For All

[Jesus praying] I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. [emphasis mine]
John 17:20-21 NLT

Chapter 17 is the longest recorded prayer of Jesus. It is rich. It is powerful. And it is not just for disciples who walked with Him, He prayed for all of us.

...all who will ever believe... that's you and me.

And it didn't stop there. You know this. It wasn't a one-time prayer. Romans 8:34 tells us that Jesus is at the right hand of the Father making intercession for us. If we sin, He is our Advocate with God our Father (1st John 2:1). The crucifixion, His blood shed for the remission of our sins totally took care of everything... once and for all.

Prayer:

Father,
             As we come into this holy season of remembrance, may we never forget all that You have done for us. Thank You, Jesus, for the blood applied for all of us. May we fully recognize, give honor and praise for providing the way back into right relationship with You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Sing Praise to Our God! Psalm 67

Psalm 67

For the choir director: A song. A psalm, to be accompanied by stringed instruments.

May God be merciful and bless us.
May his face smile with favor on us. Interlude

May your ways be known throughout the earth,
your saving power among people everywhere.
May the nations praise you, O God.
Yes, may all the nations praise you.
Let the whole world sing for joy,
because you govern the nations with justice
and guide the people of the whole world. 

Interlude

May the nations praise you, O God.
Yes, may all the nations praise you.
Then the earth will yield its harvests,
and God, our God, will richly bless us.
Yes, God will bless us,
and people all over the world will fear him.

It is Written - What He Does

Just to remind you

My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth!
He will not let you stumble; 

the one who watches over you will not slumber.
Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps.

The Lord himself watches over you! 

The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.
The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night.

The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life.
The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, 

BOTH NOW and FOREVER. [emphasis mine]

Psalm 121:2-8 NLT

Prayer:

Father, 

           Thank You for keeping watch over us. Thank You for preserving Your Word for us. Help us to not say or do anything that has not been filtered through the Holy Spirit working in us. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

On the Lookout

God is always on the alert, constantly on the lookout for people who are totally committed to him. You were foolish to go for human help when you could have had God’s help. Now you’re in trouble—one round of war after another.
2nd Chronicles 16:9 The Message

The King James reads, the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth... He's searching for those whose hearts are searching for Him so He can strengthen them. Do you feel His strength or just more trouble?

Are we searching for Him or do we take for granted that He is there?

How much time do we invest in building our relationship with God compared to the time we invest in our relationships with others?

Are we fully attentive to Him or on the lookout for help from someone else?

Prayer:

Father,
            Forgive us for our less-than measures of seeking You. Forgive us for looking to anyone else besides You for You are our constant Help. Help us to let go of the clutter we bring into our lives and look to You only - the Author and Finisher of our faith. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

It's Not About You

Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.

Colossians 3:16 NLT

Music has changed so much in your lifetime...  No matter your age, there has been enough transition that you more than likely have a preference. I'm not just referring to worship music but to all genres. Think about the drastic changes in the world over the last 80 years, from crooners like Bing Crosby to rappers such as Lil Nas X. 

I think there is even more controversy over the changes in worship music, and there is definitely much more heated conversation. While the world just seems to accept whatever comes along in the way of music, the body of Christ has very specific ideas about what is and what is not Christian music. If the artists don't look the way we think they should look or the music doesn't sound like we think it should, it's labeled inappropriate for our praise and worship services. 

A few years back, Chad Napier wrote an article for Christianity.com about the different types of music for the church. One thing he wrote really stuck out to me. It was in Matthew 14, where Peter walked on the water. The disciples were in a storm, it was dark and scary and they did not recognize anything about Jesus as He came walking toward them - not His walk, His face, or any of His normally recognizable traits... until they heard His voice. And that was the main point. The message of the music, at first, might be unrecognizable, but listen to its voice. 

If the song carries the message of Jesus Christ, who are we to say it is inappropriate? If we can look across the crowd and see people surrendered to worshiping Christ... isn't that the objective?  If the music is not your favorite flavor, stay in an attitude of worship and prayer and do not bring discord into the service. According to Psalm 149:5b NLT, you can find your joy in praise at home - Let them sing for joy as they lie on their beds.

The main thing to remember about Worship is that Jesus is the main thing about worship. It's not about you. It's always about Him.

Prayer:

Father,

           Forgive us when we try to make it about us. It's never to be about us - it's always about You. You alone are worthy to be praised from the rising of the sun to the going down of the same, Your Name is to be praised. Open our spiritual eyes and ears to be in tune with You so that we are able to teach and counsel each other with the wisdom You give to us. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Words to Remember

Your own soul is nourished when you are kind; it is destroyed when you are cruel.
Proverbs 11:17 TLB

Kind words are like honey - sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.
Proverbs 16:24 NLT

Words satisfy the mind as much as fruit does the stomach; good talk is as gratifying as a good harvest. Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit—you choose.
Proverbs 18:20-21 The Message

My son's friend lost his mother recently and today, he had his first birthday without her. She and I had many conversations about boys when ours were in high school. And as I remembered those times today, I wondered what he was remembering about her. 

It got me thinking about the legacy of words we leave behind. Are there words that have been spoken that need to be forgiven? Words that should be held rather than hurled in anger? Ways of speaking that we need to change?  Tones to be softened? If death and life are in the power of the tongue - are we murderers or lifesavers?

Prayer:

Father,

           We pray as David prayed, Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips. According to Your Word, let everything we say be good and helpful, so that our words will be an encouragement to those who hear them, and minister Grace. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

It's a Loving Thing

Like a cool drink of water when you’re worn out and weary is a letter from a long-lost friend.

Proverbs 25:25 The Message

It's amazing to me how an unexpected text, note or card will lift the spirit of the one who receives it! In this day and age, it's better than a present on most days.  There's something about holding the mail piece in your hand - the proof that someone was thinking about you and took the time to write it out and get it mailed. Maybe even prayed for you while doing it. It's a loving thing. And we delight in receiving and reading them.

This verse always gets my attention when I read it. Somehow, I never thought about letter-writing per se in biblical times... and yet, the New Testament is comprised of those letters. Long, newsy letters, hand-scribed, deliberate, prayed over, and intentionally sent. Very definitely, a loving thing. We should delight in reading them.

Prayer:

Father,

           Birth in us a fresh and new desire for Your Word. Help us also to follow Your example of writing to testify of Your greatness and Your faithfulness. Open our ears to hear Your instructions of who needs a reminder of Your love. We want to do the loving thing. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen