Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27 Prayer is receiving the gift of peace from the One who is the Prince of Peace. Jesus offered his disciples the gift of peace just hours before he was arrested and crucified. His followers were about to experience the darkest days of their … [Read more...] about Receiving Peace as Prayer

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him...The wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy, and good fruit, impartial and sincere. James 1:5, 3:17 We are invited by this text to ask God for wisdom. We are told that we will receive wisdom from … [Read more...] about Receiving Wisdom as Prayer

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:15-16 Prayer is receiving mercy and grace to help us in our time of … [Read more...] about Receiving Grace as Prayer

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17 This text reveals some remarkable truths about God. God is the Giver of every good and perfect gift. And God is the "Father of heavenly lights who does not change like shifting shadows." These images are powerful, beautiful, surprising, … [Read more...] about Receiving as Prayer

Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. Mark 2:3-4 Sometimes prayer is letting ourselves be carried by others. Sometimes we cannot pray. We may try to talk with God, or to listen … [Read more...] about Letting Ourselves Be Carried as Prayer

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:28-29 Prayer begins, not with our call to God, but with God's call to us. "Come to me," Jesus calls. "Come." All our praying is in some way a response to God's initiative. But we may … [Read more...] about Releasing our Burdens as Prayer

In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength. Isaiah 30:15 This text from Isaiah is about a time when the Israelites were being pursued by enemies but were refusing God's help. The text tells us that God was full of compassion and ready to help, but they would have none of it. This is not that different from how we sometimes live our lives. We face … [Read more...] about Being Quiet as Prayer

Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10 Many of us are in motion much of the time. We are in motion at our jobs, in motion with our many activities, in motion seeking entertainment and diversion. Even when we are not in motion physically, we are likely to be in motion mentally. Our minds spin with lists of things to do, with conversations we intend to have, with anxieties that won't go … [Read more...] about Being Still as Prayer

Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Matthew 14: 22-23 Sometimes prayer is a kind of solitude. It is allowing ourselves to be alone with God. According to the Gospels, Jesus went out of his way to find solitude. Sometimes he … [Read more...] about Experiencing Solitude as Prayer

But I trust in your unfailing love. Psalm 13:5 Prayer is an act of trust. More specifically, it is an act of trusting God's unfailing love. Trust is the act of relying on something or someone. When we take the risk of crossing the river by driving over a bridge, we are trusting the bridge to do what it promises to do. We trust the bridge to assist us, to support us, to be there for us. In the … [Read more...] about Trusting as Prayer