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Tag Archives: Prayer

Matthew 24:42-51

27 Aug

42 “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. 43 Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. 44 You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.

45 “A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. 46 If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward. 47 I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns. 48 But what if the servant is evil and thinks, ‘My master won’t be back for a while,’ 49 and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting drunk? 50 The master will return unannounced and unexpected, 51 and he will cut the servant to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 24:42-51

Dear God, I woke up this morning thinking about the flash floods/avalanches in Nepal and Tibet that I heard about yesterday. I realized I hadn’t prayed for them like I should. I was more intrigued by the spectacle of it than I was concerned about the hundreds of people washed away, missing, killed, or injured. But I was convicted about not having prayed for them or their families. Then when I started to pray, I didn’t know how to pray. Where do I start? Can my prayers for them really change anything? So I just started praying to the Holy Spirit, asking the Spirit to pray for them, which I’m sure he’s already doing. But just joining my little prayer with His. Father, have mercy. Jesus, have mercy. Holy Spirit, have mercy.

I’m thinking about this in relation to this verse because it’s always a challenge to be minding all the details about everything. To be praying for my wife and children. To be praying for my family and friends. My community and country. The world. And to do it all in general and specifically for things. Intercessory prayer, even for those I love the most, is usually the weakest part of my prayer life.

Father, I want to be found faithful by you, but not for my sake. I want to be found faithful in loving others for their sake. I want to be good about praying for my wife not so that you will be pleased with me, but so that my wife will experience the ultimate fullness you have for her in this life. I want the same for my son, my daughter, their significant others, their children, my wife’s and my siblings and their children, my parents, my wife’s and my aunts and uncles… You get the idea. I want to be found praying for them. I had a man tell me the other day that he prays for my family nearly every day. That amazed me. There are few people I pray for nearly every day outside of those related to me. And I don’t know that I’ll ever get where I’d like to ideally be. But I want to be better. So when I think about people, help me to remember to pray for them. And help me to know how to pray for them.

I pray this to you now, in the name of Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on August 27, 2026 in Matthew

 

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Matthew 17:14-20

08 Aug

14 At the foot of the mountain, a large crowd was waiting for them. A man came and knelt before Jesus and said, 15 “Lord, have mercy on my son. He has seizures and suffers terribly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. 16 So I brought him to your disciples, but they couldn’t heal him.”

17 Jesus said, “You faithless and corrupt people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” 18 Then Jesus rebuked the demon in the boy, and it left him. From that moment the boy was well.

19 Afterward the disciples asked Jesus privately, “Why couldn’t we cast out that demon?”

20 “You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”

Matthew 17:14-20

Dear God, after I read this passage this morning, and I wanted to pass judgment on the disciples, but then I thought about the people who figuratively bring their children to me for prayer. I have two friends who are pregnant and on the verge of giving birth. I have a relative whose child is in a rehab facility for addiction. I have friends whose children start another school year in a few days. I have a friend whose son is getting married in a few months. I have a relative whose son is in a war zone. I have a friend who lost a child to suicide two years ago and another friend whose daughter attempted suicide just two months ago. Then there are my own children and their significant others (and their children) who need prayer. I could go on and on. The woman whose adult son got injured a couple of years ago, has brain damage, and now struggles to be independent. The mother whose children are a complete mixed bag right now, ranging from living a good life to struggling to launch.

My point is, I get asked to pray for a lot of things for a lot of friends, and I fail. I fail to even pray. This week, I’ve prayed for about half of the children I listed above. Maybe just over half. But certainly not for all of them. Or the ones I didn’t mention. And for the ones I did pray for, did I pray the right thing? Did I pray hard enough? Did I pray intentionally enough? Did I let these parents and their children down?

Father, I don’t want to be smug when I see Bible characters struggling. I want to use their struggle as something I can identify with. I want to use them as an example–even if it is a bad example–to submit myself to you so you can help make me who you have for me to be. I was watching a video yesterday on how to repair cane webbing for a chair. They talked about soaking the cain in water so you can stretch it and work it into place. I want to be soaked in Jesus and the Holy Spirit so you can stretch me into the shape you need me to be ini. And I pray for these children. When I’m done typing, I’ll mention them each to you by name. Be with each of them. Soak them. Love them. Encourage them. Draw each of them into yourself. Use whatever they are going through in life to bring them into complete relationship with you. Set them free and grow your fruit within them. For your glory, Father.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on August 8, 2026 in Matthew

 

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Isaiah 33

07 Aug

A Message about Assyria

33 What sorrow awaits you Assyrians, who have destroyed others[a]
    but have never been destroyed yourselves.
You betray others,
    but you have never been betrayed.
When you are done destroying,
    you will be destroyed.
When you are done betraying,
    you will be betrayed.
2 But Lord, be merciful to us,
    for we have waited for you.
Be our strong arm each day
    and our salvation in times of trouble.
3 The enemy runs at the sound of your voice.
    When you stand up, the nations flee!
4 Just as caterpillars and locusts strip the fields and vines,
    so the fallen army of Assyria will be stripped!

5 Though the Lord is very great and lives in heaven,
    he will make Jerusalem[b] his home of justice and righteousness.
6 In that day he will be your sure foundation,
    providing a rich store of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge.
    The fear of the Lord will be your treasure.

7 But now your brave warriors weep in public.
    Your ambassadors of peace cry in bitter disappointment.
8 Your roads are deserted;
    no one travels them anymore.
The Assyrians have broken their peace treaty
    and care nothing for the promises they made before witnesses.[c]
    They have no respect for anyone.
9 The land of Israel wilts in mourning.
    Lebanon withers with shame.
The plain of Sharon is now a wilderness.
    Bashan and Carmel have been plundered.

10 But the Lord says: “Now I will stand up.
    Now I will show my power and might.
11 You Assyrians produce nothing but dry grass and stubble.
    Your own breath will turn to fire and consume you.
12 Your people will be burned up completely,
    like thornbushes cut down and tossed in a fire.
13 Listen to what I have done, you nations far away!
    And you that are near, acknowledge my might!”

14 The sinners in Jerusalem shake with fear.
    Terror seizes the godless.
“Who can live with this devouring fire?” they cry.
    “Who can survive this all-consuming fire?”
15 Those who are honest and fair,
    who refuse to profit by fraud,
    who stay far away from bribes,
who refuse to listen to those who plot murder,
    who shut their eyes to all enticement to do wrong—
16 these are the ones who will dwell on high.
    The rocks of the mountains will be their fortress.
Food will be supplied to them,
    and they will have water in abundance.

17 Your eyes will see the king in all his splendor,
    and you will see a land that stretches into the distance.
18 You will think back to this time of terror, asking,
“Where are the Assyrian officers
    who counted our towers?
Where are the bookkeepers
    who recorded the plunder taken from our fallen city?”
19 You will no longer see these fierce, violent people
    with their strange, unknown language.

20 Instead, you will see Zion as a place of holy festivals.
    You will see Jerusalem, a city quiet and secure.
It will be like a tent whose ropes are taut
    and whose stakes are firmly fixed.
21 The Lord will be our Mighty One.
    He will be like a wide river of protection
that no enemy can cross,
    that no enemy ship can sail upon.
22 For the Lord is our judge,
    our lawgiver, and our king.
    He will care for us and save us.
23 The enemies’ sails hang loose
    on broken masts with useless tackle.
Their treasure will be divided by the people of God.
    Even the lame will take their share!
24 The people of Israel will no longer say,
    “We are sick and helpless,”
    for the Lord will forgive their sins.

  1. 33:1 Hebrew What sorrow awaits you, O destroyer. The Hebrew text does not specifically name Assyria as the object of the prophecy in this chapter.
  2. 33:5 Hebrew Zion; also in 33:14.
  3. 33:8 As in Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text reads care nothing for the cities.

Isaiah 33 (New Living Translation)

Dear God, I think it’s important to point out this is from the New Living Translation because they gave a footnote for verse one that says they took the liberty of inserting “Assyrians” in place of destroyer. I’m sure they had a good reason for doing this, but it’s an important note because when I read it this morning, I immediately thought of Isaiah and Hezekiah in 2 Kings 19 when the Assyrians are threatening to attack and Isaiah tells Hezekiah, after Hezekiah has sought your help and favor, to not worry about it. It’s also important to remember that is was the Assyrians who conquered the other tribes of Israel and sent them into exile. And they were the Ninevites whom Jonah hated so much.

Going back to my desire to not believe in “Disney Princess Theology,” I want to look at myself and/or my country critically ask where I/we might be the bad guy in the story. What if I’m Assyria and not Israel? What if my country is Assyria and not Israel? Is there a warning for me in here? Obviously, there is. I think especially for our country. For the last 10 years a good number of us have been striving for greatness and power–both as individuals and as a nation. We want to exert influence and make people near us cower. I mean, for some reason we’ve made an enemy of Canada. How does that happen unless we’ve made an idol out of this greatness, power, and influence we seek? We’ve even stopped a lot of our foreign aid and benevolence, claiming we must serve ourselves first. We are learning firsthand how limited our great military power actually is in Iran and Ukraine. As a nation right now, are we really any different that Assyria here?

Okay, I’ve pointed fingers at others enough. What about me? Do I love more than I judge? Do I serve more than I expect others to serve me? Are your fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control growing in me, or are the thorns and weeds of this world choking them out?

Father, give me eyes to see today. Help me to recognize my Assyrian tendencies. And give our nation eyes to see. Help us to see that in our desire to enforce faith on our fellow citizens and even the world, we are actually doing it exactly the opposite way you called us to do it: through prayer, service, persuasion, and suffering. When we call for revival, let it start with our own self-examination and repentance.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on August 7, 2026 in Isaiah

 

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Isaiah 38:1-8

17 Jul

38 About that time Hezekiah became deathly ill, and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to visit him. He gave the king this message: “This is what the Lord says: ‘Set your affairs in order, for you are going to die. You will not recover from this illness.’”

2 When Hezekiah heard this, he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3 “Remember, O Lord, how I have always been faithful to you and have served you single-mindedly, always doing what pleases you.” Then he broke down and wept bitterly.

4 Then this message came to Isaiah from the Lord: 5 “Go back to Hezekiah and tell him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your ancestor David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will add fifteen years to your life, 6 and I will rescue you and this city from the king of Assyria. Yes, I will defend this city.

7 “‘And this is the sign from the Lord to prove that he will do as he promised: 8 I will cause the sun’s shadow to move ten steps backward on the sundial of Ahaz!’” So the shadow on the sundial moved backward ten steps.

Isaiah 38:1-8

Dear God, you know that Hezekiah means a lot to me. I think it was three years ago (4?) that you encouraged me with the story of him from 2 Kings 18-19 when the Assyrians were attacking and you spared him and Jerusalem from defeat. I had a tall task in front of me, though not nearly as dire as his, and you comforted me with his miraculous experience through your power.

Now, I look at him in this story and I see a man about to die. I’m curious as to why you saved him. While I am sure he wept because he didn’t want to die, I notice that he didn’t ask you that he might be healed and live. It seems you just decided to do it. And knowing the rest of the story, he ended up having a son in those 15 years who would grow to be a bad king. I can’t help but wonder why.

But your ways are a mystery to me. I am a fool. I am not even playing two-dimensional checkers compared to your 3-D chess. I’m having a conversation with a potential dentist for our clinic. I’ve been looking for about eight months. About a month ago while I was praying about it I had the thought (from the Holy Spirit?) that perhaps the person you have for our position isn’t ready yet. And now this situation appears to be unfolding in a providential way. Help me to be wise with it today. Help me to discern your will.

Father, I give this day to you. I have some specific jobs I need to do. Help me to do them well. Our graduation from last night ended up getting canceled by the floods in our area. Please be with the men and their families. Help them to continue to seek you without the immediate closure that graduation night usually provides. Help us to reschedule the graduation soon for their sakes.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 17, 2026 in Isaiah

 

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Psalm 121

22 Jun

Psalm 121

A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.

1 I look up to the mountains—
    does my help come from there?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth!

3 He will not let you stumble;
    the one who watches over you will not slumber.
4 Indeed, he who watches over Israel
    never slumbers or sleeps.

5 The Lord himself watches over you!
    The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.
6 The sun will not harm you by day,
    nor the moon at night.

7 The Lord keeps you from all harm
    and watches over your life.
8 The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go,
    both now and forever.

Dear God, what exactly is your role in protecting me? When do you extend your “protective shade” (verse 5) and when do you allow life to run its course in my life? What are you doing that I can’t see? I know I will have ultimate safety and live in your glorious presence beyond this current life, but what are you doing now? How do your angels come into play?

Honestly, I feel like I’m missing something when it comes to praying about angels and what they are doing around me. My wife will say a Catholic prayer to Michael the Archangel about safety. Is that appropriate? Should I be more praying to you/Jesus/Holy Spirit about assigning an angel in general? Is Michael even omnipresent so that he could hear my prayers? So many questions. I’m so ignorant.

Father, you know my heart. I want to simply live for you today. I want to do good work. I want to have constructive conversations with people–especially when there is conflict involved. Help me to follow you moment to moment. If I could pray for protection for anyone, it would start with my wife. Protect her soul, mind, heart, and body. Defend her, Father. My children and their significant others. I pray that my son and his wife would have a day that further develops what you’re doing in each of their lives. For my daughter and her boyfriend, that you would guide them clearly and intentionally on the path you have for them. Love all of them. Heal all of them. Be glorified in all of our lives. There are so many other family and non-family members on my mind. You know who they are. Oh, Father, love them beyond what my feeble prayers call on you to do. Holy Spirit, pray in a way that I’m just incapable of.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 22, 2026 in Psalms

 

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Luke 11:11-13

13 Jun

9 “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

11 “You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? 12 Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! 13 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”

Luke 11:11-13

Dear God, the Luke telling of Jesus’s words are the verse of the day for Bible Gateway. I noticed an interesting thing in verse 13, so I wanted to compare it with the similar passage in Matthew 7:

7 “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

9 “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? 10 Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! 11 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.

This morning, I noticed that Luke 11:13 specifies the Holy Spirit as the gift you gift while Matthew 7:11 says “good gifts” rather generically. It feels like Luke was being more intentionally specific. Which did Jesus say? Well, I’m sure he said all of this Sermon on the Mount stump speech more than once and the words might have changed from time to time, but I think I’m going to sit with the idea that the good gift you gift is the Holy Spirit. It’s the Holy Spirit that guide my other requests. My desires. My wants. Honestly, the closer I get to you through communion with the Holy Spirit and through Jesus the less I need. The less I want. The more I see things are not about me.

Now that’s easy to day for an American with a new car and a garage in a nice home to put it in. But there’s always more I could covet. There’s always more I could want. Honestly, Father, I want for nothing because of your presence. My life is really quite something. Something to be envied. Not necessarily from a material possessions standpoint, but in the areas of peace. Man, it sounds like I’m bragging here. I don’t mean to be. I’m just grateful.

Father, please continue to hone my selfishness and wants down to nothing. Help me to focus more on my desires for others and their provision than I focus on my own. Help me to love others today. Help me to embrace the Holy Spirit’s presence. Oh, Holy Spirit, follow me today. Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, forgive me of my sins, and help me to recognize my unforgiveness of others and to turn it into forgiveness. Do all of this for your glory.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 13, 2026 in Luke, Matthew

 

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“One Hundred Three” – Antioch Music – James Mark Gulley

29 May

“Psalm 103”

VERSE 1 
Father full of love 
You have not dealt with us 
according to our sins 
Father full of love 
You have shown mercy 
mercy for Your children 

For You know that we are merely 
dust in the wind 
And You know that we are weary 
from this world that we live in 

PRE-CHORUS 
But You are strong and You are mercy 
Great are You here in this place 
You are love and You're forgiving 
You've turned this world around 
by the pouring of Your grace 

CHORUS 
Bless the Lord O my soul 
Bless His holy name all the earth 
Bless the Lord O my soul 
You are worthy You are worthy 

VERSE 2 
Father full of love 
You wrap us up in grace 
crown us with compassion 
Father full of love 
You heal our sicknesses 
every single one 

BRIDGE 
You are worthy of blessing and honor 
Glory and power wisdom and thanks 

#AntiochMusic

Dear God, I started singing along with this song this morning, and I just go overwhelmed with worship for you. It was almost too much. In fact, I found myself having to throttle it back a little. Oh, how I do love you. I do need you. There are times when I get upset at myself for not praying to you more in supplication, but I think one of the reasons I struggle with intercessory prayer is that I don't necessarily think of you as this great "hander out of favors in the sky." You are God. I'm here. Yes, I need help with my family. Yes, I need help with my work. Yes, our community, state, nation, and world need help. We need you. I need you. But what I really need, above all, is relationship with you. I want to be more like David in purusing and wanting to know you, as opposed to Saul who just wanted to revere you. Yes, I revere you, but I want to know you, be known by you, and worship you. 

Father, full of love. You have not dealt with me according to my sin. Father, full of love, you have shown me mercy and mercy for all of us. You know that I am merely dust in the windn. You know I am weary from this world. But you are strong, and you are mercy. Great are you here in his room right now. You are love. You are forgiving. You turned this world around by the pouring out of your grace. Help us know how to live into that. And let me close by saying, bless the Lord, oh my soul. Bless his holy name, John. Bless the Lord, oh my soul. You are worthy, Father. You are worthy. 

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen
 
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Posted by on May 29, 2026 in Hymns and Songs, Psalms

 

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1 Samuel 1:9-18, 24-28, 2:11

21 May

9 Once after a sacrificial meal at Shiloh, Hannah got up and went to pray. Eli the priest was sitting at his customary place beside the entrance of the Tabernacle. 10 Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord. 11 And she made this vow: “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the Lord, his hair will never be cut.”

12 As she was praying to the Lord, Eli watched her. 13 Seeing her lips moving but hearing no sound, he thought she had been drinking. 14 “Must you come here drunk?” he demanded. “Throw away your wine!”

15 “Oh no, sir!” she replied. “I haven’t been drinking wine or anything stronger. But I am very discouraged, and I was pouring out my heart to the Lord. 16 Don’t think I am a wicked woman! For I have been praying out of great anguish and sorrow.”

17 “In that case,” Eli said, “go in peace! May the God of Israel grant the request you have asked of him.”

18 “Oh, thank you, sir!” she exclaimed. Then she went back and began to eat again, and she was no longer sad.

24 When the child was weaned, Hannah took him to the Tabernacle in Shiloh. They brought along a three-year-old bull for the sacrifice and a basket of flour and some wine. 25 After sacrificing the bull, they brought the boy to Eli. 26 “Sir, do you remember me?” Hannah asked. “I am the very woman who stood here several years ago praying to the Lord. 27 I asked the Lord to give me this boy, and he has granted my request. 28 Now I am giving him to the Lord, and he will belong to the Lord his whole life.” And they worshiped the Lord there.

211 Then Elkanah returned home to Ramah without Samuel. And the boy served the Lord by assisting Eli the priest.

1 Samuel 1:9-18, 24-28, 2:11

Dear God, I’ve been thinking a lot about what I’m going to teach for Sunday school this Sunday, and I think I’ve found it. As I’ve asked you about what I should do, it seems like Eli has been bubbling to the surface. But before I go any further in this prayer, I want to stop and thank you for the rain. It has rained overnight here the last two nights, and it has been wonderful. Thank you. We need it. We are helpless without it. We need you to provide it. Thank you for your goodness and for sending rain. We treat your earth foolishly. I treat your earth foolishly. Yet you are good. Thank you.

Back to Eli. I noticed this morning when I read these verses that the first thing we see him do is make a mistake. He’s not an especially perceptive person. He was quick to judge Hannah when he saw something he didn’t understand. And then he just kind of blanket-blessed her prayer request while having no idea what she was asking. She could have been asking you to kill Peninnah for all he knew. So Eli was already not the best when we met him. But Hannah didn’t let that stop her from fulfilling her vow to you. She offered up Samuel to you even though some people would have said it was a mistake because, well, we’ll find out in the next verses tomorrow that Eli didn’t have such a great track record in raising boys.

So the questions for me are 1.) how do I prejudge situations without fully understanding them, and 2.) how do I allow conventional wisdom to get in the way of what you’re calling me to do? The answer to the first one is ALL of the time. I prejudge situations without fulling understanding them ALL of the time. The answer to the second one is SOME of the time. There are times when I will make a quick decision based on worldly wisdom and let it get in the way of what you’re calling me to do, but there are other times when I am able to look beyond what logic dictates should be done and can mercifully see what your Spirit might be urging me to do.

Father, I give everything to you this day. Help me to see what you have for me to see. Help me to hear what you have for me to hear. I need your discernment, wisdom, and perception. Help me to do that. And help me to do the job you have for me to do this day. I still have so much to do at work. Help me to do it well and for your glory–not mine.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on May 21, 2026 in 1 Samuel

 

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1 Thessalonians 5:12-22

07 May

12 Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance. 13 Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work. And live peacefully with each other.

14 Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone.

15 See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.

16 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

19 Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. 20 Do not scoff at prophecies, 21 but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. 22 Stay away from every kind of evil.

1 Thessalonians 5:12-22

Dear God, there’s a humility to this that I like. There’s a letting go of rights, being willing to yield to others, and a humble submission to you that is a great reminder. I’m in a situation now where I’m involved with a group that I just get to be a part of the team. I don’t have to be the leader of the team. Frankly, I’m kind of reveling in it. Give me a job. Give me the tools and resources I need to do the job. I’ll get it done. There are problems to solve, but I don’t have to be the one to solve them. I can counsel with the one who’s responsible. I can give ideas. I can even help them solve them. But at the end of the day, the problems are their responsibility. My job is to support them as best as I can.

I say all of this because these verses show me the opportunity I have here. I get to encourage, care for, and be patient with everyone involved. I get to be merciful. Joyful. Prayerful. Thankful. I get to invite your Holy Spirit into this process. I get to test ideas, theology, and actions against your Spirit, discard what is not of you, and embrace what is of you. Doing this in a humble way, worshipping you and loving others, keeps me away from evil.

Father, I’m about to go to a prayer service for the National Day of Prayer. Help me to be all of these things in that setting as well. I love you, Lord. And help me to love others through my work. Through my friendships.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on May 7, 2026 in 1 Thessalonians

 

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2 Chronicles 6:14-42

04 May

14 [Solomon] prayed,

“O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you in all of heaven and earth. You keep your covenant and show unfailing love to all who walk before you in wholehearted devotion. 15 You have kept your promise to your servant David, my father. You made that promise with your own mouth, and with your own hands you have fulfilled it today.

16 “And now, O Lord, God of Israel, carry out the additional promise you made to your servant David, my father. For you said to him, ‘If your descendants guard their behavior and faithfully follow my Law as you have done, one of them will always sit on the throne of Israel.’ 17 Now, O Lord, God of Israel, fulfill this promise to your servant David.

18 “But will God really live on earth among people? Why, even the highest heavens cannot contain you. How much less this Temple I have built! 19 Nevertheless, listen to my prayer and my plea, O Lord my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is making to you. 20 May you watch over this Temple day and night, this place where you have said you would put your name. May you always hear the prayers I make toward this place. 21 May you hear the humble and earnest requests from me and your people Israel when we pray toward this place. Yes, hear us from heaven where you live, and when you hear, forgive.

22 “If someone wrongs another person and is required to take an oath of innocence in front of your altar at this Temple, 23 then hear from heaven and judge between your servants—the accuser and the accused. Pay back the guilty as they deserve. Acquit the innocent because of their innocence.

24 “If your people Israel are defeated by their enemies because they have sinned against you, and if they turn back and acknowledge your name and pray to you here in this Temple, 25 then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and return them to this land you gave to them and to their ancestors.

26 “If the skies are shut up and there is no rain because your people have sinned against you, and if they pray toward this Temple and acknowledge your name and turn from their sins because you have punished them, 27 then hear from heaven and forgive the sins of your servants, your people Israel. Teach them to follow the right path, and send rain on your land that you have given to your people as their special possession.

28 “If there is a famine in the land or a plague or crop disease or attacks of locusts or caterpillars, or if your people’s enemies are in the land besieging their towns—whatever disaster or disease there is— 29 and if your people Israel pray about their troubles or sorrow, raising their hands toward this Temple, 30 then hear from heaven where you live, and forgive. Give your people what their actions deserve, for you alone know each human heart. 31 Then they will fear you and walk in your ways as long as they live in the land you gave to our ancestors.

32 “In the future, foreigners who do not belong to your people Israel will hear of you. They will come from distant lands when they hear of your great name and your strong hand and your powerful arm. And when they pray toward this Temple, 33 then hear from heaven where you live, and grant what they ask of you. In this way, all the people of the earth will come to know and fear you, just as your own people Israel do. They, too, will know that this Temple I have built honors your name.

34 “If your people go out where you send them to fight their enemies, and if they pray to you by turning toward this city you have chosen and toward this Temple I have built to honor your name, 35 then hear their prayers from heaven and uphold their cause.

36 “If they sin against you—and who has never sinned?—you might become angry with them and let their enemies conquer them and take them captive to a foreign land far away or near. 37 But in that land of exile, they might turn to you in repentance and pray, ‘We have sinned, done evil, and acted wickedly.’ 38 If they turn to you with their whole heart and soul in the land of their captivity and pray toward the land you gave to their ancestors—toward this city you have chosen, and toward this Temple I have built to honor your name— 39 then hear their prayers and their petitions from heaven where you live, and uphold their cause. Forgive your people who have sinned against you.

40 “O my God, may your eyes be open and your ears attentive to all the prayers made to you in this place.

41 “And now arise, O Lord God, and enter your resting place,
    along with the Ark, the symbol of your power.
May your priests, O Lord God, be clothed with salvation;
    may your loyal servants rejoice in your goodness.
42 O Lord God, do not reject the king you have anointed.
    Remember your unfailing love for your servant David.”

2 Chronicles 6:14-42

Dear God, the verse of the day from Bible Gateway was 1 Chronicles 7:14.

Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.

It seems like I’ve heard this verse used out of context a lot, so I wanted to go back and read everything you said around it. Then I wanted to go back and see what you were responding to so I looked at chapter 6 and Solomon’s prayer to you that prompted your response. It always brings me back to the question: “What went wrong?” Solomon departed from your ways, and the kingdom was split after he died. Israel eventually fell to the Assyrians, and the a few generations later, Judah/Benjamin fell to the Babylonians.

I actually think it’s pretty simple. I think of the parable of the Sower. On the day Solomon prayed this prayer, the soil of his heart and the soil of all the Israelites’ hearts was deep, rich, and free from rocks, weeds, and thorns. It was ready to grow fruit. And then…

The soil of their hearts began to grow weeds. As Jesus put it in Matthew 13:22, “22 The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced.” The worries of life and the the lure of wealth took them away from you.

This is where things apply to me personally. My temptation is to look at our nation to see how these things have taken your church away from you (the lure of power, influence, and money and the fear that we have to grasp at power so that we will not be irrelevant), but it starts with me. We are having a fundraising dinner tomorrow night, and I can take one of a few attitudes into this dinner. My tendency is to want this to be an amazing financial success that will bring in great amounts of money that will provide for our ministry’s financial needs and, yes, make me look good to the board of directors and everyone else involved. I would be lying if I didn’t admit that my ego is part of this. A big part of this. Now, my paycheck is the same regardless of how much comes in so I’m not worrying about my personal wealth, but I certainly want to be admired. I want people to think very positively of me. But wouldn’t it be a huge waste of time to put 300 people in a room just for my ego?!?

As I prayed with my wife this morning, and she asked me how she could pray for me, I told her that I needed to get my head right, and I need to care more about the people in the room than I care for myself or our organization. I need to make the evening about the people who chose to attend our dinner and help them to feel a touch of you. I heard someone say one time that Halloween is the one day of the year when the “lost” go door to door. Well, the people coming to our dinner tomorrow night aren’t “lost,” but they will all need a touch of you and your Holy Spirit in some way.

Father, help that to be my focus. Help me weed my soil today. I’ve let things grow up in it that have no business being there. I have cares that you want me to turn loose of. I have sin that needs to be repented of. And I’m speaking to a Rotary club today. Be in that message too. Love them through me. Help me to help the people in the room to start the process of weeding their own soil. I love you.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on May 4, 2026 in 2 Chronicles

 

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