My Compassionate Saviour

Promise:
When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, "Don't cry." (Luke 7:13 NIV)

Prayer:
Dearest Lord Jesus, when You were here on earth in human form, it states You were a 'man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.' And when you died on the Cross You took on Yourself all the sickness, all the sadness, all the sin of the world, so that when I hurt, or am tired, or lonely, or sin, I just come to You and cast it all on You. You have borne my sorrows, and carried my griefs. You have put my tears in Your bottle (Psa. 56:8). Your Spirit groans for me when I am unable to pray. You carry me on eagles wings and cover me with Your feathers (Psa. 91). Thank You, Lord. Your compassion surpasses all! Amen

Going Deep

Promise:
Launch out into the deep. (Luke 5:4)

Prayer:
How deep can one go in learning of You, Lord? Perhaps I don't have the ability to go so deep, though I would like to, Lord. I would like to go to the very depths in learning the things of God. Oh the quietness, the peace, the stillness one could find there, far below the surface of the world and the rushing of life. No matter how fierce the storm, in the depths of the deep all is quiet. Your presence would totally encompass me. Perhaps this is how my dear sister, Ruth, felt when a couple of days before her soul took flight, she said that the presence of God filled heaven, and she could feel it all around her. She no longer had fear, only peace. Oh the Peace that Jesus gives. Show me, Lord, how to launch out into the deep, thru God's Word, with the Spirit guiding, opening the way, totally immersing me in the things of God. Amen

My Self-Worth

Promise:
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. (Matt. 10:29-31 NIV)

Prayer:
To You, O Lord, I am fair, there is no spot in me. I belong to You, and Your desire is to me. You in turn, Lord, are my life and my salvation, and my desire is to You. You have loved me, with all of my filthiness, warts, wrinkles, hangups, and turned me into something beautiful. Thank You, Lord, that You care for me and I can hold my head high and say: "I am a child of the King!"
Amen

His Grace

Promise:
My Grace is sufficient for thee. (II Cor. 12:9)

Prayer:
Lord, as You know, I like to take some verses word by word to glean as much meaning as possible from that verse. This verse yields itself to that , with the first word being MY. This is You talking, so You are saying it is YOUR Grace. This encompasses so much--as though the ocean would tell a little fish to drink away, its waters were sufficient for it. Or of Joseph telling a little mouse to eat up, his granaries were sufficient for him. It is Yours to give and it will never run out.
MY Grace is sufficient for thee.
The next word is GRACE. It is by Your Grace I have been saved. Grace is unmerited favor given to me. You have many ways to bless me with your Power and Love, but then there is Grace. First and foremost is Grace!
My GRACE is sufficient for thee.
'IS' is an important word, even though it is a very small word. It shows that at this very moment your Grace is available and sufficient. Not yesterday, but now is too late. Not tomorrow if I am good enough. But right now! "Is" is present tense.
My Grace IS sufficient for thee.
And last but not least is the word 'THEE', changing it to "ME". For Your Grace is available and sufficient for ME at anytime. I have but to lean over on You. It is Your Grace that saved me; it is your Grace that keeps me in the straight path. So Lord:
Your Grace is sufficient for ME!
Thank You, Lord, for Your Grace, Your amazing Grace! Amen

Accepting Adversity

Promise:
Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity? (Job 2:10)

Prayer:
Yes Lord, I have often heard people say "why me?" I can't help but think "why NOT me?" I am a sinner, I live in a world of sin, and it rains on the just as well as the unjust. But even if adversity comes, You O Lord, have promised to never leave me or forsake me. If the floods come, the water will not overflow me. David said that he went astray before he was afflicted, showing sometimes we must be given the refiners fire to clean away the dross. Refine me, Lord! Wash me! You are the potter, I am but the clay. Yet Your thoughts for me are for good and not for evil. Mold me, Melt me, use me for Your Glory! Amen

Majesty!

Promise:
O Lord, our Lord, How Majestic is Your name in all the earth! (Psalm 8:9)

Prayer:
Truly You are Majesty, O Lord! Let all Heaven and Earth proclaim Your name! Great are Your marvelous works to the children of men! Who is man that thou art mindful of him? You made me, Lord, to bring You pleasure; then in love you paid the awful price of sin to redeem me. You knew before I was born that I would grieve You, yet You loved me and drew me to You. O the Glory of it all! MAJESTY! Amen

The Lost Sheep

Promise:
What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninty-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost. (Matt. 18:12-14 NIV)

Prayer:
Lord, here is the story of the lost sheep. I think of it so often. How like that lost sheep was my own life. I was safe in the fold but felt that other pastures looked greener and I wandered away. Yet You found me, You reached forth Your nail-scarred hands and picked me up. You placed me between Your shoulders and carried me. Now I go with You, my Jeses. You lead me in the straight path. You are my guide, my rear-guard, and my Shepherd-King. Amen

Alone with God

Promise:
When they were alone, He expounded all things to His disciples. (Mark 4:34)

Prayer:
Andrew Murray (a preacher of the early 1900's) has stated: "No one can expect to understand and receive the holiness of God who is not often and long alone with God." We have to pull away from all the busy-ness and interruptions of life before we can learn to sit at His feet and listen. So, here I am Lord! Invade my soul, fill me with Your Holy Spirit, open my understanding of your Word. I bow before You, knowing I am so unworthy; yet, in my sin, my filthiness and rags, You have touched me and made me beautiful and whole. Amen

It is Possible!

Promise:
Nothing shall be impossible unto you. (Matthew 17:20)

Prayer:
Nothing is impossible when I put my trust in You, Lord, and that means absolutely NOTHING. All my anxieties, all my cares can be cast on You. When I do this, that is when I will find that Your peace will pass all understanding. I know all that comes my way is allowed by You, and it is possible to sing in the darkness and have songs in the night. Without You, Lord, I would drift , and even sink, but all I have to do is lift my gaze to You, hide in Your loving arms and let Your power give me refuge. I place my hand in Yours, gaze into Your loving face and walk with You moment by moment and step by step. With You, my Lord, ALL things are possible. Amen

Prayer of St. Augustine

Promise: "When You said Seek My face" my heart said to You "Your face, O Lord, I shall seek."
(Psalm 27:8)

Promise:
Lord, when I came across the prayer of St. Augustine (a monk of the 5th century) I thought "Wow, Lord, this sounds like me!" So I am quoting it here for my prayer to You today:

"I came to love You late, O Beauty so ancient and new: I came to love you late. You were within me and I was outside where I rushed about wildly searching for You like some monster loose in Your beautiful world. You were with me, but I was not with You. You called me, You shouted to me. You broke past my deafness. You bathed me in Your light, You wrapped me in Your splendor, You sent my blindness reeling. You gave out such a delightful fragrance, and I drew it in and came breathing hard after You. I tasted, and it made me hunger and thirst; You touched me, and I burned to know Your peace."

O dear Lord, Your face I shall seek. Amen

The Branch

Promise:
And every branch that beareth fruit he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
(John 15:2)

Prayer:
Lord, about the branch, I have read that if left alone, the branch will grow downward to the ground and then along in the dirt and dust. The master gardner comes along, carefully picks up the branch, cleans it off, snips and prunes, and ties it up close to the vine. You are that Master-gardner, I am that wayward branch. Thank you for not cutting me completely off, but You have carefully been cutting away the dryness and dirt, and tieing me up close to You. Part of a poem by Annie Johnson Flint reads:
Rejoice, tho' each desire, each dream,
Each hope of thine
Shall fall and fade; it is the hand
of Love Divine
That holds the knife, that cuts and breaks
With tenderest touch,
That thou, whose life has borne some fruit
May'st now bear much.
May Your life flow through me, and may I bud and bear yet more fruit in Your name. Thank You my beloved Gardener. Amen

He is Listening

Promise:
Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
(Jeremiah 29:12)

Prayer:
You DO hear our prayers, Lord, whether they are cries of sorrow, agony, joy, or requests. You heard the disciples cry even above the storm, and stilled the waves. You heard the children of Israel in the wilderness and had compassion (Ex. 2:24). Isaiah 65:24 says that even before we cry, you answer. David often "inquired of the Lord", and you heard and answered. You are always with me, and give me strength. Thank you, Lord, for never turning a deaf ear. Your desire is to me. Thank you for loving me. Amen

To Know You Better

Promise:
And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue, knowledge...
(2 Peter 1:5)

Prayer:
'The Pursuit of God' is a blessed journey for the believer, O Lord. Tozer has written my desires better than I can say them: "I have tasted of thy goodness...I am thirsty for more." He also writes: "I want to want thee; I long to be filled with longing...show me thy Glory I pray Thee, that I may know Thee indeed." O Lord, I want to hear you say to me "Arise...my beautiful one and come along." (S of S 2:10,13). I want to know you better. I delight in Your presence as I walk with You each day. Amen

Psalm 37

Promise:
"Fret Not Thyself..." (Psa. 37:1)

Prayer:
Psalm 37 is to me a wonderful example of how You, Lord, give me a command, and then show me how it can be done. You begin with the command that I am not to fret, then right away in verses 3, 4 & 5 You tell me how to keep from fretting.
1. Trust in You
2. Delight myself in You
3. Commit my way to You
4. Rest in You
Then through the rest of the Psalm You remind me that You will sustain me (vs. 17) and You know my days. Verse 23 shows me my steps are established by You, and verse 24 tells me You hold my hand. Verse 25 reminds me I have been young and now am old, but You have never let me down. In closing, verses 39 and 40 show me You are my salvation, my strength, and I take refuge in You. It is easy to not fret when You show me how it can be done. Thank you, Lord.
Amen

Storms of Life

Promise:
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. (Isa. 43:2)

Prayer:
We have faced some huge storms, Lord. Had I not had You to lean on I would have found the waters overflowing. But You were with me, You covered me with Your feathers and lifted me upon eagles wings. There were times I let my gaze move away from You and I would almost succumb, but You were always there, lifting me up to Your cheek (Hosea 11:4). I have truly learned that I can and will trust in You at all times, and Your Praise will continually be in my mouth! Amen

To My Valentine

Promise:
I am my beloved's, and his desire is toward me. (Song of Sol. 7:20)
I am his. (Song of Sol. 2:16)

Prayer:
Lord, I have learned to love the book of the Song of Solomon in these past few years, as I see it to be about the love-relationship between us, You and me. You are the one 'whom my soul loves.' (1:7) 'I held on to Him and would not let Him go' (3:4). You see me as lovely and beautiful (6:4) and even perfect (vs 9). And the verse I see as Abounding Grace is 6:3, 'I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine.' You have covered me with Your love (2:4) and made me perfect in Your eyes. I sit in Your shade and take delight! (2:3). And to sum it all from
Gal. 2:20, 'The Son of God...loved me and gave Himself for me.' There is no greater love than this! Thank you, Jesus, I love You. Amen

Peace, Perfect Peace

Promise:
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee. (Isaiah 26:3)

Prayer:
My Lord, My Saviour, My Friend, My Lover of my soul,--This verse of Isa. 26:3 has been close to my thoughts in recent years. I have found that the secret of peace is to keep my mind and yes, my every imagination, on You. I try to see You in the morning, I look for You at night and in the nightwatches; I see You in the rainbow, and in the sunshine, even the clouds. I look for You in everything my hand finds to do. I pray I will always bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of You. Then and only then will I be able to find the Peace the passes all understanding. Amen

The Glory of God

Promise:
And he said "I beseech you, show me your Glory." (Exodus 33:18)

Prayer:
O Lord, this is also a prayer from my heart--"show me Your Glory." Its the deepest desire of my heart. If I can't yet see You face to face, then open my spiritual eyes that I am able to behold Your Glory through Your Word. Moses asked to see Your Glory, and he also spent time with You on the mountain. We are told his face shone so bright from being with You that the people were afraid and he had to cover it with a veil. May my face also shine with Your reflection, Lord. May others see Jesus in me. Your face, Lord, will I seek, and may my face show I have been with You. Amen

The Avenger

Promise:
Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves. (Romans 12:19)

Prayer:
'O to be like thee, Blessed Redeemer!'...I would like to think I have Your smile, Lord. I would like to hear "she has her Father's eyes." I pray that daily I am attaining more of "The Mind of Christ." If accused or persecuted for Your sake Lord, I want to say as Paul did 'none of these things move me,' and not seek to avenge but let You be the avenger. Jesus kept silent, and was calm before His accusers. He knew He already had the victory and vengence belongs to God. Jesus was Meek (hunble yet strong). Oh to have a heart like Yours, and let others see You in me! Amen

Water of Life

Promise:
If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. (John 7:37)
Let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. (Rev. 22:17)

Prayer:
O Lord, as the deer pants after the waterbrook, so my soul pants for You. To be thirsty physically is to be parched, dried up,and the body electrolytes get messed up. Every cell in the body is lacking fluid. It is called "dehydration." When one is severely dehydrated, that one must be given an IV with fluid directly into the vein. Infused with life giving fluids. My spiritual life is this way too. I had let myself become dehydrated, sick, shrivelled. Then You infused me Lord! You gave me 'water' from Your life-giving Word, and Your Grace. 'O come to the water everyone who thirsts'. You are water, You are life, You are my salvation. Thank you, Lord. Amen

For His Sake

Promise:
I, even I, am he who blotteth out thy transgressions FOR MINE OWN SAKE, and will not remember thy sins. (Isaiah 43:25)
For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it....(Isaiah 48:11a)

Prayer:
Lord, I know these verses have impressed me before as I have already marked them in my Bible, but they have given me a renewed thrill to see these words again--"I am the one who wipes out your transgressions FOR MY OWN SAKE. And in Isa. 48:11 You repeat it twice for emphasis. YOU refine me, YOU test me, not to make ME look good, but so YOU will have pleasure in me. I don't really understand this, Lord, but it is for Your sake You chose me, and chose to have me praise You. For YOUR sake You have made me righteous, otherwise I could never be with You in Glory. For YOUR sake You are merciful to all of mankind, not willing that any should perish. It's not at all about me, dear Lord, it's all about YOU. Thank You Jesus. Amen

God Alone

Promise:
But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. (James 1:4)

Prayer:
O Lord, It IS You alone, and only You! Even Paul learned this when he prayed for relief from his 'thorn'. You told him Your Grace was sufficient. We need nothing else, only You. The Bible promise today is on patience, and if I reach the point of relying only on You, patience comes. I rest in You, therefore I willingly leave all matters in Your hands, and I shall not want for anything. Without You, I am nothing. With You I can do "all things". You are my strength, my Help, and my Supply. Amen

My Strength

Promise:
You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth. Oh turn to me, and have mercy on me. Give Your strength to Your servant and save the son (daughter) of Your maidservant. ( Psalm 86:15,16)

Prayer:
O Lord, you know all about me. You knew me before the foundations of the world. I don't understand this, but your Word states it. You know my frame, and how weak I am spiritually. Yet you are moved with compassion, and You have said that You are my strength. One way you give me strength is by what you told Peter in Mark 14:38,..."Watch and pray..." If I will keep my gaze upon You and pray without ceasing, I will not fall into temptation, and I will have strength when the trials come. You are my strength and my salvation. Amen

Be Still

Promise:
Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. (Psalm 46:10)

Prayer:
Your Word says to "Be Still" (or cease striving) "and know that I am God." When we run around all in haste, we don't take time to stop and know You. Taking this time in the morning is part of my getting to 'know you' for me. You are the one who loves me best, and I need time to bask in that love. You know the way I take and You have plans for me. I ask for You to guide the way. Take my hand, precious Lord, lead me on. Amen

My Morning Star

Promise:
Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. Watch therefore, ...lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!

Prayer:
You are my Morning Star, Lord. I keep watching the sky for your appearance. When I prepare for guests I clean my house and prepare a meal. Then I keep checking out the window, watching for them. This is what You are telling me here. Prepare for Your arrival, listen for Your 'shout'; listen for the trump of God, for you are coming soon! You, my morning star, will come bounding from the heavens as a hind upon the mountains, calling me up to You. Night is far past, morning has come with the brightness of Your light chasing away the shadows of fear and darkness. I am Watching, Lord! Amen

My Morning Star

Beyond This Life

Promise:
It is written: Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him." But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. (I Cor. 2:9-10)

Prayer:
We can only Imagine, Lord, what will take place when I meet You. In the twinkling of an eye, we will receive our glorified bodies and be caught up to meet you. Or if I should die first, even then, I will immediately be in Your presence. I wonder what I will do? As the song says, "will I dance for You Jesus? Will I fall on my knees?" I think my first act will be of awe, and I will fall on my knees, even with my face to the ground to kiss your feet. Whatever I do, You will be there in all your Glory and Majesty! O what a Day that will be! Amen

Be Prepared

Promise:
The Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons. (I Tim 4:1)
Little children, it is the last hour. (I John 2:18)

Prayer:
If ever there were mockers and false doctrines, Lord, it is now. Though these words 'it is the last hour' were written 2 millenium ago, a thousand years is as a day to You. The world has had its chance. You have been long-suffering, but now we are definitely "as in the days of Noah." I pray for salvation for the lost, especially those who are dear to us, yet I also say "Even so come quickly Lord Jesus." "The night is far spent, and the day is at hand!" You are my morning star, and I keep scanning the sky for I know you are near. Rev 22:20 states "I am coming soon!", and I say with John "Amen. Come, Lord Jesus."

Spiritual Clothing

Promise:
I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. Isaiah 61:10

Prayer:
You have covered me with your Righteousness! No matter how good I could be in my natural state, I am as naked before you as Adam and Eve were in the garden. Then You came, my soul cried out to You. You covered me with Your garment of Salvation, dressed me in Your robe of Righteousness, clean and bright--righteousness which is from You, my God, My Lord, My Righteousness. Now I can stand before You, You whom my soul loves, as a bride decked out for her husband. My soul shall truly be joyful in You, my God and my Salvation! Amen