Your words…

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil. After He had fasted for 40 days and 40 nights, He was hungry. Then the tempter approached Him and said, “If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” But He answered, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Then the Devil took Him to the holy city, had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him: “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: He will give His angels orders concerning you, and they will support you with their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” Jesus told him, “It is also written: Do not test the Lord your God.” Again, the Devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. And he said to him, “I will give You all these things if You will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus told him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve only Him.” Then the Devil left Him, and immediately angels came and began to serve Him. Matthew 4:1-11

My words…

Praise

Jesus, I offer this prayer to You in awe of Your unfailing strength in the face of gut-wrenching temptation. This confrontation is written so simply and succinctly that I often overlook the fact that this event is the second greatest battle ever waged on earth. You had just risen from the waters of the Jordan and been declared the Son of God by Your Father. Your ministry lay ahead, and in preparation, Your enemy was summoned. The Spirit led You to the battlefield: a cold, blustery, barren wilderness, home to wild beasts. You prepared Your body for battle, depriving Yourself of food until your fat stores were depleted and You were nothing but skin and bones. It was then that Satan arrived, ready to fight. He taunted You (If You are the Son of God) and spoke Your Father’s holy words from his foul mouth. The hosts of heaven – God’s mighty angels – kept their feet at the edge of the battle, eager to come to the aid of their master but waiting for God’s signal. Satan thrust You with a sword of worldly temptations, yet You repelled him with a shield of heavenly words. The stones remained stones. Your foot never left the pinnacle of the temple. And the wealth of the world remained undesired. You turned Your gaunt face and sunken eyes to Satan and said, “Leave now!” It was then that Satan knew that no matter how long the battle raged, he would leave defeated. And he did. You are the only One to stand against the Devil and claim a perfect victory. Your boundless will prevailed, and for that, I offer You all the glory my heart can hold.

Prayer for me

Lord, I know that Satan places temptations in my path in direct proportion to my faith in You. My faith is stronger now than it was this time last year. So the Devil has ramped up his attacks accordingly. With Your indwelling Spirit emboldening me, I am not afraid of Satan. I am still tempted to sin, but You have taught me how to stand against him with my sword. I pray for Your continued protection against the Devil when he turns his attention on me.

Forgive me

 Forgive me for the times I fail to stand up to Satan. He focuses his attacks on me when I am weak, tired and looking for an easy way out. You were weak and tired in the wilderness, yet You provided me with the perfect example of how to defeat Satan. Forgive me when I fail to follow Your example.

Prayer for others

 Lord, You know more than anyone the true wiles of Satan. He is the master tempter with a well-stocked arsenal. I met a man last week who is addicted to pornography, a well-used, effective weapon of Satan. This man is miserable, burdened with guilt. He has decided to seek You and learn Your way of defeating Satan. I pray for him and so many others who are bound by addiction. Teach them how to say, “Go away, Satan!”

Thank You

 Jesus, I thank You for following the Spirit into the wilderness, knowing what lay ahead for You. You did it for me, for the world, to show us how to defeat the Devil. Thank You for loving us that much.

More praise

I can only imagine how wonderful it must feel to be comforted by angels. Once Your hunger was satisfied and Your body restored, You lived each day fulfilling Your mission given You by Your Father. This mission led You to a different, lonely place three years later where another battle was fought. And oh, what a victory! But that’s another prayer for another day.

Your words…

A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of one’s death than the day of one’s birth. It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting since that is the end of all mankind, and the living should take it to heart. Grief is better than laughter, for when a face is sad, a heart may be glad. The heart of the wise is in a house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in a house of pleasure.  Ecclesiastes 7:1-4

My words…

Praise

Lord, whenever I read these words, I am reminded of how many of Your most important lessons sound backward at first. A funeral instead of a birthday party? Grief instead of laughter? Are you sure? Parties are fun. Funerals are heart-wrenching: I am serious instead of silly; I participate in sorrow instead of games; I reflect on a whole life instead of a moment in time. But Your Spirit has taught me that whenever a heart is broken, healing follows. And during the healing process, wisdom flourishes. So it makes perfect sense that the heart of the wise is in a house of mourning. I praise You as the God who longs to teach His children the secrets to living wisely, for we alone would never choose the house of mourning over the house of pleasure. I praise You as the God of backward lessons.

Prayer for others

Father, I have spent the last few days in the house of mourning, and I have exited. My time there was made up of moments of sadness, remembrance, and tears. You were there the whole time. You were my comfort-giver. The remainder of my prayer is written for those who are in a house of mourning. Their hearts are beat up, wounded, bleeding. Some know that You are the source of healing, but many others do not. They wallow in their grief. They either refuse to heal, or they don’t know how. You never intended for us to “move in” to the house of mourning. It is only a temporary abode. So I pray that You will heal the hearts of those who are in pain so they will experience Your soul-soothing comfort and grow in Your wisdom.

Your words…

Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your soul. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.  Matthew 11:28-30

My words…

Praise

Jesus, you must have spoken millions of words in the years You lived as a man, but there are so few for me to read. I’ve grown to be content with the few precious passages because I know that what I have is all I need. Of all Your words I have to ponder and remember, these I can actually hear You speaking in my mind. The words that describe You – gentle, humble, rest, easy, light – are a soothing balm on the spirits of those of us who are burdened, exhausted, spent. Our souls are chafed by the unyielding yoke and considerable load. You have the perfect remedy: swap yokes. You implore us to cast off our yokes and take Yours instead. In other words, learn how to handle burdens the way You would do it. Learn from You. Your way is the best way. Your way is the right way. And then, our spirits will rejoice in the One who has replaced our burden of granite with feathers.

Prayer for me

Lord, at times I am not a very ardent student. I do not take advantage of the opportunity to learn from the One who knows all. I pray Your Spirit will convict me of my need to learn from You every day of my life.

Forgive me

Forgive me when I do the ridiculous: I place Your yoke on the hook and take mine back again. I am tempted to believe in the independent, “boot straps” method of carrying my own distressing load and turn my back on Your free offer of an easy yoke and light burden. Pardon my audacity. Forgive my lack of trust.

Prayer for others

Lord, I know of so many souls who carry a load of painful emotional baggage that was strapped to their souls years ago, yet they continue to drag it around day after day. Each year the burden grows heavier. Despondency veils the eyes of their souls, and they throw hope overboard. I fervently pray that these souls will take up Your yoke as You teach them how to hold on to hope and throw the baggage overboard.

Thank You

Thank You for being the One who longs to surround Himself with those who are heavy laden. All of them. You care about our hardships and afflictions, and You want to teach us how to live a burden-free life. And for this, I am eternally grateful.

More praise

There is no greater rest than the soul-sustaining rest of Jesus. I praise You for offering this divine rest to me.

Your words…

Moses was a very humble man, more so than any man on the face of the earth.   Numbers 2:3

But as for you, do not be called “Rabbi,” because you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. Do not call anyone on earth your father, because you have one Father, who is in heaven. And do not be called masters either, because you have one Master, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.  Matthew 23:8-12

My words…

Father, a man who calls me “daughter” and whom I call “dad” lies today in a bed – his final resting place on this earth. He is tired. His body is failing. I will not hear his voice again. I will never again be greeted with a warm hug and bright smile when I walk through his door. You know him even better than I, for You have conversed with him for decades. You watched him pack his suitcase and leave the comfort and security of his rural childhood home and travel to an urban mission field throbbing with violence and prejudice. You praised him among Your angels when he bore up faithfully under undeserved persecution. Everyone he met became his brother or sister. He served others with a gentleness not found in many men who have ever lived. Every moment of his life he claimed You as his only Father and Your Son as his only Master.  He is not world-famous. His words are not inscribed in stone. His legacy is not found in an estate or inheritance but in the lives of those whose hearts were changed after knowing him. He would not feel worthy of these words I am writing. He is like Moses: a very humble man more so than anyone on the face of the earth. His spirit is longing to be with You. The time is drawing near for Your humble, precious servant to be exalted. Exalt him, oh Father!

Your words…

For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man that is in him? In the same way, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who comes from God, so that we may understand what has been freely given to us by God. We also speak these things, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things to spiritual people. But the unbeliever does not welcome what comes from God’s Spirit because it is foolishness to him; he is not able to understand it since it is evaluated spiritually. The spiritual person, however, can evaluate everything, yet he himself cannot be evaluated by anyone. For who has known the Lord’s mind, that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.  1 Corinthians 2:11-16

My words…

Praise

Father, meditating on and praying through Your Holy Spirit feeds my spirit like a withered plant soaking in rain and sunshine. Your Spirit has been teaching me how to spiritually evaluate events, conversations, relationships, successes, failures, work, attitudes – in short, my life. I am learning to see life through a spiritual lens, and it has changed me. Many times I have found answers to questions and gained a tiny measure of wisdom. Sometimes I come away with more questions, but that’s all right. The “question path” leads to growth (something I learned from Your Spirit). My spiritual conversations with You are intense and invasive, for You know my every thought and action, even those I have long forgotten. My conversations with everyone else are naturally handicapped, not every thought and intent are bared. It is the spiritual facet of my life that feeds me physically, mentally, and emotionally. What is spiritual trumps everything else. Without You, I would not have access to Your spirit-sustaining unseen classroom.

Prayer for me

Lord, I desire to continue on our spiritual path together toward my ongoing goal of gaining not the wisdom of man, but Your wisdom. I crave learning about spiritual truths born from spiritual thinking. I pray that when I learn from You something that challenges me to change that I will not ignore You or defer Your lesson to a later date.

Forgive me

Forgive me for giving in to temptations that draw me away from time spent with You. You know how good I am at creating excuses and justifications for why I would rather squander my time. A terrible, inexcusable weakness but one that You forgive. Hallelujah!

Prayer for others

Father, today I pray for those who do not welcome what comes from Your spirit; in fact, they are repulsed by it. They view what is spiritual as foolishness. How their lives would change if they accepted what they cannot see as real and purifying and saving. They have built a stone wall around their hearts. Break it down, Lord! Can this world have too many spiritually-minded people?

Thank You

How grateful I am that You make Yourself known to me each day. It doesn’t matter at all that I cannot see Your face. How distracted I would be! We walk on the unseen path of righteousness and You teach me spiritual truths. And when I am attacked or weary or doubtful, Your Spirit is there to refresh mine. Since You know my heart, You know how grateful I am.

More praise

 How wonderful to have 24 hour-a-day access to the wisest, most loving One who reigns in the heavens, knows me better than I know myself, and loves me more than I have the capacity to understand. I lift You up, oh my God!

Your words…

Now Elijah the Tishbite, from the Gilead settlers, said to Ahab, “As the Lord God of Israel lives, I stand before Him, and there will be no dew or rain during these years except by my command!” Then a revelation from the Lord came to him: “Leave here, turn eastward, and hide yourself at the Wadi Cherith where it enters the Jordan. You are to drink from the wadi. I have commanded the ravens to provide for you there.” So he did what the Lord commanded. Elijah left and lived by the Wadi Cherith where it enters the Jordan. The ravens kept bringing him bread and meat in the morning and in the evening, and he drank from the wadi.  1 Kings 17:1-6

My words…

Praise

You are the God who commanded the dew: “Do not show yourself moist on the ground in the cool of the morning.” You are the One who commanded the rain: “Do not fall to the earth from your home in the clouds.” And the dew and the rain were submissively obedient. The rivers dried up and the plants shriveled from thirst. But You provided for Elijah, Your prophet, in a way that makes me smile. Ravens. Why not? You who made the dew and rain hide from view for years can certainly bid some ravens to run an air-drop food delivery service. Elijah must have been tickled at first, receiving his bread and meat from the talons and beaks of ravens twice a day. Did he name them? Did he talk to them? I have read that some scholars believe that the original Hebrew text was mistranslated and that it wasn’t actually ravens that fed Elijah. Personally, I think using ravens sounds exactly like something You would do. And like the dew and the rain, the ravens were honored to do the bidding of their Creator. Nothing is impossible for You, for Yours is the only voice that nature obeys.

Prayer for me

As I sit here, a bird is perched on the fence in my yard. She jerks her head from side to side, aware of everything around her. She knows You better than I. She submits to You without hesitation or doubt – no matter what You ask of her. I desire to be like her. So I pray for a submissive spirit that bends to Your voice and Your will without question.

Forgive me

Forgive me when I do not give You the praise for how well I am provided for. The source of my comfort is not me. The source of all of my blessings is You. Forgive me for not praising You daily for the “ravens” You send to me.

Prayer for others

The rain and the ravens had no problem submitting to the will of their creator. The rain didn’t wait and debate the reality of Your existence. The ravens didn’t question Your authority over their lives. They knew the voice of the Creator and never thought, for one second, to disobey it. Such a lesson for Your human creation. I pray Your children will grow to know that submission to You reaps the greatest reward. To move against Your will leads to heartache.

Thank You

I cannot know how many times You have summoned a part of Your creation to save us, Your children, from pain, disaster, or ruin. I believe there are other “Elijahs” whom You have saved, are saving, and will save. Thank You, Lord!

More praise

I praise You, the One who holds the universe in the palm of His hand yet knows the number of feathers adorning the bird on my fence.

Your words…

As Jesus got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. Suddenly, a violent storm arose on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves. But He was sleeping. So the disciples came and woke Him up, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to die!” But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, you of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea. And there was great calm. The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey Him!”  Matthew 8:23-27

My words…

Praise. 

You know I have never had a near-death experience. I’ve never been lost in a desert, adrift on the ocean, or caught in an avalanche. The cars, planes and trains in which I travel all seem to work in perfect order. I have never suffered from a snake bite, gun shot, or lightning strike. So I cannot pretend to know what Your Apostles were experiencing on the Sea of Galilee. One thing is clear from scripture: They were scared to death. The roar of the wind and the waves made it nearly impossible to communicate without screaming. The waves crashed over the side of the boat, soaking their robes and sandals. Four of them were hardened fishermen, accustomed to navigating the sea, but their skills appeared to have been useless. They were left with only one choice: wake You from a deep slumber brought on by an exhausting day of teaching, healing, and arguing. What Your Apostles didn’t know at the time was that they were in the safest place they could have been at that moment. They had yet to realize Your greatest talent: saving people. And when they witnessed Your power, they were astounded. At the sound of Your voice, the violent wind and pounding sea grew still. I’m sure the Apostles never forgot the day they witnessed the sea and the wind bowing to the Son of God in worship.

Prayer for me

Lord, I know You have directed the same words to me that You did to the Apostles: Why are you fearful, you of little faith? My faith is malleable instead of solid, erratic instead of grounded. I weather storms alone instead of crying out to You for help. Bolster my faith, Lord, to know that You are in the boat with me, and I am safe.

Forgive me

Forgive me for being content with my faith-level. I am not daily striving for deeper faith. I am complacent. I am sorry for not making my time with You and my time with Your word a priority in my life.

Prayer for others

Because Your great plan included becoming human for a while, You empathize with our predicaments, our labors, our suffering. You know exactly what we are going through. There are so many of Your children sailing in the cancer boat. You’re in that boat with them. Then there’s the poverty boat. Yep, you’re there. And let’s not forget the boat of abuse. You’re there, too. These boats, and many, many more, are filled with people who are scared to death. But what they don’t know is that You’re in the same boat.  All they have to do is let You save them. So I pray for those who are frightened of the storms that are raging around them. I pray they will come to believe in the One who is able to calm the storms.

Thank You

Thank you for revealing Your power in ways that are unmistakably You. This story is like a gift that I open when I want to be reminded of Your omnipotence. Thank you for showing me Your power through these words.

More praise

Jesus, You spoke into existence with wind and the waves. How beyond magnificent You are that the wind and the waves know Your voice and obey it!

Your words…

Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from inside the fish: I called to the Lord in my distress, and He answered me. I cried out for help in the belly of Sheol; You heard my voice. You threw me into the depths, into the heart of the seas, and the current overcame me. All Your breakers and Your billows swept over me. But I said: I have been banished from Your sight, yet I will look once more toward Your holy temple. The waters engulfed me up to the neck; the watery depths overcame me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. I sank to the foundations of the mountains; the earth with its prison bars closed behind me forever! But You raised my life from the Pit, Lord my God! As my life was fading away, I remembered Yahweh. My prayer came to You, to Your holy temple. Those who cling to worthless idols forsake faithful love, but as for me, I will sacrifice to You with a voice of thanksgiving. I will fulfill what I have vowed. Salvation is from the Lord! Then the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.  Jonah 2

My words…

Praise

Father, Your holy scriptures are at times … strange. A man runs away from a job You had given him to do, and You bring him back around in the belly of a big fish. Scholars can’t seem to agree whether this is fact, fiction, allegory or parable. I figure since Jesus mentions Jonah, it must be fact. I hope so!  Either way, I can learn so much from Jonah and so much about You. The city of Ninevah was filled with detestable idolators, committing reprehensible acts and calling it worship. Yet, You couldn’t bear that they had not been given a chance to know You. Your limitless mercy is intended for all humankind, no matter how abhorrent. A father who sold his daughter as a sex slave or a mother who sacrificed her baby boy to a heathen god were both worth saving – in Your eyes. Instead of choosing a willing, obedient prophet to preach to the Ninevites, You chose obstinate Jonah who dared to turn his back on You and head out of town. You chose him because Jonah needed to learn something. Jonah needed to grow. Running away from You and his responsibility to You landed him in a dark, wet place with his head wrapped in seaweed. So he prayed, and You saved him. And through him, You saved Ninevah. Praise God from whom salvation is offered freely to all men for all time.

Prayer for me

I identify with Jonah. I get where he’s coming from. What you ask of me is not easy. My heart does not break when I encounter those who live purposefully wicked lives. Instead of being drawn to them as a messenger for You, I am repulsed. I need Your discernment and a measure of Your mercy to see them as lost and searching, caught in a snare set by the evil one. You see them as worth saving, and so must I. Are they any less worthy than I? No. They are not.

Forgive me

Forgive me for my prideful ways. Like Jonah, I have plans of my own. Surely they must be better than Your plans! How foolish. Forgive my reluctance to follow Your lead and trust that I will end up in a better place with a stronger faith.

Prayer for others

Father, today I pray for that someone who is running away from You. She knows You. She has served You in the past. But now her heart has hardened, and she refuses to worship You or pray to You. Perhaps she no longer believes You exist. She needs a Jonah on her doorstep! I pray You send a messenger who will capture her attention so Your Spirit can re-kindle her devotion to You.

Thank You

Thank you for saving Ninevah! In doing so, You offer hope to all, even those who feel they are beyond saving. And thank you for saving Jonah! By doing so, You prove Your longsuffering for all who are running from You.

More praise

Father, I lift this prayer to Your holy temple. I know You hear each word of every prayer as it is uttered. You heard Jonah from the belly of a fish. You hear me now. How magnificent You are! I praise You as the God whose ears are always attentive to the prayers of His children.

Your words…

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.  1 Peter 2:9-10

My words…

Praise

God, You created a race of people not defined by outward appearance but comprised of every skin color, every hair texture, every eye shape. This race is a chosen race – a race of priests. I am a part of Your chosen race and a member of Your priesthood (I’m a priest!). And not just any priesthood – a royal priesthood. I serve at the pleasure of You, Jesus – my King. We priests make up a nation not constrained by lines on a map. We are a world-wide nation, praising You, the One who called to us saying, “All those sick and tired of stumbling around in darkness, step into the light with Me. I will lead the way home.” I am humbled, honored, and elated to walk in the light, chosen by the God who knows me at my absolute worst and loves me still.

Forgive me

Lord, I do not proclaim Your praises as often and as boldly as I should. You have done so much for me and I so little for You. Forgive my lack of boldness and my lack of focus. The world is so intimidating and distracting, but that is no excuse. Forgive me.

Prayer for others

We humans are so caught up with outward appearance, spoken language and accents, and cultural differences. But instead of accepting our human differences, we rate each other according to them then treat each other unequally. Help us to see each other through Your eyes. You see past the flesh and see only the hearts of Your children. Only through Your Spirit are we able to see each other equally. I pray Your Spirit will churn the waters of our hearts to not just tolerate each other but to embrace each other as children of one Father.

Thank You

You know my pedigree – not impressive by worldly standards. I was not born into wealth. I hold no titles. There are missing branches in my family tree. But You have bestowed on me heavenly titles that are infinitely more valuable than anything I could have earned on earth. I would rather be a priest than a president. So I thank You from the deepest part of my heart for the place I hold in Your race, Your priesthood, Your nation.

More praise

You detest the spiritual darkness that envelops so many of Your children.  Your desire is for every member of the human race – past, present and future – to be a part of Your chosen race. You are the One from whom mercy gushes. And I am the blessed one on whom Your mercy falls.

Your words…

…I kneel before the Father from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. I pray that He may grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power in the inner man through His Spirit, and that the Messiah may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, and to know the Messiah’s love that surpasses knowledge, so you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us – to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.  Luke 3:14-21

My words…

Praise

Dear God, how can I adequately praise You? There is no human language with words that can describe Your power and (especially) Your love. Linguists haven’t the ability to discover or create the words. If there is such a language, only the angels know it. When I meditate on the vastness of space (one hundred billion galaxies, according to man’s limited knowledge), I perceive You as HUGE, BEYOND SCOPE. But when I see images of grains of sand through a microscope, I see You there also – Your beauty hidden from view. As I meditate on Your existence, knowing I will never comprehend the volume of Your love and power, I hear a still voice in my mind, “I am here.” And then I know: All that matters is that You are with me, in my heart – my innermost being. Just because You are beyond sight and touch does not mean I cannot know You are right there with me. Apostle Paul writes to the Ephesians about this truth: Being full of You is the very best way to live.

Prayer for Your people…

Lord, when Your people are filled with Your fullness, there is nothing we cannot accomplish. Barbs from the evil one do not penetrate Your fullness. Worldly persecution does not diminish Your fullness. Your fullness is what convicts us, emboldens us, sustains us. As my faith has grown, so has Your fullness within me. I no longer suppose You are with me. I know it. So I pray for all of us who know Your fullness: May You grant us a measure of comprehension of the length, width, height, and depth of Your love so we, like the Ephesians, will be rooted and firmly established in You.

More praise

To You who is and does so much more than I will ever imagine – to You be all the praise! All the glory! All the time!