ikneelhere: March 2012

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

A Prayer for HOPE

When I need to fix my eyes on the hope of eternity.

Eternal God and Savior,
For a prisoner on death row, a pardon offers hope of freedom. I was once a spiritual prisoner facing eternal death because of my sin. You have given me the ultimate hope of freedom by forgiving my sins so I can one day be with you forever in heaven. How can I thank you enough? When my life here and now seems impossible, you give eternal hope. Without hope, I could not persevere through tough times. I would give up/ As I walk through this life, may I fix my eyes on eternity. May I never forget where I am headed, and why there is not better place to be. For in heaven I will live forever, with no pain or sorrow or suffering. What joy! Please help me to move straight ahead toward that goal. As I do, I know I'll gain a better perspective on the struggles and discomforts of this life.

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is by his great mercy that we have been born again,

because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead.

Now we live with great expectation,

and we have a priceless inheritance -

a priceless inheritance

that is kept in heaven for you,

pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.

And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power

until you receive this salvation...

There is a wonderful joy ahead,

even though you have to endure

many trial for a little while.

1 Peter 1:3-6

Monday, March 5, 2012

A Healthy Prayer Life

As an RN I know health is more than the absence of disease. Seeking a healthy lifestyle requires an intentional daily choice to balance health habits in nutrition, exercise, sleep and attitude.

Seeking a healthy prayer lifestyle is similar to health- choosing intentionally each day to balance a prayer life with a variety of holy habits.

Good nutrition relies on more than one food group. A health prayer life tastes a variety of prayers. I used to only repeat prayers my mother taught me and send up millions of requests to God. The last few years I expanded my prayer experience with centering prayer, journaling, and prayers from the Bible and other Christians. My favorite Bible prayer is “I do believe, help my unbelief "(Mark 9:24)...

Exercise is vital to good health including prayer life. I can’t just talk about prayer, I actually spend time talking and listening to God. The experience of praying, setting regular time aside and creating a space for silence opens up my heart to the Spirit.

The body needs rest and so does the soul. I have learned that resting with God through silence, solitude, and the regular practice of going on retreat renews my spirit.

Attitude is always important for a healthy prayer life. It is not me, not about me and nothing I do. It is all God and only God. By spending time with Him in prayer I become less me-centered and more God-centered. I am more aware of what I need to let go and what keeps me from Him.

God gives us the wonderful gift of prayer in order to be closer to Him and to be more like Him. Hard to refuse that type of gift, isn’t it?

Why Pray?

(1) Prayer is a form of serving God (Luke 2:36-38). We pray because God commands us to pray (Philippians 4:6-7).

(2) Prayer is exemplified for us by Christ and the early church (Mark 1:35; Acts 1:14; 2:42; 3:1; 4:23-31; 6:4; 13:1-3). If Jesus thought it was worthwhile to pray, we should also.

(3) God intends for prayer to be the means of obtaining His solutions in a number of situations:

a) Preparation for major decisions (Luke 6:12-13)

b) Overcoming demonic barriers in lives (Matthew 17:14-21)

c) The gathering of workers for the spiritual harvest (Luke 10:2)

d) The gaining of strength to overcome temptation (Matthew 26:41)

e) The means of strengthening others spiritually (Ephesians 6:18-19)

(4) We have God's promise that our prayers are not in vain, even if we don't receive specifically what we asked for (Matthew 6:6; Romans 8:26-27).

(5) He has promised that when we ask for things that are in accordance with His will, He will give us what we ask for (1 John 5:14-15). Sometimes He delays His answers according to His wisdom and for our benefit. In these situations, we are to be diligent and persistent in prayer (Matthew 7:7; Luke 18:1-8).

Prayer should not be seen as our means of getting God to do our will on earth, but rather as a means of getting God's will done on earth. God’s wisdom far exceeds our own. In situations for which we do not know specifically what God's will is, prayer is a means of discerning God’s will. If Peter had not asked for Jesus to call for him to come out of the boat and onto the water, he would have missed that opportunity (Matthew 14:28-29). If the Syrian woman with the demon-influenced daughter had not prayed to Christ, her daughter would not have been made whole (Mark 7:26-30). If the blind man outside of Jericho would not have called out to Christ, he would have still been blind (Luke 18:35-43). God has said that often we go without because we do not ask (James 4:2).

We will never see the results of answered prayer until we pray. A lack of prayer demonstrates the a lack of faith and a lack of trust in God’s Word. We pray to demonstrate our faith in God, that He will do as He has promised in His Word, and will bless our lives abundantly more than we could ask or hope for (Ephesians 3:20).

May God find us often before His throne, for we have a High Priest in heaven who can identify with all that we go through (Hebrews 4:15-16). We have His promise that the fervent prayer of a righteous man accomplishes much (James 5:16-18). May God glorify His name in our lives as we believe in Him enough to come to Him often in prayer.

ikneelhere

Pages

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

A Prayer for HOPE

Monday, March 5, 2012

A Healthy Prayer Life

Blog Archive