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Wisdom Prayer

Give Thanks Forever?

Give Thanks Forever?

Dear Lord, I pray for those who will give thanks to God forever. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Shouldn’t we be glad that God has saved us from our foes? The answer is a resounding, “Yes!”

How is it that many believers build a wall between the way they act on Sunday and how they act during the rest of the week? Put your trust in God. Trust him to allow you to boast about him continually. Not just on Sunday.

The psalmist in Psalm 44:4-8 puts in perspective who deserves our thanks forever:

“You are my King, O God;
ordain salvation for Jacob!
Through you we push down our foes;
through your name we tread down those who rise up against us.
For not in my bow do I trust,
nor can my sword save me.
But you have saved us from our foes
and have put to shame those who hate us.
In God we have boasted continually,
and we will give thanks to your name forever. Selah

Has it been a while since you took time to pause and make a list? Thank God. Now.

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Wisdom Prayer

Send Out Your Light and Your Truth?

Send Out Your Light and Your Truth?

Dear Lord, I pray for wisdom for those who ask you to send out your light and your truth. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Early in Psalm 43, the psalmist requests help. He is under attack by the ungodly. He is facing the oppression of the enemy. Yet, even with this opposition, he choses to ask God to intervene. He has hope in God.

Psalm 43 (ESV):

“Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause
against an ungodly people,
from the deceitful and unjust man
deliver me!

For you are the God in whom I take refuge;
why have you rejected me?
Why do I go about mourning
because of the oppression of the enemy?

Send out your light and your truth;
let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy hill
and to your dwelling!
Then I will go to the altar of God,
to God my exceeding joy,
and I will praise you with the lyre,
O God, my God.

Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God.”

Never hesitate to ask God to intervene on your behalf. Realize even in face of insurmountable odds, God leads through his light and truth.

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Wisdom Prayer

Don’t Give Up Hope?

Don’t Give Up Hope?

Dear Lord, I pray for wisdom for those have turmoil but still hope in God. In Jesus’ name, amen.

It is easier said than done to move from being in turmoil to having a hopeful, bright, and happy disposition.

For example, the psalmists in Psalm 42:8-11 wonders if God has forgotten him. He goes on to thrive and encourage others:

8 By day the Lord commands his steadfast love,
and at night his song is with me,
a prayer to the God of my life.
9 I say to God, my rock:
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning
because of the oppression of the enemy?”
10 As with a deadly wound in my bones,
my adversaries taunt me,
while they say to me all the day long,
“Where is your God?”

11 Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God.”

By the end, the psalmist is filled with hope. Are you suffering and feeling cast down? Are you depressed? If necessary, look for help. Fear not, for the Lord is with you.

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Wisdom Prayer

Is Your Soul Cast Down?

Is Your Soul Cast Down?

Dear Lord, I pray for wisdom for the miserable and depressed. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Even in the face of misery and depression a believer can have hope. Moreover, when a person of faith is said to be down, he or she can also praise God.

In Psalm 42:5-7 (ESV) we hear the psalmist’s words:

“Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God.

My soul is cast down within me;
therefore I remember you
from the land of Jordan and of Hermon,
from Mount Mizar.
Deep calls to deep
at the roar of your waterfalls;
all your breakers and your waves
have gone over me.”

Depression can be debilitating. It can be addressed with talk therapy. Some need medication. If you need help, seek and you shall find. Read tomorrow’s wisdom prayer, or open a Bible to Psalm 42 to find out what happens to the psalmist.

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Wisdom Prayer

As The Dear Pants for Water?

As The Dear Pants for Water?

Dear Lord, I pray for wisdom for those who pursue you, O God, like a deer pants for water. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Pets are big business. The care and feeding of them is a multibillion dollar industry. Animal lovers are more familiar with dogs and cats panting than with deer. Yet, an animal that is thirsty, no matter the kind, brings to mind an image of one desperate for a drink.

Psalm 42:1-4 (ESV) is more than about a thirsty deer:

“As a deer pants for flowing streams,
so pants my soul for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?
My tears have been my food
day and night,
while they say to me all the day long,
‘Where is your God?’
These things I remember,
as I pour out my soul:
how I would go with the throng
and lead them in procession to the house of God
with glad shouts and songs of praise,
a multitude keeping festival.”

Are you desperate for a drink of living water? Are you willing to prioritize time with God the same way a thirsty animal desires water. If so, open scripture and be refreshed.

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Wisdom Prayer

Consider the Poor?

Consider the Poor?

Dear Lord, I pray for wisdom for those who consider the poor. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Great resources are devoted to helping those who are less fortunate. Many faith-based initiatives and aid workers help those with food insecurity, housing, and a host of other goods and services.

Psalm 41:1 has a note in the English Standard Version that makes reference to the word “poor,” and indicates the word “weak” can be substituted.

Psalm 41:1-2 follows:

“Blessed is the one who considers the poor!
In the day of trouble the Lord delivers him;
the Lord protects him and keeps him alive;
he is called blessed in the land;
you do not give him up to the will of his enemies.
The Lord sustains him on his sickbed;
in his illness you restore him to full health.”

Amazing how the Lord will protect, sustain, and restore those who are God’s hands and feet to the poor.

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