Category: Daily Prayer

For I know what I have planned for you, says the Lord. I have plans to prosper you, not to harm you. I have plans to give you a future filled with hope. When you call out to me and come to me in prayer, I will hear your prayers. When you seek me in prayer and worship, you will find me available to you, if you seek me with all your heart and soul.

This passage from the prophet Jeremiah speaks of God’s plans for us. He tells us “when you seek me in prayer and worship, you will find me available to you”. God is always ready and waiting for us to come to Him.

This teaches us that we must go to the Lord. God says “if you seek me with all your heart and soul”, reminding us that we must do more than worship with our lips. He reaches out to us through His offer of salvation, and we must respond in order to reconnect with Him.

God loved us so much He was willing to come as one of us to show us the way back to the relationship for which we were created. How much are we willing to do to restore that connection with Him? Now it is up to us to carry on the ministry He has given to us. Through Christ’s sacrifice we are washed clean and with the presence of the Holy Spirit we are blessed to go in His name.

Gracious God, we are sorry for the times we have failed to live as Your people. Help us to carry Your promise of love and forgiveness to all the world. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is 2 Timothy 3:14-17.

You, however, must continue in the things you have learned and are confident about. You know who taught you and how from infancy you have known the holy writings, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the person dedicated to God may be capable and equipped for every good work.

Paul’s letters to Timothy have lessons for us as well, even after two thousand years. He reminds us of those who nurtured us in faith, that we might choose to follow Jesus. He tells of how the scriptures are “inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness”.

Scripture is a gift from God, the story of our relationship with Him and each other. It always speaks His truth and shows all our successes and faults. It teaches us that He is the source of all good and willing to share His abundance with us. When we choose wrongly, scripture helps to lead us back to the path He intends for us.

His word helps us to be ready to go in His name, “capable and equipped for every good work”. This is our call to be part of His plan, that everyone might know His love and forgiveness. God has gifted us richly and we are expected to share our gifts with the world.

Loving Lord, we are sorry for the times we have strayed from Your word, ignoring the needs of others. Help us to be good stewards of the Good News, bringing Your word to all. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Matthew 4:1-11.

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After he fasted forty days and forty nights he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread.” But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city, had him stand on the highest point of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you’ and ‘with their hands they will lift you up, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “Once again it is written: ‘You are not to put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their grandeur. And he said to him, “I will give you all these things if you throw yourself to the ground and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written: ‘You are to worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’” Then the devil left him, and angels came and began ministering to his needs.

This lesson is an example of how evil tries to manipulate us into sin. While Jesus was being tested in the desert and in a weakened state, the devil appears and tries to shake His faith. Jesus was more than equal to this challenge, however, we need His help to combat evil.

First, Satan tries to challenge Christ’s authority by saying “if you are the son of God”. Jesus isn’t falling for that and responds with scripture. Satan next tries a challenge with his own scripture quote but Jesus is the Word and knows Satan has misused the quote. Finally Satan tries the universal lure of money, power and fame. Jesus tells him to get lost and Satan has no choice but to obey.

Evil has no power over us unless we allow it! We fall into sin when we believe its lies, trying to do it ourselves and failing to ask for God’s help. Jesus showed us that God is the source of our  life, strength and hope. Without Him, we can do nothing.

Gracious God, we are blessed and led by the example of our savior. Help us to stand with You against the evil we have allowed, sharing Your love with everyone. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Luke 1:35-38.

The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called the Son of God. “And look, your relative Elizabeth has also become pregnant with a son in her old age – although she was called barren, she is now in her sixth month! For nothing will be impossible with God.” So Mary said, “Yes, I am a servant of the Lord; let this happen to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

This passage is known as The Annunciation, the announcement to Mary that she was chosen as the mother of Jesus. The angel said “the child to be born will be holy; he will be called the Son of God”. The promised Messiah was to be born in humble circumstances, entering a world in desperate need of hope.

Mary is unique in many ways from others chosen for special service. Some tried to decline God’s call, but Mary responds “I am a servant of the Lord; let this happen to me according to your word”. While she had questions, she never refused the duty for which she was called.

How do we respond to God’s invitation to service? Are we timid in our discipleship? While God needs no help from us, He wants us to be part of what He is doing in the world and in eternity. May we all answer His call as faithfully as Mary did.

Loving Lord, You made us in Your own image. Help us to remember that we are Yours, and called to share Your love with the world. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is James 1:22-25.

But be sure you live out the message and do not merely listen to it and so deceive yourselves. For if someone merely listens to the message and does not live it out, he is like someone who gazes at his own face in a mirror. For he gazes at himself and then goes out and immediately forgets what sort of person he was. But the one who peers into the perfect law of liberty and fixes his attention there, and does not become a forgetful listener but one who lives it out – he will be blessed in what he does.

I remember as a kid, my mom had trouble getting me to clean my room. I heard what she asked and knew what was required, but as a boy of a certain age, cleaning was not at the top of my priority list. That meant the work often went undone.

I’ve found I’m not alone in this very human characteristic. We hear God’s word, we know in our hearts what we are asked to do, and then often don’t follow through with the necessary action. 

Matthew 13:20-21 tells us “the seed sown on rocky ground is the person who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. But he has no root in himself and does not endure; when trouble or persecution comes because of the word, immediately he falls away”.

It is good when we listen to the word, but not doing the work afterwards stifles the growth of the kingdom. Whether that lack is due to spiritual laziness or fear of the world’s response, the work goes undone. God’s word and our work must go together. He won’t judge us on our success, but He will judge us on our effort!

Gracious God, we are sorry for being rocky ground that does not bear the fruit You have planted in us. Forgive us and send us into the world that Your word may be heard and the work may continue. Amen.

Our scripture today is Romans 15:1-6.

But we who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak, and not just please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good to build him up. For even Christ did not please himself, but just as it is written, “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” For everything that was written in former times was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and through encouragement of the scriptures we may have hope. Now may the God of endurance and comfort give you unity with one another in accordance with Christ Jesus, so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In this passage Paul writes to believers in Rome with a lesson on encouragement. Christians there were persecuted as severely as any within the empire, perhaps more. Here Paul reminds them that “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me”, a quote pointing to Christ in Psalm 69:9.

Paul also teaches that the lessons from long ago were “written for our instruction, so that through endurance and through encouragement of the scriptures we may have hope”. God’s word and the example Jesus showed us are the standards we must live by. We are called to proclaim this truth with the world.

He closes this section with a blessing that they may “with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ”. No matter what our circumstances here on earth, we know that the love of God is reaching out to us always. This is the heart of every lesson, that in everything we do we honor Christ’s sacrifice for us and praise God for His mercy.

Loving Lord, we are grateful for the gift of our savior and the love He shared with us. May we be energetic in our discipleship, carrying the Good News everywhere. Amen.

Your word is a lamp to walk by, and a light to illumine my path. I have vowed and solemnly sworn to keep your just regulations. I am suffering terribly. O Lord, revive me with your word! O Lord, please accept the freewill offerings of my praise! Teach me your regulations! My life is in continual danger, but I do not forget your law. The wicked lay a trap for me, but I do not wander from your precepts. I claim your rules as my permanent possession, for they give me joy. I am determined to obey your statutes at all times, to the very end.

At the time of creation, God gave us only a few rules for living together. Unfortunately, we disobeyed and more restrictions were necessary. After the Exodus, He gave us the Ten Commandments that we might live and grow together. There were and still are issues among us because we fail to obey His word.

When God led Israel out of captivity in Egypt, they were a rag tag group of freed slaves. God gave them guidance and training about how to live together with Him and each other. Without His word it would have been chaos where “everyone did what what was right in their own eyes” – Judges 21:25.

God invites us to be part of His plan but we must accept and obey. He has blessed us with His wisdom and care but we are prone to ignore His laws and go our own way. Without a loving connection to Him and one another, we choose to serve ourselves and that path leads to death.

Gracious God, we are sorry for the times we have broken Your law and ignored our responsibilities to You and each other. Mend us and send us to share Your love with all the world. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is John 1:1-5.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was fully God. The Word was with God in the beginning. All things were created by him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. In him was life, and the life was the light of mankind. And the light shines on in the darkness, but the darkness has not mastered it.

Jesus was the instrument of creation, so it shouldn’t be surprising that God sent Jesus to be the salvation of the world. John writes “in Him was life, and the life was the light of mankind”. All our hope is in Him and by following the path He showed us we can be saved from our sin.

We can see that Jesus was in full relationship with the Father by the things He said and did, even sacrificing Himself on our behalf. He told us “no one has greater love than this – that one lays down his life for his friends” – John 15:13. While we may not be called to lay down our lives, we are invited to give our lives to Him that He may live in us.

The greatest joy of all is that “the light shines on in the darkness, but the darkness has not mastered it”. The enemy is ever present and ready for us to fail, but he cannot stand against Jesus Christ our Lord. Nothing can ever separate us from His love.

Gracious God, we are grateful to be called Your children and to walk with Jesus in faith. Bless us to carry the Good News everywhere. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is 1 Thessalonians 5:14-18.

And we urge you, brothers and sisters, admonish the undisciplined, comfort the discouraged, help the weak, be patient toward all. See that no one pays back evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good for one another and for all. Always rejoice, constantly pray, in everything give thanks. For this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Paul reiterates Christ’s words to us, “In everything, treat others as you would want them to treat you, for this fulfills the law and the prophets” – Matthew 7:12. The warning not to pay back evil for evil is essential to living as Jesus showed us. Christians are taught to love one another as He did and not seek retribution for acts against us.

Jesus gives us many examples of forgiving each other as God forgives us. One of the best comes in the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant, found in Matthew 18:21-35. God forgives us of all our sin and we are called to forgive others in the same way.

The greatest testament to Christ’s forgiveness is Luke 23:34, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing”. Even as humans crucified Him, Jesus asked God to forgive them. Jesus loved us so much He went to the cross at our hands and yet petitioned God not to hold our sin against us. May we learn to love one another as He first loved us.

Merciful Lord, You thought we were worth saving and sent Your only son to show us the way. May we learn and grow in His example that we may truly be Your children. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Colossians 1:9-14.

For this reason we also, from the day we heard about you, have not ceased praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may live worthily of the Lord and please him in all respects – bearing fruit in every good deed, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might for the display of all patience and steadfastness, joyfully giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light. He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Paul writes to the Colossians from prison, offering prayer that they might continue to grow in the knowledge of God. That would be his prayer for us today as well, that through a connection to Jesus and our brothers and sisters we might know God’s love and mercy. God is always there, reaching out to us and waiting for us to respond.

Once we accept the forgiveness He offers, we become part of His plan, workers for the kingdom. We are freed from the grasp of sin by the grip of grace. God reclaims us from the brokenness of the world and sends us to help reach others.

Paul teaches that we are qualified to “share in the saints’ inheritance in the light”, a promise that we are not alone but part of His family. We are invited into “the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins”. God wants us back because He loves us, and He has a purpose for each of us.

Gracious God, we are blessed to be called Your children. Help us to be worthy of that name, sharing our faith and Your love with the world. Amen.