O Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me, "God will not deliver him." But you are a shield around me, O Lord, you bestow glory on me and lift up my head. Psalm 3:1-3 We all know what it is like to feel judged by others. And what it is like when we judge ourselves. We know how painful it is to feel like we are defective. We know what it is like to be … [Read more...]

Give thanks to the Lord for he is good; his love endures forever. Psalm 118:1 Give thanks! God is good! God's love endures forever! The Lord is good. The Lord's love is constant, strong, enduring. We give thanks in acknowledgment of this goodness and this unshakable love. We give thanks to celebrate these most fundamental truths about our Maker. Some of us hesitate to express gratitude to … [Read more...]

They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Acts 2: 42 Sometimes prayer is joining hands and voices in worship, in petition, in confession, in grief and in joy. Praying with others reminds us that when we pray, whether we are by ourselves or in a congregation of worshippers, we never really pray alone. Prayer always joins … [Read more...]

Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'" Luke 4:8 When we pray, we open our hearts and minds to the God of love. Prayer allows us to experience God's active love directly. And prayer draws us into serving this One who is love. Our service, then, becomes a form of prayer. Unfortunately, however, not all acts of service are acts of serving the God … [Read more...]

He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8 Prayer is more than our conversations with God. It is our life with God. Prayer is the life we live, the daily choices we make, the justice and mercy we show. These words from the prophet Micah are God's response to a series of questions … [Read more...]

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. Numbers 6: 24-26 Prayer includes actively receiving words and deeds of blessing. Strangely enough this is something we sometimes resist. When people thank us for something we did or said that touched their lives in some way we may dismiss the … [Read more...]

May the Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you. Psalm 20:1 Blessing others with our words and with our actions is a powerful form of prayer. When we express gratitude, we offer the prayer of blessing. When we affirm the gifts and the good we see in another person we offer the prayer of blessing. When we envision a hopeful future, we offer the … [Read more...]

Then he {Jesus} turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman?" Luke 7:44 The transformative power of prayer has the potential to change everything. As we place ourselves before God, God begins to give us new hearts. And God begins to give us new eyes. Our hearts become tender and vulnerable, like God's own heart of love. And our eyes begin to see others, no longer through … [Read more...]

"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you." Luke 6: 27 As we expose our hearts in prayer, our hearts soften in love and our eyes begin to see life through God's eyes of love. As a result, we are changing. We are being transformed. We are being set free to be who God made us to be--people who love … [Read more...]

I am writing you a new command, its truth is seen in him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining. Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing to make him stumble. I John 2:8-9 When we pray, we open ourselves to God who is light. The … [Read more...]