“I have sent him to you for this very purpose, so that you may know about us, and that he may comfort your hearts.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6‬:‭22‬ ‭

Lord God, we have loved ones on this earth that we don’t get to see. And it’s not the same even via technology. We want eye witness reports if not they themselves. And Lord, do save the ones that are not yet believing. We pray for the ones that are concerned about us. We are also concerned about them. May we send others and be sent by Your own to be encouragement and comfort to those we see. Send us with the good news. Save them by Your name so we will all be comforted. Remember M and his family. 

In Jesus’ name. 

“May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you.”

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭25‬:‭21‬ ‭ESV‬‬

O Lord God, we wait for You. We look to no man nor to any idols to deliver and to bless. You alone are our God and we answer to You alone. Your commandments are pure and we want to live by the Spirit who upholds us in obedience to Your Word and to Your ways. Our integrity is found with You. And You have made our crooked places straight. Thank You that our waiting upon You is not in vain. Your will is good and acceptable and perfect. And Your will cannot be thwarted by anyone. Keep us in Your sweet will. Make us one with Your purpose.

In Jesus’ name. 

“May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob set you securely on high!”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭20‬:‭1‬ 

Amen. And Lord God, thank You for answering in the day of trouble. You answer with deliverance or peace with the Spirit as patience in my heart. Thank You for giving us the name of Jesus on Whom I call day and night. I have survived countless challenges and trials to this day. It is my testimony that God answers. I want to give God the praise!

In Jesus’ name.  

“Open my eyes, that I may behold Wonderful things from Your law.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭119‬:‭18‬ 

Lord God, we confess how easy it is to dismiss the law in the age of grace. And though the Law is our tutor, and Christ is our reality, we can appreciate the beauty of Christ depicted in the Law. We are enriched by the character study of Christ in the law. 

So may You show us the beauty of Christ in the wonderful things from Your law. Give us grace to meditate on it day and night and consider Jesus. 

We love You, Lord. 

“I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.”

‭‭Revelation‬ ‭3‬:‭18‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

Amen, Lord God. 

While it is still today and we don’t yet see Your face, we want to make eternal investments. The world is throwing their time and money at AI, but alas, what is man, and rather, what is a soulless machine no matter how fast it can compute. 

Lord God, once again I give myself to You. You have been faithful all these years, and You have been so good to me, more than I could ever merit. I pray that this year will be a year of eternal investments for enduring returns. Let me spend this year buying Gold refined by fire. Burn away the dross in my life, let the Spirit in my spirit shine forth. Let me walk in the good works You prepared beforehand that I should walk in them. And Lord Jesus, help me see Your beauty like never before. Remove every blinder and veil and scar over my eyes. Anoint my eyes so I see the people around me with Your eyes. I want to worship and bless You as I ought when I see You as You are. You are first in my heart, and in this life, come what may, may You always take first-place in my heart.

In Jesus’ mighty name. 

“that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.”

‭‭John‬ ‭17‬:‭21‬

Lord God, thank You for inviting us to Your Table this morning. The sense of Your presence is so sweet. And truly, in Your presence is fullness of joy! You have made us One. And Father God, You sent the Spirit of the Son into our hearts and You have put us in Christ. We believe in the Son You sent to this world. We see His sacrifice at the Table in His shed blood and body broken. And the Table is not for our observation but for our partaking. One cup. One bread. One body. And You even pour Your love into our hearts to love You and to love one another. We will always be amazed at the Lamb of God, slain from the foundation of the world. We will do this, remember You, and proclaim Jesus’ death and resurrection until Jesus returns. In Jesus’ name. 

“But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation say continually, “Great is the Lord!””

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭40‬:‭16‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Amen! Whenever our hearts turn to You, Lord God, and our thoughts dwell on Your sacrifice and love for us, we cannot help saying, Great is the Lord!

So great is Your salvation for us. Dear Lord! And when we look at creation and consider the wonder of it all, Great is the Lord! How faithful You are to let us find You when we seek for You with all our hearts. Lord God, we rejoice that we may approach the Throne of Grace unafraid, and tell You of our need and You are ready to help us in our time of need and with mercy! Who are we that we should call You by Name and You know ours. You are our Beloved and we are Yours! What is this grace we have been given. We love You! We are so glad You saved us!

In Jesus’ most holy name. 

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭15‬:‭13‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Dear Lord God, this is our prayer for one another in Your Body. You are the God of hope. And we have found ourselves in dire situations and waiting for Your salvation. So help us to take our eyes off the swirling waters and fix our eyes on You! You said we are going to the other side and no storm or wind can stop us when You are in the boat. Joy and peace are the fruit of the Spirit within! And this same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead is also giving life to our mortal bodies! We need this promised hope! Make hope abound to us Dear Lord!

We love You Lord God! 

“Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.”

‭‭I Corinthians‬ ‭14‬:‭1‬ 

Lord God, help us to love one another. We long to be useful to You and express Your love flowing out of us. We want the Indwelling Holy Spirit to be expressed in us as well. Would the Spirit breathe upon us and use us to speak Truth wherever we find our selves. However He wants to us, we are willing. Give us grace to pursue love and the gifts. 

In Jesus’ name. 

“Even in laughter the heart may ache, and the end of joy may be grief.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭14‬:‭13‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Lord God, thank You for stirring our hearts to lift up the grieving ones. How they put on a strong face for the rest. I want to especially praying for the J’s and for the pain that has lingered in their hearts after these many months, even years of losing their son and brother. Lord God, to this day we still don’t quite know why You would allow him to be taken away from this earth so young, but we acknowledge that You are God and we are not. Your purposes can not be thwarted and Your enemy does not do whatever he wants unless You permit. So You know their pain because You have been enduring it with them. No tears have been shed without Your collecting them in Your bottle. So we do want to thank You for the many bright spots You have brought into their lives during these days of mourning but I ask that You would completely dispel the dark cloud that has been hanging over them. You are the light of the world. Nothing is hidden from You. May the healing in Your wings cover their hearts and renew their faith. Bring them all out of the shadows to truly live again. Because You are God.

In Jesus’ healing name.