Category Archives: Prayers

Look Familiar?

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James 4:1-8 (NASB)
1 What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members?
2 You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask.
3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.
4 You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
5 Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: “He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us”?
6 But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

In this passage, James gives us a view of the world during his time. But God gives us a view of the unregenerate throughout all time, as well as the sin nature that surfaces in those that are still being conformed the image of God.

I have to be constantly reminded of verse 6 above. The sin of self pride emerges without warning, disguised as a virtue in our minds. It causes us to compare ourselves to others, lifting the image of ourselves above others, erasing any humility that should be there.

When we let pride take over, we are unable to humbly defend those in need, humbly proclaim the truth of the gospel, humbly give Jesus the glory for all.

Heavenly Father, forgive me for the prideful sin in my life. It is a prayer that I need to pray each moment of every day. Holy Spirit, consume my spirit so that pride cannot emerge from my thoughts and deeds. Purge sin from my heart and replace it with a humble reliance on Jesus. I pray this in His name, my Lord and Savior. Amen.

Always praying for the glory of God,

Answered Prayers

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Mark 11:24 (NASB)
24 Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.

The New Testament contains amazing promises we will receive when we pray with faith. But, how do we reconcile the observed facts? Do we then say that the promise is not true? Or do we, as some have suggested, regrettably understand that our faith is weak and that is why we don’t receive our petition as requested?

In either case, it might cause us to give up on petitions. Or simply use the reservation of “if it be Thy will”. As C.S. Lewis said, “Every war, every famine or plague, almost every deathbed, is the monument to a petition that was not granted.”

How is it possible to have a perfect faith in prayer and yet also prepare yourself in advance for possible refusal?

Lewis also said, “It seems to me we must conclude that such promises about prayer with faith refer to a degree or kind of faith which most believers never experience.”

So, what do we do? I believe Jesus was telling us that there is a level of faith that exists where the promise is indeed true. God is the author and perfecter of our faith. So, we should pray for faith, that our faith would be perfected through Him, that we need help with our unbelief. And we shouldn’t give up on our petitions. He is a God of miracles. He can perform them even if our faith is not perfect. What an amazing God we worship! What an amazing promise that is possible through our sanctification by the Holy Spirit.

Heavenly Father, You have given me faith to believe in You. It is a faith that is not possible without You. It is a faith that can be increased when I pray for it. God, increase my faith! Increase it as You have promised, in order that You, and only You will be glorified. I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Always praying for the glory of God,

The Host of Heaven

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Luke: 2:13-14 (ESV)
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

Appearance of angels on earth is a rare occurrence in scripture. And when it happens, they are often sent as one or two messengers of God for a particular purpose. But the birth of Jesus was so anticipated and important to the host of heaven that they all came to earth to witness and to glorify God. This was the fulfillment of a promise foretold many times by prophets. The incarnation was the first step on earth for the salvation of man. No wonder all the angels wanted to be present.

This Christmas season my wife and I are spending it home, just the two of us. It has given me time to reflect on past Christmas’s. I was blessed to be brought up in a loving family. As a child, I loved and was loved by parents, grandparents, and siblings. Christmas was a time of rejoicing, exchanging gifts, and praising the birth of Jesus. And as I raised my own family, I was blessed to have many Christmas’s with them. Great memories of times with my two sons as they anticipated and enjoyed this time of the year. Many late nights with “assembly required” gifts for them in preparation for Christmas. Wiring the front doorbell, so I could ring it from within the house after we carefully put presents on the front porch. The look in their eyes was priceless. Then in recent years, watching four grandchildren grow to adulthood as they had the same wonderful time during Christmas. The angels must have had the same feeling of joy when they witnessed the birth.

Heavenly Father, what joy there is in the birth of your son. I know that many have sadness during Christmas with their personal circumstances, but I pray that You would give them joy as they reflect on the birth of Jesus. Without this event, their salvation and the salvation of the world would not be possible. Thank you Jesus for that amazing gift. I am filled with joy. Praying all these things in Your matchless name. Amen.

Always praying for the glory of God,

Times of Drifting

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Hebrews 2:1-4 (MSG)
1 It’s crucial that we keep a firm grip on what we’ve heard so that we don’t drift off.
2 If the old message delivered by the angels was valid and nobody got away with anything,
3 do you think we can risk neglecting this latest message, this magnificent salvation? First of all, it was delivered in person by the Master, then accurately passed on to us by those who heard it from him.
4 All the while God was validating it with gifts through the Holy Spirit, all sorts of signs and miracles, as he saw fit.

Have you noticed that the cacophony of the world can drown out the whisper of the Holy Spirit? As I am tutored and sanctified by the Holy Spirit, I have learned that I must guard my heart – for I will drift. Sanctification will only happen when we open our hearts to the Holy Spirit. And our hearts are open most often when we worship, read/study the scriptures and pray.

God wants us to enjoy His creation. We enjoy it the way it was intended when we have a world view that is consistent with His plan. When we view it any other way, then we drift.

Sanctification is not only a step of salvation, it is a proof to us of our salvation. Is our faith and trust in Him today greater than last year? Last month? Yesterday? As we glorify God by sharing His good news, it sanctifies us. When we seek out and study with others that are farther along in their faith walk, it sanctifies us. God wants us to make disciples and to be disciples.

I fear the church is full of drifting Christians. I grieve for them. I pray for them. I pray that I will resist the temptation to drift. And I repent when I do.

Heavenly Father, help me to keep a firm grip on Your good news. I repent that I drift sometimes and miss out on the glories of the sanctification of the Holy Spirit. Save me from my silliness. Help me to look to the Father, for we are the crown of His creation. I pray this in the name of Jesus, who saved me from an eternity without Him. Amen.

Always praying for the glory of God,

Infinite Sin – Infinite Grace

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I Timothy 1:15-17
It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

“I know not how to express better what my sins appear to me to be, than by heaping infinite upon infinite, and multiplying infinite by infinite. When I look into my heart and take a view of my wickedness, it looks like an abyss infinitely deep, and yet it seems to me that my conviction of sin is exceeding small and faint.”
Excerpt from Letters to a Soul Seeking Jesus – Robert Murray M’Cheyne

Paul calls himself the foremost of sinners. R.M. M’Cheyne compares his sin to infinity.

As I read these passages, I came away with two thoughts.

I really do not fully understand the depth of my sin. I do not view myself properly in light of the real sin in my life. I wonder just how many of us really understand?
The grace of God and the sacrifice of Jesus is much more than I can comprehend. It has to cover an infinity of sin. However, I believe that it is sufficient because He said so.

Does that change how you view repentance? At least for me, I think I should spend more time in repentance than in supplication.

Heavenly Father, Your grace is without limit. I admit that I don’t fully see the sin in my life. I pray that as You reveal it to me, I will understand, repent, and turn away from it. I ask for your forgiveness. May You be glorified in all that I do and say. Asking all in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Always praying for the glory of God,

Christmas poem and prayer

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There once was a manger
Where God came to lay
This fulfilled a promise
Of prophets of old, we say.

All angels from heaven
Rejoiced at the blessed event
They came from the throne of God the Father
To see what He had sent.

Thank you Lord Jesus
For what you have done
I wouldn’t be in your kingdom
If it wasn’t for the birth of the Son.

Heavenly Father,

Praises to You for sending your Son.  We celebrate the birth.  Help us to remember that because of this event, we can now call out to you in repentance and claim the salvation that you freely give.  No greater love than this can we imagine.  How blessed we are.  How great You are.  May your glory be increased.

Always praying for the glory of God,

Amen

Repentance and the Parable of the Dinner

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Luke 14:16-19 (NASB)
16 But He said to him, “A man was giving a big dinner, and he invited many;
17 and at the dinner hour he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come; for everything is ready now.’
18 “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first one said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of land and I need to go out and look at it; please consider me excused.’
19 “Another one said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please consider me excused.’

Even His children can have a love of the world that pushes Jesus away. Jesus never compels us into repentance. The Holy Spirit’s voice can be overpowered by the things of this world. It isn’t that these things are bad, but they are put into the wrong priority.

Even our prayer life can be overcome by the things that we want God to do for us. And we end up petitioning Him for the things that are not His will, but ours.

How do we avoid that?
1. Daily time in the scriptures. Meditating on His words, not just reading.
2. Listening to God first, rather than talking to Him.
3. Opening our hearts to true repentance.

Psalm 119:57-60 (NASB)
57The LORD is my portion; I have promised to keep Your words.
58 I sought Your favor with all my heart; Be gracious to me according to Your word.
59 I considered my ways And turned my feet to Your testimonies.
60 I hastened and did not delay To keep Your commandments.

Jesus, help me to carefully consider my ways, and if I need to repent, turn my feet towards You.  Amen.

Always praying for the glory of God,

Thanksgiving Prayer Thoughts

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Are you a joyful Christian?

I asked myself that today. A couple of days ago I ran across a quote by Abraham Lincoln, who said “Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”

I know that joy and happiness are not the same. I have always had the idea that it was better to choose to be happy. I probably got that attitude from my parents as I was growing up, so I am thankful for that.

Happiness is a choice, so it is something that comes from within. It is a decision to look at the bright side of things and not focus on the negative.

Joy, on the other-hand is something that is bestowed on us from God. It is understanding that God loves us, has created us to be His children. If we allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives, the joy will come through. We all know that joy can be present even in the hardest of times. We can be in the midst of sorrow and yet joy can be present. Not true with happiness. Happiness and sorrow do not mix.

The first question in the Westminster Shorter Catechism asks “What is the chief end of man?” The answer given is, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever”. C. S. Lewis in the “Joyful Christian” said that these are actually one and the same. To glorify God is to enjoy Him. To enjoy Him is to glorify Him. You can’t do one without accomplishing the other.

So, our often feeble attempts to enjoy God are done when we worship Him. Worship is not just what we do on Sunday. Worship is a constant expression of our love for Him, another word for prayer when we praise God.

This Thanksgiving, I thank God that He gives me joy. I pray that I will enjoy Him more each and every day.

Always praying for the glory of God,

Pray for guidance

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Heavenly Father,

I praise you as the creator, author of all things, sustainer of creation, and our Father who has called us into your kingdom.

May I accept your guidance when I pray for it, even if it isn’t what I expect.  Give me more faith each day, so I can live out my life only walking in Your way.

Forgive me when I

say I believe in You, yet doubt your promises,

say I trust in You, yet worry,

say I love you, yet don’t obey,

say I believe You have all the answers, yet I don’t ask for Your help in prayer.

Always praying for the glory of God,

Chris McKean

Your unchanging love

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Heavenly Father,

It seems that we live in a time of confusion, where we doubt our beliefs and and believe our doubts.  We see many that seek to worship other than You, who would rather divide instead of sharing Your peace.  It seems that this is a time that is worse than any other, and yet, as I read in Isaiah this morning, I am reminded that we always live in these times.

Instead of focusing on the times, may I focus only on You.  I pray that you would make it hard for me to do wrong and easy to do what is right in Your eyes.

I praise You for who you are, the unchanging God of the universe.  I give thanks that your love never changes, realizing that if it did, you would not love us long.

I pray that I would follow you today and leave the worries of the world behind.

Always praying for the glory of God,

Chris McKean