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?