Today We Pray

Dear Lord, we may not understand everything You have done for us, or how You have done it. But we know You love us and sent Jesus to die for us, and that is all we need to know. Hold us all in Your loving arms and let us be comforted by the strength and peace You make available to us through the birth of Your son, Jesus; and thank You for all the many gifts You offer us, during our life on earth and for all eternity.

God of comfort, these times seem so uncertain, so scary. The world seems darker than it has in the past and I am less sure of myself. Maybe that’s a good thing; maybe now I am turning to You with a realization that I need You so much more and that my life is not in my own control.

I pray that the ashes we use to symbolize the beginning of Lent may truly remind me that from dust I came, and to dust I will return and that only by Your victory over Your suffering is it possible for me to find eternal peace and life. I pray for the grace of Christ, that I may obtain of You, the God of all mercy, perfect remission, and forgiveness of all the sins of this life. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Amen

Today's Godly Reminder - Philippians 4:7

God will give us peace that reassures our hearts. Once we receive that peace, our hearts will stay calm and be still. 'Coz we are already consumed by the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, we will be blessed a thousand folds. It will stand over our hearts and minds.

Once we belong to Jesus Christ, God will bless us with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel. Trust God that He will be in control always. Be surprised with His amazing love to you.

The Daily Grace - Is It Well?

As the high school chorale prepared to sing Horatio G. Spafford's classic hymn, "It Is Well With My Soul", a teen stepped forward to tell the song's familiar history. Spafford wrote the song while on a ship that was near the spot at sea where his four daughters perished. As I listened to that introduction and then the words sung by the teenagers, a flood of emotions washed over me. "Where his four daughters perished" were hard words to grasp as I listened again to Spafford's words of faith. Having lost one daughter suddenly, I find the idea of losing for unfathomable.

How could it be "well" for Spafford in his grief? I hear the words "When peace like a river attendeth my way" and remember where peace can be found. Paul says in Philippians 4 that it can be found as our heart-prayers are voiced to God (v. 6). By trustful praying, we unburden our hearts, divest our anxieties, and release the grip on our grief. And we can gain "the peace of God" (v. 7) - an inexplicable, divine calmness of spirit. This peace supersedes our ability to understand our circumstances (v. 7), and it is a guard on our heart, through Jesus, that protects us enough to allow us to whisper, even in the pain, "It is well with my soul". Jesus never makes a mistake.

Today We Pray

Dear God, flood me with Your Spirit! Drown Satan in a deluge of Your mighty power! Shake the foundations of hell!

Let the beauty and love of Christ pour through me like a cataract. Let me wield the Sword of Faith. Renew me, empower me, purify me this day to Your Great Commission.

I bless and thank You for finding me; may I never more take a breath without a heart filled with Your Spirit. Support me all the day long of this troublous life, until the shadows lengthen and the evening comes, and the busy world is hushed, and the fever of life is over and my work is done. Then, of Thy mercy, grant me a safe lodging, and a holy rest and a peace at last through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Amen

Today's Godly Reminder - Matthew 9:38

The harvest truly is plenteous. A waving field of golden grain invites many reapers and demands haste. By the reference to the harvest here, it means that the multitude of people that flocked to his ministry was great. The people expected the Messiah. They were prepared to receive the gospel; but the laborers were few. Therefore, it was instructed to the people to pray to the Lord of the harvest to send forth reapers, especially to the lost. God is the proprietor of the great harvest of the world, and he only can send people to gather it in.

People still need to send, to make a way for others to go. And we all need to pray that the Lord of the harvest will send out laborers into his harvest. So, prayer is the essential first step in reaching the lost. It’s a joining of our pleading with the compassion of Christ. Are our hearts burdened for the lost? If so, then we must pray. If not, we must pray even more, that God would give us the compassion and concern for those that are separated from the Good Shepherd.

The Daily Grace - House-Hunting Ants

According to researchers from the University of Bristol, the European rock ant may be better than we are at staying on top of the housing market. The researchers found that the ant colonies use scout ants to continually monitor their colonies' living conditions. Using social skills complex enough to stun the scientists, the rock ants work together to find the right living space, darkness, and security needed to give the queen mother and her larvae the best available housing.

In the days of Moses, the families of Israel were looking for a new home. The slave yards of Egypt had been brutal. The wilderness of Sinai was no place to settle down. But there was a problem. According to Israelite scouts, the homeland to which God was leading them was already occupied - by walled cities and giants who made the scouts feel like grasshoppers in their own eyes (Num. 13:28, 33)

Sometimes it may be helpful to compare ourselves to insects. House-hunting rock ants instinctively follow the ways of their Creator. But we often let our fears keep us from following and trusting God. When we rest in the assurance of His presence and love, we can say, "Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations". Finding ourselves at home in God is a good place to be.

Today We Pray

Dear God, I presume to present myself this morning before thy Divine majesty. I am beseeching thee to accept of my humble and hearty thanks, that it hath pleased thy great goodness to keep and preserve me the night past from all the dangers poor mortals are subject to, and has given me sweet and pleasant sleep. Whereby, I find my body refreshed and comforted for performing the duties of this day, in which I beseech thee to defend me from all perils of body and soul.

Direct my thoughts, words and work. Wash away my sins in the immaculate blood of the lamb, and purge my heart by thy Holy Spirit, from the dross of my natural corruption. That, I may with more freedom of mind and liberty of will serve thee, the ever lasting God, in righteousness and holiness this day, and all the days of my life. 

Now, I pray that You may lift up the light of Your countenance upon me. Give me peace; in my going out and in my coming in; in my sitting down and my rising up; in my work and in my play; in my joy and in my sorrow, in my laughter and in my tears; until that day comes which is without dawn and without dark. In the name of Holy Christ, I pray.

Amen