King David's Prayer

I am having trouble with Psalm 140.  I don't consider anyone wicked or out to get me.  I have a hard time conceptualizing that someone actually makes time to think about me and how they can ruin me.  I guess it happens.  I figure that most people do not pay me any attention.  I'm not powerful, I have nothing that I feel would be motive for that.  But, King David did.  He always had someone trying to get at him.  I do know that God will hear our prayers, just as he heard David's.  So pray when you feel someone is trying to get you, or you feel hurt.  Don't strike back.  Let God do it.

Psalm 140


 ¹ Rescue me, O LORD, from evil men;
Preserve me from violent men
² Who devise evil things in their hearts;
They continually stir up wars.
³ They sharpen their tongues as a serpent;
Poison of a viper is under their lips.
                         Selah.
 ⁴ Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked;
Preserve me from violent men
Who have purposed to trip up my feet.
⁵ The proud have hidden a trap for me, and cords;
They have spread a net by the wayside;
They have set snares for me.
                         Selah.
 ⁶ I said to the LORD, “You are my God;
Give ear, O LORD, to the voice of my supplications.
⁷ “O GOD the Lord, the strength of my salvation,
You have covered my head in the day of battle.
⁸ “Do not grant, O LORD, the desires of the wicked;
Do not promote his evil device, that they not be exalted.
                         Selah.
 ⁹ “As for the head of those who surround me,
May the mischief of their lips cover them.
¹⁰ “May burning coals fall upon them;
May they be cast into the fire,
Into deep pits from which they cannot rise.
¹¹ “May a slanderer not be established in the earth;
May evil hunt the violent man speedily.”
 ¹² I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted
And justice for the poor.
¹³ Surely the righteous will give thanks to Your name;
The upright will dwell in Your presence.

Praying in God's Will

The scariest thing happened in front of me this morning.  As I was driving down the highway, all the cars (about 10) slammed on their brakes.  I wondered, What is going on? and as I looked up, a car was going straight across all four lanes of traffic and hit the underpass/median wall a ton!  Several people stopped, and as I passed, the driver was moving (thank you Lord!).  Both bumpers were a mess.  I have no idea if the driver was hit from behind, or what, but all I could do was pray.  I prayed that God would take care of the driver.  I prayed that God was wonderful and that it was only a one car accident and no one else was involved.  I thanked Him for keeping me safe, but reminding me to always keep my eyes sharp and senses alert.

Sometimes a wake up call is needed to remind us of things.  Today he reminded me that going 72 mph down the highway is dangerous.  I did slow down, but will I tonight?  I don't really know.  I hope I heed this example.  I hope I can convey to my student driver that something bad can happen even if you are not doing something wrong.  It doesn't have to be your fault for you to be in an accident. 

I pray every day for my husband and kids.  I pray that God will give them a good day, that he will help them in their situations and that will keep the faith.  I hope they pray for me.  Prayer is our biggest weapon against the enemy. 

1 John 5:14 - 15

14This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. ¹⁵And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

Sunday evening our study was partly on this.  These verses spoke to me.  We can go to God and ask anything, as long as it is in his will, and he will hear us.  If we have that confidence, he will get what is asked.  Sounds confusing, but it just says that if we ask for something in God's will, then it will happened.  But we don't always ask for the right things or the thing that is in God's will.  So we have to trust God and just follow along.  We have to have the courage to go through the storm and then wait for the rainbow.

Prayer Works!

I had a whole other devotion planned for today, but then I got a text message from my mom that says..."Dad gets his port out next Wednesday.  His white blood cell count is back to normal!"  Praise God!  That is the best news I have heard in a long, long time.  Dad and Mom have weathered this scary storm and made it through! 

We have so many friends going through such terrible things, and in the midst of helping them and praying for them, God still remembers Dad and answers a prayer!  One of the songs on the cd my mom gave me is called I'll Pray for You.  It's about all of us lifting each other up to God in prayer each day.  Here are the lyrics.

I’ll Pray for You

By Marcia Henry and Barbara Huffman

I saw an old friend at the market standing in the check-out line
She began to share her story and then I told her mine
It was clear we both knew heartache so before I turned to go
We made a simple promise that would lighten both our loads

Chorus

I'll pray for you, you pray for me
And together we'll touch heaven from our knees
Anything can happen in His name when we agree
I'll pray for you, you pray for me

Verse 2

What a privilege and an honor to know that God is there
And to have His full attention anytime and anywhere
Sometimes when we're talking the conversation turns to you
As your name and needs are mentioned, God lifts my spirits, too.

You, too can have  God's attention anytime you want.  Just start talking to him.  Thank him for your blessings, for your trials, pray for those on our prayer list, for anything that you are concerned with.  God knows the needs of each person and he will listen to us, if we ask.

I thank each of you for your prayers over the past year and a half.  God truly performed another miracle here.  I hope each of you will stop today and thank him.  And keep praying.  There are a lot of people out there that needs our prayers. 

The Prayer of Jabez

I Chronicles 4:10

Now Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, "Oh that You would bless me indeed and enlarge my border, and that Your hand might be with me, and that You would keep me from harm that it may not pain me!" And God granted him what he requested.

I feel so blessed today!  This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible.  This and Isaiah 40:31.  Jabez is one of the only men in the book of Chronicles that is talked about a little.  It talks about how he was born and that he prayed to God.  I have a book somewhere, maybe one of you have my book, that talks about how praying this prayer for you will increase your ...land, knowledge, whatever it is you want to increase.  I loved this verse so much that when we had the National Day of Prayer services one time, I asked Tom McRoberts, one of our ministers, to talk about this.  He did such a wonderful job. 

Jabez wanted God's blessings and asked God to be with him through everything.  He asked for his territory to grow bigger and that he would be kept from harm.  Those are all things that we ask for too, isn't it?  What person wouldn't want to be painless, and under God's protection?  Well, pain free we are not, but we are under God's protection.   He loves us and wants us to depend on him for everything.  I try, but it is hard because sometimes I want something done the way I think it should be.  And I usually make it worse and jumble things up more.

We just need to learn to trust God and wait on him to do what he wants from us.  John 16:23 says, " In that day you will not question Me about anything Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you."  I think that says it all.

Sorrow and comfort

My friend is hurting.  My friend is trying to understand why.  My friend wishes that God would give answers.  She is struggling just to get through these past few days.  Her sorrow is immense and suffocating.  She doesn't know where to turn, her life has been shaken.

I feel that anything I say is trivial.  I am there to listen, to let her talk, cry or just sit.  God has to get her through this. 
2 Corinthians 1:3-7
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.  For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.  But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer;  and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort. 
God knows her need.  God knows our needs.  He is there if we call on him.  But in this hour of need, how can she feel that he is getting her through?  That he is able to help her.  Maybe it will be through me, or a family member.  Maybe it will be an unknown source.  This is where we need to lift each other up in prayer.  we need to understand that the helpless feeling is self doubt.  Through us, God can do anything.  We just have to let him.  I pray that I can let him do what needs to be done for my friend.

1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. 

 

Prayer for our Teens

Today, I drove Allie and Austin to school.  No big deal, but I am glad I did.  As we drove up the long, upwards drive to the school, I noticed that there were these little yellow flags lining both sides of the driveway.   Austin and Allie both told me that each of the small flags represents one of the 480 plus people who died in a drunk driving accident last year during Ohio's prom season.

This weekend is Lebanon and Monroe's prom, and a bunch more.  The last two days at Monroe have been somber.  I got a text from Allie saying several people she knows died! On Wednesday, the Grim Reaper visited the school and went in to classrooms and had people follow them.  Those chosen, were to be silent throughout the day.  Each participant that was killed, received a black t-shirt that told on the back how they died.  This has been a lot of the topic of conversation at my house.

Yesterday, there was a massive vehicle pile-up to simulate what could happen to those who get behind the wheel drunk. Then a gathering in the gym, where the "dead" were laying.  I think a lot of it hit home to at least Allie and Austin.  All through school they are taught that excessive drinking is wrong, yet it doesn't change the fact that a lot of them do participate.  I am sure that home life, peer pressure and such plays a huge role in this.

Today, let's pray for all the teens of America.  Let's pray that they will make the right choices and that they will have a safe and fun prom.  Let's keep them all in our hearts and minds today as they prepare for their parties and that next year there will be fewer flags lining school drives.

Psalm 71:1-7


In You, O LORD, I have taken refuge;
         Let me never be ashamed.
    ²In Your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;
         Incline Your ear to me and save me.
    ³Be to me a rock of habitation to which I may continually come;
         You have given commandment to save me,
         For You are my rock and my fortress.
    ⁴Rescue me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked,
         Out of the grasp of the wrongdoer and ruthless man,
    ⁵For You are my hope;
         O Lord GOD, You are my confidence from my youth.
    ⁶By You I have been sustained from my birth;
         You are He who took me from my mother's womb;
         My praise is continually of You.
    ⁷I have become a marvel to many,
         For You are my strong refuge.

Prayer with Faith

^{1Chronicles 4:9-10}
 Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, "I gave birth to him in pain."  Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request.

This is a favorite passage of mine.  Smack dab in the middle of the geneology of the Israelites, this little bit of information, a story if you will, is placed. God had to have this person mentioned.  His mother states that she was in pain when she gave birth to him.  And God wants us to know that Jabez is better than his brothers.  He prayed to God for safety, blessings and bigger area to own.  Seems a little selfish to me, now that I think about it.  But God liked this guy.  Jabez must have followed God's will and done all he could to be the best person he could be.  The last sentence says it call.  'And God granted his request.'  

It's kinda cool to pray for blessings and safety, even to have your area expanded.  More land, more work, more touching lives.  He didn't really pray for money, though the expansion of his territory would seem to be wealth.  He asked to be kept from harm so he would not have pain.  Would you think about asking for that?  Maybe he was in some pain.  Maybe he had seen others suffer and didn't want to go through that. 

Anyway, Jabez was specifically mentioned in the middle of all the clans and "the father of...".  An interesting thing is that his mother states that she was in pain when she gave birth to him.  Was that labor pain or some other kind of pain?  Did she not have labor pains with all her other kids?  Apparently this pain was worth mentioning.  I think may she wouldn't let him forget he caused her pain and that is why he asked God to keep him free from pain.  

I like that.  I usually don't pray to keep me pain-free, but to keep other's without pain.  I prayed for Dad while he was going through the radiation and chemo, Allie when she was having attacks, my friend who had surgery and is having more surgery next week.  I pray with the same faith Jabez had and I know that God grants my requests too.

Quiet Prayers

Matthew 26:36-44
36Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." 37He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me."



39Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."


40Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter. 41"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."


42He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done."


43When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.

Where I grew up, we lived across the street from a field.  On the other side of that field was a fence, and then a cemetery.  I remember talking long walks in that cemetery, rolling down the long, steep hill in the back of it, picking up buckeyes that had fallen from the tall trees and seeing the headstones of those who occupied  the ground, including my Dad's grandparents.  I loved the quietness of that place.  (At this point, I hear my dad chuckling and saying something about worrying if it was noisy.) 

I always have imagined that this cemetery was like the Garden of Gethsemane, quiet, grassy, with long shadows cast by the trees.  I could see Christ, on his knees, hands clasped, head bowed in prayer.  And suddenly, his prayers break the silence!  Christ didn't pray quietly.  He vocalized his prayers.  That's how he taught us to pray.    He said "You should say." (I think I paraphrased that.) 

That night in the Garden he was not alone, but he might as well have been.  The disciples who went with him couldn't stay awake.  They were suppose to be praying, but they slept instead.  They didn't realize or understand what was about to happen.  They didn't know that the soldiers were coming.  I am sure that they had played the "what if" game for the rest of the night and all the next day.  What if we had been ready?  What if we had protected Jesus?  What if, what if, what if?!  We have their stories and we have their lessons to learn from.  We don't have to make their mistakes.  We can break some of the same cycles. 

Find a quiet place to pray.  It could be your garage, your home, a closet or a cemetery.  Ask God to show you His will for you and that His will will be done. If you are asked to pray for someone, don't back down, forget or go to sleep.  Write it down and pray about it. 

A Prayer for All

Dear Lord,

Today I come to you Lord with a heavy heart. Many people I know are grieving over the loss of a loved one. I pray for each of them that they may find comfort in knowing you and that your will has been done. Each of these people lived good, fulfilled lives and are now abiding with you. Please help their families cope and do all they can for each other.

I also pray for those individuals that are sick and for their families. May your healing hand be upon them and that you will help the physicians and nurses watching over the sick to be able to comfort them and help them with the healing process. May all of them heal quickly and completely.

In Your Son's name,

Amen


Luke 6: 17 - 19

¹⁷He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coast of Tyre and Sidon, ¹⁸who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by evil spirits were cured, ¹⁹and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all.

Getting Through the Day

In our lives, prayer changes everything. Ask my dad, or Sharon Witt or Gerald Collins. We as a collective group have prayed for many in our congregation and many who aren't apart of our family and all of them can attest to the power of prayer. What do you want us to pray for? Right now there is the H1N1 scare.

Young Bailey has H1N1, a friend of Kim Baker, Molly Knott has two children with it, Sarah Lord took the call about the little boy in Springboro who passed away from it. Many in our midst are hurting and scared of this flu. Prayer is the answer. It sounds like a silly thing, but when I pray, I feel calmer. I know that God is listening and that he loves me enough to deal with it for me.

Years ago, my dad took a group and asked them to write down a prayer request. He told them he would keep them until they had been answered. It took several years, but each person came to him and told them that they had been answered. Faith is the key to that.

Talking to God through the day helps me deal with the small things that come along. How do others get through their day without knowing that no matter what, someone is watching out for them and has control over the universe? Whether it is doing a job correctly, dealing with an illness or something that we think is so big we can't handle, God has it already worked out. I am just along for the ride, aren't you? So tell me what you think we should prayer for. God will listen to all of it.

Matthew 21:22 "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

A prayer For the Youth

Dear Lord,

Today I pray for all the youth of this world. I pray for your loving and caring hands to touch each of them and keep them. May the path they are on be in Your will or may some who loves you love them and lead them loving to You. May peer pressure be something they depend on You to deal with and may their lives be forever changed by You.

Keep each child from harm and may there always be someone to love them dearly as you have loved us.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Thanks for praying

I ask a lot of you for prayer. I have people from church, acquaintances, and such asking me to pray for a specific person or need. Some of you get back with me and tell me you are praying. I am grateful for all of you who do pray. Pray is one of the easiest things to do. You can quietly go about your day, but your mind can talk to God all the while. I am always praying about someone or some situation. I have an aquaintance right now who's father passed away yesterday. I am not sure of his name, but Brian has been to church with Allie's friend, Austin and his mom. I am not even sure that it was a sudden death or what, but I know that he is hurting and needs our prayers.

It's nice to know that most of you will remember some of what I send you. Your thoughts are filled with everyday life, but for 2 minutes you turn your minds onto a little bit of my brain and what God has called me to say. So pray for me and my family. We can always use your prayers and we know that you need them too. I try and remember to pray for everyone, especially those who I know are going through a rough patch right now.


Psalm 66:20 Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!

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

Philemon 1:4 I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers,