquire first for the word of the Lord.” King Ahab had 400 prophets who said “Yes.” They always said “Yes.” Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there not here another prophet of the Lord of whom we may inquire?” Ahab said there was one other, “…but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but evil” (1Kings 22:5, 7-8).

An evil king wants to hear only good. 

In Psalm 141, we listen to King David pleading for purity. almost commanding God to attend to him, “Give ear to my voice when I call you!” (Psalm 141:1), The exclamation mark is rightly placed at the end–a reverent “Listen to me when I talk to you” would be an accurate translation. David wants help from God; he longs to hear from God, “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth” (v 3), and from the godly, “Let a righteous man strike me–it is a kindness; let him rebuke me–it is oil for my head; let my head not refuse it” (v 5).

A righteous king wants to hear only God.

Daily Prayer

Lord God, You know the beginning and the end, Your words are wise and good, and You lead into righteousness those who are willing to follow.

God, I will make time each day to read Your Word. Speak to me. May Your Word reveal any rebelliousness in me and may it teach, reprove, correct, and train me to be righteous.

Amen

Daily Question

How does God correct you when you are wrong?

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Draw Closer to home

Daily Reading

Psalm 58-65

Daily Thought

David sometimes begins a psalm with a lot of chutzpah, an audacious honesty which almost oversteps the bounds of etiquette between creature and Creator–“O God, break the teeth in their mouths; tear out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord!” (Psalm 58:6). “Deliver me from my enemies, O my God,” he cries; “save me from bloodthirsty men” (Psalm 59:1-2). David anchors himself to the one firm foundation he can trust, “the one who by his strength established the mountains, being girded with might; who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves” (Psalm 65:6-7). “For God alone, he only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken” (Psalm 62:6).

After he spews, he listens. In his psalm, in his prayer, David pulls on the rope attached to his anchor, an anchor secured to the mighty rock, to his God of strength. When you anchor to the shore and pull on the rope, the shore does not move, rather you are drawn closer to the shore, and this is prayer. 

No longer are the wicked David’s concern, but God’s. David’s heart becomes God’s heart, and he finds rest in God’s goodness, satisfaction in God’s justice and grace. “Blessed is the one you choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple!” (Psalm 65:4).

Daily Prayer

My God, You are the One I turn to when the world around me is in turmoil. In You I find strength and security and peace. I can give my worries to You. My concerns over trouble pale in comparison to Your care over me. I just need to remember, O God, not my will, but Yours.

You have already saved me from sin and death. On the cross you conquered all. What else is there for me to fear? In You, my forever is certain, so what can harm me today? I will walk this world with the confidence, not of my power, but of Your Name. You are my Savior and my Lord, and for me to live is Christ.

Amen

Daily Question

In prayer, do you do more talking or listening?

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I Pray

Daily Reading

Psalm 1-8

Daily Thought

Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night. ~Psalm 1:1-2

In front of my childhood home grows a towering redwood, 60 feet high. It is beautiful and strong, a majestic tree. We planted two of these trees on our front lawn when my family moved into the house in 1973. They were 6 feet high then, and over the summer we watched as one grew and one did not. One seemed to find water, soak it in, delight in it, and so it flourished. The other did not, dried up, and died. Today I can point to the spot the other tree was planted, but there is no trace it was ever there.

He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away. ~Psalm 1:3-4

I was a teenager in 1973, and prayer was difficult. Speaking to someone unseen felt odd. I repeated myself a lot and talked like King James, “Thee” and “Thou.” One day I opened the Psalms and was surprised by the words. They were words for me, the expressions I longed for, “Give ear to my words, O Lord” (Psalm 5:1), and “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers” (Psalm 8:3), and “I will fear no evil for you are with me” (Psalm 23:4). I began to pray the Psalms, to walk with a Bible in hand and pray God’s Word back to him. God’s Word became my words, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10), robust words that declared my thoughts and desires. I learned to pray by praying the Psalms, to “delight in the law of the Lord, and on his law meditate day and night” (Psalm 1:2). 

That man is described as blessed, a man who will grow like a tree planted by streams of water.

Daily Prayer

O Lord my God, early this morning I stop and wonder what this day will bring. What have You set before me? You prepare me to meet the wonders and challenges and opportunities and delights of this world as I read Your Word and delight in it. Fill my heart this morning with Your grace and truth. Give me wisdom, courage, and compassion so that all I do prospers me and those around me.

May I be strong in Your love today. Whether I meet friend or enemy, may my life express Your love. May I do what is good and right, may others be blessed, and may You be praised.

Amen

Daily Question

What are some of your favorite passages in the Bible and why are they favorites?

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All I Got

Daily Reading

1Chronicles 22-24

Daily Thought

I can’t sing harmony. I can’t dance. I can’t dunk a basketball. I can’t play drums. I can’t paint a beautiful sunset. I’ve tried. Sometimes hours a day, day after day, for months, and even years. The motivational poster says, “You can do anything you set your mind to do.” 

Apparently not.

God’s temple would be built, not with the bloodied hands of David, but with hands that know peace, because peace is the character of God’s kingdom. The one who batters the enemies of God will not be the one who builds the house of God. “My son,” David said to Solomon, “I had it in my heart to build a house to the name of the Lord my God. But the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘You have shed much blood and have waged great wars. You shall not build a house to my name, because you have shed so much blood before me on the earth’” (1Chronicles 22:7-8). There are times when determination simply will not substitute for ability, opportunity, or permission. And that’s okay.

I still sing (in the shower), I have fun playing basketball (passing more than shooting), and I enjoy sunsets. “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully” (Romans 12:6-8).

On the other hand, those things I can do, I give it all I got.

Daily Prayer

Heavenly Father, You gave me life, formed me, and filled me with abilities and talents. May I delight in them. Free me from any desire to be something I am not, and help me discover who I am and what I can do for You. I am individually designed by You, so I know it is a good work You have done in me.

I look at all You create, God, the majesty, the wonder, the beauty, and it works. The world holds together, everything in its place. I trust the sun to rise each day, because I trust the One who created it. You created me on purpose, from Your pleasure and for Your pleasure. Today, I am grateful for everything. Tomorrow, too. And the next day.

Amen

Daily Question

What are you really good at? How does God use this ability?

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Finish the Race

Daily Reading

2Kings 20-22

Daily Thought

That Hezekiah enjoyed prosperity was obvious. An envoy of visitors bearing gifts sent by the king of Babylon became an excuse to show off. “Hezekiah welcomed them, and he showed them all his treasure house, the silver, the gold, the spices, the precious oil, his armory, all that was found in his storehouses. There was nothing in his house or in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them” (2Kings 20:13). Not surprisingly, Babylon would visit again someday–with an army–and make this treasure their own, but that was of little concern to Hezekiah as long as there was “peace and security in my days” (2Kings 20:19).

Hezekiah had begun beautifully. “The Lord was with him; wherever he went out, he prospered” (2Kings 18:7), but success became too much a good thing. You would hope that one who trusted God with his life would trust God with his death, but that was not the case. When Isaiah the prophet came to him and said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die’” (2Kings 20:1), Hezekiah could have responded as the Apostle Paul did when death approached, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2Timothy 4:7). Instead, Hezekiah pled with God and wept bitterly, asking for more, God added fifteen years to his life.

We pray for results and God answers with opportunities. Hezekiah was given longer life, so he did not bother ordering his house and his good life finished badly. In those added years, Hezekiah had another son and named him Manasseh, “and Manasseh led them astray to do more evil than the nations had done whom the Lord destroyed before the people of Israel” (2Kings 21:9). Hezekiah did not finish well. He would have been better served and would have served God better had he died a younger man.

Daily Prayer

My Lord, my God, Your commandments will be upon my heart, because they are good for life, my life, and my children’s and their children’s. I will impress them on my children, talk about them when I sit at home and when I walk along the road, when I lie down and when I get up. I will not only teach them, I will live them.

God, bless my household. May my family, my spouse and children, follow You all the days of our lives. As for me and my house, we will serve You.

Amen

Daily Question

How can you tell if what you pray for is motivated according to your desire or God’s?

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Bad Beginning

Daily Reading

2Samuel 4-7

Daily Thought

David determined to bring the ark of God to the city of Jerusalem. It didn’t go well. After loading the ark of God on a new cart, the oxen stumbled, the ark thrust sideways, “and Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God” (2Samuel 6:6-7). The celebration turned to grief. 

What happened?

Here it is–David determined to bring the ark. David determined. He talked to his leaders, “David consulted with the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, with every leader” (1Chronicles 13:1). He talked to the people, “All the assembly agreed to do so, for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people” (1Chronicles 13:4). 

Of course he talked to God, right? David always talks to God. Look how often: “David inquired of the Lord, ‘Shall I…?’”—1Samuel 23:3; 1Samuel 30:8; 2Samuel 2:1; 2Samuel 5:19, etc. 

Except not this time. David did not ask God if God wanted his ark in Jerusalem. 

Therefore, tragically, he did not also ask God how to carry the ark. God’s word was clear, but forgotten; “You shall cast four rings of gold for it and put them on its four feet, two rings on the one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it. You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. And you shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark by them. The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it” (Exodus 25:12-15). The ark was to be carried on the shoulders by four Kohathite men, and “they must not touch the holy things, lest they die” (Numbers 4:15). 

“And Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it.” ~2Samuel 6:6

It ended badly because it began badly. It began without God.

Daily Prayer

Heavenly Father, I worship You and You alone. You are God and there is no other. May I worship You the way You want, the way You ask me to, the way that pleases You. God, too often I worship You to please myself and others.  May I be more concerned about Your pleasure than mine. I give You Sunday; may I worship You Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, as well, and may my worship be seen in my love for others. May my life be a living sacrifice.

God, help me be Your servant to the poor and the needy. Let me be one who reads Your Word and follows Your ways. To worship You, obedience comes before sacrifice. Keep me from becoming self-centered, world-centered. May I be heavenly minded and passionate about You. Mold my heart, so that it desires all things good and righteous.

Amen

Daily Question

When do you typically invite God into your plans?

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God Knows Best

Daily Reading

Numbers 8-10

Daily Thought

My son approached me with what seemed to be a reasonable request. “May I go to the movies tonight with my friends?” Which movie? Which friends? I asked the right questions. “Son, it seems like everything is okay.”

He started to walk away triumphantly. “But son, you know there is no ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ until your mom says ‘Yes’ or ‘No.’” 

He knew. My wife knows better. She knows if there is homework due. She knows how he’s behaved during the day. She knows his friends. I’ve learned I dare not say ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ before checking with the one who knows best.

The Israelites were observing the Passover on the anniversary of their deliverance from Egypt. Some who were unclean (they had touched a dead body) still wanted to participate. They asked Moses if it was okay. It seemed a reasonable request.

And Moses said to them, “Wait, that I may hear what the Lord will command concerning you” (Numbers 9:8). Moses knew, check with the One who knows best.

Blessed is the one who listens to me,
watching daily at my gates,
waiting beside my door. ~Proverbs 8:34

Daily Prayer

Father God, You are wise, You are loving, You are good. What a blessing it is to bring my requests to You. I know that You will work all things to the good of those who love You and are called according to Your purpose. I want Your wisdom, God, and it is there for the asking. But I forget to ask. 

My love for You is shown by my obedience. My trust is displayed in my actions. May I be one who, all day long, seeks Your Word and Your ways, follows Your path, and walks in Your wisdom. May I be one who talks to You. And listens. 

Amen

Daily Question

How do you know what God wants you to do and not do?

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Abba Father

Daily Reading

Romans 8-10

Daily Thought

I love when one of my children calls me “Daddy.” My boys started calling me “Dave.” They thought it was cute. All my kids call me “Dave” when I do something ridiculous, “Way to go, Dave.” I guess I deserve that. But “Daddy,” when I hear that word, I turn and smile and the one who said it has my undivided attention. 

“You have received the Spirit of adoption as children, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Romans 8:15). “Abba” is like calling God “Daddy.” My grandkids call me “Bapa.” Same thing. It is a special relationship, intimate, close.

The night before Jesus would go to the cross, he is in a garden in Jerusalem called Gethsemane, praying to his heavenly Father. We get to listen. “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will” (Mark 14:36). You can hear the intimacy. This isn’t “our Father who art in heaven,” this is “Daddy” and a deep sigh, and Jesus is ready to do whatever his Father says.

We can pray to God like that, too. We share the same intimacy as Jesus–“we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:16-17)–like children with their daddy, that special, personal, unique relationship. That kind of relationship where you can run up to God and lift your arms up and get wrapped up in his. You are never interrupting, because nothing else is as important to your daddy. 

I never start prayer with, “Hey God, you got a minute.” Children don’t ask that. My children never considered my time because they know I always have time for them. 

That’s God. We talk to our Father with confidence because we know when we pray, he swipes all the paperwork to the side, turns his chair toward us, lifts us up on his lap, and he listens. And I am ready to do whatever he says.

Daily Prayer

Abba Father, You left Your throne and looked for me and found me and saved me and brought me into your family. I am Your child. I wasn’t even looking for You. You came to seek and to save the lost and that was me. Your love is amazing. 

I love this intimacy, that I can climb on Your lap and You are mine and I am Yours. You love me and I love You back and trust You and I am ready to do whatever You say.

Amen

Daily Question

What do you call your father and what does that indicate about your relationship with him?

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Miracles

Daily Reading

Acts 16-17

Daily Thought

Jail became common to the disciples, and outcomes were unpredictable; Herod killed James, an angel rescued Peter (see Acts 12:1-7). So, when Paul and Silas were thrown into prison, it was not surprising to find them praying deep into the night. But if you think they were praying for themselves, you’d be wrong.

The jailer had strict orders “to keep them safely” (Acts 16:23), but an earthquake struck, releasing their bonds and opening the gates of their cells. If they were praying for a miracle, this was it! The jailer knew it, too, and “he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped” (Acts 16:27). Instead, Paul and Silas had remained in their cell. They traded their safety for the jailer’s salvation and convinced the other prisoners to remain, as well. When the jailer saw this, he asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 

While sitting in jail, their future in doubt, the prayers of Paul and Silas were not for the safety of themselves, but the salvation of others, and the jailer “was baptized at once, he and all his family” (Acts 16:33). That was the real miracle.

Daily Prayer

Heavenly Father, my time is not as important as someone’s eternity, my safety not as important as their salvation. May my prayers and my priorities reflect the values of heaven and may my life point others to my Lord. 

I trust you with all my life and that changes my attitude about everything and everyone. Teach me to love others more, to live boldly, to share freely, to serve like my Savior.

Amen

Daily Question

What kind of things do you pray for that have to do with today and what kind of things have to do with eternity?

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A Red Umbrella

Daily Reading

Acts 11-13

Daily Thought

Herod the king discovered popularity with certain Jews by killing Christians, and so “he killed James the brother of John with the sword” (Acts 12:2). Peter was next, but it was not to be. God intervened; “an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, ‘Get up quickly.’ And the chains fell off his hands” (Acts 12:7). Peter was led past sleeping guards and open gates and deposited outside the jail and inside the city.

It is fair to ask why Peter was rescued and not James–why one and not the other, why not both or neither. I do not know the answer to this, but I do know that neither was more important to God, nor more loved by God, because death is no worse a fate than life to the faithful, and both rest in the hands of God.

Perhaps due to the death of James, when Peter was taken, “earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church” (Acts 12:5). Also, due to the death of James, their faith was lacking. When a servant girl interrupted the disciples and informed them Peter was outside waiting at the door, safe and unharmed, their response was a faithless, “You are out of your mind” (Acts 12:15).

Once upon a time there was a farming town in the midst of a long drought and the people gathered at church to pray. Twelve year old Susie came, as well, and came prepared. By her side on the pew laid her red umbrella. She alone thought to bring one.

“Peter continued knocking, and when they opened the door, they saw him and were amazed” (Acts 12:16). The disciples did one thing wrong, they did not have faith. Nevertheless, they did one thing right, they prayed anyway. Their prayer lacked faith, but they were faithful to pray. Pray and have faith, but if you find faith difficult, pray anyway.

And bring an umbrella.

Daily Prayer

Father God, I know that You are faithful and true. I know that You can do all things. I know that what You promise will happen.

God, I have faith. Help me with my faith. May I trust You and live my life reflecting my faith and confidence in You. When I pray, may I not be surprised, but still amazed, when You answer.

Amen

Daily Question

Are you confident God will hear and answer your prayers? How confident? Why?