Deuteronomy 6:5 (NASB)
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

“Pray is something deeper than words. It is present in the soul before it has been formulated in words. And it abides in the soul after the last words of prayer have passed over our lips.”
From the book by O. Hallesby, “Prayer”, pg 18.

Prayer is more than just words. It is nourishment for the soul. It grows our love for God like no other. It strengthens our body. Our morning prayers uphold us throughout the day and our evening prayers quiet us for a time of rest.

And that is just the tip of the iceberg. I’m pretty sure that I cannot even comprehend all of the amazing properties that prayer has on us. And when we pray, it glorifies God. I can’t think of anything more important than to spend time in prayer with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. What do you think?

Father, giving You thanks cannot express the true wonder and blessing that Your gift of prayer provides. If I were to praise you for all time and beyond, it wouldn’t give You the glory that You deserve. Yet, here I am, thanking You for prayer. I humbly praise You for it. I am without words to properly express my gratitude. Thank You also that Jesus is interceding on my behalf. It is in His name I pray. Amen.

Psalm 105:15
“Do not touch My anointed ones,
And do My prophets no harm.”

Matthew 14:35-36
And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent word into all that surrounding district and brought to Him all who were sick; and they implored Him that they might just touch the fringe of His cloak; and as many as touched it were cured.

In the Old Testament, references to touching were primarily commands to not touch someone or something. There are many references to not touching unclean things. But in the gospels, an unnamed woman who had been sick for 12 years was convinced that if she only touched the garment that Jesus wore, she would be healed. And she was. Word spread and many people wanted to touch Jesus to be healed of their afflictions.

Just how close is my relationship with Jesus? Am I someone that is in the crowd, but not near enough to reach out and touch Him? Am I someone who would rather stand back and know of Him, but not really know Him? Does the feeling of proximity to Him change from day to day? How about you?

Heavenly Father, I pray that my relationship with You would become closer each day. Jesus, I want the touch of your cloak to give me the strength to turn away from the sin in my life. I pray that You would always feel close by. I pray in Jesus name. Amen.

Always praying for the glory of God,

Psalm 16:8-11 (NASB)
8 I have set the Lord continually before me; Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
9 Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will dwell securely.
10 For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.
11 You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.

When I look in the mirror, do I see someone who follows Jesus? Do my actions reflect the words of my mouth? Do I constantly seek His direction and the path that He wants me to take?

Regretfully, I fall down each day. I repent. Yet He picks me up with His psalms. His Word restores me.

Father, Your words bring gladness to my heart. A recent prayer that I heard has echoed in my mind. “I know that where Your finger points, Your hand will provide.” I pray that Your will be done. I pray that my will would conform. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.

Always praying for the glory of God,

Luke 7:9 (NASB)
Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled at him, and turned and said to the crowd that was following Him, “I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.”

There are many examples in the Bible of people being amazed at Jesus. It was what He said, how He acted, and what He did that amazed them. However, there is only one example in scripture where Jesus was amazed and that was when He saw the faith exhibited by the Roman Centurion who asked Jesus to heal his slave. Even though Jesus was willing to go to the slave, the Centurion’s faith was so great that he told Jesus not to bother to come to him, but only “say the word” and he knew that his slave would be healed.

How often do we want a sign from Jesus rather than just believing that anything is possible through Him? How often do my prayers reflect the weakness of my faith? We can learn much from the Centurion, who simply believed. We can gain much from Jesus, who is the author and perfecter of our faith. Faith is not something that we muster. We only need to allow the faith that is possible from Jesus to fill us.

Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit, I pray that You will increase my faith, even today. I pray that my spirit will accept the faith that You provide without hesitation; that it would flow through me completely as I believe just as the Centurion did. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.

Always praying for the glory of God,

1 Corinthians 11:23 (NASB)
For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread;

The Lord’s Supper is the most precious of ordinances. Think of the time when it was given to us. Jesus was to be betrayed that night. It was the darkest night for Him, but the brightest for us. He remembered our comfort, even while he was to be put to the greatest test.

The Lord’s Supper is intended only for those that are His children; for those that love Him. Jesus is our brother and He brings to us the greatest gift of all. It is a time where we can be fed by Him as we remember what He did for us. It is all about Christ. It is a time to deal honestly with our soul, to take of it only in reverence as the sacrament that Christ intended.

Father, when I come to the table that You prepared for us, prepare my heart and cleanse my soul. I pray that I would meditate on your words and consider the love You have for your children during this sacred event. I pray that I would cherish and look forward to each time where I can share that holy meal with You. I pray in Your name. Amen.

Always praying for the glory of God,

Jude 20,21 (NASB)
But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.

Whenever we are in prayer, we are in the presence of the most Holy Triune God. The three persons of the Godhead are always there. The Father, His ear open to our words and feelings. The Son, interceding for us with the Father. The Holy Spirit whispering words of encouragement and bringing thoughts to the surface for us to speak. There can be no true prayer without all three. If we attempt to pray without even one of them, it is not true prayer. Always pray to the Father, in the name of Jesus, and by His Spirit.

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, let my praise, repentance, adoration, and supplications be a sweet aroma to You. I pray that You would be glorified in all that I do and say. Your glory is my true enjoyment. Amen.

Always praying for the glory of God,

Luke 18:26-27 (NASB)
They who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” But He said, “The things that are impossible with people are possible with God.”

The metaphor of a search for God is suggestive of efforts of muscular will. … In the parables of the Gospel, it is God who seeks man. Nowhere in the Gospel is there question of a search undertaken by man. Man does not take a step unless he receives some pressure or is definitely called.
Simone Weil, “Waiting for God”

To believe that we are the center, that we initiate the discovery of God, is absurdity. We continue this absurd thought process by defining some churches as “seeker” churches. We allow people to say that they “accepted” Christ, as if it was the first step in salvation. Theologians in the 18th century documented from scripture (primarily Romans 8) what they called the Ordo Salutis, the order of salvation, which begins with a calling from God, a regeneration of our heart, and only then conversion when we are given faith by God, repent of our sins and call upon Jesus as our Lord and Savior. The order of salvation doesn’t end there. We are then justified by God, adopted as His child, sanctified over time, and then finally glorified when we are taken to heaven one day.

Father, You are the center of all. Is is only by Your mercy and grace that we are saved and drawn into your Kingdom. Thank you for that gift, the greatest of all. May my feeble efforts to love you in return bring You joy and glorify Jesus. Amen.

Always praying for the glory of God,

Revelation 1:3 (NASB)
Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.

Many, even those that read scripture regularly, avoid the last book of the Bible. The imagery is vivid and the prophesy is difficult to understand without considerable study. However Christ, through the disciple John, makes it clear in the beginning of the book that we are blessed by reading and hearing these words.

Several years ago, my grandson challenged me to read Revelation Chapter 5 every morning. I did that for a couple of months. As I remember his challenge, I go back periodically and read it again. Chapter 5 is a picture of the gospel and a picture of heaven. You will be blessed by reading it. So, I challenge you to read it too.

Heavenly Father, I pray that I would not avoid certain books or passages of scripture. I know that all scripture is God breathed and worthy of my study. I pray that my prayers would come from your words, that my thoughts would come from your Spirit, that my words would reflect your scripture. I pray this is Jesus name. Amen.

Always praying for the glory of God,

Philippians 3:17-21 (NASB)
Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.

My wife and I were recently at a dinner party with friends from our neighborhood. It was a pleasant evening with good company, excellent food, and interesting discussions. Near the end of the dinner, the topic of spiritual things came up. One person said that they were a skeptic even though they do attend church. They didn’t understand why, if God was real, why we didn’t have miracles today like those reported in the Bible. One other person, whose wife had passed away several years ago, said that he still liked to attend church on occasion. It was a time of reminiscing attending church with his wife for so many years.

I realized that there are many reasons why people attend corporate worship. For some it is a pleasant experience with comforting music. It is a reminder of other times, possibly an entertaining hour. For others, it is a place to gather information, to learn, possibly to hear an interesting sermon. For others it is a time to absorb the experience in a way to transform us into the likeness of Jesus.

I have to confess that I have thought of Sunday worship in all three ways. Over the years, I have learned through the Holy Spirit that my time in corporate worship needs to focus on being transformed by the Spirit. That is the main reason, although fellowship and learning are also components of the experience. I test it now by how I respond in word and thought following the service. Do I critique the music selection? Do I analyze the sermon against my knowledge of scripture? Or do I let the Spirit teach me what He wants me to learn from the experience?

Heavenly Father, transform me from my sinful state into conformity with the body of Christ. Forgive me when I reduce your worship to my entertainment. Forgive me when I reduce your worship into a focus on me instead of You. As your Spirit teaches, align my heart and mind with You. I pray in Jesus precious name. Amen.

Always praying for the glory of God,