Dear Heavenly Father, we often do not have endurance to continue the race. Thank You for the “cloud of witnesses” You tell us about in Your Word. Please help us to remove the obstacles that get in the way of running the race You have chosen for us. Please remind us to look to Jesus who started and perfects the faith. Thank You that Jesus endured the horrors of death on a cross for us. He deserves to sit “at the right hand of the throne of God”.
I pray this in Jesus’ name.
God is so good.
I want to keep working on praying passages of Scripture. I know that we need to keep biblical principle in mind when we pray, but God gives us words that we can say in talking to Him. This passage shares what the apostle Paul was praying for the Philippian believers. I want to pray the same thing for the believers I know.
Dear Heavenly Father, please help us to continue to learn Your word to increase our love for You and others. Please guide us in wisdom so we can make the best choices to honor You and be “pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.”
I pray this in Jesus’ name.
God is so good.
Jesus teaches us to ask for “daily bread”. We can easily fall into the trap of “leaning on our own understanding” even with something as basic as our needs. Proverbs gives us the wisdom to look to God for direction. We need to cling to Him in everything.
I love the gift of prayer. When we go to God in prayer with the right attitude, God promises to hear us (1 John 5:14). As we study God’s Word, we will find the principles He has given to live as He intends. Our needs will be met.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us to trust and seek You. We need You to direct our lives.
I pray this in Jesus’ name.
God is so good.
One of the challenges of studying the Bible is defining the terms as God intended. We are prone to putting our own definitions to the words. Jesus’ example prayer tells us to ask God for our “daily bread”. This is talking about the basic needs of life. I’m sure there is debate about what needs really are.
We can ask confidently for our needs according to Jesus’ example prayer. We know God will answer according to today’s verse. As we humble ourselves before God, He will direct our prayers to ask for what is truly needed.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for providing our needs. Thank You for sharing Your riches with us. Please guide our prayers to be humble in asking for our needs.
I pray this in Jesus’ name.
God is so good.
Jesus’ example prayer continues with “Give us this day our daily bread.” We are instructed to ask for God to provide our needs. This is another area of life, where I believe we need to seek balance. Today’s passage talks about how God provides even for the lilies. We know God is in control, but we can fall into worry about the future. That being said, we don’t sit down and do nothing. The Bible also tells us that if we don’t work, we shouldn’t eat (2 Thessalonians 3:10) .
Verse 31 tells us that seeking God’s kingdom is the most important pursuit we have in life. God’s Word tells us how to do that. Then we will find the passages such as 2 Thessalonians 3:10 that give us the day to day instructions.
Dear Heavenly Father, we need Your help to know what to do. Please guide us to seek Your kingdom and study Your Word. Please help us to remember these verses when we are prone to worry. We are often afraid of the future, and we need to remember how much You love us.
I pray this in Jesus’ name.
God is so good.
Pleading in Prayer 