“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 from the ESV of the Holy Bible) God answers prayers. For the passed nine years, I have been praying that God would use me to reach…
It is said that there are two occupations that require 24/7 duty – doctors and preachers. But, God is the original “on call,” any time, all the time, overtime worker!
“For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil” (I Peter 3:12 in the King James Version of the Holy Bible).
God is aware of every move I make and every breath I take. Much of the world prays to gods of stone or wood – images made by man’s hands. These idols cannot hear or answer, nor are they concerned about the everyday life of their followers.
Prayer: Lord, I am thankful for the attentiveness of a Living Savior!
Devotion by Julie Long
From the first day that I enrolled my oldest daughter (and two more following) in Kindergarten, I have felt blessed with good schools here in Hawaii.
We have had God-fearing principals that asked for prayer as well as teachers that share moral life principles with their students.
This year is different, however. As my daughters have shared conversations their classmates have had and I listened in shock to the subjects that were discussed, something became quite clear to me.
As the end of time draws nearer and Satan works feverishly around the clock, the children of the world are exposed to more and more ungodliness. So many of their parents are involved in drugs, prostitution, promiscuity and pornography. Therefore, their children (the classmates of my children) bring such filth and debauchery to school – not just in their minds, but it becomes a part of their conversations. Hence, my Holy Ghost filled children have been exposed to such raw sin that they would otherwise have no knowledge.
Unfortunately, private school is not an option at this time. Home schooling is not possible. What is a protective mother to do?
At this time, I have two opportunities which I feel determined to accomplish.
- Make sure that I continually present the principles of the Word of God in a manner that my children can understand and appreciate them. They must know what it takes to please the Father.
- I must make sure to provide a safe covering and hedge of protection in prayer for each of them.
- I can pray a covering over their ears when their teachers teach untruths that collide with the principles of the Word of God as well as the knowledge to know the difference.
- I can pray that their classmates find themselves uncomfortable in talking “trash” in the presence of my children.
- I can pray (and give guidance) that my children will have an answer to give when someone tries to share ungodly speech and actions with them.
The state of the world grows worse each day. Mark 13:20 says, “And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved.”
The Lord is coming soon. We are often uncomfortable with the sin that is on display today, but is it so bad that we are praying “Come Lord Jesus” yet? How bad will it get before we find ourselves so grieved, that we are ready to go to be with the Lord.
We have a God who has great saving and keeping power!
Time spent on our knees – or in a closet alone – gives us access to that power. Let us set aside time each month to ensure that our children are covered…and protected in prayer.
Submitted by Debbie Sanders (reprinted by permission from the Daughters of Zion e-Newsletter. Sign-up for the free monthly newsletter at ladiesministries.org/daughters_of_zion.asp)
“Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer,” (Romans 12:12, Holy Bible, King James Version).
Before this admonition, Apostle Paul wrote to the Christians at Rome about love, good and evil and business sense. His instructions sound like a high-achiever motivational speaker until he mentions tribulation. Rejoicing is easy when there’s hope, but exercising patience in troubled times? Isn’t God supposed to propel us through difficult situations, looping us back to rejoicing? And what about continual prayer? Other translations render continuing instant in prayer as devoted to prayer or faithful to prayer, but instant is a bolder definition. Instant prayer. Follow Apostle Paul’s advice. Rejoice in hope. Be patient in difficult situations. Take time to pray.
Prayer: Lord, I’m grateful for this ancient advice that is still effective today. Amen.
Devotion by Violet Carr Moore
“O Lord, God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee: Let my prayer come before thee; incline thine ear unto my cry; For my soul is full of troubles; and my life draweth nigh unto the grave” (Psalm 88:1-3, in the King James Version of the Holy Bible).
Trouble seems to be everywhere I turn. I feel like I can’t cope with one more difficult situation. What should I do? I must learn to take my trouble to God. He knows the way I take. He knows how to handle any situation. Maybe you are in an overwhelming circumstance today. Call on God. He will answer. Prayer is the only place to go when you are full of troubles. Take your troubles to Him and leave them at His feet. You’re not alone; God is right there with you.
Prayer: Thank You, Lord, for listening to me and calming my spirit. I am so glad that I can call on You at any time. You do hear me!
Devotion by Kaye Singleton
It is said that there are two occupations that require 24/7 duty – doctors and preachers. But, God is the original “on call,” any time, all the time, overtime worker!
“For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil” (I Peter 3:12 in the King James Version of the Holy Bible).
God is aware of every move I make and every breath I take. Much of the world prays to gods of stone or wood – images made by man’s hands. These idols cannot hear or answer, nor are they concerned about the everyday life of their followers.
Prayer: Lord, I am thankful for the attentiveness of a Living Savior!
Devotion by Julie Long
“Give your troubles to God; He will be up all night anyway.”
“He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber” (Psalm 121:3 in the New American Standard Bible)
We pray because prayer opens up the floodgates of God’s infinite grace and power to flow toward the person in need. God can act without prayer, but He chooses to operate within the boundaries of human will and invitation. He allows us to participate in His work on earth with each prayer.
Leonard Ravenhill once said about prayer, “One might estimate the weight of the world, tell the size of the celestial city, count the stars of heaven, measure the speed of lightning, and tell the time of the rising and the setting of the sun – but you cannot estimate prayer power. Prayer is as vast as God because He is behind it. Prayer is a mighty as God because He has committed Himself to answer it.”
Prayer: Lord Jesus, when I face a tough situation, my first response should be to ask for Your help. Thank You for reminding me that You long to be my helper and to be fully involved in my life.
Devotion by Susan Tracy
“And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.” (Mark 1:35 in the King James Version of the Holy Bible)
Like Jesus, we too need a quiet time away from the distractions of the day and the thousands of thoughts that bombard our minds. By example, Jesus showed us that when His energy waned, He took time to recharge.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I am so busy, but I realize today that I am not immune to the pressures of life and I too must recharge my spiritual battery in Your presence. Revive me. Restore me. Renew me. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Devotion by Julie Long
“We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers” (1 Thessalonians 1:2 in the King James Version of the Holy Bible).
Praying for friends and their needs will enhance your prayer time. The writer of our devotional verse begins his prayer with thanksgiving first of all to God. And then He mentioned those he prayed for by name. When we limit our prayer time to just ourselves, we miss so much by not bringing our friends and their needs to God who hears and answers those requests. He is touched by the feelings of our infirmity. The things that bother us He desires to heal; whether it’s for you or those you love. I can testify that others have prayed for me and God intervened even before the need was made known to them.
Prayer: Prayer is wonderful! Just to know someone is praying for me on a daily basis is more valuable than money. Thank You, Lord, for those who consistently pray for me by name.
Devotion by Kaye Singleton