Showing posts with label Bible. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bible. Show all posts

January 30, 2023

A joyful prayer of Habakkuk

 

Habakkuk 3:17-19

 

Even though the fig trees have no blossoms,
and no grapes huddle together on the vines….

Even though olive crops dry up,
and fields lie fruitless and empty….

Even though flocks die in the fields,
and the cattle barns stand empty,

yet I will rejoice in the Lord!
I will be joyful in the God of my salvation
For You, Sovereign Lord, are my strength!

You make me as surefooted as a deer,
able to leap across high places.

 

From the Book of Bible Prayers – actual prayers of the Bible collected from a variety of translations researched on Bible Gateway then paraphrased into everyday English by Mary Sayler

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

May 3, 2022

Hope for godly nations


Leviticus 26:3-6, 11-12 – “If you faithfully follow and obey My instructions, I will give you seasonable rains, productive lands, and fruitful trees. Then you will have plenty to eat and will live in safety. I will dwell among you and will not turn away. I will walk with you and be your God.”

 

We want to follow You, Lord. We want to obey. We want to walk closer to You.

Thank You for letting us know what You want, so we don’t have to guess!  Please draw us into reading and remembering what the Bible says, so we can claim Your promises and take Your word to heart, soul, mind, and spirit.  


from the book Kneeling on the Promises of God


April 29, 2022

Praying before we speak or write!


This prayer of David reminds us to seek God's guidance and inspiration before we say or write a single word! What a blessed way to start the day! 

Poets, writers, pastors, priests, caretakers, and other communicators for Christ might find, as I did, that Psalm 19:14 is especially relevant to our lives and the work God has given us to do.


Psalm 19:14 – a prayer of David

Let the words of my mouth
and the meditations of my heart
be acceptable in Your sight,

O Lord, my strength
and my Redeemer.


Amen!


from the Book of Bible Prayers, researched on Bible Gateway and collected by Mary Sayler



April 9, 2022

Agreeing with you and Jesus


Matthew 18:19-20 – Jesus promised, “If two of you agree on anything they ask, it shall be done for them by My Father in heaven. For wherever only two or three gather in My Name, I Am there in the midst of them.”

Lord, You’ve promised to be with us always, but are You also promising greater power and effectiveness in our prayers when we agree on what we’re asking?

Holy Scriptures often call us, not to sameness, but to unity, as One in You, which becomes a blessing to ourselves and an influence on the whole world. Is this promise meant to be an incentive for siblings in Christ to get along?

Lord, forgive us for our fault-finding, fear, and envy toward one another! Give us Your prayers to pray – for ourselves, one another, and the world – in unity with Your will, in the love and power of Your Name.


Mary Harwell Sayler from book, Kneeling on the Promises of God

 

 

February 19, 2022

Praying Bible promises

[This following post prefaces the book, Kneeling on the Promises of God, which came together with God's guidance and help from the research capabilities found on Bible Gateway.]

 

As you have likely heard, the hymn “Standing on the Promises” encourages us to trust God and take Him at His word. But from the very beginning of time, the matter of believing God arose in the Garden of Eden with the doubt-producing question, “Does God really mean what He says?” That contagious thought gave mankind an excuse to disobey, and distrust gave birth to death!

Now, as then, wariness of God brings uncertainty and the ongoing scramble to find, “Who can I trust?” Sometimes we can’t even trust ourselves! So where do we turn? Do we place faith in money, power, politics, institutions, traditions, or trends?

The trouble with those options is that people change their minds. Money changes hands and value. Political leaders come and go. Institutions become something unlike their original selves, and trends are, well, trendy. Facts get disproven as new information comes to light. Even the ground beneath our feet trembles, and stars careen from the sky. Everything changes! But God does not change, and neither does God’s word.

Mysteriously and paradoxically, the Holy Spirit is invisible to us yet the most solid matter. So, too, are the promises God gives – promises so stabilizing, we can build our whole lives on them. Promises so truthful and trustworthy, they can become the basis of our most powerful prayers. But why should we believe those promises? Why should we place our faith in God?

According to the Bible, God is Love – forgiving, compassionate love that can always be trusted to do what’s best for us and our spiritual well-being. Nothing and no one is greater, kinder, holier, or more trustworthy than God.  Nothing and no one can offer us more power or purpose for our lives. Once we realize we can totally trust the Lord, we can build our marriages, families, churches, and occupations on the promises God gives.

We can build our prayer lives on those promises too. We can take God at His word, knowing He agrees with our prayer requests because He has already promised the very things we claim or ask Him to do. Therefore, to kneel on a promise God made means claiming that promise and praying it into our lives.

To put this belief into practice, you’ll find heartfelt, conversational prayers following each Bible promise – promises found in each translation but paraphrased here into everyday English. These prayers are to give you an idea of how you, too, might kneel on the promises in God’s Word.

The hope is that relevant prayers will also come to you as you meditate on the scripture verses, and write down your prayers, claiming God’s promises in the space provided on the lower part of each page. But before doing this:

Pre-pare with pre-prayer! 

Pray for the prayers to pray.

Regardless of our denominational affiliations or cultural backgrounds, let’s agree to stand on the promises of God throughout our lives and kneel on those promises as we claim God’s Word each day and night in prayer.

May God bless you and your prayer life in the Lord!

Mary Harwell Sayler

Kneeling on the Promises of God


December 1, 2021

Pre-prayer the Way with Zechariah

This prayer by the father of John the Baptist reminds us to prepare the way for Christ, our Christmas present from God presented in our homes then gifted to all peoples in need of God’s forgiving love.

 

Luke 1:68-70, 76, 77 – a prayer of Zechariah

from the King James Version of the Bible

 

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel;

for he hath visited and redeemed his people,

 

And hath raised up an horn of salvation

for us in the house of his servant David;

 

As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets,

which have been since the world began:

 

And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet

of the Highest: for thou shalt go before

the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;

 

To give knowledge of salvation unto his people

by the remission of their sins.

 

From the Book of KJV Prayers - actual prayers from the King James Version of the Bible (KJV) collected by Mary Sayler

 

Luke 1:68-70, 76, 77 – Zechariah’s prayer

paraphrased into contemporary English

 

Blessed are You, Lord God of Israel!

You have visited us and provided

redemption for Your people!

You have raised up a mighty Savior

from the house of David,

just as You promised ages ago

through the holy prophets.

 

And, now my child will be

a prophet of the Most High

to go before the Lord

and prepare the way

for You to give people

good news of salvation

as You forgive our sins.

 

From the Book of Bible Prayers – actual prayers of the Bible collected from a variety of translations researched on Bible Gateway then paraphrased into everyday English by Mary Sayler

 

 


August 31, 2021

A Bible Prayer to keep us afloat

 

As floods and overwhelming circumstances threaten to do us in, this Bible prayer from Jesus’ followers is here for us to pray today.

 

Matthew 8:25 – a prayer of Jesus’ followers
from the King James Version of the Bible:

 

And (Jesus’) disciples came to him,
and awoke him, saying,

Lord,
save us:

we perish.

 

From the Book of KJV Prayers - actual prayers from the King James Version of the Bible (KJV) collected by Mary Harwell Sayler

 

Matthew 8:25 – a prayer of Jesus’ followers,
Paraphrased in contemporary language:

 

Lord!
Save us! 

Do not let us
drown!

 

From the Book of Bible Prayers – actual prayers of the Bible collected from a variety of translations researched on Bible Gateway then paraphrased into everyday English by Mary Harwell Sayler

 

 

 

July 15, 2021

Prayer of choosing, not losing, joy in God

 

Things are tough! People are still getting ill or angry. Many live in fear or poverty. Weather has gone ballistic. Stores are closing. Food is pricey, and restaurants ready to serve can’t find servers willing to work. No one can. Even God has trouble finding enough people ready to serve – ready to ease the increasing needs of those around us.

 

The prophet Habakkuk knew the feeling. But despite the hard times and disappointments around him, he trusted in God’s goodness. As the following Bible prayer shows, this servant of God chose to rejoice in the Sovereign Lord.

 

 

Habakkuk 3:17-19 – a prayer of Habakkuk
paraphrased into contemporary English

 

Even though the fig trees have no blossoms,
and no grapes huddle together on the vines….

Even though olive crops dry up,
and fields lie fruitless and empty….


Even though flocks die in the fields,
and the cattle barns stand empty,

 

yet I will rejoice in the Lord!
I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!

 

For You, Sovereign Lord, are my strength!

You make me as surefooted as a deer,
able to leap across high places.


From the Book of Bible Prayers – actual prayers of the Bible collected from a variety of translations researched on Bible Gateway then paraphrased into everyday English by Mary Harwell Sayler

 

 

Habakkuk 3:17-19 – a prayer of Habakkuk
from the King James Version of the Bible

 

Although the fig tree shall not blossom,

neither shall fruit be in the vines;

the labour of the olive shall fail,

and the fields shall yield no meat;

the flock shall be cut off from the fold,

and there shall be no herd in the stalls:

 

Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,

I will joy in the God of my salvation.

 

The Lord God is my strength, and

he will make my feet like hinds' feet,

and he will make me to walk

upon mine high places. 

 

From the Book of KJV Prayers - actual prayers from the King James Version of the Bible (KJV) collected by Mary Harwell Sayler

 

June 21, 2021

Praying from inside a whale

  

On rare occasions (this very month in fact!), we hear of someone who survived being swallowed by a whale. According to statistics, the likelihood of this is one in a trillion, but for some people, those odds take the Bible story of Jonah out of the mists of myth into praise of the power our Almighty God has over odds.

 

Since our Creator God is not into performing magic tricks, each miracle fulfills some plan or purpose. With Jonah, for example, God planned to send the prophet into enemy territory on what might have been the first missionary trip ever.

 

And the people believed.

 

 

Jonah 2:2-9 – a prayer of Jonah
paraphrased from many translations
as found on Bible Gateway

 

I called to You, Lord, in my distress,

and You answered me!

From the belly of death, I cried for help,

and You heard me!

 

When You tossed me into the depths

of the sea, the waters overcame me.

Billows and breakers swept over me,

and I said, “I’ve been banished

from Your sight!” I wondered if I

would ever see Your holy sanctuary again.

 

Water engulfed me, and I sank into the sea.

Seaweed wrapped around my head.

I sank to the sea-roots of mountains.

Around me, the earth

closed like prison bars,

but You raised me

from this sinkhole,

O Lord, my God!

 

As my life faded away,

I remembered You.

My prayer floated up to You,

reaching Your holy presence.

Worshippers of worthless things

forsake Your faithful love, but I

will give You my voice

in a sacrifice of thanksgiving.

I’ll do as I promised, Lord,

for You alone hold my salvation.


From the Book of Bible Prayers – actual prayers of the Bible collected from a variety of translations researched on Bible Gateway then paraphrased into everyday English by Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2019.

 

 

Jonah 2:2-9 – a prayer of Jonah
from the King James Version of the Bible

 

And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction

the Lord, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell

cried I, and thou heardest my voice.

 

For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst

of the seas; and the floods compassed me about:

all thy billows and thy waves passed over me.

 

Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look

again toward thy holy temple.

 

The waters compassed me about,

even to the soul: the depth

closed me round about,

the weeds were wrapped about my head.

 

 I went down to the bottoms of the mountains;

the earth with her bars was about me for ever:

yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption,

O Lord my God.

 

When my soul fainted within me I remembered the Lord:

and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple.

 

They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.

But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving;

I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord.



From the Book of KJV Prayers - actual prayers from the King James Version of the Bible (KJV) collected by Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2019 

 

….

A joyful prayer of Habakkuk

  Habakkuk 3:17-19   Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and no grapes huddle together on the vines…. Even though olive crop...