1 Corinthians 1:4-9
4 I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. 5 For in him you have been enriched in every way —in all your speaking and in all your knowledge — 6 because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you. 7 Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. 8 He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.
Today I want to pray this prayer again, but this time for my husband Jeffrey.
Thank You so much for my husband LORD. Thank You that he has faith in You, that he loves You and earnestly seeks to follow You will. LORD, I thank You for calling him to be one of Your elect and chosen people, that he might live a life that is for Your glory rather than his own. I thank You for the work of Your Holy Spirit in his heart, regenerating him and making him into a new creation, so that he would place his trust in You and build his life upon the foundation of this trust. I thank You for the people You have used in his life to teach him about You. I thank You for his mother and the biblical knowledge which she taught him. I thank You for the work of Neil, his pastor when he was a teenager, and the relationship he had with their family and which we continue to have despite living so far away. I thank You especially for Rob and Bev who ran that Alpha course. I thank You for Rob's life and I pray that he might receive a reward in heaven for the work he did in sharing the gospel of Your Son, Jesus Christ, with us.
LORD, I thank You for the amazing way in which You have transformed him more and more into Your likeness. I thank You especially for those people who have taught and edified Jeff so that he has come to a sound understanding of Who You have revealed Yourself to be in the Bible. I thank You for Rob and Bev again, that they were able to welcome us into their home following the Alpha course for regular Bible studies where we grew and were encouraged in our faith. I thank You for Rob's encouragement to Jeff to begin preaching at DBC and that You were faithful in gifting Jeff for this ministry. I thank You for the elders and other pastors at DBC who allowed Jeff this opportunity as well, and for the way the church there has faithfully given to us for the past three years so that we might have a little more to live on here in Perth. I praise Your name for the faithful, Biblically-sound and enthusiastic way we were taught by Your people, PH and Aimee, when they came to Darwin and were part of our Bible study small group there. I thank You for the way You used them to "make the way of Christ known more fully" by Jeffrey, especially in the matter of predestination and Your will to save the people You have chosen. I thank You for all of the lecturers at Trinity and I ask that You will bless them with rest and refreshment over the coming weeks before college begins again for another year. I thank You in particular for the close friends he has made at Trinity in the other students in his year. I pray that they will know where best they should minister in the coming year and after they graduate and I pray that You will give them enthusiasm for the task ahead rather than reticence or fear at the changes You have in store for them. I thank You for the work of Steve in Jeff's life, that he has walked alongside Jeff in all of his time at NUC and that he has agreed to continue to mentor and be an example to Jeff as he takes on the role of Pastor at BCC.
O wow LORD there are so many people You have used in Jeffrey's life to bring him closer to You and to shape him into the person You want him to be. I pray that You might also use me for this task: that I will always be honest in both my criticism and affirmation of his conduct and character, and that any comment I make will be based in my love for him and for You, so that I will not be swayed by selfish desires and complain or be bitter about things which I see as a problem but which You, who are omniscient, do not; which I want to change but which You, who are omnipotent, do not. LORD, make me a good wife for Jeffrey so that I might support and encourage him in his ministry and also join him in it in a way that will bring glory to Your holy name. May Your name be praised in both of our lives!
LORD, I thank You for the process of sanctification that You have worked in Jeff's heart and life. I thank You that You have refined his knowledge and understanding of You so that he has a much better, more Biblically-based knowledge of Who You are. I thank You for leading him to place his trust in You and for causing him to desire to serve You in the special ministry of pastor to a church congregation. LORD, I thank You for the determination You have placed in his heart to preach Your word faithfully, to tell the gospel to people here in Perth who do not know Who You are or what you have done for them in Christ Jesus. I praise You for giving Jeff a thirst for Your word and I ask that You will continue to draw him into the Bible so that he might never grow tired of meeting You in its pages. LORD, I pray that You might continue to enrich Jeffrey in his speaking, as he endeavours to teach others about how You would have them live their lives in response to Who You are and what You have done for them. Help him to be a good discipler of the people in his congregation, so that their relationship with You might be strengthened through his words in sermons and also on other occasions and in his very life as well. Keep him from becoming a hypocrite in anything, LORD. Keep him humble and accountable to You for the sins he commits, LORD and draw him into an ever-closer walk with You.
Thank You for making his life a testimony to Your grace and power in making his life new. LORD, I thank You for the hope that we have in Jesus Christ. Please make Jeffrey eager for Your return and help him to keep his sight on You LORD, the author and perfecter of his faith. LORD, keep him focussed on the goals You would have him give his attention to. Help him not to be distracted but to be holy, set apart for Your use and not his own worldly desires. Help him to seek Your will and help the elders of our church as they guide him and direct him as to where he should place his energies.
LORD, I pray that You will keep Jeffrey strong and sustain him through the coming weeks, months and years of ministry. Strengthen our marriage and help us both to submit to Your will rather than to disagree. LORD, keep us together for Your name's sake through the long haul and difficult and challenging years ahead of us. Strengthen us to do Your will in all parts of our lives, so that we may not become like the Pharisees who proclaimed You but did not acknowledge You when You came as a man. LORD, I pray that You will help Jeff to do Your will even and especially when it is hard. I pray that You will keep his back strong (and I thank You for the improvement there has been in his back over the past 8 years). I pray that You will help him to rest when he needs it. I pray that You will continue to sustain him as You have throughout his life, not just with food, water and shelter but also through Your love, whereby You care for him as a mother hen cares for her chicks. Keep him reading Your word in his Bible each day so that his faith will continue to grow. Keep him persevering to the end, so that on the Day of Judgement, when Your Son Christ Jesus is revealed to all people everywhere in His full glory and majesty, Jeff will be judged blameless in Your sight because of the faith You have given him in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
I give You praise because You are faithful. You are the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. You made all things and sustain them in Your hand. You are Lord over all creation because You made it and it belongs to You. You are my God and Jeffrey's God and we are Your people, chosen and made righteous by You. In all things, I give You honour and worship because You deserve it and there is no higher privilege than to worship You.
Thank You for the fellowship I have with Jeffrey because Jesus died for both our sins. Thank You for the way we can work together, as husband and helper, on the work You have given us. Please grant us faithfulness as we enter into closer fellowship with the congregation of BCC.
I give You honour for Jeff's life so far and I pray that You will continue to use him for Your purposes for Your glory in the future. Amen.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Saturday, December 13, 2008
1 Corinthians 1:4-9
1 Corinthians 1:4-9
4 I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. 5 For in him you have been enriched in every way —in all your speaking and in all your knowledge — 6 because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you. 7 Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. 8 He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.
This morning, I think I will pray this prayer for my dear friend Amy, whom I have never met but who upholds me with her prayers also.
Thank You God for Amy. Thank You for saving her. Thank You for the precious gift to her of the life of Your Son, Jesus Christ, who paid with His life the penalty for her sin, as well as mine. LORD, I thank You for saving her from the eternal punishment, where Jesus said "there is weeping and gnashing of teeth".
Thank You for also the enormous richness of blessings You have poured into her life since You called her to be one of Your own dear children. Thank You for the opportunity for her to grow up as a member of a Christian family. Thank You for the blessing of a good, godly, Bible-believing church in which she could grow up. Thank You for her being able to attend BSF classes all the way across the world from me, just as I go to BSF classes here in Perth. Thank You that her mother is a godly woman who sees the need to teach even young children from the Scriptures and that she is an example and support to Amy. Thank You for Amy's husband as well and for the many ways her ministers Your love in her life. LORD, I thank You for all those instances where You have continued to extend Your grace into Amy's life through the ministry of fellow believers, instances which I know nothing about but which have been formative in shaping her into the godly woman I know today, whose friendship I value.
I thank You for the way you have confirmed in her life the call that You have made to her, which Your Holy Spirit has enabled her to respond to with faith and thanksgiving. I thank You for the way she has been able to write her blog and through it, that we might meet online, even though we may never meet in person. I thank You that You have given her the confidence to confidently proclaim her faith in You and that she is so determined to work with her husband to bring their children up in the training and instruction of the LORD. I thank You for the way she has been able to talk with R about the way her life has enfolded and that through this, she has both encouraged R to a deeper faith in You and also edified me as a reader of their manuscript. LORD God, I ask that You will continue to provide Amy with opportunities to use her gifts in writing to build up the kingdom of God through sharing stories of how You have shown Yourself mighty in the lives of her family and others, that people might come to know that You can be relied upon in all things because You hold this world in the palm of Your hand, cherishing and nurturing all Creation.
LORD, I pray that Amy may lack no spiritual gift as she waits for the Lord Jesus Christ to return in His full and magnificent glory. I pray that You may deepen her faith in You in all Truth, that she may grow closer to You as she reads her Bible this morning because she is continually learning more of who You are as You show her the Truth through the Bible which You breathed out. LORD, I pray that she may be driven to seek Your face in prayer and that she might worship You and praise You in all the moments of her daily life as well as in the moments specifically set aside to pray and speak with You. LORD, I pray that she might grow in wisdom as she daily seeks to live a life that pleases You and brings You glory and joy. I pray that You might be given glory at the end time when Your Son is revealed and that Amy may be able to look forward to this day with eagerness, anticipating the time when she will no longer struggle with sin but be glorified in Christ Jesus, entering into the fullness of her relationship with You, the relationship which You determined was to be hers even in eternity past.
LORD, I pray that You will keep Amy strong to this end. I pray that You may enable her to persevere in her faith through the presence within her of Your Holy Spirit. LORD, I pray that on the Day of Judgement she will be proclaimed blameless in Your sight because of the work that Jesus Christ has done on her behalf - and mine - two thousand years ago as he hung on the cross and died, then conquered death forever when he rose from the dead and ascended to heaven to intercede for her and me and each and every one of Your saints.
LORD God, You are faithful and Your will will surely be done. There is no shadow of turning in You. You are a rock which cannot be moved, no matter how we may struggle against You. LORD, I thank You and give You praise for calling Amy into fellowship with Jesus Christ, Your Son. I thank You for this with all my heart and I am deeply grateful for Your also calling me into fellowship with her, as my fellow sister in Christ, because we are now both Your heirs. LORD God, thank You for choosing people of all nations and languages to the glory of Your holy name. Amen.
4 I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. 5 For in him you have been enriched in every way —in all your speaking and in all your knowledge — 6 because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you. 7 Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. 8 He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.
This morning, I think I will pray this prayer for my dear friend Amy, whom I have never met but who upholds me with her prayers also.
Thank You God for Amy. Thank You for saving her. Thank You for the precious gift to her of the life of Your Son, Jesus Christ, who paid with His life the penalty for her sin, as well as mine. LORD, I thank You for saving her from the eternal punishment, where Jesus said "there is weeping and gnashing of teeth".
Thank You for also the enormous richness of blessings You have poured into her life since You called her to be one of Your own dear children. Thank You for the opportunity for her to grow up as a member of a Christian family. Thank You for the blessing of a good, godly, Bible-believing church in which she could grow up. Thank You for her being able to attend BSF classes all the way across the world from me, just as I go to BSF classes here in Perth. Thank You that her mother is a godly woman who sees the need to teach even young children from the Scriptures and that she is an example and support to Amy. Thank You for Amy's husband as well and for the many ways her ministers Your love in her life. LORD, I thank You for all those instances where You have continued to extend Your grace into Amy's life through the ministry of fellow believers, instances which I know nothing about but which have been formative in shaping her into the godly woman I know today, whose friendship I value.
I thank You for the way you have confirmed in her life the call that You have made to her, which Your Holy Spirit has enabled her to respond to with faith and thanksgiving. I thank You for the way she has been able to write her blog and through it, that we might meet online, even though we may never meet in person. I thank You that You have given her the confidence to confidently proclaim her faith in You and that she is so determined to work with her husband to bring their children up in the training and instruction of the LORD. I thank You for the way she has been able to talk with R about the way her life has enfolded and that through this, she has both encouraged R to a deeper faith in You and also edified me as a reader of their manuscript. LORD God, I ask that You will continue to provide Amy with opportunities to use her gifts in writing to build up the kingdom of God through sharing stories of how You have shown Yourself mighty in the lives of her family and others, that people might come to know that You can be relied upon in all things because You hold this world in the palm of Your hand, cherishing and nurturing all Creation.
LORD, I pray that Amy may lack no spiritual gift as she waits for the Lord Jesus Christ to return in His full and magnificent glory. I pray that You may deepen her faith in You in all Truth, that she may grow closer to You as she reads her Bible this morning because she is continually learning more of who You are as You show her the Truth through the Bible which You breathed out. LORD, I pray that she may be driven to seek Your face in prayer and that she might worship You and praise You in all the moments of her daily life as well as in the moments specifically set aside to pray and speak with You. LORD, I pray that she might grow in wisdom as she daily seeks to live a life that pleases You and brings You glory and joy. I pray that You might be given glory at the end time when Your Son is revealed and that Amy may be able to look forward to this day with eagerness, anticipating the time when she will no longer struggle with sin but be glorified in Christ Jesus, entering into the fullness of her relationship with You, the relationship which You determined was to be hers even in eternity past.
LORD, I pray that You will keep Amy strong to this end. I pray that You may enable her to persevere in her faith through the presence within her of Your Holy Spirit. LORD, I pray that on the Day of Judgement she will be proclaimed blameless in Your sight because of the work that Jesus Christ has done on her behalf - and mine - two thousand years ago as he hung on the cross and died, then conquered death forever when he rose from the dead and ascended to heaven to intercede for her and me and each and every one of Your saints.
LORD God, You are faithful and Your will will surely be done. There is no shadow of turning in You. You are a rock which cannot be moved, no matter how we may struggle against You. LORD, I thank You and give You praise for calling Amy into fellowship with Jesus Christ, Your Son. I thank You for this with all my heart and I am deeply grateful for Your also calling me into fellowship with her, as my fellow sister in Christ, because we are now both Your heirs. LORD God, thank You for choosing people of all nations and languages to the glory of Your holy name. Amen.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Romans 15:30-33
Romans 15:30-33
30 I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. 31 Pray that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea and that my service in Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints there, 32 so that by God's will I may come to you with joy and together with you be refreshed. 33 The God of peace be with you all. Amen.
LORD, This morning I want to pray for Steve, our minister at NUC. He has a really difficult position there in the Uniting denomination which is so liberal in so many ways. The focus is so much on loving Your world and the people of the world that they have forgotten why they should be doing that - out of love and reverence for You LORD. Many of the other ministers have jumped on some bandwagon of self-realisation and completely left behind the idea that it is You who holds everything together and makes us a new creation in Christ Jesus! They have exchanged the word of God for a lie that says the Bible is just a collection of out-dated and no longer culturally-relevant suggestions when in reality it is so much more than that. Your word is not merely some guide book, Your word is Truth!
LORD, I pray that you might shelter Steve from these unbelieving people who claim to be Christians and yet who hold to a definition of Christianity which is such a pale, pale reflection of what it really is. Continue to make Steve's service to the congregation at NUC acceptable in Your sight, LORD. Nourish him with milk and meat from Your word as he reads from His Bible each day and encourage and uplift him in his times of prayer with You.
Help the people of the congregation to see and understand what he is doing on their behalf in standing between them and the extremes of the denomination. Help them to value him for what he has done and to see how much he goes through for them. And please, if it is at all possible, I pray that You will either enable him to stay on longer at NUC after his latest contract there ends. Or LORD, please raise up people within Your kingdom to work with the Chinese congregation there as well as the 9:30am congregation. LORD, where will these people go if they cannot get sound teaching when Steve leaves? Please strengthen Steve for the task that he has in making You known to the people of that community. Continue to uphold him as You have done so faithfully for so long. Guard him from the undermining efforts of those in the congregation and the wider denomination who would rather see a person with a liberal understanding of the Scriptures take over from him. Please protect this congregation, LORD, and provide other church homes for these people to go to if this does happen. Open the eyes of the undiscerning people in the congregation to see what a difference it makes when the Minister has a firm faith in Your word, which shows that the only way to be saved is through the Person and Work of Your Son, my Lord Jesus Christ.
LORD, I pray for the situation in this denomination that we will now be leaving. I am so happy not to be staying within it, yet I know there are so many people who are still sitting on pews in the buildings of this denomination and waiting for more. They are like dry, rustling autumn leaves which need to be swept out of a back corner and set alight so they can burn brightly! Please lead other people who attend this denomination within Perth to NUC or to the few other Biblically-sound U churches in Perth. Or just get these people out of there, LORD, into churches where they will constantly be fed and nurtured by hearing Your word taught and preached every single Sunday for the rest of their earthly lives! Save these people from listening to foolish controversies, LORD. Make Your name known among these "churches" and make Your name great! Refresh these people in their faith in You, O LORD. Teach them the truth of what it means to be a Christian, that it is not charity that one does nor advice that one follows, but a life that is lived with one's face uplifted in worship towards You, the God, King and Father of all mankind.
Amen.
30 I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. 31 Pray that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea and that my service in Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints there, 32 so that by God's will I may come to you with joy and together with you be refreshed. 33 The God of peace be with you all. Amen.
LORD, This morning I want to pray for Steve, our minister at NUC. He has a really difficult position there in the Uniting denomination which is so liberal in so many ways. The focus is so much on loving Your world and the people of the world that they have forgotten why they should be doing that - out of love and reverence for You LORD. Many of the other ministers have jumped on some bandwagon of self-realisation and completely left behind the idea that it is You who holds everything together and makes us a new creation in Christ Jesus! They have exchanged the word of God for a lie that says the Bible is just a collection of out-dated and no longer culturally-relevant suggestions when in reality it is so much more than that. Your word is not merely some guide book, Your word is Truth!
LORD, I pray that you might shelter Steve from these unbelieving people who claim to be Christians and yet who hold to a definition of Christianity which is such a pale, pale reflection of what it really is. Continue to make Steve's service to the congregation at NUC acceptable in Your sight, LORD. Nourish him with milk and meat from Your word as he reads from His Bible each day and encourage and uplift him in his times of prayer with You.
Help the people of the congregation to see and understand what he is doing on their behalf in standing between them and the extremes of the denomination. Help them to value him for what he has done and to see how much he goes through for them. And please, if it is at all possible, I pray that You will either enable him to stay on longer at NUC after his latest contract there ends. Or LORD, please raise up people within Your kingdom to work with the Chinese congregation there as well as the 9:30am congregation. LORD, where will these people go if they cannot get sound teaching when Steve leaves? Please strengthen Steve for the task that he has in making You known to the people of that community. Continue to uphold him as You have done so faithfully for so long. Guard him from the undermining efforts of those in the congregation and the wider denomination who would rather see a person with a liberal understanding of the Scriptures take over from him. Please protect this congregation, LORD, and provide other church homes for these people to go to if this does happen. Open the eyes of the undiscerning people in the congregation to see what a difference it makes when the Minister has a firm faith in Your word, which shows that the only way to be saved is through the Person and Work of Your Son, my Lord Jesus Christ.
LORD, I pray for the situation in this denomination that we will now be leaving. I am so happy not to be staying within it, yet I know there are so many people who are still sitting on pews in the buildings of this denomination and waiting for more. They are like dry, rustling autumn leaves which need to be swept out of a back corner and set alight so they can burn brightly! Please lead other people who attend this denomination within Perth to NUC or to the few other Biblically-sound U churches in Perth. Or just get these people out of there, LORD, into churches where they will constantly be fed and nurtured by hearing Your word taught and preached every single Sunday for the rest of their earthly lives! Save these people from listening to foolish controversies, LORD. Make Your name known among these "churches" and make Your name great! Refresh these people in their faith in You, O LORD. Teach them the truth of what it means to be a Christian, that it is not charity that one does nor advice that one follows, but a life that is lived with one's face uplifted in worship towards You, the God, King and Father of all mankind.
Amen.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Romans 15:13
Romans 15:13
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Oh wow, I totally needed this prayer to kick start my day today, LORD!
I can't believe the next verse on the list I am praying through has the word "hope" in it twice and also mentions "joy" and "peace"!! Oh LORD, You amaze me sometimes at how You just reach down and speak to me right to where I am at at the moment.
I had a very restless night last night despite spending ages praying before I went to bed, late though it was. You know I am struggling with being able to trust You LORD over the situation of trying to find a house to rent. And so then at 3:47am I told You if I was still restless and awake at 5am, I'd get up and begin the day with a big long time in prayer to You my Father about this whole matter. Then I open my eyes, all of a sudden, aware that I've woken from a dream but not knowing what has woken me. And when I look at the clock, what does it say? 5:00 on the knocker. Couldn't have given me a more direct wake up call than that, LORD, could You? And yet I was still slow to get out of bed, preferring to lie there and talk to You somewhat randomly until 5:18.
Well, here I am, dressed and ready for the day and it's only 5:35. And what do I open my Bible to see? "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope..." Thank You for those words, cutting right to my heart and showing me the path away from my own insecurities and into the security of hope in You.
LORD, I know that You are a God of hope. You are the one who has given my life purpose and meaning and filled me with a desire to do something for Your glory, towards the fulfilment of a plan far greater than any I could dream up: Your plan of salvation for You chosen ones. It is You who has given me a hope to set my heart on. This hope is founded in the faith that You have given me in the completed work of Jesus Christ upon the cross and His conquering, authoritative resurrection. He is there, seated by Your right hand in heaven and I know this. He is interceding for me, just as He took my place of punishment there on the cross. My hope is in Him and in what He has already done. My hope is that I may one day enter into a full communion with You, one day take my place among the saints as one who worships You in Spirit and in Truth throughout eternity. My hope is that You have made me a new creation, one who is not entangled by the bonds of sin; instead I am a slave to righteousness! My hope is that You will one day make all things new. Give me a deep, abiding joy in these things, LORD.
My hope is also steadfastly based upon the knowledge that, having called me as one of Your own and granted me salvation, I know that You have a plan for my life that includes me completing the good works which You have planned for me from eternity past. By Your Holy Spirit You will enable me to do what You want me to do, LORD. I know this! And Jeff becoming the Pastor of BCC is just one element of this plan that You have for my life. A Pastor's wife! Wow! How amazing and yet somehwat bizarre is that! O LORD, shape me and make me into the person You want me to be, placing my trust in You completely in all things.
If You want us to provide hospitality to the people of this congregation, I can trust You to provide the place for that to happen... If You want me to raise our children to be confident in sharing the gospel with our neighbours, then You will place us in a home where they have the opportunity to do so... If You want me to not go crazy, I can trust You not to make me live with shag pile carpeting under my dining room table any longer!!! If You want our children to be able to play away from Bible studies or "adult" conversations then You will provide space for that in our new house... but You might also want them right there in the thick of things, helping to keep us humble, mightn't You? Help me to be ready for that one, LORD! If You want us to be able to have people stay overnight, You'll provide us with a home where we will have room and toilets for them to stay... If You want us to be able to chat with our neighbours about Jesus, You'll provide a home where we aren't hidden from them behind a big fence or wall... Oh, LORD, I should have remembered that I can trust You in all of these things.
I just needed a kick in the pants to remember that the fullness of my joy and my peace should be found in You. In doing Your will and in pleasing You, not in the place where I might do that. I needed to remember that it is the "power of the Holy Spirit" which will enable me to find that joy and peace that I earnestly desire.
And, God, I also need to know the nitty gritty of how to place my trust in You, in order that I may "overflow with hope" - and yet still actually go about doing the practical, earthly stuff that is required, like checking out houses and talking to real estate agents. How do I place my trust in You and still do stuff to bring about that which I am trusting You to provide??? You know that I have struggled with this one before, LORD, particularly in the matter of Joshua's education. And it's coming up again, and I guess it will come up again in the future as You teach me to submit all of my life to Your Lordship. Show me how to do this in this situation, LORD. I can't work it out on my own, not without my insides twisting up in knots and my head whirring so much that I spend another night unable to sleep. LORD, please help me to trust You - but not forget that while You are Sovereign, You have also given me responsibility for the things I do in Your sight (which is everything, isn't it LORD?).
LORD, my Father in heaven, holy be Your name. May it be Your will which is done through the hands of Jeff and I as we look for and apply for a home to live in. (And God, You know that if what You have in mind is that we shall miraculously be provided with the means to buy a house - or even if this should happen through means which seem purely earthly, because right now looking back at where we've come, I'll see that as a miracle of Your incredible generosity to us - rather than live in a rented one, well, that's fine by me.) Just please please please either help me to be patient... or stop all this suspense!!
O LORD, I am so grateful that You are my Father and I can come to You with a prayer such as this, honest and from my heart directly to Your throne. Thank You for giving Your Son to die for me, so that I might have a close, loving relationship with You who are my Creator and Judge. LORD, I give You praise for the mystery of Your choice in calling me to be one of Your children. Thank You for making me one of Your chosen people, Your royal priesthood, Your holy nation; part of a people belonging to God. May I declare the praises of You, who have called me out of the darkness and into Your wonderful light, for the rest of my mortal days and into eternity, for Your glory. Thank You for making me one of the people of God. Thank You for Your mercy. Amen.
PS! LORD, I can't believe that the clock says 6:19. One hour You've had me here since You got me out of bed! And that's Abigail I can hear who has woken up right as I am finished praying, isn't it? Oh thank You my Father for waking me up to spend this time of prayer with You.
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Oh wow, I totally needed this prayer to kick start my day today, LORD!
I can't believe the next verse on the list I am praying through has the word "hope" in it twice and also mentions "joy" and "peace"!! Oh LORD, You amaze me sometimes at how You just reach down and speak to me right to where I am at at the moment.
I had a very restless night last night despite spending ages praying before I went to bed, late though it was. You know I am struggling with being able to trust You LORD over the situation of trying to find a house to rent. And so then at 3:47am I told You if I was still restless and awake at 5am, I'd get up and begin the day with a big long time in prayer to You my Father about this whole matter. Then I open my eyes, all of a sudden, aware that I've woken from a dream but not knowing what has woken me. And when I look at the clock, what does it say? 5:00 on the knocker. Couldn't have given me a more direct wake up call than that, LORD, could You? And yet I was still slow to get out of bed, preferring to lie there and talk to You somewhat randomly until 5:18.
Well, here I am, dressed and ready for the day and it's only 5:35. And what do I open my Bible to see? "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope..." Thank You for those words, cutting right to my heart and showing me the path away from my own insecurities and into the security of hope in You.
LORD, I know that You are a God of hope. You are the one who has given my life purpose and meaning and filled me with a desire to do something for Your glory, towards the fulfilment of a plan far greater than any I could dream up: Your plan of salvation for You chosen ones. It is You who has given me a hope to set my heart on. This hope is founded in the faith that You have given me in the completed work of Jesus Christ upon the cross and His conquering, authoritative resurrection. He is there, seated by Your right hand in heaven and I know this. He is interceding for me, just as He took my place of punishment there on the cross. My hope is in Him and in what He has already done. My hope is that I may one day enter into a full communion with You, one day take my place among the saints as one who worships You in Spirit and in Truth throughout eternity. My hope is that You have made me a new creation, one who is not entangled by the bonds of sin; instead I am a slave to righteousness! My hope is that You will one day make all things new. Give me a deep, abiding joy in these things, LORD.
My hope is also steadfastly based upon the knowledge that, having called me as one of Your own and granted me salvation, I know that You have a plan for my life that includes me completing the good works which You have planned for me from eternity past. By Your Holy Spirit You will enable me to do what You want me to do, LORD. I know this! And Jeff becoming the Pastor of BCC is just one element of this plan that You have for my life. A Pastor's wife! Wow! How amazing and yet somehwat bizarre is that! O LORD, shape me and make me into the person You want me to be, placing my trust in You completely in all things.
If You want us to provide hospitality to the people of this congregation, I can trust You to provide the place for that to happen... If You want me to raise our children to be confident in sharing the gospel with our neighbours, then You will place us in a home where they have the opportunity to do so... If You want me to not go crazy, I can trust You not to make me live with shag pile carpeting under my dining room table any longer!!! If You want our children to be able to play away from Bible studies or "adult" conversations then You will provide space for that in our new house... but You might also want them right there in the thick of things, helping to keep us humble, mightn't You? Help me to be ready for that one, LORD! If You want us to be able to have people stay overnight, You'll provide us with a home where we will have room and toilets for them to stay... If You want us to be able to chat with our neighbours about Jesus, You'll provide a home where we aren't hidden from them behind a big fence or wall... Oh, LORD, I should have remembered that I can trust You in all of these things.
I just needed a kick in the pants to remember that the fullness of my joy and my peace should be found in You. In doing Your will and in pleasing You, not in the place where I might do that. I needed to remember that it is the "power of the Holy Spirit" which will enable me to find that joy and peace that I earnestly desire.
And, God, I also need to know the nitty gritty of how to place my trust in You, in order that I may "overflow with hope" - and yet still actually go about doing the practical, earthly stuff that is required, like checking out houses and talking to real estate agents. How do I place my trust in You and still do stuff to bring about that which I am trusting You to provide??? You know that I have struggled with this one before, LORD, particularly in the matter of Joshua's education. And it's coming up again, and I guess it will come up again in the future as You teach me to submit all of my life to Your Lordship. Show me how to do this in this situation, LORD. I can't work it out on my own, not without my insides twisting up in knots and my head whirring so much that I spend another night unable to sleep. LORD, please help me to trust You - but not forget that while You are Sovereign, You have also given me responsibility for the things I do in Your sight (which is everything, isn't it LORD?).
LORD, my Father in heaven, holy be Your name. May it be Your will which is done through the hands of Jeff and I as we look for and apply for a home to live in. (And God, You know that if what You have in mind is that we shall miraculously be provided with the means to buy a house - or even if this should happen through means which seem purely earthly, because right now looking back at where we've come, I'll see that as a miracle of Your incredible generosity to us - rather than live in a rented one, well, that's fine by me.) Just please please please either help me to be patient... or stop all this suspense!!
O LORD, I am so grateful that You are my Father and I can come to You with a prayer such as this, honest and from my heart directly to Your throne. Thank You for giving Your Son to die for me, so that I might have a close, loving relationship with You who are my Creator and Judge. LORD, I give You praise for the mystery of Your choice in calling me to be one of Your children. Thank You for making me one of Your chosen people, Your royal priesthood, Your holy nation; part of a people belonging to God. May I declare the praises of You, who have called me out of the darkness and into Your wonderful light, for the rest of my mortal days and into eternity, for Your glory. Thank You for making me one of the people of God. Thank You for Your mercy. Amen.
PS! LORD, I can't believe that the clock says 6:19. One hour You've had me here since You got me out of bed! And that's Abigail I can hear who has woken up right as I am finished praying, isn't it? Oh thank You my Father for waking me up to spend this time of prayer with You.
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