"Lord, I turn to You
to get the inside track
and obtain special favors,
Your direction for my schemes
Your power for my projects,
Your sanctions for my ambitions,
Your blank check for whatever I want.
Change me Lord.
Make me a man who asks of You and of others
What can I do for You?"
--Robert A. Raines, from the book Improving Your Serve
Yes, Lord. Oh, yes, Lord.
Help us to turn our eyes off ourselves and to You.
Help us to pray to the Father whose name is holy, whose kingdom is coming, whose will is the only will that should be done.
We ask that You give us what we need.
And please don't give us things that make us too comfortable,
that make us too proud
that make us forget our dependency on You.
Please forgive us.
Help us to forgive others.
Change our world through rippling effects of mercy and grace and love.
From when our eyes open in the morning with tumbling thoughts of the day
to when we close them at night
may our days be filled with moments with You.
May we be changed by being in Your presence.
And may our world be changed.
Help us to see the lavish gifts of beauty and grace You surround us with:
the deep purple of the pansy
the innocent smile of the child
the hush before a storm blows in.
And Lord make us Your ambassadors in our homes and in our hurting communities. We pray that You will bind the spirit of suicide. We pray for hope and healing.
Thursday, April 16, 2020
Wednesday, April 15, 2020
June 14, 2020
Praying with Deuteronomy 6:4-7 today:
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
Thank You Lord for being our God.
You are the one true God,
the only one with all power,
the source of all love.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
Father, please forgive us when we let other things take our attention, our time, our strength, our love from where it should be. Help us to love You with our all.
And we pray our children will too. More than anything in the world, we pray they will grow in love for You.
These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
Ah Lord, Your Word is You. So as we want our children to love You, we want them to love Your Word. Help us to teach them that. May they crave knowing more. May we never make it boring. May they see the life in it. May they experience hearing from You through it.
Because we have to have it. You--Your Word is life to us. We pray these kids will learn to lean on You through hard times, learn to seek Your wisdom when they don't know what to do, will see in the Scriptures how You moved in the past and Your promises for the future.
Lord, please hold our children close. Calm their hearts and help them adjust with the uncertainties of school and moves and deployments. We pray for their health in all aspects. We ask that You would keep them safe in their homes.
And please be with all Your children of all ages. We pray against suicide in our communities. Help us to reach out with Your love.
Thank You Lord for loving us enough to communicate with us. Thank You for Your love letters. Be with us now. Amen.
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
Thank You Lord for being our God.
You are the one true God,
the only one with all power,
the source of all love.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
Father, please forgive us when we let other things take our attention, our time, our strength, our love from where it should be. Help us to love You with our all.
And we pray our children will too. More than anything in the world, we pray they will grow in love for You.
These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
Ah Lord, Your Word is You. So as we want our children to love You, we want them to love Your Word. Help us to teach them that. May they crave knowing more. May we never make it boring. May they see the life in it. May they experience hearing from You through it.
Because we have to have it. You--Your Word is life to us. We pray these kids will learn to lean on You through hard times, learn to seek Your wisdom when they don't know what to do, will see in the Scriptures how You moved in the past and Your promises for the future.
Lord, please hold our children close. Calm their hearts and help them adjust with the uncertainties of school and moves and deployments. We pray for their health in all aspects. We ask that You would keep them safe in their homes.
And please be with all Your children of all ages. We pray against suicide in our communities. Help us to reach out with Your love.
Thank You Lord for loving us enough to communicate with us. Thank You for Your love letters. Be with us now. Amen.
Thursday, March 5, 2020
May 3, 2020
Praying with verses from Psalm 27 today:
"The Lord is my light and my salvation--whom shall I fear?"
Whether our warriors are in the belly of a submarine, or doing a halo jump above the clouds, You surround them because You are the Lord of all. You know the mysteries of the depths and the heavens. You alone can save because You created it all.
"The Lord is the stronghold of my life--of whom shall I be afraid?"
When our warriors have to deploy, You are their stronghold to the ends of the earth, and You are our stronghold here.
"Though an army besieges me, my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me, even then I will be confident."
Lord, we pray for courage for our warriors. We pray they will be confident only because of You. May their prayers be constant. May they be in close relationship so they hear Your voice, see Your face, know Your ways, feel Your presence. With an intimacy like that, they will fear nothing.
"For in the day of trouble He will keep me safe in His dwelling;
He will hide me in the shelter of His sacred tent and set me high upon a rock."
Thank You Lord! Thank You for loving us so much You would give us refuge. We pray all of our warriors would find rest in Your arms.
"Hear my voice when I call, Lord; be merciful to me and answer me.
My heart says of You, "Seek His face!"
Your face, Lord, I will seek."
Lord we ask that You would help our warriors pray. May You be the first thought in their mind in the morning; their first words when making decisions; the first Name they say in times of trouble. In down times, deepen their passion to spend time with You. In the busy times, may they be following You. When they fail, may they quickly repent. When they win, may they quickly praise. In the dry times, please help them to wait.
And Lord, in the times of spiritual battle, please strengthen them. May all of our military community be able to fight against the anxiety, depression, suicide. Lord, help us to fight. Teach us to fight with prayer.
"Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord."*
For the courage, for the love, for the relationship, for the hope--for all these things, we thank You God. Amen!
*NIV
"The Lord is my light and my salvation--whom shall I fear?"
Whether our warriors are in the belly of a submarine, or doing a halo jump above the clouds, You surround them because You are the Lord of all. You know the mysteries of the depths and the heavens. You alone can save because You created it all.
"The Lord is the stronghold of my life--of whom shall I be afraid?"
When our warriors have to deploy, You are their stronghold to the ends of the earth, and You are our stronghold here.
"Though an army besieges me, my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me, even then I will be confident."
Lord, we pray for courage for our warriors. We pray they will be confident only because of You. May their prayers be constant. May they be in close relationship so they hear Your voice, see Your face, know Your ways, feel Your presence. With an intimacy like that, they will fear nothing.
"For in the day of trouble He will keep me safe in His dwelling;
He will hide me in the shelter of His sacred tent and set me high upon a rock."
Thank You Lord! Thank You for loving us so much You would give us refuge. We pray all of our warriors would find rest in Your arms.
"Hear my voice when I call, Lord; be merciful to me and answer me.
My heart says of You, "Seek His face!"
Your face, Lord, I will seek."
Lord we ask that You would help our warriors pray. May You be the first thought in their mind in the morning; their first words when making decisions; the first Name they say in times of trouble. In down times, deepen their passion to spend time with You. In the busy times, may they be following You. When they fail, may they quickly repent. When they win, may they quickly praise. In the dry times, please help them to wait.
And Lord, in the times of spiritual battle, please strengthen them. May all of our military community be able to fight against the anxiety, depression, suicide. Lord, help us to fight. Teach us to fight with prayer.
"Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord."*
For the courage, for the love, for the relationship, for the hope--for all these things, we thank You God. Amen!
*NIV
Wednesday, February 19, 2020
April 26, 2020
"In the darkness we were waiting
Without hope without light
Till from heaven You came running
There was mercy in Your eyes
To fulfil the law and prophets
Without hope without light
Till from heaven You came running
There was mercy in Your eyes
To fulfil the law and prophets
To a virgin came the Word
From a throne of endless glory
To a cradle in the dirt"*
From a throne of endless glory
To a cradle in the dirt"*
Lord God, some of our military communities can feel so dark. So many are in need of the light You give.
Thank You for Your hope!
Thank You for forgiveness!
Thank You for Jesus--the author and perfecter of our faith!
"Praise the Father
Praise the Son
Praise the Spirit three in one
God of glory
Majesty
Praise forever to the King of Kings"*
Praise the Son
Praise the Spirit three in one
God of glory
Majesty
Praise forever to the King of Kings"*
Lord, we ask for Your Holy Spirit to move in our communities!
Use us to shine Your light. Bring revival to this land, and may it begin with Your warriors.
May Your praise be heard from Fort Wainwright, Alaska, to Quantico, Virginia. May there be singing in Okinawa and Kuwait and Iraq and Afghanistan! May many shout to You "majesty!"
For You are the only One who is worthy of such praise. You are the only One we can trust. You are the only One who is faithful. And we need Your help even to praise You.
Lord, grow us in You. May our communities come together to hear Your Word, to seek Your ways. May truth be taught. We pray for our chaplains and our chapels. Please encourage them and give them wisdom. We pray for good churches in the areas, may they bless and be blessed by our service members and families.
We pray for our Bible studies and PWOC groups. May everyone find a place they are welcomed at.
Lord, make us the Church! May we find the hurting, the isolated, the outsiders. May we be the ones building true community. Use us to fight the suicide and depression, and we pray against the spiritual battle. Lord we look to You for victory in the only true battle that matters.
"And the Church of Christ was born
Then the Spirit lit the flame
Now this gospel truth of old
Shall not kneel shall not faint
Then the Spirit lit the flame
Now this gospel truth of old
Shall not kneel shall not faint
By His blood and in His Name
In His freedom I am free
For the love of Jesus Christ
Who has resurrected me"*
In His freedom I am free
For the love of Jesus Christ
Who has resurrected me"*
Amen and amen!
sing with Hillsong's King of Kings by clicking here
*King of Kings
CCLI #7051633
Written By Jason Ingram, Brooke Ligertwood & Scott Ligertwood
2019 Hillsong Music Publishing
Monday, February 10, 2020
April 5, 2020
Lord God,
Thank You for podcasts and live streams and Bible apps and devotional books. Thank You for chaplains and brothers and sisters and prayer warriors. And thank You for the Holy Spirit's constant presence, willing leading, and giving wisdom.
Everywhere we look, You are teaching us about You. Our deepest desire is to know You and be known by You. So we thank You for these many tools. Help us not to miss the mark--to not fall in love with the knowledge while ignoring the heart-change.
We pray for our service members' spiritual growth.
May they grow in faith as they see You work.
May they grow in trust as they remember all You have done.
May they grow in love as You forgive them.
May they grow in patience when You ask them to wait.
May they grow in prayer when the trials come.
Most of all, may they grow closer to You.
May our warriors feel Your presence as they fly through the skies, sail over the seas, hike over the mountains. May they seek Your face through the mundane and the amazing. May they follow You when it is easy, and when it is the hardest thing they've had to do.
We pray for our hurting veterans and communities. Lord please keep the spirit of suicide away. Help us to show people Your beauty, Your love, Your eternal hope.
Help us to know You more so we can show more people You. You are the One worth knowing.
Thank You for podcasts and live streams and Bible apps and devotional books. Thank You for chaplains and brothers and sisters and prayer warriors. And thank You for the Holy Spirit's constant presence, willing leading, and giving wisdom.
Everywhere we look, You are teaching us about You. Our deepest desire is to know You and be known by You. So we thank You for these many tools. Help us not to miss the mark--to not fall in love with the knowledge while ignoring the heart-change.
We pray for our service members' spiritual growth.
May they grow in faith as they see You work.
May they grow in trust as they remember all You have done.
May they grow in love as You forgive them.
May they grow in patience when You ask them to wait.
May they grow in prayer when the trials come.
Most of all, may they grow closer to You.
May our warriors feel Your presence as they fly through the skies, sail over the seas, hike over the mountains. May they seek Your face through the mundane and the amazing. May they follow You when it is easy, and when it is the hardest thing they've had to do.
We pray for our hurting veterans and communities. Lord please keep the spirit of suicide away. Help us to show people Your beauty, Your love, Your eternal hope.
Help us to know You more so we can show more people You. You are the One worth knowing.
Thursday, February 6, 2020
March 29, 2020
They raise their voices, they shout for joy;
from the west they acclaim the Lord's majesty.
Therefore in the east give glory to the Lord;
exalt the name of the Lord, the God of Israel,
in the islands of the sea.
From the ends of the earth we hear singing:
"Glory to the Righteous One."---Isaiah 24:14-16
Oh Lord the blessings You have given this nation!
The ways You have rescued our service members!
The courage and strength You have given our military!
The peace You have blessed our family members with!
And so we praise You.
We thank You from the heights of Afghanistan to the South China Seas.
We sing to You in South Korea and Iraq.
We look for Your mighty hand to work around the globe.
Go before us Lord.
May our missions be right. May we be a force of good.
And may the heart of our nation be turned to You.
May we not forget the many times You have steered this nation.
May we remember the ways You have been faithful,
and may we teach the next generation.
Lord, please continue to help us with our battles at home. We pray against the spiritual forces of loneliness, depression, hopelessness. May the spirit of suicide be cast away from our communities. Be the grace between us. Help us to truly reach out and care for each other, from the single soldiers to the hurting veterans. And may Your Holy Spirit be unleashed.
Amen.
from the west they acclaim the Lord's majesty.
Therefore in the east give glory to the Lord;
exalt the name of the Lord, the God of Israel,
in the islands of the sea.
From the ends of the earth we hear singing:
"Glory to the Righteous One."---Isaiah 24:14-16
Oh Lord the blessings You have given this nation!
The ways You have rescued our service members!
The courage and strength You have given our military!
The peace You have blessed our family members with!
And so we praise You.
We thank You from the heights of Afghanistan to the South China Seas.
We sing to You in South Korea and Iraq.
We look for Your mighty hand to work around the globe.
Go before us Lord.
May our missions be right. May we be a force of good.
And may the heart of our nation be turned to You.
May we not forget the many times You have steered this nation.
May we remember the ways You have been faithful,
and may we teach the next generation.
Lord, please continue to help us with our battles at home. We pray against the spiritual forces of loneliness, depression, hopelessness. May the spirit of suicide be cast away from our communities. Be the grace between us. Help us to truly reach out and care for each other, from the single soldiers to the hurting veterans. And may Your Holy Spirit be unleashed.
Amen.
March 8, 2020
Father God,
You are the One who teaches the little boy in Alaska how to fish the frozen river
the teenager in Florida how to help the kids in Sunday School
the little girl in New York who is intrigued by bugs
the college kid in Hawaii learning calculus.
All knowledge comes from You.
You continue to teach each generation
stretching the brain with new insights
revealing mysteries of the deep ocean,
the depth of space,
the deep knowledge of the DNA.
The depths of Your wisdom are unfathomable!
We are amazed at Your world Lord.
We are in awe of how a tulip unveils it's inner colors,
how a humming bird migrates thousands of miles,
how a whale feeds her baby.
And oh, the wonders of Your love!
Teach us Lord.
And help us to teach the next generation.
If they master quantum physics, but know nothing of You,
all is lost...vanity...striving after the wind.
If they get all accolades, but place their value in pieces of paper,
they miss the mark completely.
If they do all the right things and become a great person, but they can't point others to You,
it is pointless.
We pray our children trust in You when Mom/Dad deploy.
We pray they find their confidence in You when they have to re-establish themselves in a new community.
We pray they learn forgiveness and mercy as they see You offer it to them.
We pray they learn wonder and awe of You as they go about their school tasks.
We pray they learn compassion as they see more of Your world.
May they become more like You so they can shine Your love. May they be witnesses to the hurting, and may they be Your tools to help stop the suicides in their generation. May they reach the lonely, comfort the hurting veterans. May they bring You into more people's worlds.
You alone can do this Lord. We are amazed by You.
Amen.
You are the One who teaches the little boy in Alaska how to fish the frozen river
the teenager in Florida how to help the kids in Sunday School
the little girl in New York who is intrigued by bugs
the college kid in Hawaii learning calculus.
All knowledge comes from You.
You continue to teach each generation
stretching the brain with new insights
revealing mysteries of the deep ocean,
the depth of space,
the deep knowledge of the DNA.
The depths of Your wisdom are unfathomable!
We are amazed at Your world Lord.
We are in awe of how a tulip unveils it's inner colors,
how a humming bird migrates thousands of miles,
how a whale feeds her baby.
And oh, the wonders of Your love!
Teach us Lord.
And help us to teach the next generation.
If they master quantum physics, but know nothing of You,
all is lost...vanity...striving after the wind.
If they get all accolades, but place their value in pieces of paper,
they miss the mark completely.
If they do all the right things and become a great person, but they can't point others to You,
it is pointless.
We pray our children trust in You when Mom/Dad deploy.
We pray they find their confidence in You when they have to re-establish themselves in a new community.
We pray they learn forgiveness and mercy as they see You offer it to them.
We pray they learn wonder and awe of You as they go about their school tasks.
We pray they learn compassion as they see more of Your world.
May they become more like You so they can shine Your love. May they be witnesses to the hurting, and may they be Your tools to help stop the suicides in their generation. May they reach the lonely, comfort the hurting veterans. May they bring You into more people's worlds.
You alone can do this Lord. We are amazed by You.
Amen.
Friday, January 3, 2020
February 16, 2020
What a friend we have in Jesus
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
Lord Jesus
How precious is Your name to us.
When we need a friend, we lean on You.
When we need a Savior, we require You.
When we need a Comforter, we fall in Your arms.
When we need a Counsellor, we whisper in Your ear.
When people fail us, as they always do, we can still trust in You.
Thank You for being our perfect Friend, Lord,
And thank You for giving us friends.
Help us link arms to further Your kingdom.
In a world that doesn't know how to love one another, help us to be Your examples even when we're tired, scared, selfish. Don't let us be lulled into apathy. Help us to follow Your lead of loving people to death.
We pray for our relationships with our husbands. May they reflect Your love.
We pray for new battle buddies at each post. Give us the courage to keep reaching out.
We pray for lifelong dear sisters who know us, encourage us, spur us on.
And may we do that for others.
We pray for a community of believers that does Your work, and may we be a vital part of it.
We pray for our hurting warriors and veterans. Jesus, please send them friends that point to You. May none consider suicide because of loneliness.
We pray these things in Your precious name, Amen!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer!
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
Lord Jesus
How precious is Your name to us.
When we need a friend, we lean on You.
When we need a Savior, we require You.
When we need a Comforter, we fall in Your arms.
When we need a Counsellor, we whisper in Your ear.
When people fail us, as they always do, we can still trust in You.
Thank You for being our perfect Friend, Lord,
And thank You for giving us friends.
Help us link arms to further Your kingdom.
In a world that doesn't know how to love one another, help us to be Your examples even when we're tired, scared, selfish. Don't let us be lulled into apathy. Help us to follow Your lead of loving people to death.
We pray for our relationships with our husbands. May they reflect Your love.
We pray for new battle buddies at each post. Give us the courage to keep reaching out.
We pray for lifelong dear sisters who know us, encourage us, spur us on.
And may we do that for others.
We pray for a community of believers that does Your work, and may we be a vital part of it.
We pray for our hurting warriors and veterans. Jesus, please send them friends that point to You. May none consider suicide because of loneliness.
We pray these things in Your precious name, Amen!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer!
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