Category: Prayer

Timeless Songs

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Remember Your word to your servant,
for You have given me hope.
This is what comforts me in my trouble,
for Your promise revives me.
Arrogant people do nothing but scoff at me.
Yet I do not turn aside from Your law.
I remember your ancient regulations,
O Lord, and console myself.
Rage takes hold of me because of the wicked,
those who reject Your law.

Psalm 119:49-53

Dear Heavenly Father, I need the hope from Your word; it provides comfort.  Not everyone believes or follows Your law.  Please help me to show them how timeless Your laws are.    

Your statutes have been my songs
in the house where I live.
I remember your name during the night, O Lord,
and I will keep Your law.
This has been my practice,
for I observe Your precepts. 

Psalm 119:54-56

Your law is like music.  It brings joy and comfort.  I think of You and will keep Your law. 

I pray this in Jesus’ name.

God is so good.

Loved Secure

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May I experience Your loyal love, O Lord,
and your deliverance, as You promised.
Then I will have a reply for the one who insults me,
for I trust in your word.
Do not completely deprive me of a truthful testimony,
for I await your justice.
Then I will keep your law continually
now and for all time.

Psalm 119:41-44

Dear Heavenly Father, please deliver me by Your loyal love.  Then I can show the results of trusting in Your word to those who throw insults.  I need Your help to show the truth of Your word.  This will help me keep it.

I will be secure,
for I seek Your precepts.
I will speak about Your regulations before kings
and not be ashamed.
I will find delight in Your commands,
which I love.
I will lift my hands to Your commands,
which I love,
and I will meditate on Your statutes.

Psalm 119:45-48

Thank you for the security Your way brings.  This will give me boldness to speak to anyone about Who You are.  Your commands bring delight.  I love Your law.  It gives me motivation to obey.  I love Your law; I will think about it often.

I pray this in Jesus name.

God is so good.

Hold Tight

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Teach me, O Lord, the lifestyle prescribed by Your statutes,
so that I might observe it continually.
Give me understanding so that I might observe Your law,
and keep it with all my heart.
Guide me in the path of Your commands,
for I delight to walk in it.
Give me a desire for Your rules,
rather than for wealth gained unjustly.
Turn my eyes away from what is worthless!
Revive me with Your word!

Psalm 119:33-37

Dear Heavenly Father, please teach me how I should live.  Correct my flawed vision, so I will know what to give my heart to.  Your law brings great joy.  Please remind me that Your way is worth more than gaining wealth the wrong way.

Confirm to your servant Your promise,
which You made to the one who honors You.
Take away the insults that I dread!
Indeed, your regulations are good.
Look, I long for Your precepts.
Revive me with Your deliverance!

Psalm 119:38-40

Show me how Your promise is fulfilled for the one who honors You.  Help me through insults; I long for the goodness of Your way.  Please give me life through Your law.

I pray this in Jesus’ name.

God is so good.

Rescued by God’s Law

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I collapse in the dirt.
Revive me with your word!
I told you about my ways and you answered me.
Teach me your statutes!
Help me to understand what your precepts mean!
Then I can meditate on your marvelous teachings.
I collapse from grief.
Sustain me by your word!

Psalm 119:25-28

Dear Heavenly Father, There are so many difficulties in life.  I have struggles all around me.  Please keep my focus on Your word.  Help me to understand how wonderful Your laws are.  I cannot live without it.

Remove me from the path of deceit!
Graciously give me your law!
I choose the path of faithfulness;
I am committed to your regulations.
I hold fast to your rules.
O Lord, do not let me be ashamed!
I run along the path of your commands,
for you enable me to do so.

Psalm 119:29-32

So much deceit is around me, help me with Your law.  I want to faithfully live Your way.  Thank you for making a way to keep Your commands close.

I pray this in Jesus name.

God is so good.

God’s Way Provides Guidance

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Be kind to your servant!
Then I will live and keep your instructions.

Psalm 119:17 (NET)

Dear Heavenly Father,

I need Your kindness to keep Your law at the front of my life. I am prone to go my own way.

Open my eyes so I can truly see
the marvelous things in your law!

Psalm 119:18

Please remove the blinders that hinder me from learning how wonderful Your law is.

I am like a foreigner in this land.
Do not hide your commands from me!
I desperately long to know
your regulations at all times.

Psalm 119:19-20

I need to remember Your ways all day and night.  I do not belong here, keep Your commands close.

You reprimand arrogant people.
Those who stray from your commands are doomed.
Spare me shame and humiliation,
for I observe your rules.
Though rulers plot and slander me,
your servant meditates on your statutes.

Psalm 119:21-23

Thank you for bringing justice to those who do not care about Your ways.  Please protect me from those who want me to stray from You.  I will continue to study Your ways.

Yes, I find delight in your rules;
they give me guidance.

Psalm 119:24

I praise You for Your law!  It gives me the right direction.

I pray this in Jesus name.

God is so good.

God’s Law Brings Joy

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Psalm 119 is filled with statements about God’s commands.  I fear even in our churches that we are losing the perspective of how good God’s ways are.  We think our own ways are better, but we label our ways as though they are God’s ways. May God help us to remember His ways.

How can a young person maintain a pure life?
By guarding it according to your instructions!
With all my heart I seek you.
Do not allow me to stray from your commands!

Psalm 119:9-10 NET

Dear Heavenly Father, I want to maintain a pure, clean life.  Thank You for giving instructions to follow.  Please keep me close to them.

In my heart I store up your words,
so I might not sin against you.

Psalm 119:11

The only way to live right is to keep your word in my heart.

You deserve praise, O Lord!
Teach me your statutes!
With my lips I proclaim
all the regulations you have revealed.

Psalm 119:12-13

Only You are worthy!  Your laws are worthy of praise.  I want to share that with others.

I rejoice in the lifestyle prescribed by your rules
as if they were riches of all kinds.

Psalm 119:14

I take joy and pleasure in what You want for me.  You only desire the best.  Thank you for Your generous gifts.

I will meditate on your precepts
and focus on your behavior.
I find delight in your statutes;
I do not forget your instructions.

Psalm 119:15-16

I commit to focusing on what You want.  I take joy in Your way.  You keep reminding me of Your instruction.

I pray this in Jesus Name.

God is so good.

Praying Scripture-Psalm 119

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As I continue my blog posts on prayer for this year, I want to start praying a passage from the Bible. Psalm 119 is broken down into several sections. I plan on taking one section each week.

How blessed are those whose actions are blameless,
who obey the law of the Lord. 
How blessed are those who observe his rules,
and seek Him with all their heart,
who, moreover, do no wrong,
but follow in His footsteps.

Psalm 119:1-3 (NET)

Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us of the joy of obeying your law.  You gave Your rules to guide and protect us.  Thank you for giving us Your footsteps to follow.

You demand that Your precepts
be carefully kept.
If only I were predisposed
to keep Your statutes!
Then I would not be ashamed,
if I were focused on all Your commands.

Psalm 119:4-6

You are worthy to demand that we follow Your precepts.  You know we are prone to choose sin and so You remind us of the shame of disobeying You.


I will give you sincere thanks,
when I learn your just regulations.
I will keep your statutes.
Do not completely abandon me!

Psalm 119:7-8

Thank You for teaching us the justice of Your law.  Your regulations are true and right.  I commit to keeping Your statues.  I echo the Psalmist plea for Your help.  I need You!

I pray this in Jesus name.

God is so good.

What Sin Problem?

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As I finish going through Jesus’ Example Prayer, I want to spend one more week on the final phrase. “And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”

Having grown up going to church, Christian school for K-12th grade and Bible College, I know it can be easy to forget how much sin we have been saved from. I have mostly known people who have tried to live according to the Bible. We haven’t committed what most people think of as bad sins. However, Jesus’ Example Prayer includes a request for help from sin. The fact that Jesus taught us to pray this, means we need help with the battle against sin.

My prayer is that we learn to follow Jesus’ example. He had the perfect plan in mind and knew what we would need.

God is so good.

How Not to be Wrong

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Jesus Example Prayer ends with a plea for help with temptation. I find it sad in our society today – sometimes even in churches, that we don’t think we are wrong. When we read the Bible, we find out how wrong we are.

God gave us the Bible to read and learn the truth about who He is and who we are. The book of Romans gives us a good description for both. If you go to Romans 3 and begin by reading verses 9-12 you start to get the picture.

Jews and Greeks alike are all under sin,  just as it is written:
“There is no one righteous, not even one,
there is no one who understands,
there is no one who seeks God.
All have turned away,
together they have become worthless;
there is no one who shows kindness, not even one.”

Wow, that is clearly emphatic. We are all sinners. We are wrong. If you continue reading Romans 3, you will find more statements about how wrong we are. If God had stopped here with His Word, we would be in trouble. Thankfully, God made a way to take care of our wrong.

If you continue reading Romans 3 you will find out how this is possible. Verse 24 tells us that we “are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ. Verse 28 gives us the “how”. “For we consider that a person is declared righteous by faith apart from the works of the law.” By faith alone (not works), through Christ’s grace.

Friends, we all need help with temptation. Jesus knew this would be a problem for us, so He put this in His example prayer. Will you pray with me, that we would follow Jesus example?

God is so good.

Wrong Again

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The last phrase if Jesus’ Example Prayer talks about temptation. “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” Now we know from James 1:13-14 that God will never tempt us. I think Jesus is reminding us that we need to ask for help from our heavenly Father to make sure we do not allow ourselves to fall into sin.

If you read the book of Romans in the Bible, you will find that we are prone to sin. Romans 3:10 tells us that “None are righteous, not even one.” We also know that Satan (the evil one) is “seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8).”

With those two factors in place, we need a lot of help to make correct decisions. The only way we can do that is to ask God for deliverance. He is ready and willing to aid us. Jesus would not have taught us to pray this unless God was going to answer with a resounding yes.

Left to ourselves we will be wrong again and again. With God’s help, we can make right choices.

God is so good.