Prayer Focus - Wants
Day 3
Pray for:
One thing you want to understand about God
One characteristic you want to develop that will help you to be more loving towards others
One dream you have for your life
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to Your ever present voice and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 88
"O Lord, the God who saves me, day and night I cry out before You. May my prayer come before You; turn Your ear to my cry.
For my soul is full of trouble and my life draws near the grave...
I call to You, O Lord, every day; I spread out my hands to You.
But I cry to You for help, O Lord; in the morning my prayer comes before You." ( vs. 1- 3, 9b, 13 )
This psalm is a psalm of sadness. Most psalms, if they deal with sadness, end with triumph and the praising of God, but this one is different. There is no redemption mentioned and the final line states, "the darkness is my closest friend. (vs. 18b)" The author is very dramatic presenting how he feels at the moment and is very descriptive. I believe God included this psalm for many reasons. First, I think that God is pointing out the depression is real and that it can be really expressed to Him. We do not need to hide away our negative feelings from God. He knows them already. He is not shocked. Secondly, I think that God wants us to not surrender to our feelings. He wants us to begin to look honestly at them and sort out fact from exaggeration. God has so much more for us. He does not what us languishing away. He came to give us life and life to the fullest. (John 10:10)
I think, the key to overcoming is to pray. I was struck by the writer's intense turning to God. He prayed, and prayed incessantly. He poured out his troubles. He prayed consistently and also it seems, constantly. He reasoned with God and was not afraid to pour out his heart. This is how we will conquer depression and negative emotions. We can not just hope it will go away. We have to be proactive and start praying and then start doing what we know we should. As we give to others, we shall begin to receive as well. It is a blessed miracle that we can be transformed.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We all go through difficult times now and then. Sometimes when we look around us and see problems we feel defeated. Sometimes it seems that we do not have any friends. But You are always there and You are working for us to bring us to You. Help us to draw near to You and pray through all of our feelings. You already know them anyway. We love and appreciate You.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. Do I suffer from depression? How do I deal with this? If not, what do I think about those who suffer from depression? Why?
2. Are my feelings always correct? How have my feelings betrayed me before? What can I do to help deal with my feelings? Do I believe God can save me from my feelings and emotions? Why or why not?
3. How is my prayer life? Do I pray about my emotions? Am I praying about any sadness and depression in my life? How can I improve this aspect of my prayer life?
4. Do I exaggerate my problems? Do I have trouble looking at the issues in my life honestly? Do I make blanket statements about what is happening with me?
5. Am I getting involved with others on a regular basis? Am I meeting the needs of those around me? Do I make a difference in anyone's life? How can I start giving to others?
Showing posts with label resentments. Show all posts
Showing posts with label resentments. Show all posts
Monday, September 28, 2015
Monday, August 30, 2010
Daily Devotional - 8/28/10 (9/28/09)
Prayer Focus - 8's
Pray for:
Eight things that you are grateful for
Eight people that are on your heart
Eight places that you care about
Eight characteristics to grow in
Eight characteristics/habits to get rid of
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear Your everpresent voice and grant me the strength to follow through and obey.
Psalms 28
"He will tear them down and never build them up again." (vs. 5b)
This fragment of a verse in the middle of Psalms 28 catches my attention. Who will God tear down? This sounds so ominous and final and so I think, "Will it be the murders? The violent? The criminals?" When I look back to see exactly who the psalmist is talking about, I am convicted and challenged. Let's start looking in verse three.
"Do not drag me away with the wicked, with those who do evil, who speak cordially with their neighbors but harbor malice in their hearts." (vs. 3)
Wow! He is talking about people who are holding grudges against someone or have hatred, anger, or prejudice against another. I know I have sinned against others in this way. Maybe there is someone right now I need to clear things up with. I need to always search my heart to be sure it is clear. How often have we been upset with someone and then they come up to talk to us and we act like nothing is wrong. We speak nicely to them and all the while we are angry deep down. Or perhaps we just avoid them altogether. God is expressing just how He feels about that in this verse. What we are doing when we do this is evil and is putting us in danger of being torn down.
Why would this upset God so much? After all, isn't this exactly how the world works? This is so common. We are stabbed in the back continuously. People talk nice to us and as soon as we are gone gossip about us to their friends. We expect it. Sometimes we engage in it. In the church, we are tempted to do no differently. So why would it upset God so much? The answer lies in the first part of the psalm I quoted at the beginning of the devotional.
"Since they show no regard for the works of the Lord and what His hands have done," (vs. 5a)
The answer goes back to Psalms 24 which reminded us that the earth is the Lord's and everything in it is His as well (Psalms 24:1). Every person belongs to God and is special to Him; whether they have a relationship with Him or not. He created them and knit them together in their mother's womb (Psalms 139:13-16). They are important to God and as such deserve good treatment, especially from me as I profess to be a Christian. This is referring to my family, to strangers, and especially to those in the church. We are to treat our brothers and sisters in Christ with special regard (Gal 6:10). But how is this possible?
"Hear my cry for mercy as I call to You for help, as I lift up my hands toward Your Most Holy Place." (vs. 2)
Thank goodness that God hears our cries for mercy (vs. 2). By myself, I cannot stand. I need the mercy of the Lord. I need His strength to do right, especially in this area; even after all this time. Conflicts will continue to happen in my life. As long as I am alive and interacting with people, I will have to deal with my heart, hurt feelings, and conflicts. I will never out grow it. Sometimes it will be my fault, sometimes it will be the other person's fault, and sometimes it will be just a misunderstanding. Even so, I need mercy and I need to give mercy.
When I do this and clear my heart so there is nothing false in me, I will be able to rejoice. My heart will leap for joy (vs. 7). It is so good to have a clear heart and a clear conscience. We can truly thank God then. He is our strength and will save and bless us when we are obedient. He will be our Shepherd and carry us forever.
Thank You Lord, because I cannot do it alone.
"Praise be to the Lord, for He has heard my cry for mercy. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song. The Lord is the strength of His people, a fortress of salvation for His anointed one. Save You people and bless Your inheritance; be their shepherd and carry them forever." (vs. 6-9)
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We want You to be our shepherd forever. Purify our hearts and help us to not harbor any ill will towards anyone. It is so easy to do wrong in this way. We struggle to value people as You do. It is easy to love those who love us but it is difficult to love everyone and keep our hearts pure. Grant us strength. We do not want to be torn down but rather built up. Have mercy on us we pray. We know You will do it.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. What is my reaction to the seriousness of harboring ill feelings towards another person? Do I see it as as serious offense as God does?
2. Is there someone I need to speak to and work something out with? When will I do this?
3. Do I have any stereotypes or prejudices that are hindering my relationship with God and my effectiveness for Him? How can I change my attitude about these things?
4. How do I feel when I have a clear conscience? How can I strive to maintain this?
5. Am I treating everyone as a person that is special to God? Who is the most difficult for me to treat right? Why? How can I change this?
Pray for:
Eight things that you are grateful for
Eight people that are on your heart
Eight places that you care about
Eight characteristics to grow in
Eight characteristics/habits to get rid of
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear Your everpresent voice and grant me the strength to follow through and obey.
Psalms 28
"He will tear them down and never build them up again." (vs. 5b)
This fragment of a verse in the middle of Psalms 28 catches my attention. Who will God tear down? This sounds so ominous and final and so I think, "Will it be the murders? The violent? The criminals?" When I look back to see exactly who the psalmist is talking about, I am convicted and challenged. Let's start looking in verse three.
"Do not drag me away with the wicked, with those who do evil, who speak cordially with their neighbors but harbor malice in their hearts." (vs. 3)
Wow! He is talking about people who are holding grudges against someone or have hatred, anger, or prejudice against another. I know I have sinned against others in this way. Maybe there is someone right now I need to clear things up with. I need to always search my heart to be sure it is clear. How often have we been upset with someone and then they come up to talk to us and we act like nothing is wrong. We speak nicely to them and all the while we are angry deep down. Or perhaps we just avoid them altogether. God is expressing just how He feels about that in this verse. What we are doing when we do this is evil and is putting us in danger of being torn down.
Why would this upset God so much? After all, isn't this exactly how the world works? This is so common. We are stabbed in the back continuously. People talk nice to us and as soon as we are gone gossip about us to their friends. We expect it. Sometimes we engage in it. In the church, we are tempted to do no differently. So why would it upset God so much? The answer lies in the first part of the psalm I quoted at the beginning of the devotional.
"Since they show no regard for the works of the Lord and what His hands have done," (vs. 5a)
The answer goes back to Psalms 24 which reminded us that the earth is the Lord's and everything in it is His as well (Psalms 24:1). Every person belongs to God and is special to Him; whether they have a relationship with Him or not. He created them and knit them together in their mother's womb (Psalms 139:13-16). They are important to God and as such deserve good treatment, especially from me as I profess to be a Christian. This is referring to my family, to strangers, and especially to those in the church. We are to treat our brothers and sisters in Christ with special regard (Gal 6:10). But how is this possible?
"Hear my cry for mercy as I call to You for help, as I lift up my hands toward Your Most Holy Place." (vs. 2)
Thank goodness that God hears our cries for mercy (vs. 2). By myself, I cannot stand. I need the mercy of the Lord. I need His strength to do right, especially in this area; even after all this time. Conflicts will continue to happen in my life. As long as I am alive and interacting with people, I will have to deal with my heart, hurt feelings, and conflicts. I will never out grow it. Sometimes it will be my fault, sometimes it will be the other person's fault, and sometimes it will be just a misunderstanding. Even so, I need mercy and I need to give mercy.
When I do this and clear my heart so there is nothing false in me, I will be able to rejoice. My heart will leap for joy (vs. 7). It is so good to have a clear heart and a clear conscience. We can truly thank God then. He is our strength and will save and bless us when we are obedient. He will be our Shepherd and carry us forever.
Thank You Lord, because I cannot do it alone.
"Praise be to the Lord, for He has heard my cry for mercy. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song. The Lord is the strength of His people, a fortress of salvation for His anointed one. Save You people and bless Your inheritance; be their shepherd and carry them forever." (vs. 6-9)
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We want You to be our shepherd forever. Purify our hearts and help us to not harbor any ill will towards anyone. It is so easy to do wrong in this way. We struggle to value people as You do. It is easy to love those who love us but it is difficult to love everyone and keep our hearts pure. Grant us strength. We do not want to be torn down but rather built up. Have mercy on us we pray. We know You will do it.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. What is my reaction to the seriousness of harboring ill feelings towards another person? Do I see it as as serious offense as God does?
2. Is there someone I need to speak to and work something out with? When will I do this?
3. Do I have any stereotypes or prejudices that are hindering my relationship with God and my effectiveness for Him? How can I change my attitude about these things?
4. How do I feel when I have a clear conscience? How can I strive to maintain this?
5. Am I treating everyone as a person that is special to God? Who is the most difficult for me to treat right? Why? How can I change this?
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