Category: Daily Prayer

Our scripture this morning is Exodus 33:15 (ESV).

And he said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.”

Exodus 33:12-23 is subtitled “Moses’ Intercession” in many translations. The Hebrews have sinned badly by practicing idol worship while Moses had gone up to meet with God. Moses pleads for God to remain with them, teaching us that without God’s presence we have no hope. The Promised Land is just dirt if God is not with us.

Moses didn’t sugarcoat what the people had done, but he makes the case that our relationship with the Lord is more important than any other gift we are given. Moses had a very special connection with God and he was not afraid to speak to Him in defense of the people. He asks for nothing less than God with us, the knowledge that whatever else happens, we are together with Him.

God has reached out to us in love throughout history. At the point in time He chose, He shared His presence with us as Jesus, a human being like us, but capable of being obedient where we were not. His self sacrifice shows His love for us; and His resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit show His presence with us.

Heavenly Father, we are sorry for the times we have failed You. Forgive us and be with us, that we may go to tell the world of Your redeeming love. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Ezekiel 37:5-6 (ESV).

Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.

God created everything from nothing, so Him being able to bring life to dry bones shouldn’t surprise us. However, it’s not the way things usually work, and like the prophet Ezekiel we are somewhat hesitant at God’s command to “prophesy to the bones” (Ezekiel 37:4). God doesn’t need our help for anything but there is a lesson for us here.

He brings the bones together and breathes life into them after Ezekiel speaks to them. Just having a complete body is not enough, God’s breath in us is necessary for life. This is meant to teach us that we may look like we’re living, but without God within us, we’re really not.

It also shows how God intends His Word to be shared by His people with the world. He sent His Son as a human to teach us, that we might go in His name to share the blessing He has given us. Without His love in us, we are just so many dry bones.

Loving Lord, it is only through Your will and Your love that anything exists. Help us to show the joy of a life in You to all Your children. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is James 5:16 (ESV).

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

Let’s talk about our sins for a bit. I think a statement like that makes most of us a little uncomfortable. People generally will talk about anything, especially the sins of others, rather than our own sins. James advises “confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.”

Confession as a practice means different things to different faith traditions, but all agree that the act of speaking our mistake to another human brings an indescribable healing. Evil tries to corrupt us and make us think if we tell anyone what we did, we will be shunned. This secretive nature is essential to evil’s success – it brings separation from God and our community. 

When Adam and Eve knew they had sinned, they hid because they were ashamed (Genesis 3:8). This shame over our willful behavior separates us as much as the act itself, and its effects are long lasting and serious. We are called to share one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2), and as James tells us, our prayers for one another are powerful. By ministering to each other’s issues, we fulfill the command of Christ.

Gracious God, we are sorry for the number of times we have fallen short of Your will for us. Forgive us and bless us to listen to other’s issues and pray for them as Jesus taught us. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Matthew 7:7-8 (ESV).

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

This passage comes from the Sermon on the Mount, a collection of essential teachings Jesus gave us. It reminds us that we must be active participants in the work of God’s kingdom, but that we don’t work alone. He is always ready to support our discipleship.

We can ask for the resources we need, not just for our sustenance, but in order to accomplish the mission we have been given. We can seek out the last, the least and the lost to share the love we have been given. We can knock to open doors to new ministry areas and encourage others.

Jesus tells us that when we pray earnestly for God’s kingdom to come, we will receive what we need. God will never give us anything frivolous or harmful, but when we ask out of obedience to His will, He is ready to provide for us. 

Loving Lord, we are sorry for the times our faith is weak and we are afraid to share it. Bless us to go in Your name to tell everyone of Your love. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is 2 Chronicles 7:14 (ESV).

If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

In this verse God lays out a way for His people to be restored to Him – humble ourselves, pray, seek Him, and repent. Each of these are necessary in order for us to accept Jesus as our savior and continue on the path He has set for us. God is always waiting for us to return, but we must make the effort ourselves.

Humbling ourselves is not something humans do well. I think we misunderstand that humbling ourselves before Him is the first step to being reconciled. When the prodigal son returns home, his first words are an admission of the mistake of trying to do it himself (Luke 15:21). This is what we must do, admit that our own way doesn’t work and ask His forgiveness.

Prayer is pretty self explanatory as our way of communicating with God. It allows us to share our concerns, which He already knows, but it makes us part of the process. Seeking His face means we want to be connected and in contact, and to do what He has told us is best.

Turning from our wicked ways is the hard part. We have to give up what we want and live in His love and His word. Jesus showed us what a life in constant contact with God can be. He endured the same temptation we do but because of His relationship with the Father, He did not fall into the trap evil sets for us. We can know the same love and strength every day as well if we humble ourselves before Him, pray, seek Him and repent.

Gracious God, in Your mercy You sent Your Son to save us from our sin. Help us to see that Your way is the only way, and may we show others Your love always. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Psalms 68:5 (NASB).

A father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows, Is God in His holy habitation.

This verse describes the Lord as a provider and protector of the oppressed. Widows and orphans were (and remain) among the most vulnerable members of society. God put us in charge here on earth and the responsibility for care extends through all His gifts, and that includes one another.

God works in mysterious ways they say, and many think this points to miracles. It does, but one of the mysterious ways He works is through us. We are called to be His face and hands here on earth. Sitting back and waiting for a miracle is a lazy faith; Jesus showed us how to go and be little miracles every day.

All of us have gifts to share. Many churches call this “time, talent & treasure”, things we can offer to the body of Christ. Jesus calls us to be aware of the needs of others and find ways to share in order to meet them. This means we have to know and trust each other, and that is the true Kingdom of God.

Heavenly Father, we are sorry for the ways we divide ourselves, ignoring each other’s concerns. Bless us to work as brothers and sisters in Christ to care for all as You intend. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is John 13:34-35 (NASB).

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.

While Jesus says this is a new commandment, it is really a very old commandment that He is giving a new meaning and a new responsibility for us. He tells us people will know we are His disciples if we have love for one another. No badge or title will ever prove our love for Him, we can show it only by our sharing of the love He gave us.

During the time of Moses God told His people “You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord.” (Leviticus 19:18). We are one family of His children and called to see each other as brothers and sisters. Our love for one another is a reflection of the love through which we were all created.

The Gospel of Matthew tells of Jesus being asked “what is the greatest commandment?” He responds “ You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:37-40). That pretty well covers it – nothing else we do means anything if we don’t do it out of love.

Gracious God, You sent Your Son to show us Your love in a human form, that we might see ourselves better as part of Your love in creation. Bless us to go in Your name to share that love everywhere. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Ephesians 4:31-32 (NASB).

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

I read this passage this morning and thought this is probably the most difficult thing we are asked to do as followers of Jesus. We can suffer hardship for Him but when we are taught to forgive those who caused it, we pull back. How could we possibly forgive THEM?!

This division of “us” and “them” can’t exist in God’s kingdom, it can only be “we”. We are all God’s children and any that have received His forgiveness, we must forgive as well. How do we know who God has forgiven? We can’t and thus we are to forgive everyone.

This is the stumbling block we face as Christians. It is hard to forgive others as He has forgiven us. It requires us to stop keeping score. When Jesus told us about forgiving: “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:22), He wasn’t asking us to do the math, He meant never stop forgiving.

Patient God, You continue to offer Your forgiveness even though we don’t deserve it. Help us to forgive as You have first forgiven us. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Deuteronomy 31:7-8 (ESV).

Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it. It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

God told Moses that his time leading the people was finished and chose Joshua as his successor. In these verses Moses passes his leadership position and encourages Joshua in front of the people as God had encouraged him all along. There are many examples of this type of encouragement in scripture.

In 2 Timothy 1:7 Paul writes “for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control”, encouraging Timothy in his ministry. This kind of mentoring in the faith is as essential now as it was in the early church. We are responsible for and to the next generations, ensuring that they are nurtured in the love of Christ.

Jesus Himself tells us in John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” The old hymn “Onward Christian Soldiers” says “we have Christ’s own promise and that cannot fail.” Jesus has called us to go in His power and love, sharing that blessing with the world.

Loving Lord, forgive us when we let the world intimidate us and remind us that we go in Your name. Strengthen us in faith when our discipleship is difficult, and send us with Your love. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Isaiah 26:4 (NASB).

Trust in the Lord forever, For in God the Lord, we have an everlasting Rock.

The phrase “God is our rock” appears many places in scripture, and it reminds us that God is unchanging and everlasting, even more so than the rocks He created. In biblical times the term was usually meant as a fortress. While enemies threatened them physically, more devastating was the spiritual attack of pagan religions around them.

This idea is expressed often in the Psalms. “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer” (Psalms 18:2) and “He only is my rock and my salvation” (Psalms 62:6) are just a couple of examples. They reminded themselves (as should we) of God’s love for us and His protection for those who trust in Him.

In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock” (Matthew 7:24). His words and example are the solid rock foundation for our faith, and His sacrifice for us the only way we can be saved.

Loving Lord, you are our Rock! We know that no matter what earthly life confronts us with, You are there for us. Help us to be faithful to Your love even in challenging times, and send us to share Your love with all Your children. Amen.