A Scripture and a Prayer: “The Immediacy of the Call”

“‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will send you out to fish for people.’ At once they left their nets and followed him.” (Mark 1:17-18)

Prayer:

Lord, You have called everyone who is Your disciple to come and not only follow You, that is, follow Your will and way, but to fulfill You calling for our lives, which is Your Great Commission to, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” And so, help us who are called by Your name to follow You, Lord Jesus, and to tell the world about Your great love, because Your call isn’t for later; Your call is for right now. AMEN

A Scripture and a Prayer: “Casting Our Burdens”

“Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.” (Psalm 55:22)

Prayer:

Dear Lord, knowing that You will always be there no matter what life may throw at us, and the evils that Satan may threaten our lives with, fill our heart with Your joy and our spirits with confidence to face each day victoriously. May the knowledge that You will never leave nor forsake us, and that You are greater than all that will come against us, sustain and give us the strength to live for You in a world that wants us to live for it. Thank you for this wonderful promise that we can cast all my cares and worries upon You, and that You will hold us fast and never let us go. AMEN

A Scripture and a Prayer: “By God’s Grace”

“By the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” (1 Corinthians 15:10)

Prayer:

Lord, I am so thankful for the grace You have extended to all of us, because we’re not worthy of such a blessing, because by nature we are sinners, but through Your grace we have been made a child of Yours, as You have said, by Your grace we have been saved. May we never abuse this wonderful gift that You have given by taking it for granted. And so, in whatever we do, let us recognize that it isn’t through our righteousness, but it is through the grace You have extended towards us, and what now resides within us. AMEN

Scripture and a Prayer: “Our Salvation and Life”

“The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, to realize who You are is “beyond.” You are our light and salvation. And not only are You the light of the world, but also the light that shines in our hearts to guide us along the way. You are also our salvation. You came as the light of the world to shine upon the darkness of our sins, so that through Your death we now have everlasting life, because You are the light of life. Therefore, we have nothing more to fear, our eternity is secure in You, for You are our stronghold and strong tower from the enemy and to whom we run and are saved. AMEN

A Scripture and a Prayer: “If God Is For Us”

“If it had not been the Lord who was on our side… Our help is in the name of the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.” (Psalm 124:1, 8)

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, we really cannot thank you enough for being God in our lives, for always being there for us, even when we didn’t know of our need. Without You, O Lord, I don’t think that we could have made it, in fact, I know we wouldn’t have. So, we thank You from the bottom of our hearts for being on our side, but even more, thank You for allowing us to be on Your side, the side of right, and the side of everlasting life. AMEN

Scripture and a Prayer: “Our Salvation and Life”

“The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, to realize who You are is “beyond.” You are our light and salvation. And not only are You the light of the world, but also the light that shines in our hearts to guide us along the way. You are also our salvation. You came as the light of the world to shine upon the darkness of our sins, so that through Your death we now have everlasting life, because You are the light of life. Therefore, we have nothing more to fear, our eternity is secure in You, for You are our stronghold and strong tower from the enemy and to whom we run and are saved. AMEN

A Scripture and a Prayer: “Jesus: The Bible’s Message for Eternal Life”

“You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.” (John 5:39)

Prayer:

Lord, I cannot thank you enough for sending us Your love letter, not only in the words You had written down for us, but the love letter You sent in Your Son, Jesus Christ. Thank You for the precious promise You have given to us through Your Word of eternal life in heaven through giving us Your Son, that when we believe in Him, and the death He died upon the cross for us, heaven, and an eternity with You is ours. For Jesus is Your message of eternal life for us. AMEN

Scripture and a Prayer: “Redeemed? Time To Say So”

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so.” (Psalm 107:1-2)

Prayer:

O Lord, what a wonderful promise that not only is your mercy is new towards us every day, but that Your mercy endures forever, that is, it never runs out. How wonderful and how good is Your blessing of mercy towards us. Therefore, I ask that you give us the strength and the opportunity to tell the world of how great Your mercy is towards them if they would just give their heart, and turn their lives over, to Jesus. Therefore, thank You Lord for this wonderful blessing and opportunity to love You through loving others in this way. AMEN

Scripture and a Prayer: “Joy’s Right Around the Corner”

“For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5)

Prayer:

Lord, with all that is going on in this world, and what is going on in our lives, what a blessing it is knowing that Your joy is always there, and not only is it right around the corner, but it is new every single morning. What a blessing knowing that while pain and weeping seems to be the norm with all that is going on, that these will be replaced with Your divine favor and a joy that can only be found in your presence. Therefore, we praise Your name and give You thanks, as Your mercies towards us are new every morning, great is Your faithfulness. AMEN

A Scripture and a Prayer: “Hold On”

“I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” (Philippians 3:12)

Prayer:

Lord, I know that the older we get the harder it is to do those things that we used to do when we were young. But here’s the point, You haven’t asked us to. What You have asked if for us to hold on to You, not to some ministry or work. And here’s the really neat part, when we hold on to You, You hold on to us, and give what is best, and what we can do for Your kingdom. Because the truth is that it’s not about what we want to do, rather it is all about what You want to do in us and through us for Your Kingdom. Therefore, give us a discerning spirit to know what is of You and what is not, and then give us the courage to put away what isn’t of You, and to move forward with what is. And this I ask in Jesus’s name. AMEN

A Scripture and a Prayer: “Renewed by God”

“Do not conform Romans 12:2 any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2)

Prayer:

Lord, we come to You because we are under attack from the enemy who is trying to change our minds and hearts through difficult and hurtful circumstances in our lives. Instead, Lord, I ask if You would please keep us in the palms of Your loving hands and continue to change us through the Holy Spirit so that we may be more like Jesus in whatever we go through. We also ask that You extend us Your grace and mercy to see us transformed and working within Your will for our lives. AMEN

A Scripture and a Prayer: “Blessings Come Through Belief”

Jesus said, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29)

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank You for opening our eyes of faith to see and believe in Your Son, Jesus. Help us, therefore, to stop relying on our own senses and understanding, and begin to rely more and more upon Your grace and Your word to lead us through these troublous times. Help us to keep our eyes upon You, and off the wind and waves that seek to take us down. And Lord, we ask for all those who have yet to believe, that their eyes may be opened as well to the wonders of faith found only in You. And this we ask in Jesus’s name. AMEN

A Scripture and a Prayer: “Do We Believe This?”

“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26)

Prayer:

Lord, please help us believe, and without hesitancy that nothing is impossible with you, even though modern medicine, the law, or even science may say otherwise. Help us believe that in our present circumstances that You are there and that You not only want to lift us up, but to resurrect our lives, to raise us up so that in our troubles, problems, and illnesses we can hear You say, “Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” And while doubts may arise, may we be like that father who asked Jesus for a miracle, and say, “Yes, Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief.” Lord, help our faith in You expand, and may we say without hesitancy, “Yes I believe You are, without a doubt, our resurrection and our life.” AMEN

A Scripture and a Prayer: “A Willingness to Receive”

“The shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.’” (Luke 2:15)

Prayer:

Lord, with Christmas just a few days away, I was thinking about those shepherds who were keeping watch over their flocks, and how willing they were to receive the good news that brings great joy, that Christ the Lord, Emmanuel, God with us, had been born. And how willing they were to leave it all behind to go and see what the angel proclaimed, not to see if it was true, but because they believed God at His word. Help us to be more like the shepherds, willing to receive Your word and believe, without doubt and without hesitancy. Therefore, like the father who asked Jesus for the healing, we say, “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief.” And this I ask in Jesus’s name. AMEN

A Scripture and a Prayer: “No Contest”

“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” (John 6:63)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank you for setting us straight, that our relationship with You has nothing to do with our efforts, but rather it is through the Holy Spirit that a life lived in relationship with you happens. And so, Lord, I thank you for the real and genuine life You have extended to us. Therefore, let us honor Your word, which is nothing less than truth, as it brings us faith, hope, and an abundant life of love with You. Empower us, Holy Spirit, to live our lives in harmony with God’s holy word. And in the end, Oh Lord, there is no contest, You win. AMEN

A Scripture and a Prayer: “God’s Plan for Us”

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:17)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank you for fulfilling God’s plan not only for my life, but for everyone’s life who comes to belief in You, as You came and died upon the cross to set us free from sin and death. May we therefore not take for granted Your love and compassion for us, but rather cherish it above silver, gold, and precious jewels, for its value far exceeds them all. We also ask for Your help in loving others the way You have loved us and stop condemning others as You didn’t come to condemn us. Thank You Lord for this great. Wonderful, and precious promise of Your love. AMEN

A Scripture and a Prayer: “The Way of Humility”

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” (Philippians 2:3-4)

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, please purify our hearts, and please don’t allow our pride and selfishness to override Your love and compassion, not only for us, but for others. You said that we are to love You with the whole of who we are, but to show that love, we are to love others. So, help us to love those who are not all that easy to love, and let us do it with a heart of gratitude for the love You have shown. And let this love be not just in words, but in our actions as well. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity to make a difference for You in a world that has mostly forgotten all about You. AMEN

A Scripture and a Prayer: “Praise of Thanksgiving”

“I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving.” (Psalm 69:30)

Prayer:

Lord, there is so much to be thankful for, even though there is so much wrong and evil in this world. Help us to no longer focus on the world, but instead, turn our thoughts and heart towards You and Your blessings of salvation and the forgiveness of sin You have provided. Help each of us to count all the blessings You have provided, both small and great, but especially the blessing of salvation through the death of Your Son, Jesus Christ. AMEN

A Scripture and a Prayer: “God Delights In Healing”

The Lord heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds … The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy. (Psalm 147:3,11)

Prayer:

Lord, what a precious promise You have given, and it is a promise that we need to gratefully accept. Please Lord, in Your abundant grace and mercy, bind up our brokenness, and heal the wounds and hurts we have experienced in this life. For we fear and reverence You, and in so doing, trust in Your promise knowing that You will carry us through every situation and through every one of life’s circumstances until we are in the glory of Your presence in heaven. Thank you, Jesus, for extending to us this wonderful promise through Your death and resurrection. AMEN

A Scripture and a Prayer: “Faith not Doubt”

“For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” (2 Chronicles 16:9)

Prayer:

Dear Lord, You who have created the heavens and the earth and all who inhabit therein. I know that there is nothing that escapes Your gaze, and that You never slumber or sleep, and that You know the schemes of the enemy. Therefore, by faith and without doubting, I ask that You show Yourself strong on our behalf, supporting us when we are weak, and protecting us when we are vulnerable. And help us to be fully committed in our hearts and lives to You and to You alone. And this I ask in the wonderful name of Jesus. AMEN