Tag Archive for intercession

from Prepare Yourself for Worship

2017-08-25 Devotional with Hymn, Prepare Yourself for Worship 3 comments

As I Sit among Your People

Father, when I next sit in the worship service,
surrounded by Your people,
give me Your eyes,
give me Your heart for them.
Move me as Jesus was moved by
their fears,
their needs,
their pain,
their struggles,
their grief.

Awaken me to them, Lord.
Move me
to pray,
to encourage,
to lend a helping hand,
to minister to their sorrow through my caring presence.

As I sit among Your people,
give me the
heart and
words and
overflowing generosity of Jesus. 

Listen and sing:
Hymn: Prayer of Intercession
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Pray for Those You Pass

2016-12-13 Devotional with Hymn No comments

Pray for each other (James 5:16, NIV).

My daily walks are my prayer time. It’s a wonderful, beautiful time alone with the Lord.

But even then, foolish, selfish daydreams invade my thoughts. I don’t want my mind or my time spent that way, so I asked the Lord to help me.

He answered my prayer. He challenged me to look into the faces of the people I pass and pray for them.

When I do, I find that my thoughts are turned away from myself and toward those around me. The love of Christ is stirred in me.

Prayer is a wonderful privilege. It is there throughout the day, always available to realign our hearts and minds with Christ and His love. Make prayer a constant part of your life.

Listen and sing:
Hymn: Ever Standing in Your Presence
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All in Christ

2016-05-15 Devotional with Hymn, Evangelistic No comments

Father, in Your love,
by Your Spirit,
this is my prayer and
my desire:
that every person I know be in Christ:
trusting Him,
one with Him
joined deeply, completely, forever with Him.

My spouse in Christ,
each of my children in Christ,
each dear member of my family, in all their variety and individuality, in Christ,
each of my neighbors in Christ,
my co-workers in Christ,
every member of my church, of every age, in Christ;
And far beyond them, Lord,
every family,
every nation,
every human being
in Christ.

Holy in Christ,
loving in Christ,
joyful,
at peace, and
free
in Christ.

I begin to imagine it, Father.
Each and every person
completed forever in Jesus Christ,
for Your everlasting glory.
I begin to desire it
because You desire it.
You love them and
long for each one
as only a parent can.

Father, permeate my heart,
my thoughts,
my prayers,
my daily life
with Your unquenchable, universal love.

Listen and sing:
Hymn: All in Christ
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Bound over to Mercy

2013-10-03 Devotional, Prayer No comments

God has bound all men to disobedience
so that he may have mercy on them all.
(Romans 11:32, NIV)

How painful to have loved ones lost in spiritual darkness. It’s frustrating to watch them pursue misdirected desires that will only disappoint and destroy them.

But reflect back on your own spiritual journey. You can likely sum it up as your floundering and God’s faithfulness. God planted a tiny seed of faith in you, then tenderly nurtured it. What amazing fruit is growing from that little seed!

God is so very patient. The growth process takes years, but He never seems frustrated or in a rush. Since this is the kind of God we have, continue to lift your loved ones to Him. Hold on to that bright hope. He is faithful, patient, and rich in mercy from generation to generation.

Pray as One of His Children

2013-08-18 Devotional with Hymn No comments

When I first started using the Lord’s Prayer on a daily basis, I was struck by one fact: there was no place for intercession. There was nothing that allowed me to pray for the needs of others.

Then I noticed that throughout the prayer, it’s not “I” or “my,” but “we” and “our.” Yes, I can still pray for my personal concerns. “I” am included in the “we,” and my Father asks me to come to Him. But the point is this: My prayers can be as broad or as narrow as my concerns at the time. My petitions can be personal. They can be universal.

How broad are your prayers? Or to ask it a different way, how low are your eyes? Are they focused entirely on yourself? Are they raised a little higher to take in those few immediately around you? Or have you looked up and realized that you are surrounded by an entire world of need, an entire race that’s lost, desperate, hungry, and dying? God is our Father. Every person is His as well. He is deeply conscious of them. Are you?

There is nothing wrong with praying for personal and family concerns. But each of the petitions of the Lord’s Prayer challenges us to lift our eyes, our hearts, and our prayers toward other people near and far. God is our Father. We all need His will in our lives, His daily provision, His forgiveness, His protection from evil.

Pray to your Father not just as His child but as one of His children.

Listen…and sing if you want:
Hymn: God of All People
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