Patience in Prayer

 

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12

     This is a great verse to memorize. It is packed with wisdom and short enough to easily carry in our hearts and pull out when we need it. With Christ there is always hope. Even at the very end of our time on earth, it is just the beginning of forever. There is no end. Hope can be found. Hope that can give us the lasting joy of Jesus.

     Patience is not an easy concept in a fast-paced world. Even waiting for our morning coffee or sitting at a traffic light can be frustrating. Two women I know have faced battles against cancer. Both lost their hair. Both have suffered greatly, one with sickness and nausea. One is dealing with a slow recovery. Patience in affliction? During those long days and nights, when there seems to be no end in sight, hope and patience and even the ability to pray are nowhere to be found.

     I’m finding difficulty finding peace with the aftermath of the shootings in our area. We have friends impacted through these shootings and hope, peace and joy seem far off. During those times of suffering, hopes can be shattered, patience goes out the window, we lash out at those closest to us and what about prayer? Who has the energy? During those dark days, we count on others to pray for us, to give hope when there seems to be none, to be faithful to us even when we don’t have an ounce of faith left. And when all is said and done, Jesus is still there, with joy and hope, with patience to deal with us once again, always faithful. He never gives up.

Dar Lord,

Be our hope when there appears to be none. Be patient with us when we don’t have it in us to wait. Lead us in prayer when we don’t feel Your presence and when others are suffering, lead us to be the Jesus in their lives, bringing strength, hope and love. Give us the ability to share joy, patience and faithfulness when affliction comes.

Amen

Help Us, Lord

 

 Our hearts are broken around our state, throughout our country, as yet another shooter has taken the lives of our children.  The senseless acts of a young man with no sense of the value of life, with hate and murder in his heart. I’m thankful for prayer. I’m thankful for the Holy Spirit. I’m thankful these beautiful children are with Jesus. I’m thankful I heard the story of one of the 5^th graders hiding in a pre-school room. She and her friend prayed the entire time and she felt a guardian angel with them.  We don’t know why. But God will, somehow, change lives through this evil act and He will offer comfort and He will grieve with those precious children and families. Please pray.

     If you are reading this, know you have been prayed for this morning. I love the fact that we are connected through the Holy Spirit. God tells us we are of one mind and of one spirit living as the body of Christ.

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called. Ephesians 4:4

     Let’s continue to hold each other up, to pray for each other, to recognize the power living within us, to have confidence during these chaotic days, to trust Jesus above the highs and lows of life. He is the risen Lord. Be of one mind and be at peace. And keep praying for our country.

Then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Philippians 2:2

Jesus,

Hold these families close, as we continue to grieve with them and pray for them. We belong to You. Let that be enough for us each day. Your grace is enough. We thank You for the connection between us. Keep us united in spirit and in peace and in prayer.

Amen

 

Accepting Love

 

     Human love is imperfect. Do we deserve the love of God? How do we accept it for ourselves? We won’t accept it fully, trying to be perfect and follow the rules. Our guilt may keep us from receiving His unconditional love. It might be difficult to believe that His kind of love even exists.

     His love is there for each of us, no strings attached. His free gift of eternity and a forever love comes from accepting the birth, death and resurrection of the only perfect man, Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man. He died for all of us, no matter our past, no matter our weaknesses and frailties, no matter our race.

     Accept His love and be cleansed forever, sins forgiven, and a loving Father, friend, Savior, shepherd, teacher and guide to get us through this crazy life. You will see others in a new light. You will long to change hearts, to share the best news ever given, to show Jesus and His glory, the glory of the Son.

The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, sent from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1 :14

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

     His unmerited favor and grace will find you wherever you are. See His glory. Accept His light and love. He is your Savior.

Father,

Help us to receive Your unending love deep into our hearts, never to be lost again. Guide us into more and more love and change this dark and violent world with Your grace and mercy.

In Jesus name,

Amen

 

Searching for Love

 

     Feeling the need to be loved? Why not seek out God? Ask Him for His love. Seek that love with all your heart and soul. Believe He has been waiting for you with open arms, waiting to fill the empty spaces and love you as His own, never to leave you again.  Listen to the yearning is these words from Psalm 42.  Maybe they echo the words of your heart right now.

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. Where can I go and meet with God? My tears have been my food day and night while people say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” These things I remember as I pour out my soul, how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One, with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng. Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God. Psalm 42:1-5

     Maybe, like David, you are discouraged, wondering where to find God. David is lost and disturbed. Where is God? And yet in verse 5, He still praises Him. He reaches out to Him. He loves Him.  He seeks Him even when He does not feel His presence.

     How is your soul? Find rest as you pant for God as a deer pants for water. Seek Him with all your heart and He will be there with you. Seek Him and have faith and He will reward you with His presence.

And without faith, it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. Hebrews 11:6

Lord,

We seek and need Your presence right now. Lift up our downcast spirits as we continue to praise You.

In Jesus name,

Amen

 

Longing for Love

 

     The abused child. The betrayed man or woman. The neglected family. All of us, all of humanity, craves love. If we don’t receive it naturally and think of ourselves as valuable and worthy to be loved, we lash out, we numb the pain, we blame or turn inward.

     God loves each of us. With all of the pain and suffering in the world, man finds this tough, if not impossible, to believe and understand. God continually seeks us and gives us opportunities to find Him, to know Him, to receive love from Him.

     We can’t work our way there. There is not enough “good” we can do for others to earn that love, no certain amount of prayer, no sacrifice worthy enough.

We have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23

The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:23

But God demonstrated His love for us in this; that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

     God’s love for you is beyond this earth. He died for you and me. Let Him  lavish love on you and fill you with the kind of love we long  to receive. It is there for the asking and the love of Christ will transform you forever.

Lord,

So many are hurting and lashing out. Love them. See them. Let them hear Your everlasting voice declaring unconditional love. The one who saves. It is Jesus.

Amen

Keys to the Kingdom

 

     God gave us Jesus, His Son, to show us who He is. The death and resurrection of Christ opened up the door to heaven for us, now and as we leave this earth. How wonderful to be heirs of the kingdom of heaven.

     Just as our parents leave us with an inheritance, of genes, of family wisdom, of love and character and of their worldly possessions, we inherit even more from our Father in heaven. He has given us the keys to His kingdom through Jesus!

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundations of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons and daughters by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will. Ephesians 1:3=5

     Missing your earthly father? Missing ever having a loving father? Let our Father fill in any gaps in your life with His unending love. Your belief in Jesus brings about every spiritual blessing, a home in heaven, and a loving Father and Son to walk with you every step of the way. Their love is unconditional, their Spirit alive and well within you, along with arms of comfort to calm the storms around you. The keys to the kingdom are available to all! Open the door of your heart today and call out, “Abba” Father, our daddy.

Father,

You remind us again and again of our spiritual heritage. Help us to hear Your voice in a stronger way in the days ahead, to trust in You completely and to allow You to feed and nourish our spirits until they are whole.

In Jesus name,

Amen

 

Discipline

 

     God is more interested in our character than in our comfort. He trains us and disciplines us. Discipline is never easy, but it is necessary. If you are a parent, or are involved in the lives of children, you know how important it is to set boundaries, to work for their good, even when it is hard for everyone.

     God’s discipline is always, always filled with love. The tough love we give our children and that God gives us, will build our character, will make us into people that resemble Jesus. As God gives us opportunities to build our character and build us up in the fruit of the Spirit, He will build in us a strong sense of self-discipline.

For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7

     True and loving discipline brings peace to our children and to our families.

Discipline your children, and they will give you peace. They will bring you the delights you desire. Proverbs 29:17

     If God is working on an attribute of your character, He will bring you through some difficult situations to build you up. It isn’t easy, for us or for our children, but the end result is worth it.

They discipline us for a little while as they thought best, but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in His holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Hebrews 12:10-11

Father,

Thank You for Your example in raising our children. Your Word is filled with wisdom and knowledge as we raise our families and as we learn from You. Continue to discipline us when necessary to grow in our faith and in our righteousness. You are a loving Father.

In Jesus name,

Amen