Prayer To Help Us "Take Stock" OF The Things That Matter
Friday June 26, 2020
THE PURPOSE OF PRAYER AND MEDITATION
One of the great benefits of a time of crisis like this COVID-19 pandemic has been to help many of us stop and reflect and take stock about what’s important. Many of us have spent more time with God asking for understanding of His purpose for us in these days and going forward.
The truth is that whenever we take these times and invite God to speak to us, He immediately begins to work to help us identify what we need to take a look and what to reorganize. The disciplines of prayer and meditation help us hear from God and correctly interpret the ongoing events of our lives. As we put into practice what God’s word says, we learn to recognize His voice and His way of guiding us. Aren’t these lovely words to hold onto today:
Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.
Jeremiah 33:3
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
James 1:5
Heavenly Father, we’re both grateful and amazed that You invite us to call to You and You promise not only to hear us but to answer us and to show us great and unsearchable things we wouldn’t be able to figure out on our own. You promise that when we don’t know what to do and how to sort things out, that if we will just ask You, You will gladly give us wisdom and understanding.
We know you have a wonderful plan for our lives, including the lessons we are learning during this pandemic – even the weaknesses and character defects that are being laid bare by the pressures and changes going on around us. We know that no day and no set of circumstances is wasted with You. In every moment there is a lesson for us as You rebuild us according to Your original plan. As we said a moment ago, even our mistakes can be used by You to bless others and help all of us know how much You love us and how great Your power to transform, save, and bless us really is.
Lord today, would You help us to continue to pay attention to your voice both by reading Your word and by praying and listening for Your direction and application of what we read and what You know we need to become conscious of so we tackle today’s issues with grace and truth. We trust Your promise that if we do this, we will have a day that is better than we ever could have thought or imagined.
But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ
to bring you to eternal life.
Jude 20-21
As we read and pray today we ask to know Your nature better God and to experience Your love and care for us more deeply than we have up until now. We don’t want to just know more facts about You today, but to grow in our relationship with You so that our love for You and our experience of Your love and care for us is alive and growing and deepening.
We welcome the work of Your Holy Spirit in us as You reveal Your will for our day and our life going forward. Help us to live humbly before You and honour You in all our ways. Amen
Recent Hope For Today
Giving Hope
Partners in Hope is supported wholly by our friends and community. We are thankful to everyone who partners with us to help bring hope to the discouraged, hurting, and hopeless.