Posts belonging to Category Prayer



Make Your Prayers Count!

“Make Your Prayers Count!” (excerpt from chapter four):

One reason to pray early is because God’s mercies are new every morning. We read in Lamentations: “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lam. 3:22-23).

You might not be a morning person, but our God is a morning God! His mercies are new every morning! Every morning when you wake up God is waiting to meet with you. He has fresh grace and mercy for you. You need only spend time with him to be strengthened for your day.

King David knew how to start a day. He writes in Psalm 57: “My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music. Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn” (Ps. 57:7-8).

Robert Murray McCheyne wrote the following words in his journal on February 23, 1834: “Rose early to seek God and found Him whom my soul loves. Who would not rise early to meet such company?”

Begin your day with prayer and lay hold of God’s mercies for you in Christ. God’s mercies are new every morning.

 
This is an excerpt from my new book coming out this week called Lord, Make My Life Count! Drawing largely from the wisdom portions of the Bible, this book explains how to make your life count in six key areas of life: 1) your work; 2) your rest; 3) your faith; 4) your prayers; 5) your money; and 6) your time.
 
Note: Click here to view the book on Amazon.
 
Lord, Make My Life Count!

A Christmas Prayer by Robert Louis Stevenson

Here is a beautiful Christmas prayer from Robert Louis Stevenson:
 
A Christmas Prayer by Robert Louis Stevenson
 

A Christmas Prayer
 
O God, our loving Father,
help us rightly to remember
the birth of Jesus,
that we may share in
the song of the angels,
the gladness of the shepherds,
and the worship of the wise men.

May Christmas morning
make us happy
to be Thy children
and Christmas evening
bring us to our beds
with grateful thoughts,
forgiving and forgiven,
for Jesus’ sake,
 
Amen.
 
~ Robert Louis Stevenson

 
Merry Christmas, and may God bless you and yours!
 

A Quarantine Prayer

A quarantine prayer:

“Dear Lord, as our hair grows longer, and our patience grows shorter, please give us strength for these troubled times!”

 

New “Praying For” Series

We are doing a new series of messages Sunday mornings on praying for various things. Here are the links to the various messages in the series.

Praying For … Series
(Click here for a PDF of all the sermon outlines for the series.)

Praying For series

Praying for Things – 1 John 5:14-15
Praying for Forgiveness – 1 John 1:5-10
Praying for Healing – James 5:13-16
Praying for Victory over Sin – 2 Peter 1:3-4
Praying for Church and Family – Matthew 6:9-13
Praying for the Lost – Colossians 4:2-6
Praying for Missions – Matthew 9:35-38
 

When I See Evil in the World

 
When I was young and saw evil in the world, I said, “Judge them, O Lord.”

When I grew older, I learned to say, “Forgive them, O Lord.”

Now when I see evil in the world, I say, “Forgive me, O Lord.”
 
 

Don’t Let Politics Trump Prayer

“I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone – for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:1-4)

As Christians we are called to pray for our leaders and all those in authority. I hope you prayed for President George W. Bush when he was president. I hope you prayed for President Barack Obama when he was president. And I hope you will pray for President Donald Trump now that he is president.

Why should you pray for your leaders and those in authority over you? One obvious reason is because they make decisions that have a huge impact on your life. But the Bible addresses a much more important issue here in these verses from 1 Timothy.

The Bible instructs us to pray for those in authority so that we may live out our Christian lives peacefully and share our faith with others. Never take for granted that you live in a land where you have the freedom to worship God. Never take for granted that you have the freedom to share the gospel with others without fear of persecution.

It is important to pray for our leaders. We are to pray for our president whether or not we like him as a person. We are to pray for him whether or not we agree with his policies. In fact the less you agree with him, the more important it becomes to pray for him! It’s easy to pray for a president with whom you agree on everything.

So I hope you have already begun praying for President Trump. I know I have. It’s been a rough political season, and not everyone is happy with the new president. But that just makes it all the more important to pray. Don’t let politics trump prayer!

7 Prayer Requests for Unsaved Loved Ones

Sunday we held a prayer service at church for unsaved loved ones. At the beginning of the service I shared the following seven requests we can pray for our friends and loved ones who do not yet know Christ. Each request has an accompanying Scripture to read along as you pray. You will notice that most of the prayer requests revolve around the gospel, because it is only through the hearing and believing of the gospel that anyone can be saved. I hope you will find these requests and Scriptures helpful as you pray for your unsaved loved ones. (Note: Click here for a print-ready PDF handout.)

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Praying for Unsaved Loved Ones

“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” (Romans 1:16)

1. Pray that God will draw them to himself.
“No one can come to me unless the Father … draws him.” (John 6:44)

2. Pray for the Holy Spirit to bring conviction of sin.
“The Holy Spirit … will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment.” (John 16:8)

3. Pray for opportunities to share the gospel.
“Pray for us that God may open a door for our message … Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.” (Colossians 4:3-4)

4. Pray that others will share the gospel with them as well.
“Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (Matthew 9:37-38)

5. Pray that God will open their eyes to the truth of the gospel.
“The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:4)

6. Pray that God will open their hearts to respond to the gospel.
“The Lord opened her heart to respond to the message.” (Acts 16:14)

7. Pray that they will believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” (Acts 16:31)
 

National Day of Prayer 2014

National Day of Prayer

Today is the National Day of Prayer for the United States. The purpose of the National Day of Prayer is to gather the people of our country to come together and pray, particularly for our nation and for those in leadership on all levels of local, national, church and educational areas of influence.

Let me encourage you to participate in this special day of prayer for our nation. Over 40,000 prayer events are scheduled to take place this year across the country — at churches, schools, government buildings and other public gathering places. We will be hosting an event here in Plantation, FL at City Hall during the lunch hour. Click here to find an event near you.

Seahawks and Broncos Post Super Bowl Prayer Huddle

Lots of players pray before the big game, but how many pray afterwards? I was encouraged by this photo of Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos players joining in prayer together immediately following Super Bowl XLVIII.

praying-seahawks-broncos-mike-morgan-wes-welker

In case you’re wondering who the players are, that’s Seattle Seahawks linebacker Mike Morgan (#57); and for the Denver Broncos, it’s tackle Chris Clark (#75), running back Knowshon Moreno (#27), and wide receiver Wes Welker (#83). [Update: And non-player Chip Simmons between Morgan and Welker (see comment below).]

HT: Twitter @KariVanHorn

Prayer Suggestions for Newtown, CT

We are all grieving over the shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT this morning. My sister Sharon, who is the USA National Director at Moms in Prayer International, sent out the following prayer suggestions which I recommend to you as you pray for those affected by this terrible tragedy.

Please pray for:

  • The families of those who lost their lives.
  • The family of the troubled soul who did this.
  • The students, faculty, and administration of Sandy Hook Elementary School as they cope with what happened.
  • All our schools and communities across the USA especially during this time of year.
  • Revival among our young people, that every student will have an opportunity to hear of the mercy and grace afforded us through Jesus Christ.

Reading Classics Together – The Hidden Life of Prayer

The Hidden Life of Prayer, by David M. MacIntyre

Starting this Thursday over at Tim Challies’ blog, we will be reading David MacIntyre’s The Hidden Life of Prayer as part of Tim’s Reading Classics Together program. This is one of my favorite books on prayer, and I encourage you to grab a copy and read along. The chapters are short but focused and full of great teaching and reflections on prayer.

I like this book so much that back in fall of 2010 I created Kindle and ePub editions with fully-linked footnotes and table of contents. If you need a good ebook edition, you can order it through Amazon or Barnes & Noble through one of the links below:

    ● The Hidden Life of Prayer – Kindle edition at Amazon.com
    ● The Hidden Life of Prayer – Paperback edition at Amazon.com
    ● The Hidden life of Prayer – Epub edition at Barnes & Noble

And don’t forget to visit Tim’s blog on Thursday for the first round of discussion on chapter one.

Note: You don’t need a Kindle to read Kindle books. Click here for a free e-reader.

The Hidden Life of Prayer Now Available for the Kindle

The Hidden Life of Prayer, by David M. MacIntyre

The Hidden Life of Prayer, by David M. MacIntyre, is now available for the Amazon Kindle. This is fast becoming my new favorite book on prayer. The book is a treasure trove of spiritual insights and practical instructions. MacIntyre draws from Scripture, Christian literature and Christian experience to encourage and instruct the believer in the rich subject of prayer. There are also many fine quotations about prayer from across the centuries sprinkled throughout the book’s pages.

But don’t just take my word for it. Here are John Piper’s and Wayne Grudem’s recommendations:

“God brings books at their appointed times. The Hidden Life of Prayer arrived late but well-timed. This little jewel-strewn tapestry has done for me at 64 what Bounds’ Power Through Prayer did at 34. I could be ashamed that I need inspiration for the highest privilege. But I choose to be thankful.”
John Piper, Senior Pastor, Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota

“I have read The Hidden Life of Prayer again and again since Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia first gave it to me when I visited there as a prospective student forty years ago. Every time I read this book, the Lord uses it to deepen my prayer life and encourage my faith. I strongly recommend it!”
Wayne Grudem, Research Professor of Theology and Biblical Studies, Phoenix Seminary, Phoenix, Arizona, USA

You can purchase the book from Amazon or you can get it right here at my website in ePub or Kindle/Mobipocket format. It is also available at Barnes & Noble for the Nook. And remember, you don’t need a Kindle to read Kindle books. Click here for a free e-reader.