Showing posts with label God’s people. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God’s people. Show all posts

May 25, 2022

A Prayer of Comfort

 

In times of need, the prayer of God’s people in Psalm 94 reminds us to seek and confess the comfort God brings. We, the people of now, can find consolation in this same prayer for our nation. Pray for yourself, of course! Then change “my” to “our” and “I” to “we.” Pray, too, for other nations (“their” and “they”) who need God’s comfort.

 

Psalm 94:17-19 – a prayer of God’s people

Unless the Lord had been my help,
my soul had almost dwelt in silence.

When I said, My foot slippeth;
thy mercy, O Lord, held me up.

In the multitude of my thoughts
within me thy comforts delight my soul.


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

 

Psalm 94:17-19 – a prayer of God’s people
in contemporary language

Unless You had been my help, Lord,
my soul would have lived in silence.

When I thought my foot slipped….
When I thought I was falling,
Your steady love,
Your unswerving mercy
held me up.

When I get anxious or
worried or upset,
You comfort my heart.
You console my soul.


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

 

 

June 8, 2021

Bible prayer for the nations

 

With Memorial Day just behind us and the 4th of July coming soon, we’re reminded of our patriotic past but also our future uncertainties, which gives us time to pray NOW!

May this and other Bible prayers guide us into keeping God’s Word as we pray, not only for our nation, but for all peoples who need God's help:

 

A prayer of God’s people from
the King James Version of
Lamentations 5:1-5, 19-21

Remember, O Lord, what is come upon us:

consider, and behold our reproach.

Our inheritance is turned to strangers,

our houses to aliens.

 

We are orphans and fatherless,

our mothers are as widows.

 

We have drunken our water for money;

our wood is sold unto us.

 

Our necks are under persecution:

we labour, and have no rest.

 

Thou, O Lord, remainest for ever;

thy throne from generation to generation.

 

Wherefore dost thou forget us for ever,

and forsake us so long time?

 

Turn thou us unto thee, O Lord,

and we shall be turned; renew our days

as of old.

 

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

 

 

A timely prayer of God’s people  as
paraphrased from many translations
of Lamentations 5:1-5, 19-21

Lord, do You remember

what has happened to us?

Can You see how disgraced

we have been?

 

Strangers

have our inheritance,

foreigners our homes.

We are orphaned

and fatherless.

Our mothers are widows.

 

We have to pay

for water to drink,

and firewood costs too much!

People who pursue us

close in on our heels.

 

We’re so tired, Lord,

and we have no rest.

But, You, Lord, remain

the same forever.

 

From generation to generation,

You remain on Your throne,

and yet You keep forgetting us.

Why have You let us go for so long?

 

Restore us, O Lord!

Bring us back to You!

Give us the joy we once had.

 

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.

 

August 5, 2020

Bible Promise: praying to God With Us

Genesis 28:15 – “Look! I Am with you. I watch over you as you come and go. I will not leave you before I have done everything I promised.”

What joy we have in Your presence, Lord! What empowering promises You have given us to claim!

You, our Heavenly Father, our Loving God, and the Creator of all life in heaven and on earth, have given Your Word to be with us. No matter where we are, You are there.

We need You now, Lord.

We need You now.

 

©2020, Mary Harwell Sayler from her book Kneeling on the Promises of God


April 14, 2020

Praying for God to redeem


This Bible prayer of Moses speaks for us, too, as we seek God’s protection and redemption from all ills, including COVID-19.

Deuteronomy 9:26-29 – a prayer of Moses
as translated in the King James Version 

I prayed therefore unto the Lord, and said,
O Lord God, destroy not thy people
and thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed
through thy greatness, which thou hast brought forth
out of Egypt with a mighty hand.

 Remember thy servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob;
look not unto the stubbornness of this people,
nor to their wickedness, nor to their sin:
Lest the land whence thou broughtest us out say,
Because the Lord was not able to bring them
into the land which he promised them,
and because he hated them, he hath brought them out
to slay them in the wilderness.

Yet they are thy people and thine inheritance,
which thou broughtest out by thy mighty power
and by thy stretched out arm.

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


Deuteronomy 9:26-29 – a prayer of Moses
paraphrased into everyday English

O Lord God, You have redeemed Your people.

Your mighty hand has released us from all that
enslaved us, so please don’t do away with us now!

Think about Your faithful servants who came before us
and forget about the stubbornness – the wickedness
so obvious at this moment. Otherwise, people will say
You weren’t able to help or give us what You promised.

They’ll say You hate us and brought us to this place
to die. But, Lord, we are Your people, Your family –
the ones You rescued with Your enormous power
and open arms.

From the Book of Bible Prayersactual prayers of the Bible collected from a variety of translations and paraphrased into everyday English by Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2019


March 13, 2020

Priestly Prayer for God’s People


At the moment, the world seems to be in a panic over a virus, causing man-made systems, businesses, and services to shut down. As health officials tell us, we need to wash hands with soap every time we’re out and keep ourselves – and the air in our homes – hydrated.

Most important, however, we need to decide if we truly do trust God, Who made us, cares for us, and gives us this prayer:

Numbers 6:24-26 – the priestly prayer-blessing of Aaron over God’s people (KJV)

The Lord bless thee, and keep thee:

The Lord make his face shine upon thee,
and be gracious unto thee:

The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee,
and give thee peace.

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


Numbers 6:24-26 – the prayer of Aaron (paraphrased)

Lord, we pray You bless and keep us.

We pray Your face shines graciously upon us.

We pray You look kindly toward us
and give us Your God-peace.

Shalom.

From the Book of Bible Prayersactual prayers of the Bible collected from a variety of translations and paraphrased into everyday English by Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2019


May this priestly prayer, given to the Jewish high priest Aaron and received by Christians too, give us the peace needed in any troubling time.


August 11, 2018

Nehemiah’s Prayer is surely ours

“Great Lord, God of heaven,
Who inspires us to awe,

You always keep Your Word,
Your love, Your promises
with mercy shown
to those who love and obey You.

So now I ask You to open Your eyes,
Your ears to this prayer as I pray -
night and day - for Your servants,
Your children.

Lord, I confess we have sinned
against You,
and so have those before us.

How greatly we have wronged You!

We have failed to obey
Your commandments and laws given
to us through Your servant Moses.
But, Lord, do You remember what
You told us back then? You said,

‘If you are not faithful to Me,
I will scatter you among the nations.

But if you return to Me
and obey My commands - even
if you are as far away as you can go -

I will come and get you.

I will bring you to the place I have chosen
for My Name’.”


Nehemiah 1:5-9

as prayer-a-phrased by Mary Sayler after reading various translations on Bible Gateway

©2018













March 9, 2018

Bible Prayer and Confession for Us Today

O, Lord, God of heaven,
Our great and awesome God,
You keep Your promises and
give mercy
to those who love and obey You.

Please let Your ear be attentive
and Your eyes open to us,
so You may hear our prayer,
which we pray before You,
day and night,
for Your children,
for our children,
for our country.

We confess our sin against You
for we have done wrong.
My family and I have done wrong.
My country and I have done wrong..
We have acted badly toward You
and have not kept Your commandments,
which You gave to Your servant Moses.

Remember what you said to Moses?
‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you,
but if you return to Me
and keep My commandments
and do as I ask -
even though you’ve been cast
as far from Me as you can get -
yet I will gather you and bring you
to the place I have chosen to be.’

We are Your servants and Your people,
whom You have redeemed
by Your great power and strong hand!

O, Lord, please let Your ear be attentive
to this prayer and those of Your servants
who desire to honor Your name.

Give us Your success today.
Grant us Your mercy.


Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2018, prayer-a-phrased Nehemiah 1:5-from many of the numerous translations found on Bible Gateway.


November 27, 2016

Praying with Psalm 3

Psalm 3

How many are our foes, O Lord!
How many rise against us?
How many say God gives
no salvation for the soul?

But You, O Lord, are a shield around us,
our glory, and The One Who lifts our head.
When we cry aloud to the Lord,
You answer us from Your holy place.

We lay down and sleep.
When we awake, You have sustained us.

We need not be afraid
of many thousands of people
who have set themselves against us.

Rise up, O Lord!
Save us, O our God!
You alone can smack down our enemies
and break the bite of evil.

Salvation belongs to You, O Lord.
May Your blessings be on us
and all Your people.


prayer-a-phrased by Mary Harwell Sayler, © 2016


A joyful prayer of Habakkuk

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