Friday, May 22, 2020

Seven ways to pray every day for a next level devotional life

I don’t know if there’s anything more common for a Christian to experience than feeling guilty that they are not reading their Bible or praying enough.  I would imagine just about every one of us have felt that at one time or other, and many feel it continuously.  It not only breeds guilt that can’t be assuaged, but inevitably we may feel ashamed that we don’t love God enough.
Of course, loving God has little to do with how much we read our Bibles or pray.  Some may argue with that, but if we legalistically read our Bibles and pray, we are doing no better than the person who isn’t reading or praying enough.  And the last thing people need is someone showing off about how much they read their Bible and how much and how well they pray.
Here are seven Bible verses that are easy to pray, any and every moment throughout the day.  And the beauty in these, as they only need to be locked into our hearts and we may find we’re praying these more than we realise:
1.             Psalm 139:23-24 – a great prayer to carry with us every moment of every day: “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me, and know my thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”  I can’t think of a better prayer to pray to pray at the appropriate times every day, such that we would have the knowledge of God about our heart motives.
2.             Psalm 51:10 – a perfect prayer to pray when we are disappointed with ourselves having sinned: “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”  This whole psalm can be sung as a prayer and I have many times wept as I have sung it.  Of course, God loves it when we worship in spirit and in truth.
3.             James 1:5 – Pray in faith according to this promise: If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”  It’s as easy as that to pray for wisdom, but we need to keep this prayer on our heart such that we will be given the wisdom we seek.
4.             2 Corinthians 12:8-9 – whenever we’re not healed from those ailments and maladies we wish to be freed from, it is good to be mindful of this prayer of Paul (and God’s answer): Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.  But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’”  Sometimes there is more for us in not being healed than there is in being healed.
5.             John 11:42 – how wonderful to have a Jesus prayer about how God hears our prayers: “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.  I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”  How wonderfully comforting to pray believing that the Father sent Jesus and that the Father hears.
6.             Numbers 6:24-26 – the Aaronic blessing: May the Lord bless you and protect you.  May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you.  May the Lord show favour to you and give you peace.”  We can read this as a blessing over our lives and as a blessing over others’ lives.
7.             Psalm 25:1-2; 4-6 – David’s humble prayer for guidance: “In you, Lord my God, I put my trust.  I trust in you; do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me… Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths.  Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.”  A great prayer of faith under trying circumstances.

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