Scripture & Prayer Journal

You are a loving Father.   You give us gifts beyond measure. You welcome us into Your arms. You invite us to trust and grow. You challenge us to be creative. You move us to love.   You call us Your children. Amen Mark 10:15-16 Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it. And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.

Father, thank you for being who You are.  You are Father, Son, and Spirit.   Through Your Son, Jesus, You created everything.   Through Your Son, Jesus, You entered humanity. Through Your Son, Jesus, You suffered death. Through Your Son, Jesus, You rose from dead. Through Your Son, Jesus, You brought us from life to death. Through Your Son, Jesus, You started a holy family. Through Your Son, Jesus, You brought redemption. Amen Hebrews 1:2 NIV But in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.

Father, Your creation tells a story about You.   If we would just pause and look.   If we would slow down enough to take it in.   If we would pull ourselves away from our many distractions.   Then we would see as David saw in Psalm 8.  The marvelous world around us speaks of Your glory and Your majesty.  Your name is great!  The galaxy declares Your creativity.  The stars, moon, and sun all tell a story about You.  What's even more amazing is that in this big big universe You've made, humans stand out as special to You.  We show Your splendor to Your creation.  We share in Your blessedness.  We have Your watchful eye on us.     Thank you for everything You've made.   Amen

Father, help me to live the kind of life Job lived.   May I walk with You each moment of each day.  If I can live in a state of constant awareness of Your abiding presence, I will be blameless and upright.   May I have a healthy fear of You.  Not a fear that drives me away or keeps me at an arm's distance from You, but a fear that is respectful and holds You up as Lord.  A fear that reminds me You are God and I'm not.   May I run from evil.  Help me to be able to discern evil.  Help me to recognize the sly ways it wants to work into my mind and life.  Like Job, may I reject it.  Thank you God for the example we have in Your servant Job.   Amen  Job 1:1 In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job.  This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.  

Father, make me a team player.  Would you allow me to accept those You've called and equipped as Your ambassadors.  Even if they don't belong to my tribe.  You value unity among Your disciples.  Help me see things from Your big perspective.  I'm better when I work with those working with You.  I beleive our community is better too.  Help me not to put up dividing lines and walls between others doing Your work in my community.  Give me eyes to see common ground among my brothers and sisters.  Give me balance.  Thank you for the Church.  May we find ways to show our community we are one in Christ. Amen  

Heavenly Father, thank you for the opportunities to call on You in times of need.  Thank you for listening.  Thank you for caring.  Thank you for the moments where we can praise You.  Thank you for songs, new and old, You give Your people to sing.  Thank you for the Church, that expresses itself in local gatherings, to pray for us when we are sick.  Thank you for surrounding us with Your people.  Thank you for a community to remind us that we are not alone.    Amen

Father, thank you for this new day.  Thank you for a good night's rest.   You know my history with willful sins, yet You love me.  You desire to see me, as well as many others, rise above them.  You desire Your followers to be blameless.  I believe You can do it.  Help me overcome my unbelief.  Forgive my doubts and questions.  Forgive my willful thoughts, choices, and decisions that neglect Your Spirit's guidance and wisdom.  May these not rule over me.   Father, be patient with this stubborn child of Yours.   Amen Psalm 19:13 NIV Keep your servant also from willful sins;      may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless,          innocent of great transgression.

Heavenly Father, help me see the ways You are working in our world, in our countries, in our cities, and in our communities.   May I know and see the ways Your Spirit is moving behind the scenes.   May I know and trust it's You in charge.   In the chaos of our world, may I hold onto the fact that You are quietly bringing a kingdom to bear upon our world, countries, cities, and communitites here on Earth.   Like Esther, help me see and take advangage of those 'special' moments in time You lead us to.  May I be able to discern them and act accordingly.  May these God-moments become special, like Purim in the book of Esther, signposts of Your work in our world and Your pursuing love for us.   Amen

Father, help me to keep a servant-attitude.  May I see no task, no matter how big or small, as being beneath me.  Grant me a good attitude when I'm asked to help but I'm busy and rushed for time.  Check me if I'm not assuming the posture of a servant, not just on the outside, but on the inside as well.  May I find great joy in rolling up my sleeves and getting my hands dirty.  May I find healing for my wounds in helping to serve someone else.  I pray this servant life transform me to look a little more like Jesus.      Amen Mark 9:35 NIV Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all."

Father, give me this wisdom that embodies who You are.  May I be able to recognize Your wisdom by its quality.  By its purity.  May I be able to see Your wisdom in the peace of mind You give.  Help me to look for that and think of the ways You may be giving peace of mind in certain situations.  May I recognize Your wisdom in the ways it gently asserts itself.  Its not pushy or aggressive.  Help me to know when I'm inserting my wisdom instead of Yours.  Godly wisdom considers the interests of others.  If I think I'm under the influence of Your wisdom, but don't want to listen to my fellow brother or sister, may I be checked by Your Spirit.  May Your wisdom leave a trail of hope in whatever situations I find myself in. Amen James 3:17-18 NIV But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.  Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a h...

Father, help me to find Your presence in turning from sinful thoughts and ways.   Father, help me to find Your life-giving presence in obedience to Your commands. Amen    

Father, make me aware of the ill intentions of others like you did with Jeremiah.  Please give me a discerning mind in those moments.  Don't let me be like a lamb headed to the slaughter, unless it's Your will.  I don't always see or know why people do what they do.  You always know.  Don't let me grow calloused towards trusting, lending a hand, and loving others.  Help me to love sacrificially and commit my cause to You in all things.  Amen 

Father, You have made it possible for us to rest.  You've made it possible for us to find deep contentment in You.  You've made it possible for us to understand true goodness.   " Return to your rest, my soul,     for the LORD has been good to you. " Jesus, my rest will not be found in anything but You.  My rest comes in following You with everything I am.  My rest comes in answering Your call to living a with-God life here and now.  " Return to your rest, my soul,     for the LORD has been good to you. " Spirit, You connect with my soul in a way nothing else can.  You connect my soul to what is truly life giving.  You connect my soul to pure love.   " Return to your rest, my soul,     for the LORD has been good to you. " Amen

Father, help me to listen to You and Your rebuke.  There's so much wisdom in it.  May there be a healthy fear in my mind towards You.   You are God.  I am not.   Allow me to have the wisdom to know when a rebuke is from You.  Give me courage in those moments to repent of any wrongdoing or thinking.  May repentance bring me closer to You.   You are God.  I am not. I invite Your Spirit to pour out Your thoughts in my mind.  I invite Your Spirit to remind me of Your teachings.  I'm so thankful You graciously gave the Spirit to live within me.   You are God.  I am not.   Amen

Father, You lovingly call me to a deeper fellowship. Your call to… deny myself,  take up my cross,  and follow You ...touches on my deepest need in life. Your call invites my soul to its true place of rest or home. This call is not easy. I need Your help and grace.  Help me when I’m feeling distracted, or worse, maybe I’m wanting to distract myself from my reality. Help me to deny, or turn from the temporary, to You.  Help me when I’m afraid. Help me when I’m facing my fears to know You also faced Your fears going to the cross. May I not be ashamed of You.  Help me to follow You. You are the leader. I’m Your follower. May I do what I’ve seen you doing in scripture. May I love the way You love.  In this pursuit of You, I will find a quality of rest nothing else in life can offer. Thank you for giving my soul rest and renewal.  Amen.

Heavenly Father, You have formed us in Your image and likeness.  This includes the tongue.  Sin leads us to say mean things and things we don't mean.  Sin perverts our words and uses them as weapons to wound others.  We have a mighty tool in the tongue.   Help us to be wise in what we say. Help us to encourage others with our words. Help us to build Your Church up with our mouths.   Even though there is greak risk in speaking, You as Holy Spirit living and empowering us from within, can guide and direct what we say to be pleasing to You. Amen