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A prayer written on behalf of a dear friend of mine, whose walk with the Lord is remarkable:
He leads me beside quiet waters. Ps 23:2
O God, You are the God of the Low Whisper. Save me, O God, for the waters have threatened my life. I have sunk in deep mire, and there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and a flood overflows me. I am weary with my crying; my throat is parched. I need You, O God, to come to my rescue. Right now, my days are chaotic and out of control. My strength is nearly gone. My courage is next to nothing. I have no idea how to handle the days ahead. O Lord, keep me attentive to Your voice in the midst of this storm. Help me to hear and embrace the sound of Your low whisper. Let me rise above the clamor and hear You say to my heart, “Come to Me. Listen, that you may live.” Yes God, Your whisper is full of hope. You say with compassion, “Do not be afraid”… “I will give you rest”… “I know the plans I have for you”… “I am the good shepherd”…”Come, follow Me”. O dear Lord, Your tender voice calms me; Your quiet words soothe me. Keep me attentive, for Your low whisper is my delight. Yes, You calm the storm within me while it continues to rage about. Thank You, Gentle One, for firmly steadying my soul.
Ps 69: 1-3; Is. 55:3; Matt. 14:27; Matt. 11:28; Jer. 29:11; John 10:14; Matt. 4:19
(364 more prayers like this one can be found in my book, The Heartbeat of God)
I have been studying Acts this year in my women's Bible Study group at my church. To say that this has been a fascinating book would be an understatement. I am inspired by the apostles' Spirit-led boldness, power, and grace as I have witnessed them spread the good news of Jesus Christ in spite of the persecution that they faced at every turn.In Acts 16, Paul and Silas are in prison, having been beaten with rods for their faith. Their feet were in stocks in the inner cell. Bloody, weary, cold, and with darkness surrounding them, they chose to do something quite amazing:About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God...They were doing what? Shouldn't they be groaning in pain, or grumbling with anger, or trembling with fear, or sinking in despair, or all of these at once? But, they chose to pray and sing. The rest of the verse is as follows:...and the prisoners were listening to them. Acts 16:25Ahhh, they had an audience (a "captive" audience at that!) Can you imagine the soothing sound of these hymns and the words of hope that traveled peacefully through the iron bars, reaching the ears, and then the hearts, of different prisoners who were also experiencing their own personal despair?After reading this verse, I think the question I must ask myself is this, "What will I choose to do in my darkest hour?" Will I sing as Paul and Silas did? Hmmm, I hope so. The passage unfolds:And suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened , and everyone's chains were unfastened. And when the jailer had been roused out of sleep and had seen the prison doors opened he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. Acts 16:26-27This heaven-sent miracle had just enforced the jailer's darkest hour upon him. He had most likely fallen asleep to the peaceful hymns of the apostles, only to be awakened by absolute chaos of his personal world. The escape of the prisoners meant his certain death, so he chose to go ahead and end his life himself. But Paul and Silas intervened. In the chaos, the desperate jailer cried out to none other than the men who were singing songs of hope in the night. The jailer asked them the greatest question that any man could ask this side of heaven, and the apostles answered it with certainty:"Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" And they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus and you shall be saved, you and your household." Acts 16:30-31And the jailer believed, as well as his household, and they rejoiced greatly. Acts 16:34Friends, I encourage you to sing in your darkest hour. I know it won't be easy, but it will be good--good for you in the midst of your chaos, and good for others who are in the midst of theirs. You have an audience, and they are listenting. So choose to sing...sing of His love, His faithfulness, His forgiveness, and His grace. Mighty things will happen as a result...chains will break, rocks will move, questions will be asked, hearts will be softened, and lives will be saved.For your sake and for the sake your audience, God Himself urges you to sing. Will you?The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime; and His song will be with me in the night. Psalm 42:8
A bible verse that I revisit over and over again is this one:...casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you. (I Peter 5:7)And this one:Cast your burden upon the Lord, and He will sustain you... (Psalm 55:22)The word "cast" means to throw forcefully in a specified direction. In these two verses, we are given the simple instruction to throw all our anxieties and burdens off of our hearts and minds, into the direction of the Lord, who will then take them upon Himself. I wish this straightforward instruction was as simple to obey. Why do I hold on to things I cannnot control?For example, I have four children (2 teenagers, 2 in their early twenties), each with their own set of predicaments, large and small. As their mother, I have a tendency to take on the dangerous attitude of entitlement, making their problems, my problems. If I'm not careful, in a matter of only minutes, I'm a mess. I've gathered in my arms stressful stones, burdensome bricks, and worrisome rocks. Oh how they weigh me down! In this condition, I'm not only useless to my kids, but also to others in my path who may need a helping hand.Therefore, I must continue to develop and strengthen the healthy habit of casting. I must name each worry that I naturally accumulate, and then hurl it in the direction of the One who can not only catch it (He never misses), but also can do something about it (He's always productive). In His hands, each troublesome pebble has the opportunity to become a precious stone.
So friend, if you are holding a heap of havoc, start hurling with hope. Throw it forcefully into the direction of your Savior. He is able...for His yoke is easy, and His burden is light. (Matt 11:30)Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden, the God who is our salvation. (Psalm 68:19)
Yesterday I found myself holding my breath while pleading with the Lord for all kinds of favors having to do with a little white golf ball. My son was in a golf tournament in Atlanta, GA, and of course, as his mom, I want to see him succeed in the sport he loves. "Please Lord, help the ball go in the hole, please!" Hmm... are these kinds of prayers okay to pray? (And others like it: "God, please help my daughter make the soccer team", or, "God, please help my son to pass this test," or "God, please help my child to....")I think these prayers concerning the present moment are fine to say, as long as we are willing to accept God's perfect answer. Ultimately, these sentence prayers need the underlying foundation of, "Not my will, but Your will be done" (Luke 22:42). When I get too caught up in the fleeting moment of golf or other life issues that come my way, I have to make a conscious decision to follow a deeper kind of praying, the kind of praying that accomplishes much more than the immediate desire at hand...One of Jesus' disciples asked, "Lord, teach us to pray" (Luke 11:1). And then Jesus delivers to the twelve what is commonly known to us as the Lord's Prayer. He teaches these lines to them, and now to us, so we can pray rich, meaningful, rewarding prayers to our Father who is in heaven.For example, pick someone that is on your heart right now and pray for them. In my case, instead of the quick "golfing pleas" I was praying yesterday, I made a decision to pray for Davis' heart as he played his round (and then included my other children too!). The first line of the Lord's Prayer talks about praising God's name. So, I will choose one name, Almighty One, full of power, and begin praying using the Lord's prayer as a guideline:Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be your name: Dear God, I praise Your name; You are the Almighty One....Your kingdom come, Your will be done:I pray that You will come into Davis' heart and reaveal Yourself to him; may he know this very moment that You are all powerful and... nothing is too dificult for You...(Jer. 32:17).Give us this day our daily bread:Please give Your words of life to him today, right now... speak to him truths such as this: "Power and might are in Your hand and no one can withstand You" (II Chron. 20:6).Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors:I ask You to forgive him when he doubts You as the Almighty One, when He thinks You don't care, and when he tries to fix things in his own strength...Lead us not into tempatation, but deliver us from evil:Draw Davis away from this unbelief, and keep his enemy far from him; for the deceiver does not want Davis to know that he... can do all things through Christ who gives him strength (Phil. 4:13).For Yours is the kingdom, power, and glory;And as You answer these prayers in Your time and in Your way, may You be glorified in and through Davis who trusts You as His Savior. Amen.The beautiful thing about this guideline is that you can go back and pray it all over again by picking another name of God to "hallow." Prayer starts with praising His name: Shepherd, Provider, Protector, Creator, King...on and on. This kind of praying is effectual, fervant praying that God says avails much (James 5:16). So yes, this mother's heart wants Davis' golf ball to sink into that little hole with pars and birdies all over that scorecard; but ultimately, I want more than that for my son. So when I wrestle (again and again) with these temporary shotgun prayers, I will ask the Lord (again and again) to say to my heart, "Pray like this..." (Luke11:2).
Foundation of Love
May every floorboard of every room be founded on the love of Jesus Christ;
in Him alone we will not be shaken.
Walls of Joy
May the joyful and contagious laughter of the abundant life of Christ ring
throughout the walls of our home.
Ceilings of Peace
May You seal each room, dear Father, with Your sweet blanket of peace,
and may Your protective hand rest on our rooftop.
Hallways and Stairways of Patience
Please give me Your patience with each child as they pass through
each of the stages and phases of growth. Also, please fill my children's hearts with
genuine patience towards one another as they walk life together.
Windows of Kindness and Doorways of Goodness
May all who look into this home be enthralled by Your warming light;
and when these welcomed guests enter in, may the feel surrounded by
the goodness of Your love.
Playrooms and Schoolrooms of Gentleness
May Your tender touch abound in the hearts of my children as the play, learn,
and live together. And dear Father, may I lead gently--the way You so
gently lead me.
Bedrooms of Faithfulness
Please bless our marriage with a beautiful love for one another--the kind
You planned from the beginning. And may my children's bedrooms never be
a place of secrecy; rather, a sanctuary, filled with quiet times with
their faithful Redeemer.
Kitchen of Self-control
May You be the King of the kitchen, not me.
And as we gather around our table, may we feast on Your abundant
grace and love.
AMEN.
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor... Isaiah 6:9
Dear Lord,
You are all wise. You know exactly what we need. You want to direct us onto the right paths--every day, every decision. Forgive us when don't seek you first, but rather seek counsel elsewhere. Help us to be rooted in your word as well as receive wise instruction from those who walk with you. In Jesus' Name, Amen.