Tag: prayer

Praying Over Our Emotions

Our emotions can change like the weather. They can fluctuate depending on things that are happening in our lives. You can start off fine, and then someone can come along and say something to make you angry or sad. Or you can be having a bad day, and someone can say something that makes you happy or hopeful. There can even be days where maybe it doesn’t have to do with people or outside influences at all, you just don’t feel like yourself for some reason. You may not even know what the reason is.

Regardless of what emotions we feel, we should always give our emotions to the Lord. When amazing things happen, we should praise Him. When not-so-amazing things happen we should still thank Him for being God and let Him know we are hurting. This is what I’m learning to do, because on good days I want to glorify Him for His blessings. However on bad days, instead of just trying to work through things myself, I am learning to make prayer my first response. I am noticing that in talking to God about my emotions rather good or bad, it brings me peace. He said that’s what would happen in Philippians 4:6-7. He said to give Him our prayers and He would in turn give us His peace.

Asking God to help us manage our emotions is a humbling experience, because we are basically acknowledging that how we feel may be right or it maybe wrong. But in either case, we are putting our trust in Him to teach us how to act when life happens. He’s God. He always has been God. He always will be God. I can’t even begin to imagine the depth of His wisdom. He can handle our emotions and teach us how to do the same.

Come As You Are

Philippians 2:13 ( NLT), “God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.”

If you’ve been going to church for a good amount of time you’ve probably heard this phrase at some point, “come as you are”. I have always understood this phrase to mean it doesn’t matter what you wear, or what may be going on in your life, just come to the Lord and His house as you are.

While driving home from work the other day, this phrase, which I hadn’t heard in quite some time, “come as you are”, came to my mind. As a Christian, we can sometimes grow weary in our quest to seek the Lord. Although we desire to know God better and draw closer to Him, it’s easy to become frustrated if we feel we’re not making the progress we want to make. I have been there before. Many times I have found myself trying to figure out the right “formula” to make progress in my Christian journey. I’ve tried to make sure I was carefully following each step that I thought was needed in an attempt to get God to do what I wanted Him to do.

I, like many other Christians, enjoy listening to sermons online, reading books to help me grow spiritually, talking to other Christians and learning from their experiences, etc. However, even in the midst of all of this, at the end of the day, we can’t forget that what God desires most is our heart. He’s not expecting us to look or sound a certain way when we pray. He’s not checking up on us to see how many mistakes we have made in the last couple of hours. He’s not watching to see if we can perfectly recite the books of the Bible, in perfect order, in under 5 minutes (although I don’t doubt there are some who can)! I repeat, what He desires most are hearts that yearn to grow in intimacy with Him.

“Come as you are”, is not just for new Christians or someone coming to church for the first time. It’s for all of us, rather you’ve been walking with the Lord 5, 15, or 30 years! We should enjoy our relationship with God, and have an attitude that says, “God loves me just as I am, and He is eager to spend time with me today. Every new day that He allows us to see, is another day for us to get to know Him better, and experience His goodness in our lives. Even when we are going through hardships, we can come to him just as we are, and pour out all our frustrations on Him. He will understand exactly how we feel. He doesn’t expect us to “have it all together”.

Don’t get caught up in the “formulas” of Christian living and tire yourself out. Instead, just enjoy the simplicity of getting to know God and letting Him love you. Allow yourself to be yourself without the pressure of trying to perform perfectly.

As we learn God’s Word and apply it to our lives, we will see ourselves changing and growing in faith and in godly wisdom. Just come to the Savior as you are, and rely on His grace to make you into everything He has destined you to become (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Is God Listening?

Psalm 34:17(NIV), “The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.”

Has anyone besides me ever asked themselves this question, “Is God Listening?” I know I’ve asked myself this question more times than I can even remember throughout my relationship with Jesus. Usually for me, as a Christian, one of the most helpful ways to remind myself that God is listening, is to reminisce about His past faithfulness to me and my family. Psalm 77:12(NIV) says, “I will consider all your works, and meditate on all your mighty deeds”. When I meditate on His deeds, it’s evidence of His love and His presence in my life. Looking back on what God has done, gives me confidence in Him now in the present,  and helps me to put my hope in Him for my future.

But still, how do I know He is listening? How do we know He is listening, at that very moment when we cry out for help?

I have come to know that God is listening because…

He gives me peace as I talk to Him (Philippians 4:7). He carries my burdens and gives me rest (Matthew 11:28). He gives me strength when I feel weak (2 Corinthians 12:9). He reminds me of His words in scripture or He will speak to my heart about what He wants me to do in my situation (Hebrews 4:12).  Usually when He speaks, His words will resonate with me.

When I cry out to God, I simply do it by faith. Then I wait in expectation for what He will do for me (Psalm 5:3).

Psalm 34:17 says that He hears us and will deliver us. Our struggle comes when we have to wait to be delivered, because sometimes God comes quickly, but other times we must wait. The good news is that if we must wait, He is still with us everyday giving us exactly what we need. I can remember going through a season of difficulties on a particular job, and God spoke to me and told me that as long as I was there, He would take care of me, and He absolutely did!  Even though God spoke those words to me years ago, I have found them to be a comfort on every job I have had since then.

When we must wait for His deliverance, He will always hold us up with His strength if we trust Him to. He will always fight on our behalf. He will make a way, but the when’s and the how’s we have to leave in His hands.

Is God really listening? Yes, He is listening to you, He is listening to me. He cares deeply about our needs.  When doubt tries to steal our peace, let’s remind ourselves of Psalm 34:17. Our Heavenly Father not only listens, but He answers, and His answers are always right.

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A Thanksgiving Prayer 🙏🏾 🙏🏿🙏🙏🏽🙏🏻

Dear Father,

As we enter another Thanksgiving season we want to say thank you so much for all You have done for us over the last year. Many things have happened in our lives and in the world around us but You have been faithful through it all. There have been countless joys and accomplishments that we have experienced. You have given us good health and sustained many of us through ongoing illnesses. You have answered so many of our prayers and taught us to persevere in faith, and to trust You with the prayers that are still unanswered. Some have endured tragedies, deaths of loved ones, frustrating setbacks, relationship issues and many other hardships along the way.

This time of year is difficult for those who are hurting especially those who have lost someone they love. But even in the midst of these things Your steadfast love has endured. We are learning to trust You with the things we do not understand. Please help us to trust You more.

For those who are hurting, we ask You to bring them Your peace and comfort. We are asking You to give them hope and shine Your Light into the darkness they feel. We pray for those living on the streets that you would send them the help they need. Please be their shelter no matter where they lay their heads each night. Father, when we see a homeless person on the street we don’t know how they got there. However we do know that one day some time ago, a mother somewhere gave birth to them, just like the rest of us, and their mother or father may very well be hurting today wondering if their child is safe. Please comfort those parents.

Thank you for being sure in a world that is unsure. Thank you for being our Peace in the middle of the chaos. We are thankful that we can rely completely on You to supply our every need and protect us and our families as we face each new day. You have a good plan for each of our lives and Your word declares that shouts of victory come from the homes of the righteous (Psalm 118:15)! We are thankful for that victory that we have in You and thankful for the many blessings that You will give us in the coming year.

Jesus we celebrate You and rejoice that we can walk with You through this life. Thank you for family and friends and even for the complete stranger that may walk past us on the street that cares enough to offer us a smile because even a simple smile can make a difference.

Please keep us safe, healthy, content and of strong, sound mind as we continue to live for You. Please give us wisdom to see beyond the surface of this life and to instead see things through Your eyes. Thank you for allowing us to see another Thanksgiving and thank you for being You.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Psalm 107:8-9, “Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.”

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your loved ones!! Thank you for praying this prayer with me. May the love of God satisfy your soul and fill your life with good things.

In the morning, O Lord, hear my voice

Psalm 5:3 In the morning, O LORD, hear my voice. In the morning I lay my needs in front of you, and I wait.

Psalm 119:147 I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in your word.

There is something special about the stillness and the quietness of early Morning Prayer. Because everything is so still and so quiet it seems I am able to sense the presence of the Lord more easily and hear his voice more clearly. I’ve also noticed that since the tasks and concerns of the day haven’t had the chance to clutter my mind yet, I feel more free to just place all my focus on the One who so loving delights in being with me during this time. Once I finish praying there is a peace and assurance that comes because I know I have laid my needs in front of the Lord and asked him to help me, as the Psalmist mentioned. I also love the way he ended by saying, “and I wait”. I believe that there was something that happened inside of his heart during his time in prayer, which gave him the assurance that he could now wait in expectation for the Lord’s answer, because he was confident that the Lord had heard his voice. That’s one of the great things about prayer, as we do it we become more confident in our relationship with Jesus.

In Mark 1:35, it tells us that even Jesus rose early to pray. It says, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”

Of course prayer is something that we can and should do throughout our whole day; we can pray at any time. However making it first place in our day, brings order to the rest of our day and puts our focus in the right place. Even if difficulties arise during the day, which they sometimes do, being covered in prayer helps us to deal with them in a godlier manner. I’ve prayed often and asked God to help me to spend time with him in the morning before I start my day and he has done it. If it’s a struggle for you to do this, don’t hesitate to pray and ask God to help you to do it, because it does make a difference not only in your day but in your relationship with him. Although you can always learn from others, your relationship with the Lord is personal so in asking him to direct your prayer life you can find the specific plan he has for you. Enjoy your time talking with the Master, he is always delighted to hear from you!

Father,

Thank you for the gift of prayer. Please help us to develop and enjoy the prayer life that Jesus died for us to have. It’s an awesome privilege to be able to talk to you anywhere at any time about anything.

In the name of Jesus. Amen

 

 

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