Category Archives: Prayer

Learning To Pray Effectively

Learning to Pray: It’s Not All About Me, It’s About God

It seems many do not know how to pray in a righteous, God honoring manner. Prayer has turned often into a wish list of what I want from God and when I want it. As a response to help people come to better understand a Biblical approach to prayer we are exploring Biblical examples of righteous prayer in our extra Friday articles. These are additional to our daily devotions. Sometimes we are highlighting examples of righteous prayer from Solomon or David or Daniel and, of course, Jesus Christ. Today we explore Psalm 4.

Psalm 4

Evening Prayer of Trust in God.

For the choir director; on stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.

      1Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
You have relieved me in my distress;
Be gracious to me and hear my prayer.

      2O sons of men, how long will my honor become a reproach?
How long will you love what is worthless and aim at deception?

Selah.

      3But know that the LORD has set apart the godly man for Himself;
The LORD hears when I call to Him.

      4Tremble, and do not sin;
Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still.

Selah.

      5Offer the sacrifices of righteousness,
And trust in the LORD.

      6Many are saying, “Who will show us any good?”
Lift up the light of Your countenance upon us, O LORD!

      7You have put gladness in my heart,
More than when their grain and new wine abound.

      8In peace I will both lie down and sleep,
For You alone, O LORD, make me to dwell in safety.

David provides much helpful insight into prayer throughout Psalms. In Psalm 4, we see some important elements to prayer.

  • Believe that God will answer.
  • Acknowledge that God is righteous rather than man. Any righteousness we can claim originates from God who has set the standard that defines righteousness.
  • Acknowledge God helps us in our distress.
  • Recognize we rely on God’s grace to answer our prayers. It is beyond what we deserve in relationship with our Creator.
  • We can call on God to help us deal with the unrighteousness of men, who come against us because of our honor in submitting to God.
  • God hears the prayers of the righteous and godly, not just prayers of people who call out to Him, but do not submit to Him.
  • We should not treat our submission to God lightly. “Tremble, and do not sin;” We should hold God in some amount of respect, fear, and reverence. We should deeply consider our tendency to sin and turn from it. Bringing this issue before God for His help is worthy of our time in prayer.
  • “Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and trust in the Lord.” Living righteously according to God’s instruction will have a cost. People will come against us. Sometimes we will make choices that do not benefit us personally but further the kingdom of God. Trust in God and be willing to offer our lives as living sacrifices to God, according to His righteousness.
  • Call out to God to help us when others will not.
  • Praise God for the gladness He brings in our lives.
  • Praise and thank God for the peace He brings to us in our lives.

Stepping back from the many detailed elements… you do not find a shallow, selfish list of wants from David in Psalm 4. You find real issues, focus on and reverence for God, and praise and thanks to God. Take some time to thoughtfully compare this to your prayer life. Challenge yourself to put more focus on praising and thanking God and asking His help for you to live righteously according to His instruction, even when it is hard.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Learning To Pray Effectively

Prayer Request: What Do You Pray For?

This week’s prayer challenge is to consider how you pray for yourself and your family. Take a few moments to consider what you ask God for in your life and why. Write down three personal prayers.

Now let us consider the prayer of one whom God answered in a mighty way, Solomon.

2 Chronicles 1:7-13

     7In that night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask what I shall give you.”

Solomon’s Prayer for Wisdom

      8Solomon said to God, “You have dealt with my father David with great lovingkindness, and have made me king in his place. 9“Now, O LORD God, Your promise to my father David is fulfilled, for You have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth. 10“Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people, for who can rule this great people of Yours?” 11God said to Solomon, “Because you had this in mind, and did not ask for riches, wealth or honor, or the life of those who hate you, nor have you even asked for long life, but you have asked for yourself wisdom and knowledge that you may rule My people over whom I have made you king, 12wisdom and knowledge have been granted to you. And I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings who were before you has possessed nor those who will come after you.” 13So Solomon went from the high place which was at Gibeon, from the tent of meeting, to Jerusalem, and he reigned over Israel.

What a tremendous attitude Solomon had as he responded to God’s inquiry! Solomon did not pray for himself or something selfish, but rather he prayed for wisdom to rule wisely over God’s people… thus wisdom to serve God. Take note of the approach Solomon takes in responding to God as well. He does not simply lay out his personal list of wants, but rather starts by acknowledging who God is and what He has already done… with thanks. This is not a complicated prayer, but a simple and genuine request of God for the gift needed to rule wisely.

Take another look at  your personal prayer list. Are you praying for selfish things that benefit only yourself? or are you praying, like Solomon, for God to increase in you the gifts He wants you to use to serve Him and advance the kingdom of God on earth? It is ok to pray for personal needs or wants, but how much better to pray for God to help you accomplish what He has already called you to do. Consider humbly adjusting your prayer life to ask God for His help to give and develop in you the talents and abilities you need to do what He is calling you to do.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Interceding for Others

Pray For God To Defeat Islamic Jihad

Many nations across the world continue to face growing threats from Islamic Jihad. In many cases the threat has increased due to ungodly and ineffective leadership in the countries who could unite and defeat the enemy.

Pray with us that God would raise up leaders around the world to oppose and defeat Islamic Jihad. Pray that God would protect and safeguard those persecuted by Islam throughout the world, to the glory and honor of His name. Pray that He would cause even these trying events to work together for the good of those who love Him. Even in this suffering we must submit to God… His will be done.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Angels, Hearing from God, Prayer, Suffering / Adversity

Here’s Your Sign

There are many times in my personal walk with Christ that I have hoped for and even asked for a clear and dramatic sign to ensure I was hearing correctly from God.  However, the signs and wonders which accompany the instructions from God often reflect the magnitude of what He is asking you to do. There are a great many opportunities we have in life to honor God with our lives and obey Him that we should not require any additional sign or wonder. He already provided a detailed record of His instructions in the Bible, including many great examples of how those truly devoted to Him have lived out their lives in submission to Him. We do well to study and apply that in our lives daily.

However, there are times when God will provide an additional sign or wonder when He communicates to His people. Often this will accompany a particularly big challenge such as those given to Moses and Gideon. When God revealed His will to Moses through the burning bush, He was asking Moses to do something which was unthinkable for a humble shepherd.  God was directing Moses to go to a hard hearted Pharaoh, king of powerful Egypt,  and tell him to let God’s people go.

Exodus 3:1-9

The Burning Bush

      1Now Moses was pasturing the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2The angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed. 3So Moses said, “I must turn aside now and see this marvelous sight, why the bush is not burned up.” 4When the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5Then He said, “Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6He said also, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

      7The LORD said, “I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have given heed to their cry because of their taskmasters, for I am aware of their sufferings. 8“So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite. 9“Now, behold, the cry of the sons of Israel has come to Me; furthermore, I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians are oppressing them.

As we submit our lives to God and seek His guidance in our lives we are right to come before Him and prayer and ask for His guidance. We should also study and apply His word in the Bible. We can of course ask for a sign, but should not demand one as a condition of obedience. He has already provided great signs and wonders throughout the Bible, not the least of which was dying on the cross and coming back from the dead so that we can be forgiven of our sins when we repent. He did so with countless witnesses and then documented it for us to have for generations as reference.

Is there something in your life you feel God wants you to do, but you are holding back, waiting on a clear sign? Prayerfully consider applying what God has already revealed in His word to help guide your decision. You may ask for a clear sign, but you may not receive one so obvious as the burning bush. Be still and listen carefully for how God may be answering you in more subtle ways.

Learn more by reviewing other devotions about Hearing From God. Click the link and scroll down to review as many as you want.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Interceding for Others

Pray for Christian Leaders

When we look at the disciples and at Paul, we see that they faced trials and adversity as they proclaimed the truth of the gospel. They asked for prayer from others on their behalf that they would continue to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ boldly and would not give in to watering down the gospel or preaching it quietly. Let us pray the same way for our Christian leaders today, whether they be small group leaders or leaders of international ministries or anywhere in between. All of our Christian leaders need this prayer.

Acts 4:29  29“And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence,

Ephesians 6:19-20  19and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, 20for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Colossians 4:2-4  2Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; 3praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned; 4that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak. May the grace and peace of Jesus Christ be with all of you.

To pray with us regarding additional prayer requests or submit a prayer request, please visit our website Prayer Requests section.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Compassion, Prayer, Promises, Suffering / Adversity

God Hears The Prayer Of The Righteous

Have you ever felt distant from God as you experienced suffering in your life? Perhaps you think there is hope and help coming from man, only to be disappointed by man. The answer, even when we may feel distant from God, is to cry out to Him and rely on Him rather than on man. God will hear the prayers of the righteous for help and will answer in His way and His timing.

Psalm 34:17  17The righteous cry, and the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.

Proverbs 15:29     29The LORD is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous.

John 9:31   31“We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He hears him.

1 Peter 3:12     12“FOR THE EYES OF THE LORD ARE TOWARD THE RIGHTEOUS, aND HIS EARS ATTEND TO THEIR PRAYER, bUT THE FACE OF THE LORD IS AGAINST THOSE WHO DO EVIL.”

Most of us can only imagine the suffering and hardship the Hebrew people endured in Egypt as slaves. Many of them must have felt distant from God as they labored. Perhaps some put their hope in the situation becoming easier with the passing from one Pharaoh to another, but the relief did not come as they hoped. Only God would deliver them from this bondage and He was prepared to do so in a mighty way… to fulfill His promises and in response to the cry for help from His people.

Exodus 2:23-25

23Now it came about in the course of those many days that the king of Egypt died. And the sons of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry for help because of their bondage rose up to God. 24So God heard their groaning; and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 25God saw the sons of Israel, and God took notice of them.

This verse is not to be taken in such a way as to literally convey that God had forgotten His covenant. That is not the case. Rather it likely emphasizes that the cries for help from His people were important to Him and, it would seem, influenced His timing on bringing His people out of Egypt. His people were turning to Him for help in the midst of their great suffering. Perhaps they were ready to leave bondage and continue in the next steps toward becoming a great nation as He promised.

We do well to remember that God wants to hear from His people. He wants to hear from us as individuals as well. He wants us to ask Him for help in our trials and suffering. That way we may know that it is Him who delivers us from bondage and suffering rather than our own efforts.

What difficult or even painful situations are you dealing with in your life for which you have yet to cry out to God for help? You may have turned to other people for help or tried to help yourself, but have not yet succeeded in resolving the situations. Reflect on your life and your obedience to God’s commands, submit to Christ and live your life according to His word. This is called righteousness. Then cry out to God for help in whatever situation you need help.  He hears the prayers of the righteous and will respond.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Interceding for Others

Prayer Challenge: Set People Free From Their Own Anger And Bitterness

We are continuing our weekly extra post on Fridays. Today I am challenging each of you to join me in a prayer challenge. Please read along to find out more.

For much of my life I have underestimated the importance and power of specific, righteous prayer for individuals and groups of people that need help to be set free from slavery to sin and deception. As I continue to grow in my walk with Jesus, I become more and more aware of how important prayer is and intercessory prayer on behalf of others in particular.

Over the past few weeks I have encountered multiple individuals that have basically been hostile toward me for no justifiable reason, other than their own bitterness and hatred. They are like a volcano looking for an excuse to erupt. The anger and bitterness they hold consumes them and suffocates their joy. It creates separation between them and God and between them and other people who might actually want to be courteous and kind to them.

I would love to say that I have a wonderful and pure response each time someone unleashes their anger at me, but I do not. I have found myself having to deliberately fight my sinful, selfish desires to respond to their hostility in kind… to “win” on the issue. Instead I have swallowed hard, sought guidance and patience in God’s word, and determined to answer in a way that is more in accordance with God’s word, but requires humility instead of pride on my part. Praise God that I was able to do so on the last few rounds. It has not always been that way for me.

As I experienced both of the recent incidents aimed at me, I found myself remembering times in the past when I acted with similar unwarranted hostility and anger toward others. It was sobering to admit that I had come from that place and realize that I must continue to choose Christ daily to avoid sliding back to that place. I must exert willpower to respond God’s way rather than allow myself to backslide to respond to hostility in kind. I am a work in progress… and always will be. Praise God for bringing me this far.

I invite each of you this week to think about someone that you know struggles with anger and bitterness in their life. Please lift them up to the Lord in prayer every day this week as often as you feel you can. Pray not for revenge or to be proven right … pray instead for them to be set free from bondage to anger and bitterness. Pray for God to do a work in them… not for your glory but for God’s glory. Pray for them by name. They may never even know you prayed for them, but God does… and a righteous prayer matters to God. It can be powerful.

Pray in the name of our gracious Lord, Jesus Christ.

May the grace and peace of Jesus Christ be with all of you!

To pray with us regarding additional prayer requests or submit a prayer request, please visit our website Prayer Requests section.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Interceding for Others

Prayer Request: God, Please Open The Eyes Of the Deceived

We are continuing our weekly extra post on Fridays. We have now expanded from “HFJ News”, providing updates and information about our website and other online resources, to also include prayer requests from our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world.

I am grieved that so many allow themselves to be deceived by the world, by Satan, that homosexual behavior is to be accepted and considered normal. Scripture could not be more clear, but even some who read and respect scripture allow themselves to be deceived on this point. It is a despicable sin according to the Bible and clearly destructive toward what God calls us to do. Many are allowing themselves to be separated by God through unrepentant sin. Please pray with me for God to open the eyes of the world and those who choose this behavior so that they would recognize it as sin and repent. Pray further that true Christians would receive all people who pursue the truth of Christ with open arms to share the good news of Christ. Help us as followers of Jesus to show love to others without compromising the truth of God’s word. Our only true enemy is Satan, himself. May God set people free from Satan’s deception in this area and may they find God’s open arms waiting to welcome them to Him once they repent of their wrong behavior and turn toward Him.

Pray in the name of our gracious Lord, Jesus Christ.

May the grace and peace of Jesus Christ be with all of you!

To learn more about what God says about homosexual behavior in the Bible, visit HFJ website devotional category Homosexual Behavior.

To pray with us regarding additional prayer requests or submit a prayer request, please visit our website Prayer Requests section.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Interceding for Others

Pray for Rejoicen Salvation in Trinity Orphanage in Nepal

We are continuing our weekly extra post on Fridays. We have now expanded from “HFJ News”, providing updates and information about our website and other online resources, to also include specific prayer requests for our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world.

This week I would like to ask for your support in praying for our Christian brothers and sisters in Nepal. In particular there is a Christian orphanage named Rejoicen Slavationin Trinity Orphanage. Not only are there specific needs for operating the orphanage and taking care of the children, but they face persecution against Christianity. There is concern that Nepal will not remain a secular nation and instead fall back to being a Hindu Kingdom. Pray with us that God would lift up His people in Nepal and encourage and strengthen them… that He would provide and protect them. Pray in the name of our gracious Lord, Jesus Christ.

Thank You!

May the grace and peace of Jesus Christ be with all of you!

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Courage / Fear, Prayer

Frozen by Fear

We all face difficult decisions in our lives. Sometimes we make the wrong decision or freeze up and become unable to make any decision because of fear of losing something important to us. Jacob (now called Israel) struggled in sending his sons back to Egypt to get more food because he was so afraid of losing Benjamin. In fact, he was willing to let his older son, Simeon, remain in Egyptian prison to protect Benjamin. Jacob, despite his long relationship with God, was acting in fear and unable to make the decision he must have known would have to be made… to send Benjamin with his other sons to get more grain from Egypt.  He failed even to come before God and ask for help in this difficult situation.

Genesis 43:1-15

The Return to Egypt

      1Now the famine was severe in the land. 2So it came about when they had finished eating the grain which they had brought from Egypt, that their father said to them, “Go back, buy us a little food.” 3Judah spoke to him, however, saying, “The man solemnly warned us, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’ 4“If you send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food. 5“But if you do not send him, we will not go down; for the man said to us, ‘You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.’” 6Then Israel said, “Why did you treat me so badly by telling the man whether you still had another brother?” 7But they said, “The man questioned particularly about us and our relatives, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?’ So we answered his questions. Could we possibly know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?” 8Judah said to his father Israel, “Send the lad with me and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, we as well as you and our little ones. 9“I myself will be surety for him; you may hold me responsible for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame before you forever. 10“For if we had not delayed, surely by now we could have returned twice.”

      11Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: take some of the best products of the land in your bags, and carry down to the man as a present, a little balm and a little honey, aromatic gum and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds. 12“Take double the money in your hand, and take back in your hand the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks; perhaps it was a mistake. 13“Take your brother also, and arise, return to the man; 14and may God Almighty grant you compassion in the sight of the man, so that he will release to you your other brother and Benjamin. And as for me, if I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.” 15So the men took this present, and they took double the money in their hand, and Benjamin; then they arose and went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph.

God and Joseph forced Jacob’s hand to send Benjamin to Egypt, despite his fear. All would starve unless he did so. Once Jacob recognized sending Benjamin was inevitable, he was able to think more clearly again. He was no longer frozen in fear. He thought to return the extra money, turn to God asking for  compassion in the sight of the man (Joseph), and prepared himself to accept the possible consequences if things did not go well. Little did Jacob know, God was at work bringing his family back together again through this difficult situation.

Simeon spent extra time in prison because of Jacob’s fear and denial of the situation. He was unable to make the right decision in a timely manner for fear of losing Benjamin. There was never a scenario where they would not have to return to Egypt because it was the only source of food during the drought. Before we criticize Jacob too much, however, we should consider that we may also be susceptible to similar difficulty making important decisions at times.

The next time you are facing a tough decision and you find yourself uncertain about the path forward, take time to come humbly before God and pray for His help to make the right decision at the right time. God wants us to bring our problems and desires before Him. He already knows what we need… so why not ask Him for help.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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