Listen, Lord, as I pray!
Pay attention when I groan.
You are my King and my God.
Answer my cry for help
because I pray to you. ~ Psalm 5:1-2 (CEV)
Right away the boy’s father shouted, “I do have faith! Please help me to have even more.” ~ Mark 9:24 (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
Go ahead and share your despair with God.
PRAYER:
Lord, you hear me when all the frustration overwhelms my faith. Forgive my lack of trust and please use my desperation to develop new faith within me. I am going to trust you no matter what. Thanks for listening. Amen.
Some people make cutting remarks,
but the words of the wise bring healing. ~ Proverbs 12:18 (NLT)
It takes strong winds to move a large sailing ship, but the captain uses only a small rudder to make it go in any direction. Our tongues are small too, and yet they brag about big things. ~ James 3:4-5 (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
Our words are powerful and potentially dangerous.
PRAYER:
Lord, you are totally wise and your words are always appropriate and timely. My words, on the other hand, are too many, too unfiltered, and too toxic. I am asking that the Holy Spirit would take control of my spoken and written words so that every single thing I say might bring healing. Amen.
The Lord remembers us and will bless us. ~ Psalm 115:12a (NLT)
Not what you do for God but what God does for you—that’s the agenda for rejoicing. ~ Luke 10:20b (MSG)
KEY IDEA:
Find your joy in the fact that God is the one who adds value to your life.
PRAYER:
God, there is no doubt in my mind that you have blessed me with way more than I deserve. Although, I'm prone to act as though I have to make it all happen. I know that doesn't make any sense but I still live that way too often. So, I ask that you would help my actions and attitudes to line up with what I believe. I'm going to rejoice in your generosity. Amen.
You are the hope of Israel, its savior in times of trouble. Why are you like a stranger in the land, like a tourist spending only the night? ~ Jeremiah 14:8 (CEB)
Now I know partially, but then I will know completely in the same way that I have been completely known. ~ 1 Corinthians 13:12b (CEB)
KEY IDEA:
It behoves us to humbly admit that what we know about God is very limited.
PRAYER:
Savior God, you completely understand us. But our current knowledge of you and what you're up to is very limited. I find that hard to accept because I like to think of myself as a God-expert, someone with deep insights. Save me from such arrogance and fill me with a humble attitude so that I may come to know you even more completely. Amen,
TRANSLATIONS
ABP = Authorized Boydston Paraphrase — my own freestyle biblical adaptation — somewhere between paraphrase, commentary, and sermon
CEB = Common English Bible (©2011, the Common English Bible)
CEV = Contemporary English Version (©1995, American Bible Society)
MSG = The Message (©1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson)
NIRV = New International Reader's Version (©1996, 1998, Biblica)
NIV = New International Version (©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011, Biblica)
NLT = New Living Translation (©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, Tyndale House Foundation)
