Father God,

Today, I pray that You would press the truths of Isaiah 55:8-13 deep into our thoughts and our feelings. We so often and so easily live life according to what our eyes see and what our minds think.

On one hand, we see the outworkings of cause and effect leading us to believe that our salvation or blessing require our working, our righteousness. To move beyond seeing life through the lens of our work, we must step beyond what is seen and look to the promises of Your Word which here in Isaiah tell us of Your pardon when we repent and turn from sin. The work of the Servant has accomplished something that is based on ways and thoughts far above what we could ever hope for or imagine.

On the other hand, we walk through trials and persecutions which also do not make sense especially as those storms often persist for what seems like an eternity on this earth. Again, we do not understand Your Ways as Your purposes for our lives work out in time, yet again we have promises both here in Isaiah and throughout the Word. Here in Isaiah we see that Your Word and power are always effective at bringing about Your purposes for Your people. The rains from heaven bring forth seed and bread leading to creation’s singing. Why do we doubt that a Heavenly Father who would give us such a gift would not also give us our daily earthly bread and work all things together for good?
Today, let us find rest in the already but not yet of Your promises, not expecting to understand all of Your ways and thoughts, but having a faith of a mustard seed, enough to find peace in the Love and Power of Your Mighty Right Hand to save.

In Christ’s Name,

Amen.

Father God,

Today, I pray against the growing divisions in our culture arising from our society’s loss of the ability to communicate well. While the effects of Babel were to separate groups of people out geographically across the world, the present epidemic of miscommunication is separating even those who share a common language. Whether within families, between neighbors, or across groups of people within a nation, there is a loss of understanding, a growing distortion of communication, and from that a growing angst against others individually and collectively.

I pray that You would remove the fingers and influence of the enemy who is working through this chaos of poor communication to divide family member from family member, neighbor from neighbor, group from group. I pray that Your presence would come into our midst and drive back the spiritual forces that have deceived us into these patterns. I pray that Your presence would uncover our hidden sinful patterns that have taken root which undergird the patterns of miscommunication. I pray that You would root out our sinful nature which perpetuates these miscommunications and through humility and repentance to restore clear godly communication one with another.

I pray that we would learn to love one another well through speaking and listening as those indwelt by the Spirit who calls us to walk justly in peace one with another.

In Christ’s Name,

Amen.

Father God,

Today, I pray for the parents of those children who are struggling through the chaos of PANS and PANDAS where an infection has caused their child to change into another personality. There is so much in this world where we as parents see threats to our children and can guard them from those threats. We work so hard to protect them and to raise them up in a world where the Fall has opened the door for illness, for injury, for bullying, for disappointments, and so much more to harm their body and their soul.

And then out of nowhere, what seemed like a simple strep throat, a simple viral illness, a simple GI bug, or whatever turns their lives and our lives as parents upside down. I pray that You would be present with those parents whose storm is thick and heavy, to be present in the midst of their child’s unconsolable rages, cries, panics, and confusions. I pray that the fingers of this world’s darkness would be released from their child’s mind as the inflammation of PANS and PANDAS disrupts functioning.

I pray that You would give these parents wisdom to know when to hold, when to stop, when to move, when to speak, when to remain silent, and how to pray through the chaos. I pray that Your presence would shield the child from physical harm during the periods of irrationality. I pray that You would give the parents open doors to get help that heals the physical inflammation rather than just pour water on the fire.

I pray that You would keep the parents’ faith alive and strong during the long nights of asking “How long Oh, Lord.” Meet these families in their darkness and deliver them.

In Christ’s Name,

Amen.

Father God,

Today, I pray for those who feel like their life is in freefall into a dark swirling black pit, that You would speak clearly in their despair that “I am there with you”. So many today are going through various forms of depression from a variety of reasons (many aptly described in MLJ’s book, Spiritual Depression). The world has grown darker as a whole and many are going through personal storms that make their lives even darker than the world.

Looking around, they see so many who seem to be going through life without a care in the world. ln a way this makes their own dark storm seem even worse as they feel isolated and alone. Even the church body seems distant to many as Your children have often forgotten how to walk alongside those going through dark storms.

Be there in the midst of their storms, in the midst of their darkest nights and remind them that their Lord and Savior, their Creator and Sustainer is with them to uphold them as Your children, as ones on whom Your Name rests as a seal. Grant them a peace which can only come from the throne of Grace. Tell them “I am there with you.”

In Christ’s Name,

Amen.

Father God,

Today, I pray for Your Presence in the midst of Your people. I ask that You make Your presence known in the midst of those who seek You, those who call out Your Name in the storm, who have come to the complete realization that only You can deliver them.

I cry out with those who know that their present help and future security rest in the hands of their loving Father. Together we cry out for the Presence of the Living God to come down into the waves and walk on the water again. We wait in hope for Your deliverance. We wait in hope of Your provision. We wait in hope of Your sustaining presence to be all that we need.

You know what Your people need better than we do, yet we do know that Your Presence means our security. Come and answer our cries.

In Christ’s Name,

Amen.

Father God,

Today, I pray that we Your children would be a light to others, reflecting the glory of Your work in us to our brothers and sisters in Christ. I pray that we would pursue godliness in our walk on this earth that goes beyond our hearts and minds and spreads out into how we live and relate in our daily lives.

I pray that our faith in our Savior would produce works of that faith which encourage and edify other Christians around us. I pray that we would not stop at a pietistic feel good inside type of faith, but we would live out thanksgiving for Your grace by obeying Your commands to love one another.

I pray that You would magnify the beauty of Your Church through Your Spirit working in us to be Your hands and feet on this earth.

In Christ’s Name,

Amen.

Father God,

Today, I pray Isaiah 57:15 today asking that You would revive the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of the contrite. We walk in a world that comes against us at every turn as we seek to follow Your ways and we are humbled by the weakness of our own strength. We simultaneously walk through this dark world with the knowledge that any self-made righteousness is as filthy rags before our Maker’s throne.

Were it not for Your promises so oft repeated in Your Word that You care for us and have removed our sin from us, we would be crushed. To know with Isaiah 57:15 that You dwell not only in the high and holy place, but also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, we are encouraged and have hope. To know that You dwell with us in our struggles and weakness to revive us who are lowly and contrite means that we are not left to either the world’s schemes for us nor to our own strength and wisdom as it falls short of dealing with our sin.

Press into those today who most feel their lowly nature, who deeply recognize the depth of the sin, and give them hope today in Your promises of Isaiah 57:15 and so many other Scriptures. Meet the lowly and contrite and lift them up with the presence of Your Spirit. We call upon You to be our Immanuel in the storms of life that we now face.

In Christ’s Name,

Amen.

Father God,

Today, I pray that You would restore discernment to Your people so that we see clearly in this present age. We need to first clearly see Your Truth as through that Truth we must view all else. Once You have enabled us to rightly discern Your Word through the power of Your Spirit working in us, then we seek discernment on how to apply that Truth to every area and every moment of our lives.

Show Your people how Your Truth leaves no area of our lives untouched. Cause us to see through the lie that some area of either our personal life or our collective lives together is exempt from Your Word. Then press Your Word into the daily moments of our lives and let Your Word comprehensively shape who we are and what we do and what we say and how we relate to one another.

Sharpen us in applying Your Word to everything and through the outworkings of Your Word, cause us to bring glory to Your Name and shed light into the darkness of the world’s attempts to do everything it can against You and Your Word.

In Christ’s Name,

Amen.

Father God
Today, I pray for Your Spirit to work a reformation and revival in the hearts of Your children as they gather into churches. I pray we would see the Truths of Your Word together and as we submit to Your ways, we would obey them and come together in a greater unity. I pray that the working of Your Spirit in our hearts would make real the fact that the world would know us by our love for one another.
I pray that the deeper understanding of Your Word would go far beyond a doctrinal head knowledge, but that no corner of our lives would be untouched by the power of Your Word. I pray that we would submit even our most treasured idols of life to You as we come to see them for what they are. I pray that we would treasure what You treasure, and seek what You desire, and love what You love.
Let our words and works of each day, both as individuals and as gathered bodies, be glorifying to You and pleasing in Your sight.
In Christ’s Name,
Amen.

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