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.

VMM

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.

VMM