Higher Ways

“ For My thoughts are not your thoughts, 
nor are your ways My ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts."

Isaiah 55: 8-9

Lord, we come to you today with all our plans held in abeyance. We look to you to guide us through the day your way without following our habitual practices and plans. We trust you to navigate us in the way we should go because your ways are not our ways just as your thoughts are dissimilar to ours.

Have your way Lord of our lives. Accomplish your purpose in our lives according to your time table. In Jesus name, Amen.

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Day and Night Anticipation

All night all day angels watching over me my Lord! Hope of my present and future, I thank you for my experiences today and look with great anticipation for the wonders of tomorrow.

In the morning I praise you for new mercies and in the evening I thank you for grace. Thank you for the high positive moments and thank you for standing with me as storms cloud gathered. I can't help but thank you for your presence and care in the deepest struggles of my life.

May the experiences of today produce in me the deepening of my faith, strengthening of my love and affirmation of my Divine purpose. Thank you for every good and perfect gift and the favor you shared that was so undeserved.

In the name of Jesus, grant me perfect peace and perfect rest tonight during this season of Advent while we wait patiently for your promises to be fulfilled, Amen.

A SEEKING SEASON

First Sunday in Advent
It's Advent! This is the four-week season to prepare us spirituallyfor the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. The sounds of Christmas will be everywhere. Carols will be sung in church, heard on the radio and while shopping in over crowded malls.

The sound of Advent is the sound of prayer, fasting, study, meditation and worship that seeks the face of God. The sound of Advent is a longing for God to appear. It is the anticipation of the arrival of God's promise and at the same time looking beyond what we can see.

This is the time of year when I seek to increase my prayer time. I listen intently to the voice of God seeking instruction for the celebration preparation as well as guidance for the coming new year.

Advent is more than which grinch will try to steal Christmas or how many sugarplums should be dancing in our heads. It is a concerted seeking season to dig into the Word of God, increase prayer time, worship abundantly and practice authentically your Spiritual Disciplines.

Start with Seleh, a companion for those who want to go deeper in Christ and practice spiritual disciplines, now through Christmas. (Seleh, formerly called Praycation is under construction) Stay with Seleh in the coming new year to grow stronger in the things of God. Many will watch faithfully a favorite television show, football or basketball game. It only take a minute to stick with Seleh daily. Make it a part of the regular devotions.

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Thank You Lord Again!

Eternal God, what a day to share our thanks and praise of you with others. We are glad to tell of your greatness. We are glad to declare to all, today and everyday of your mighty acts and glorious splendor.

We bless your name for it is by your mercy, our sins are forgiven. It is by your grace, we are saved. It is by your love we are accepted. It is by your peace that surpasses all understanding, we remain calm in the midst of chaos. It is by your power, that the impossible happens everyday. Thank you Lord, there is nothing impossible for you...not just today but everyday!

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Thanksliving!

"O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his loving-kindness endures forever." Psalm 118:29

Open our eyes today to see all that we should be thankful for even if at the present moment our problems, pain or need might lead us to believe that we have no thanksgiving. Open our eyes to your unfailing goodness. Help us to see that you are working behind the scenes of our lives to usher us into a season of restoration and reconciliation... and for this, we are thankful. Enter our hearts and clear away anything that prevents an attitude of gratitude. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Thank You Lord!

Almighty and Eternal God, we are yours, joint heirs with Christ to all your gracious gifts. No matter in what direction we look, the evidence of your work confronts us. You have been working behind the scenes of our lives.

What could have been jangling discords, you have made it into a melodious symphony of purpose and power. What could have been confusion, you have turned it into order. What cold have been isolation, you've moved us into fellowship. What could have been condemnation, there is now no condemnation but deliverance.

Thank you for being present in more ways that we can count. Now, gracious Lord, do it again. Amen.

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Save Us!

"Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; For he hath visited and wrought redemption for his people, And hath raised up a horn of salvation for us..." Luke 1: 68-69

Today we lift our voices to you to thank you for salvation. You have visited us with grace, mercy, forgiveness and redemption. You have raised us up to save us from our enemies and ourselves. Forgive us when we want to keep you to ourselves when others need to drink from the well of living water that never runs dry. Forgive us when we have kept the gospel to ourselves when everyone needs to feast on its wholeness.We commit today to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. Guide our feet in the way of peace. In Jesus name, Amen.

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Anticipated Joy!

"Surely God is my Salvation; I will trust and not be afraid."

Isaiah 12: 2

O God of our salvation, today we anticipate a future of joy and peace because of your promises. You are our strength for which we sing praises to your Name. We give thanks to you because you continue to sustain us for confident living through the empowering of the Holy Spirit. Thank you lord!

We shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel. We sing unto you a new song. In Jesus Name we sing these new songs today of praise and thanksgiving.

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Teach Us!

"Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman...."

II Timothy 2:15

Great Instructor, help us to move beyond physical exhaustion to study and show ourselves approved of God, to do our best in institutions of learning. Open our minds to new ideas. Open our minds to read and receive fresh insights and new information. Use our minds in exercises of critical thinking not just for our own benefit but also so that our learning will be a blessing to others.

Teach us to be diligent in our studies. Teach us to be faithful to the assigned tasks. Teach us wisdom beyond the calculations, instruments and the printed pages of our text books. Teach us to apply what we learn in tangible ways. Teach us, Lord to seek knowledge that is honorable, true and just. In Jesus name, Amen.

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Search Me, Lord

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts."

Psalm 139: 23

Gracious God of the Universe, we humbly come to submit ourselves, our souls and our bodies to you again. Before we plunge into the intricacies of the day, we desire to plunge deep into the depths of your grace.

Search us with the search light of your mercy. Know us, even in the places where we have hidden ourselves away from thee. Pull back the covers of our minds and examine our thoughts...even the unruly ones that refuse discipline. Test our intentions to see if there is any wicked way that would lead us astray. Examine our motivations and remove those that are self-serving.

Search us Merciful God and lead us in the way of everlasting life. Amen.

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Shut Door Prayers

"Whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door."

Matthew 6: 6

Merciful God, we have shut the door against the intrusions of the day. We who are weary from the challenges and changes of this uncertain season seek rest in your eternal chanagelessness. You are the same yesterday, today and forever more.

Speak now a word that dispels the clouds of doubt and fear. Speak a word that will sustain us in the mundane or monumental moments ahead. Speak a word that will strengthen our hands for the work before us, our hearts for any burdens to bare and renew our minds to make decisions that honor you.

In this shut door prayer, whisper your instructions so that we may emerge to do your will. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Essential Grace

"Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart to revere your name."

Psalm 86:11

Majestic Lord, we lift our voices in praise and thanksgiving. Teach us to walk in the truth of your Word and demonstrate this truth in thought, word and deed to those we encounter today. Open to us the mysteries of your grace so that we can know the difference between what is essential and what is convenient. Grace is essential.

Create in us a clean heart and renew right intentions within us. In Jesus Name, remove from us all evil intentions so that wrong motives do not ever mingle with holy desires. Amen

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Ask God

You want what you don't have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can't get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don't have what you want because you don't ask God for it.

James 4:2

Lord, forgive us for being so busy we fail to ask you for what we want and need. Forgive us for depending upon human effort and strength to obtain the desires of our hearts. Forgive us for developing schemes to undermine the efforts of others because we want to take their place or we want what they have. Forgive us for coveting our neighbors stuff to point where we are willing to do emotional or bodily harm to take it away from them. Thank you Lord, that after we have confessed you are faithful to forgive.

We come humbly now knowing you are the supplier of all our needs. We come repentant realizing that you are the one who grants us the desires of our hearts. We come to you now remembering that you are the source of every good a perfect gift. We ask now in Jesus name that we may be empowered to bring forth fruit for your glory and not for our self-satisfaction. Amen.

Perpetual Psalm of Praise

"Every day I will bless you, and praise your name forever and ever."

Psalm 145:2

Lord, we bless you and praise your name forever! We cannot stop thanking you for the gift of life in good times or times of challenge. Out of our mouths flows the sacrifice of praise as we bless your holy name forever.

We lay our burdens at your feet along with all doubts, fears, worries, uncertainties, and failures. We release to you our stresses and strains so we can rest in your powerful presence. We give ourselves to you again. Forgive us Lord so we can grow beyond the sins that so easily beset us.

Strengthen and sustain us to be a perpetual psalm of praise to your wondrous works through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

Gentle Restoration

"...you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted."

Galatians 6:1

Gracious God, we lift our thoughts towards you this day to give you praise and thanksgiving. Thank you for blessing us with warm clothes on cool days, comfortable beds, sustenance, the ability to create new things and the ability to create wealth.

Help us to reach out to those who lack the basics of life. Help us to be more compassionate and loving towards those who suffer from experiences that stagger the imagination. Help us to be more willing to share our blessings to help someone else.

And if our brother or sister is caught in a sin, show us the best way to restore them gently back into the faith. Guard us, lest we too get caught up in the same sin because we are subject to the same stresses and strains, weaknesses and temptation. Amen

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Do Your Best!

"...do all to the glory of God"

I Corinthians 10:31

In the quiet moments of prayer, we sincerely reach out to you O Lord, our God in the midst of cultural pluralism that presents challenges to the way we see and hear you. Thank you for your persistent love that transcends the troubles of this world to sustain us in seasons of joy and sorrow.

Forgive us for giving our best to the wrong things. Forgive us for giving our best efforts to trivial pursuits and our meager contributions to major kingdom service. Forgive us when we fail to do all to the glory of God whether in desire, drink, dress, conversation, thought and action.

Guide us so that we will know what is important and unimportant. Empower us to do the things that truly matter so that the things that don't matter will not occupy too much of our time. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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That We All Be One!

"The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind...."

John 17: 21 (Message Bible)

It is a wonderful miracle that our faith in you Lord, overcomes everything that separates us! Help us to see each other through your eyes and resist the temptation to see each other through the eyes of culture and society. Help us to be aware of the foxes that try to spoil the vine. Help us not to allow little things or the little things we make big become wedges in our relationships.

Forgive us when we fail to reach the goal of one heart and one mind because we know you desire that we all be one. Strengthen us today by showing us through your mercy how to bring unity in our homes and our places of worship. In the Name above every Name, Amen.

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Enriched

"May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us.."

Psalm 67:1

We lift our voices in praise and thanksgiving today. You have been more than kind, you have been gracious to us, blessed us and favored us with abundant life!

Thank you for friendships and relationships that have enriched our lives in the past and hold back the curtain of loneliness in the present. Thank you for those whom you've sent to affirm what you have whispered to us in prayer. Thank you for those who spoke the truth to us, even truth hard to hear.

Use us today as instruments of grace and peace to those around us. Help us to be better friends to friends and a better disciple of Christ. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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*Photo, by Sarah Jane

So Loved

"God so loved..."

John 3:16

God of love, thank you for so loving us that you gave your very best gift, your only son Jesus Christ, to assure that we have eternal life. Thank you for so loving us first, while we were yet sinning.

We often do not understand this kind of love. It is a love that reaches out to us while we are rebellious . It covers a multitude of sins. It is everlasting. It never fails. It does not count the cost and it suffers long. It's a love that has paid an ultimate and awesome price for our deliverance.

Lord, we are grateful for this love which has claimed and transformed our lives. It won't let us alone and continues to seek our best. Thank you for this love!

Show us the many ways we can demonstrate your incredible love to those around us. In the name of Everlasting Love, Amen

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Light On!

"Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning..."

Psalm 30:5

Almighty God, thank you for reaching out to us in the midst of our sin and rebellion to draw us again into your forgiveness and love. Thank you for your transforming grace that changes darkness into light, bitterness into compassion, stubbornness into obedience, hatred into love and tears of grief into tears of joy.

Help us today to become tools of grace in the lives of others. Help us to bring light to all dark places for we are no longer children of darkness but children of light. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Secret Prayer

"But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you."

Matthew 6:6

Great God, we come to you today to intercede for those who may need help in difficult times. We pray for those who quietly grieve for a loved one no longer in their lives. Give their heart, mind and soul a comfort that eases the pain yet does not erase the memories of good times. We pray for families in trouble, parents in conflict with their children; marriages gone sour, friendship fractured, careers chaotic, communities in crises and persons in physical or mental pain.

We bring these requests to you because you promised if we touch and agree you would honor our prayers. Help us today to take the time to go into our room, shut the door and pray. Thank you advance for being a prayer hearing and answering God! In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Decisive Action

"God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work."

2 Corinthians 9:8

Lord God Almighty, thank you for loving us first; for to know you is to love you and to love is to serve. We come today thanking you for grace that abounds and the sufficiency of faith found through grace in our relationship with you.

Stir our souls so that we will lift every voice and sing your praises, sing of your goodness and sing until justice rolls down like a mighty rushing stream.

Forgive us for limited vision, when we could see a broader and longer view. Let us not be fearful of those who do not have our best interests at heart. Let us not shrink from doing what is right or be weary in well doing.

Help us not only to sing, but help us to back our singing with decisive action in our civic, social and spiritual responsibilities. Amen.

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Help When You Need It

"I lift up my eyes to the hills from where my help come. My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth."

Psalm 121:1

Lord of heaven and earth, we come to you in weakness seeking your strength. Our lives are too empty without your joy. Our burdens become too heavy without your help. Our fears run away with us without your peace. Our anger becomes too destructive without your love.

Our world has become fractured, hungry and hurting. We look to you for help. Help us Lord and give us the power to help, and make our helping effective. In Jesus Name, Amen

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