Be Still

Be still. Find some still water to sit beside and wait on the Lord.

Sit in stillness before God. Listen. Wait. Silence your thoughts and your movements.

Sit with God. 

Change Your Perspective

 Sometimes a different perspective can change out we view things. While we can see the crookedness of the tree in both pictures, a different perspective highlights or minimizes the crookedness.

Ask God what views of yours need a new perspective.

How can changing your view change how you view others?

Pray to Benefit Those Around You

 Sometimes when you are out walking in the woods, you see a fallen tree. Our instinct might be to haul it off to tidy up the forest, but this fallen tree nourishes and shelters the plants and animals around it.

Pray that you may benefit those around you. 

Pray that you may nourish those who are hungry.

Pray that you may shelter those who are weary and weak.

Pray that your life may enrich those in your influence.

Praying During an Election

 As Election Day (2024, USA) is happening on Tuesday, this will be a collection of prayer prompts for the election.

• not as I will, but as God wills.
• a peaceful election
• the results to be verified and accepted
• short voting lines for those with limited time to vote
• our outgoing leaders to finish well
• our incoming leaders to start well

What other prayers can you pray for this election?

Eyes that See

 May we have eyes that see the marvelous details of Your creation. May we pause to notice them as we praise Your for what we see.

Hollow

We pray for those who feel hollow and empty. May You fill them with Your Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit. 

 

Deer

Seeing a deer in a park brought several verses to mind. 

I want to long for You, Lord. I want to give You credit for enabling me to stand on the heights with feet like a deer. 

Psalm 42:1 and Feet of a Deer 

Can you see the deer? 

Shyness

Trees have crown shyness, but I just have regular shyness. I want to reach out to others and speak Your words to them, but I need Your boldness to do so. 

 

Wounds and Scars

I see my wounds and my scars, and I find them hideous. Yet, You can use them for Your glory. May You be glorified in my weakness. May You use my pain for good to draw others close to You. 

 

Signs of Growth

There are days when I don't feel like I am growing and changing. When these days come up, please show me, Lord, how You have been working in me and how I have grown. Show me the signs of life in my life. 

 

Soothe My Ruffled Feathers, Lord

 When the news and the events of this world upset me, Lord, soothe my ruffled feathers. 

When I can't see a way to peace, remind me that You're the Prince of Peace. 

Stick Close to God

 With the election season in the US gearing up, I want to stick close to God. 

God, I need to remember that You are sovereign and You are in control.

When I am anxious, worried, and stress, may I meditate on Your Word and stick close to You. 

Make Space In My Life

We can rush from thing to thing so quickly, that we don't have margin, or time to reflect, or space to breathe.

Lord, teach me to make space in my life for You. Build margin, time for reflection, and empty space to be used by You. 

Untangle my Priorities

We can sometimes get entangled and ensnared by the world and its priorities to get rich, to land the dream job, or so on. 

Lord, my priorities sometimes get messed up, as the world's vines tangle me up. Cut me loose from the world's priorities, so I may focus on Your priorities. 

Obstacles

What obstacles are you facing in your path? Do they feel conquerable or insurmountable? 

Whether it feels manageable or not, cry out to God to guide you through each step as you come to obstacles. 
 

Off-Kilter

 Do you feel off kilter? Are you having trouble determining which way you should be orienting yourself? 

Ask God to reorient your life to His presence and His values. When you feel pulled in different directions and on shaky ground, pray for His guidance. 

Are You Feeling Raw and Open?

Sometimes, we feel raw and open and exposed. Like the storms of life have stripped away our defenses and even parts of ourselves. 

 When that happens, pray to God for healing. Ask His Comforter to comfort you. 

Seeing Christ Through Me

 Lord, I want people to look at me and see Jesus. May my hurts, scars, and bruises allow people to better see You.

I don't want the attention for my glory, but for Yours. 

Bearing Fruit

I want to bear the fruit of the Spirit in my life.

I want to be recognized by my fruit. 

Teach Me to Marvel

 When I see Your creation, teach me to marvel. 

May I be amazed at the colors, sights, smells, and details in Your creation.

Draw My Eyes Upward

 May the views, sounds, and other parts of nature, draw my eyes up to heaven and to You. 

May I learn to see Your creation, and You, in new and unique ways. 

A Reflection of God

Lord, I want to reflect You to the people I encounter, both today and everyday.

Teach me to quiet myself, so that I may more clearly reflect Your characteristics. 

I love taking pictures of trees and their mirrored reflections in a body of water. It gets me wondering if I'm reflecting Jesus in my encounters with people.

Petition God When You're Breaking

Sometimes, life gets us down, and it feels that we are barely keeping it all together.

When that happens (or better yet, before we get to that point), we should petition God. Ask Him for wisdom, strength, guidance, and most importantly, His presence, when we face struggles and difficulties. 

Praise God for Delights

What things draw your eyes up towards God in heaven? 

Take time today to praise God for the delights around you that draw your attention to Him. 

When I was hiking, I saw a hollow tree stump with a hole at the bottom. I snaked my camera inside for this shot. 

A New Series: Nature Prayers

When I go hiking in nature, I can hear God speaking through the things that I see. 

So for the foreseeable future, this will be a new series here: a nature picture and how it prompts me to reflect on my relationship with God. 

What places is it easier for you to hear from God? 

How often do you visit those places? 

How do you record and remember the lessons that the Spirit is teaching you? 

Praying for the Fatherless, Orphans, and Widows

God cares for those who are lonely, struggling, and without advocates.

One special group that appears over and over again are widows and orphans (or the fatherless). 

The word "fatherless" appears 41 times in the NIV Bible.

The word "orphan" appears 4 times in the NIV Bible. 

The word "widow" appears 103 times in the NIV Bible. 

As you take time to read over these verses, let them guide your prayers. As you notice God's heart for these people, pray that your heart may be aligned with His. 

How is the Spirit convicting you help widows and orphans (or the fatherless) today? This week? This month? This year? 

Praying For Our Enemies

 I know. I know. You have no enemies.

Except, our nation and world are more divided than ever.

Praying for our enemies might be praying for those who hold the opposite position on the hill we die on.

Praying for our enemies might be praying for those across the aisle politically.

Praying for our enemies might be praying for the politician that you despise...errr...have no respect for.

Praying for our enemies might be praying for the side we don't support in the war, be it Russia or Ukraine, Gaza/Hamas or Israel, or even cultural wars.

What does the Bible have to say about our enemies? 

1. We were once God's enemies; but He sent His Son to reconcile us to Him. (See Romans 5:10 and Colossians 1:21)

2. Jesus specifically commanded us to love our enemies and pray for our persecutors. (See Matthew 5:43-48)

3. Luke 6:27-36 takes #2 even further by commanding us to love our enemies, to do good to him, and lend to them without expectations of it being returned. 

How can you pray for your enemies?