Bonnie’s Prayer Affair Prayers

SUPPLICATION

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SICKNESS – LIFE THREATENING

[The majority of our prayers concern physical health.  We all know someone who is dealing with a life-ending disease.  Here is an opportunity to pray for them.  Fill their name in the blanks.]

LOSING FAITH (Lamentations 3)

Screen Shot 2016-03-23 at 4.19.53 PM…FATHER, the worst affliction does not only come from “the power and malice of the enemy,” but from You also (ref#112, p654, [Lam 3:1]). When Your hand is turned against ____, surely (he/she) can think that Your heart is turned against (him/her) also (ref#18, [Lam 3:3]).

____’s suffering has extended so long she may have forgotten that in You there is everlasting strength, and You are (his/her) never-failing hope (ref#18, [Lam 3:18]).

Teach (him/her) to cultivate thankfulness; soften (him/her) with such activity so (his/her) heart is prepared for the truth the SPIRIT expresses. Is this tribulation, in at least some part, a consequence—a result triggered by a hard heart?

“It becomes us to have humble hearts under humbling providences, and to renew our penitent humiliations for sin upon every remembrance of our afflictions and miseries” (ref#18, Lam 3:19]).

May ____ come soon to realize You never change—that Your steadfast love never ceases and Your mercies never come to an end (Lam 3:22). Only You can cause (his/her) thoughts to move off (his/her) acute suffering and onto confidence in Your character and past mercies (ref#56, p1138, [Lam 3:22-24]).

THANKSGIVING

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ETERNAL BLESSINGS

Screen Shot 2016-03-23 at 4.10.20 PMYou have called me according to Your purpose, and predestined me to be conformed to the image of CHRIST JESUS (Rom 8:28-29). Your words do not return to You void (Isa 55:11). No matter how You infuse Your goodness into me, it cannot be snatched away.

When misunderstandings come in relationships and I am deeply hurt by trusted friends who have been a great conduit for Your mercy to me, Your mercy remains even if the relationship is destroyed. Ultimately the relationships You work through to conform me into the image of CHRIST is of no lasting consequence —only the conforming matters. My earthly relationships will always be tainted with sin, misunderstandings will abound, but Your Word that comes to me through those relationships will remain forever (1 Pet 1:25).

FATHER, my life here is fluid—forever changing. I ebb and flow as Your great seas. But You are my foundation—never changing, never. Anything that is spiritually attested is eternal. As You subject me to fluctuating circumstances of this earth, I thank You for protecting the Christlikeness You have already poured into me and the Christlikeness You will continue to pour into me.

CONFESSION

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PANIC

Screen Shot 2016-03-23 at 4.03.06 PM“ …if…you will not do all my commandments…then I will do this to you: I will visit you with panic…” (Lev 26:14-16 ESV).

FATHER, as naturally and surely as Your lightening starts forest fires and hurricanes produce devastation, disobedience brings panic. The cause will always yield the same results. Whether I am presumptions or naive about disobeying the result will be panic.

FATHER, it is frightfully easy to move myself from Your rule back to operating under my rule. Not paying attention is enough to do it. Problems start when I go days not realizing I’m hearing nothing from You to obey. When I’m not in Your Word, or in accountable fellowship, or in honest prayer, I am not exposed to Your commands and thus, not obedient to them. But, ignorance of the law is no excuse whether it’s civil law or Your law. Forgive me for walking away from You.

Whenever I deduce I can’t handle a present or upcoming circumstance, FATHER, remind me that it is because I have drifted away from Your care and power over my life. Call me back, blanket me in Your presence, cause me to delight again in obedience. Only You can dissipate panic.

ADORATION

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I AM A PLANT IN HIS GARDEN

Screen Shot 2016-02-25 at 10.23.16 AM…FATHER, CHRIST, as the Son of GOD, did absolutely everything for Your sake, but as the Son of Man, He did absolutely everything for my sake. For my sake He took my nature upon Himself (1 Tim 3:16). “He took on…a life of prayers, tears, fears” and suffering like me but unlike me He took on all this in perfect obedience “with cheerfulness and delight” (Heb 10:7-8) (ref#35, p249).

For my sake He was obedient to death. He dedicated Himself as a sacrifice—to be killed (John 17:19). What a fearful cup he tasted so I might never have to taste it (Matt 26:39). FATHER, it was a cup full of the curse of the law (Gal 3:13), Your wrath (1 Thes 1:10), and most of all the loss of Your presence (Ps 22:1). He left “his glory, his riches, his ease,” His very life, “to undergo loss, shame, wrath, curse,” and death for me (ref#35, p250). For me!

His interest is that I should be His—that I become a partaker of His glory (1 Pet 5:1). And now He proves His love by His continual care in all my deliverances and afflictions—in all my conditions of sinning and suffering. I am “the apple of his eye, his jewel, his diadem, his crown” John Owen (ref#35, p250).

I am a plant in His garden while the unbelieving world is wilderness. Even if I am “the meanest, debased, weakest and poorest believer on earth,” CHRIST prizes me more than all the rest of the world (ref#35, p251).

“Lord, unto Thee from my full heart my prayers ascend;

To thee will I sing praise….

And for Thy loving grace and truth which hath no end

Will thank Thee all my days” Arthur S. Way (ref#38, p468, [Ps 138:1-2]).

SUPPLICATION

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CHRISTIAN

[Because we are Christians and live in the world we will always need prayer for our walk and for witnessing to others about CHRIST.  Here’s an opportunity to pray for others or even ourselves.  Fill the name in the blanks.]

BREAD OF LIFE

Screen Shot 2016-03-18 at 3.55.10 PM“Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst” (John 6:35 ESV).

FATHER, not only does Your Son take away ____’s sin, and become (his/her) righteousness, but He continues to be active in (his/her) life. CHRIST must daily feed (him/her) (John 6:56). ____ must live off Him. You were the bread of life to JESUS, as JESUS must be the bread of life to ____ (John 6:57).

SPIRIT, awaken ____ to understand how to wait for Your instructions. Satisfy (his/her) desire to possess the planted-firm faith that JESUS had and not panic with thoughts of situations present and future. Empower ____ with a cool head void of (his/her) own planning and empower (him/her) with ears that wait for Your directions. You, SPIRIT, will supply the bread from JESUS to (him/her). Quicken ____ to open wide and let JESUS feed (him/her) (Ps 81:10).

THANKSGIVING

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PRAISE NEVER CEASES

Screen Shot 2016-03-18 at 3.50.30 PMThe only thing I can possess that lasts eternally is praise to the Triune GOD. I feebly praise here on earth and it encourages my soul magnificently but in this world I am side-tracked and burdened with so many things…

But when You, FATHER come to take me out of this world, I will lose these burdens and be glorified to a state where I think only of praising You. Even now I realize that a day in Your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere (Ps 84:10). What joy it will be to be continually serving You as the sons of Levi served in Your earthly house (1 Chron 23:32).

King David assigned 6,000 Levites to have charge of the work in the house—to be officers and judges. He also assigned 4,000 gatekeepers and 4,000 to offer praises (1 Chron 23:4-5). I would love to minister night and day to You…

You are able to fill me with joy on this earth by satisfying me with the ability to embrace short spurts of praise to You—for this I am exceedingly thankful. But, what greater joy will I experience when I am able to think of nothing else but serving You!

CONFESSION

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NO MORE GUILTY CONSCIENCE

Screen Shot 2016-03-18 at 3.41.06 PM…MY COMPASSIONATE SOVEREIGN, I easily discourage myself by believing I am sin because I am the one who is doing the sinning. But to the contrary, it is sin that uses the member’s of my body to work through (Rom 7:17).

CHRIST dwells in me (Gal 2:20) as well as my sinful nature (Rom 7:17,20) (ref#56, p1624, [Rom 7:14-25]). Help me LORD, to never forget that You have made me a saint yet because I’m a mortal creature I still am susceptible to sin. I am a saint who still has a sinful nature that indwells me. So, regarding sin, “…no longer is it I who do it, but the sinful nature which indwells me;…” Kenneth S. Wuest (ref#37, p363, [Rom 7:17]).

Remind me that possessing the nature of CHRIST I am no longer willingly habitually disobedient. It is I, in CHRIST, who makes me desire very much to be obedient even when I’m knowingly sinning (Rom 7:14-25).

And, even as I’m sinning the blood of JESUS cleanses all guilt from my conscience (Heb 10:22). So I should never feel guilty for sinning! You say, “…THEIR ERRORS AND THEIR BREACHES OF THE LAW WILL I SURELY NOT REMEMBER ANY MORE’” Arthur S. Way (ref#38, p242, [Heb 10:17]). There is absolute forgiveness of sins (Heb 10:18). I have been washed clean with pure water (Heb 10:22). Help me remind myself of that often, FATHER, for satan loves to bring my failures to remembrance.

When sin entangles me (Heb 12:1) and uses me for its evil purposes—when You, LORD, witness me aiding and abetting evil—when I’m caught in the crime of offending You—how exceedingly sorrowful I am for my participation in assaulting You. Sorrowful yes, but my faith in CHRIST eliminates guilt.

Again, it’s not I who sin but the sinful nature that still indwells me. Help me always make my confession thorough and quick so I may have the freedom again to praise You. I am always in CHRIST and clean (Heb 10:22). Do not let me wallow in self-pity because I find myself involved in sin. Keep me always from a guilty conscience. And encourage me with the fact that while sin still accompanies my new identity eventually my “new identity will result in the final triumph over indwelling sin (Rom 6:2-14)” The Reformation Study Bible (ref#56, p1624, [Rom 7:15]).

 

ADORATION

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GRATEFUL WORSHIP

Screen Shot 2016-02-25 at 10.44.07 AM…FATHER, it must have seemed like a dream, too good to be true, to the exiles given permission to return to Zion (Ps 126:1). Or when the angel woke Peter in prison and his chains fell off. He thought he was seeing a vision it was so unreal to him (Acts 12:7,9).

With the work You’ve done in my life, FATHER, I should have the same reaction.   As I remember Your holy activity toward me, I should feel like I need to pinch myself.

Do not thoughts of You set my hearts vibrating? Is there not a sound of song in the distance? If I ponder long enough, doesn’t the music grow louder?

Nehemiah dedicated the wall around Jerusalem with gladness, with thanksgivings, with singing, with cymbals, harps, and lyres (Neh 12:27). The people gathered offered great sacrifices that day and rejoiced, for GOD had made them rejoice with great joy (Neh 12:43). Doesn’t GOD make me rejoice because of all He’s done?

FATHER, stir me to rejoice; rivet my attention to the rising music in my soul which is the response to Your blessings to me. Lift my eyes to You—You, Who did all for me. Oh soul, rejoice in the LORD, again I say, rejoice (Phil 4:4). Shout for joy (Ps 66:1). In grateful worship, break forth into joy oh my soul!

“Break forth into joy o my soul. Break forth into joy o my soul,

In the presence of the LORD there is joy forevermore,

Break forth, break forth, into joy, o my soul” Composer Unknown.

And LORD, continue to do great works in me. I need Your rain in my drought-stricken life (Ps 126:4). I am like Isaiah looking at You high and lifted up (Isa 6:1). Realizing I am Yours, yet unclean (Isa 6:5). I weep because of my sin, I cry under Your discipline. I plant my crops in sin’s entanglement and despair but in the end I’ll shout hurrahs at the harvest (Ps 126:5).

With pleas for mercy I shall come, and You will lead me back to You (Jer 31:9). So my heavy soul will come home laughing, with armloads of blessing. (Ps 126:6). For all this, LORD, I shout again for joy in grateful worship to You,

SUPPLICATION

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NON CHRISTIAN Resisters

[We all have friends and family that do not want anything to do with Christianity so it is up to us to pray for their salvation.  Here’s an opportunity to pray for them. Fill their name in the blanks.]

BENEFITS OF MISERY

Screen Shot 2016-03-18 at 3.05.19 PM…FATHER, cause ____ to remember that Your heart has been broken over all the sin (he/she) has done. Cause ____ to be loathsome in (his/her) own sight for the evils that (he/she) has committed—for all (his/her) abominations (Ezek 6:9).

FATHER, I praise You that You sovereignly work all things so that even the misery of ____ may lead to (his/her) eternal security. Allow (his/her) desperation guide (him/her) into union with You (ref#66, p62).

I pray that ____ give up the fight of resisting You. Dole out to (him/her) no respite and no resting place for the soles of (his/her) feet, instead give (him/her) a trembling heart and failing eyes and a languishing soul (Deut 28:65). Make (his/her) life itself hang in doubt—that (he/she) dread night and day (Deut 28:66). Make (his/her) suffering so oppressive that Your promises contrast (his/her) plight so strongly that the hope of Your promises drives (him/her) to acceptance.

FATHER, exhaust (him/her) with the guilt of (his/her) sin then offer the refreshment of CHRIST (Matt 11:28-30). Give (him/her) the uplifting option of starting over.

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Cor 5:17 NASU).

 

THANKSGIVING

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PSALM 86

Screen Shot 2016-03-18 at 3.00.54 PMI will praise You, O LORD my GOD,

with my whole heart (Ps 86:12).

For You incline Your ear and answer me

in my distress (Ps 86:1).

 

I ask You to preserve my life

since I am dedicated to You,

since I trust in You, my GOD,

save Your servant (Ps 86:2).

 

You are merciful and gracious to me,

O LORD;

make Your servant to rejoice

for I lift myself up to You (Ps 86:3-4);

 

Teach me that I may walk

and live in Your truth;

direct my heart to reverently fear

and honor Your name (Ps 86:11).

 

You, O LORD, are good

and ready to forgive my trespasses;

I call and You send my sins away—

gone completely and forever (Ps 86:5).

 

Great is Your mercy

and loving-kindness toward me;

You deliver me

from the depths of affliction (Ps 86:13).

 

You are great and work wonders!

You alone are GOD (Ps 86:10).

You are abundant in mercy and loving-kindness,

and I will glorify Your name forevermore (Ps 86:5,12).