Prayer

"Call upon Me in the day of trouble! I will deliver you--and you shall glorify Me!" Psalm 50:15

In this portion of the divine Word, you will discover:
1. your present portion--trouble;
2. your constant privilege--prayer;
3. your future prospect--deliverance.

1. Your present portion is TROUBLE.
You must expect trouble, and will certainly be deceived if you expect to escape it. Sin is the parent of trouble--and our sin-cursed earth its fruitful soil. Trouble springs up all around us, and appears in an almost infinite variety of forms.

Every connection we form,
every character we bear,
every office we fill, and
every relation we sustain--
is a fruitful source of trouble!

We shall have...
trouble in mind,
trouble in circumstances,
trouble in body;
trouble from almost every quarter!

Abba...this is a really hard time of year for so many.

Some are experiencing the first round of holidays and feasts without a loved one...
whether through death or a need for reconciliation.

Some are going through serious illness.

Some are experiencing great financial hardship.

Some are locked into bondages and/or addictions.

Abba, please touch each one, especially those who are reading this prayer and their loved ones.

I lift them all up to You, Abba.

You can bring healing...

Dear God,
I pray for those who struggle with alcohol or other drugs. Please let them know how much you love and care for them.

Please don’t let them bury themselves in guilt and shame. You are a God who forgives. You are the God of the second chance and even of the third and fourth chance.

Help those in recovery find a job. Give them an employer who understands addiction and will make it possible for them to work and still be able to attend recovery meetings.

Give them real friends who will love and respect them and hold them to the standard of staying clean and sober.

Bless them with a sponsor who will both encourage and challenge them to do their step work.

Abba, You know our hearts. These past few days of reflecting upon where I am in my relationship with You has left me recognizing that I have SO, SO far to go!

I am very grateful that You are merciful in addition to being righteous.

I am grateful that You love us so much that You were willing to pay the price to keep us from being separated from You forever.

I am grateful that You are faithful to forgive us our sins when we ask with repentant hearts.

I am grateful that You give us the ability to turn from our sins.

The 4th Step, taking one’s own inventory, can be quite intimidating. But like many other things in our lives as Christians, it should be approached first and foremost in prayer.

Psalm 139:23-24 KJV
Search me, O God, and know my heart:
try me, and know my thoughts:
And see if [there be any] wicked way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

Abba, so many hearts are breaking out there. So many hearts are saddened, grieving and mourning. There are some in despair, some who have lost all hope. They are broken and they don't understand what You are doing in their lives. They need Your touch so badly. Please hold them close to You. Please hug them in such a way that they can feel it. Please comfort them and reassure them in their hour of great need.

"I am Adonai your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, where you lived as slaves." Deuteronomy 5:6 CJB

Abba, You are God. There is no one else.
No one can take Your place.

No one can do what You have done.
No one can do what You are doing.
No one can do what You will do.

No one can BE You!

I thank You and I praise You that You, the Creator and L-rd of the whole universe, have revealed Yourself to us mere mortals.

You are holy. We are earthy.

You are perfect. We are so, so, very imperfect.

You are only Light. We have darkness every time we sin.

Your ways are best. Our ways are...well...definitely NOT best!

Thank You for loving us.

Abba...I sense many heavy hearts today. Hearts that are burdened and weighed down by what they are seeing and experiencing.

For some, it seems as if the world is closing in on them and coming against them at every turn. Nothing they are trying to do turns out well and some are even wondering in their hearts where You are in all of this. They are battling discouragement as they walk in the way they believe You have sent them. They are trying to minister to others with seemingly no to little success. They are being faithful, yet wondering if You might actually have abandoned them. They so need Your reassurance and a sense of Your Presence.

According to John Bevere in his book,The Bait of Satan, the bait of taking offense is the number one trap that the enemy – Satan – sets for Christians. And the closer the relationship between the people involved in the offense taken, the deeper the wound and the deeper the offense, as seen in the depth of David's suffering when he expresses his suffering after being betrayed by one near and dear to him in Psalm 55:

Prayer carries every burden to the Lord -- and leaves it there.

Prayer goes to the Lord...
with every need--to have it supplied;
with every enemy--to have it conquered;
with every corruption--to have it subdued;
with every trouble--to have it sanctified,
and with every promise--to have it fulfilled.