Selah :: Stop Here Before Moving Forward

The Sound of Silence

2012-02-10T07:36:00.003-06:00

Let us be still together:

At the mention of fasting, immediately we think of refraining from food. Sometimes, a fast from noise and idle chatter is more helpful. A period of silence is often necessary to hear God’s still small voice above the dissonance of our lives which distracts us from a deeper relationship with the Lover of our souls. This is difficult in our society in which we are inundated with words and stimuli coming at us from every direction. Some retreat to monasteries with rolling green hills and pastoral scenes to claim silence. Others walk labyrinths. You may not be able to escape to a monastery or find a labyrinth handy but you can push away from your desk and take a break. During your break, do breath prayers.

On a deep inhalation from your diaphragm, breathe: “Lord, Have Mercy.” On the exhalation: “Christ, Have Mercy.” On the inhalation: “Lord, Have Mercy.” On the exhalation: “Amen.”

Please repeat as many times as necessary, as you claim the space and silence necessary to listen to God in the midst of your precious life.

Pastor Angela L. Shannon
Advent Lutheran Church (ELCA)
Sylvania, OH

Awesome God

2012-02-08T05:00:00.001-06:00

Awesome God, we praise you for being our God of hope in an uncertain world and in an uncertain time. Thank you for infusing our lives with a hope that becomes a testimony of grace and glory to those around us.

Gracious God, be with us in all of our decision making today so that we may choose what is good, right, just and positive. Merciful God, help us to delight ourselves in you so that others may be drawn to you as revealed in me and through me.

In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

Ahmed Goodluck

Defeats Do Not Define Who We Are

2012-02-07T08:27:00.004-06:00

Early we seek your face this morning thankful for a moment of rest. Thank you for the restorative powers of sleep and the refreshment of rest. Thank you that both were apart of our night time hours.

Forgive us again for sins committed by thought word and deed. Help us to release those who have sinned against us through forgiveness.

In Jesus name, assist us in learning from our mistakes. We know its because of your love you chastise us. Thank God our defeats do not define us nor are we doomed to repeat a negative past. Amen.

Robert Payne

Lifted Up!

2012-02-02T06:36:00.004-06:00

O Lord, we will call upon you early in the morning to guide us in all our ways.

We will lift our hearts to you to be strengthened in all we do.

We will carry our loads and relieve the burdens of the helpless by your grace.

We will worship, witness and do the work you have begun in us until the day is done.

We will call upon you in the evening thanking you for another day. Grant us rest so that we will be refreshed to serve another day. In Jesus name, Amen.

Supervisor Stan McKenzie

13th Episcopal District, AMEC

Standing Here Wondering...

2012-01-23T05:00:00.001-06:00

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope that I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and will never leave me to face my perils alone.

Prayer of Thomas Merton

Divine Suffering

2012-01-17T05:00:00.000-06:00

“The Lord fulfill his purpose for me”

Psalm 138:8

It has never been completely understood by human reasoning how divine suffering develops a deep level of holiness or spirituality. It is hard to go so deep in the things of God without a season of great suffering. At its end, a person may emerge no longer asking God for deliverance but praying not my will but thy will be done.

Let us pray:

Lord, whenever a season of divine suffering overtakes our lives, help us to suffer without becoming discouraged. We desire to move beyond our worse case scenario imaginations to the calm place of “all things work together for the good of those who love him.” (Romans 8:28) We walk out of own strength, our own ideas, our own wisdom, our own plans into the blessings of total submission to you, the Lord being our helper. In Jesus name make the quietness of eternity keep our hearts, minds, souls and body. Amen.

VMM

Do Justly

2012-01-16T09:40:00.004-06:00

The Psalmist speaks across the centuries to remind us of a time when “kindness and truth shall meet; justice and peace shall kiss;.(Psalm 85: 11) It has been called a the classic summary of what Yahweh asks in covenant of all humankind. It is what Dr. Martin Luther King jr. calls the “Magna Carta of prophetic religion. (Micah 6:8) God asks this of us: to act justly, to love tenderly and to walk humbly with your God. These three mandates (act justly, love tenderly and walk humbly) cannot be separated according to Thomas H. Groome in “Sharing Faith” as people do justice with loving kindness, their faith as right relationship with God is realized.” So as it was then, so it is now.

Let us pray:

Remind us once yet again o God, the brave dreams of freedom and justice that were born in the hearts of our ancestors. They were willing to work for freedom often granted in policy but not in praxis. They were willing stand, sit down, march and picket in spite of the dangers. We stand on their shoulders today.

Now Lord, shine your light in us in such a way that we see all of humankind as brothers and sisters; shine your light through us to bring a new vision of equality... help us to see that our freedom doesn’t demand the enslavement of others; shine your light on us so that others can see that even though we are marred and broken vessels you still use us as channels of your grace to bring mercy, joy and peace into the lives of our fellow pilgrims on this journey of life. We seek the pure light of thy holiness that we may find our way in this world to do justly, love mercy and walk humbly. In Jesus name, amen.

Do It All!

2012-01-02T05:00:00.001-06:00

Happy New Year!

Surely the Lord has blessed us to start a new chapter called 2012. As we stand at the threshold of the unknown and unexpected, we hold tightly to our faith in Jesus Christ who is the same, yesterday, today and forever more. As we begin the journey of a new year, be sure to do all to the glory of God.

"...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

Look Back

2011-12-30T05:00:00.000-06:00

Dear God,

Remembering our past can be difficult, especially when we have memories of broken dreams, painful ordeals and unresolved conflicts. Help us to remember that in the midst of the darkness there was also the light of your grace. The moments when life seemed to offer nothing became occasions of discovering that you are everything.

When we look back today, we can see you working behind the scenes transforming our difficult moments into a means of grace. Thank God, weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning!

In Jesus Name, Amen.

Sue Burton

Going Deep

2011-12-29T07:41:00.004-06:00

“All night all day angels watching over me my Lord!”

Hope of my present and future, I thank you for my experiences today. 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, Amen.

VMM

Knock Knock

2011-12-28T05:00:00.001-06:00

Eternal Spirit, come knock on the door and give us grace to open. Come to us in stimulating thoughts, clear insights, and illumined faith, in moving gratitude that makes us humble, in penitence that cleanses us, in a sense of vocation, that challenges us. Come to us in a fresh vision of Christ, his grace and mercy, his call to our consciences, and his appeal to our strength.

Let the light shine on all of us today, making plain some answers to our questions, some assurance for our doubts, some strength for our weakness, some vision for our duty, and may we be the more valiant and triumphant spirits because we have worshipped, in the Spirit of Christ, Amen.

Harry Emerson Fosdick

We're On Our Way

2011-12-26T05:00:00.001-06:00

Prepare us Lord to begin a new year. Lead us to do those things that help our hearts and minds to be receptive to a fresh start.

Today:

We will begin by discarding thoughts, attitudes, and habits that are not compatible with an abundant, beautiful and excellent life.

We turn away from negative people, places and things and turn towards that which is positive and uplifting.

We let go of whatever caused past discouragement, disappointment, or disagreement.

We reach for those things that encourage, support and nourish my body, mind and spirit.

We stand boldly on your Word that tells us you shall do a new things, bring water to parched places and cause the wilderness to bloom.

We are open and receptive to new ideas, activities and relationships. We are on our way to a new year!

In Jesus name, I pray, Amen

VMM

Take The Journey

2011-12-24T05:20:00.000-06:00

In times of instant travel, the notion of “a journey” may lose its symbolic significance. Yet each of us knows that whenever we have an experience; times of transition in our lives, whether they be individual transitions or transitions in our families or communities, no instant arrival at a new way of looking, knowing, valuing, or believing is possible. Internal and external conflicts signal that the old ways of understanding and making sense of our lives no longer hold us together. We have indeed set out, but we have yet to arrive at the place of our destiny.

T.S. Eliot writes, “Emptied, the Magi come to the place where the star reappears brighter than before. Not a moment too soon, the Magi entered into the stable and “they saw the child with his mother Mary, and falling to their knees they did him homage.” (Matt. 2:11) The desert or (wilderness) journey prepared them for this moment of seeing, of encountering the Holy Mystery of God in the very midst of human experience. Indeed, the Magi could not grasp themselves to be grasped by the Holy Mystery revealed in this moment. Nevertheless, they worshiped the one they had been led to find and they found joy.

In this season, let not the fear of the disruption of our normal lives cause us to miss an opportunity to gain a deeper connection with our greater self and find the joy that rest in us when we follow the our star. Fear attempts to distract us and hinder us from arriving at the place where the star will lead us. Remember, at the end of that journey lies our destiny and no matter how dark the journey, when we arrive, we will be illuminated.

Rev. Nigel Felder, Louisville, Kentucky

O Lord, help us not to be too lazy to take the journey to participate in kingdom events. Prepare us to bring the necessary gifts to honor you and demonstrate our love. In Jesus name, Amen.

Silent Holy Nights

2011-12-23T05:00:00.001-06:00

Nights are rarely silent and holy in too many places in the world.

Let us pray:

Lord, help us to carry a little bit of silence within us as we meet the busy rush of crowded streets, malls and agendas, tinkling brass and sounding cymbals. Help us to enter into the chaos with your silence to encourage others to be still and know that you are God. Help us to be holy because you are holy in thought, word, and deed. Help us to have extra calm so that wars and worries won’t capture us today.

And when the night comes, may we sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace. Amen.

VMM

Know, Love and Praise

2011-12-22T00:10:00.005-06:00

Grant to me, O Lord, to know what I ought to know, to love what I ought to love, to praise what delights thee most, to value what is precious in thy sight, to hate what is offensive to Thee. Do not suffer me to judge according to the sight of my eyes, nor to pass sentence according to the hearing of the ears of ignorant men; but to discern with true judgment between things visible and spiritual, and above all things to inquire what is the good pleasure of thy will.

Prayer of Thomas a Kempis

It's What You Pray

2011-12-15T06:30:00.000-06:00

I said to the Lord this morning,
O God, yet another phone call about tragedy, loss, poor prognosis, emergency surgery, tumors, pain and suffering. What can I say?

There is yet another sound bite of misfortune and misspent opportunities. What can I say?

There are yet too many crises in too many places with too many people we care about and a multitude of people we do not know. What can I say?

God said to me, Daughter, it’s not what you say it is what you pray.

So, I prayed, God of grace and glory, hear the cries of your people. Where healing is needed, dispense it now, in Jesus name, where help is needed, give it now in the name of Jesus. Where shelter is needed, provide now in the name of Jesus, and where there is a need for sustenance, supply it now, in the name of Jesus.

In the name of Jesus, let your healing waters flow, let your love abide and your mercy endure forever in this Advent season. Amen.

Staying Focused

2011-12-14T05:00:00.001-06:00

"Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, watching at the posts of my door."

Proverbs 8:34 KJV

Have you ever looked up at the sky and watched the clouds move from one place to another? Watching the clouds assemble into figures that seem to be recognizable can cause you to become focused on the beauty of God’s glory.

In our daily lives, we rely on our eyes to help us see and focus on the glory of God. Have you ever taken your eyes off of God? Have you allowed your focus to be consumed by hatred, jealousy, bitterness, prejudice, gossip, malice, or worldly things?

Examine yourself today and see when you have taken your focus off God’s divine way as you progressed throughout your day. Staying focused takes discipline. If we keep our focus on God, we will be able to see how God is moving the clouds out of our lives, clearing our vision so we will be able to see and focus on the glory of God and his righteousness.

Let us pray:

Lord, when we are consumed by our daily events that we cannot see you clearly, please help us to regain our focus on you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Rev. Sheilah Y. Robinson,

Itinerant Elder

Quinn Chapel AMEC, Louisville, KY

Do Unto Who?

2011-12-13T05:00:00.000-06:00

A friend of mine took her life in her hands and braved the holiday traffic to shop at a big mall. She said once she got off the interstate at the mall exit, it took 30 minutes to get to the entrance and another 30 minutes to find a parking space. Words like crazy, insane and I-will-never-do-this-again-on-a-Saturday ran through her mind.

It was all worth it. She was going to shop for a senior who lived next door to her. The senior had mobility challenges and mall shopping was like walking an obstacle course. The trip was long but the list was short. In the end, my friend felt like she honored God’s call to serve with more than pious gestures or empty words building community with those around her.

Let us pray:

Fountain of life, we thank you for the gift of another day. Forgive us of our sins of omission –the things we didn’t do and should have done. Forgive us for the sins of commission- the sins we do that so easily beset us.

Help us today to offer thanks to you, not in pious gestures or empty words but by living faithful to your call to serve. Enable us to bear the fruit of thankfulness by serving others. Empower us to reach beyond our comfort zones to build community with those around us. Help us to willingly accept the love and friendship of others.

We know that you are with us and for us everyday. In Jesus name, we offer this prayer, Amen

Restart The Vision

2011-12-12T05:01:00.000-06:00

“Come, Thou long expected Jesus  Born to set Thy people free;  From our fears and sins release us,  Let us find our rest in Thee.”

Charles Wesley

God of promises made and promises kept come again into our hearts. Come in such a way that our fears do not stand a chance against faith. Come, thou long expected Jesus in a way we need the most. Help us rejoice again for divinity clothed in human flesh.

Open our hearts so that we will continue to rescue the lost, strengthen the weak and support your call to this ministry of reconciliation.

Awaken old discarded dreams, restart the vision and reset the goals for the coming new year. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Shake It Off!

2011-12-09T05:32:00.007-06:00

"And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.”

Romans 13:11

Amazing God, thank you for this Advent season where we can once again engage in activities of spiritual preparation. It is exciting to hear the call to draw closer to a love that gave the ultimate sacrificial gift so that we can enjoy by faith through grace eternal life. Thank you for this season where we can stir up the gifts that are within us to apply them according to your will. Thank you for these days where we can shake off a lethargic faith that has been lulled to sleep by delays and disappointments.

Help us to emerge from slumber and sleep to shake off the apathy that keep us disengage from the things of God. We know what we do matters to you, O Lord, and to those we live and work with. Therefore, in Jesus name help us to keep a spiritual vigilance over our words and deeds, as we are no longer children of the darkness but children of light. Amen.

VMM

Receive

2011-12-08T07:51:00.005-06:00

Beloved, it’s hard to believe but there are many among us who have a hard time receiving. Give them a compliment and they may tell you it is so undeserved. Give them a helping hand and they will try to do it on their own. Give them a break and they will doubt your motives. Give them the love they are looking for and they will deny its authenticity.

Let us pray:

Lord, help us to receive as much as we love to give this season. Help us to receive the good and perfect gifts that come from your hand. Help us to receive the answers we have been awaiting for with joy and gladness. Help us to receive forgiveness of our sins, deliverance from our infirmities and morning mercies as we continually give our lives to you.

Now Lord, help us to tell the testimony of how You did the impossible, fixed what was broken, solved what was problematic, straightened what was disfigured, and restored what had been taken away. In Jesus name, Amen.

VMM

Divine Protection

2011-12-07T07:34:00.006-06:00

"The Lord is your protection; you have made God Most High your place of safety. Nothing bad will happen to you; no disaster will come to your home. He has put his angels in charge of you to watch over you wherever you go.."

Psalm 91: 9-11 NCV

My first pastoral charge was 99.9 miles toward West Tennessee. My two children traveled with me at all time.

On one occasion following a late afternoon program, we started back to Nashville on State Highway 100. Since it was getting late I decided to take a road that would lead us to the interstate. The road I chose was a narrow rural highway with many curves and no lights.

Without warning, a group of fawns (baby deer) appeared on the highway in front of us and went into the field on the right side of the road. The children and I were already afraid because of the late hour, dark road, and the presence of the fawns. I didn’t strike the fawns and we made it back to Nashville safely.

I am reminded that the Lord is with us at all times. He is our shield and protector. The Psalmist says that God is our protector if we dwell in him and believe in him. God will send ministering angels to guard us in all of our ways.

Let us pray:

God, may you always be our divine protector in all situations of our lives. Let us continue to lean and rely on you, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Rev. Pattie Hardimon

Itinerant Elder, Tennessee Annual Conference

God With Us!

2011-12-05T05:00:00.001-06:00

Have you ever been in God's presence and hardly noticed it? Have you ever suddenly realized that God had been with you long before you knew God was there?

The good news of Jacob's story is not simply that there was a stairway to heaven or that Jacob was a special kind of man despite his deceitful ways. The good news is that God comes into our lives even when we don’t deserve God’s presence. For surely the Lord entertains us and we do not even know it.

God will surprise us by turning our greatest afflictions into sources of strength and healing. God will surprise us by converting moments of pain into stripes that heal. God will surprise us by changing a time of death into an eternity of glorious life. Yes, God is in our lives, even when we do not know it.

“When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.”

Genesis 28:16

Let us pray:

Lord God, help us to know that you are here to bless and heal, comfort and guide, change and transform, and help and reassure us. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor, III,

Editor The Christian Recorder

AME Church

ADVENT

Today, do not allow the crush and crises of a hectic holiday season blind you to the presence of God in your life. God is with us!

Come Now, Again!

2011-12-02T05:00:00.001-06:00

What are your Advent memories? I remember as a child that December seemed to be the longest month of the year. Christmas Day couldn’t come fast enough. I remember that we celebrated the Lord’s birthday with lots of food, fun and family. It wasn’t MY birthday but I got lots of gifts.

Here is something to pray about today. What are you going to give to Jesus as a birthday gift this year?

Let us pray:

“Come thou long-expected Jesus, born to set thy people free; from our fears and sins release us, let us find our rest in thee.”

Charles Wesley, 1744

Hymn: Come Thou Long-Expect Jesus

Dear Lord,

There is a longing in our hearts for the more you have to give us. The more you give cannot be bought in a store or purchased on the Internet. It is Your love, salvation, peace, joy and hope that we long to receive.

Come and clean out the closet of our hearts where we have hung bitter feelings and unpleasant memories. Come into the living room of our spirits, which has been littered with disappointments. Come into the dining room of our minds, which has been set with complacency and apathy.

Come thou long-expected Jesus and set us free from all of our sins, doubts and fears. Come and dwell with us again. We will give you our souls for saving, our sins for forgiving, our minds for renewing, our hearts for cleansing and our service to you now and forever more. Amen.

VMM

Behold!

2011-12-01T06:44:00.004-06:00

It's Advent! This is the four-week season to prepare us spiritually for 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 Praycation, a companion for those who want to go deeper in Christ and practice spiritual disciplines, now through Christmas. Stay with Praycation in the coming new year to grow stronger in the things of God. Many people will watch faithfully a favorite television show, football or basketball game. It only takes a minute to stick with Praycation daily. Make it a part of the regular devotions. Seleh: stop here before moving forward!

VMM

“ Be not afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all people; …”

Luke 2:10

Let us pray:

Behold! Lord you have our undivided attention. We confess that we have been so busy with the minutia of life that we failed to hear again the good news you have for us all. We have been so caught up in black Fridays and cyber Mondays that we missed the good news about our Christ being born again in our hearts.

Lord we want to see what matters to you in this Advent season not what merely matters to our financial status. Open our eyes to see beyond the natural to behold the wonder of the good news you still have for us. Prepare our hearts to anticipate the gift of the Christ child. Cultivate within us a deeper spiritual attentiveness so we yearn to learn to love you more than decking the halls. In Jesus name, amen.

VMM

Running Low

2011-11-30T05:00:00.000-06:00

Gracious God, I confess that I have often run ahead of you. I have run in so many different directions that I've become road-weary. I've rushed by others trying to find my own way. I've failed to stop long enough to build relationships with you and others. I find myself alone in the corner of life unable to speak or act having lost all hope. I've allowed the running to drain my inner spiritual landscape. I'm running on empty.

Fill me and forgive me again! Order my steps so that life will no longer be a blur of too much to do in too little time. Restore unto me the joy of my salvation. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and help me today to rediscover the joy of your love. Help me to shed aimless thinking, speaking and doing. Help me to walk the path you have set for me. In the name of Christ I pray, Amen.

D. Carr

ADVENT

What are you doing to spiritually prepare for the celebration of Christmas. Advent is an excellent opportunity to make more room in your life for Jesus Christ. Share your thoughts, holiday traditions, prayers and blessing at praycation2@gmail.com.

At The Right Time

2011-11-28T08:32:00.003-06:00

You say, “I choose the appointed time; it is I who judge with equity. When the earth and all its people quake, it is I who hold its pillars firm.”

Psalm 75: 2-3

Wonderful Counselor, we join the multitudes that praise you for who you are and for what you continue to do for all creation.

I yearn to know You, O Beloved, to abide in the Peace of Love; I choose to turn from the ways of the world, where ego separates and divides humanity.

At the set time, which you appoint, you will judge with equity. Have mercy upon us. When the earth totters with all its inhabitants, you are the one who keep steady the axis. Hold us steady and safe both day and night.

You say to the powerful, “Lead with justice and mercy.” And to the greedy, “Share your abundance with those in need. Let no one see your acts of mercy or know your works of charity.” Help us to be a better blessing to those around. In Jesus name, amen.

As I Live and Breathe!

2011-11-25T05:30:00.001-06:00

Have you ever tried to bless God every chance you get? Try it this weekend from first thing in the morning to the last thing at night. It doesn't matter whether you're busy with the activities of the day or making pretend you have nothing to do. You can do it audibly or silently in your heart. Just do it - bless God every chance you get.

Let me know in the comment section how you handled today's assignment!

“I bless God every chance I get; my lungs expand with his praise. I live and breathe God; if things aren't going well, hear this and be happy:”

Psalm 34: 1-2 The Message

Let us pray:

Eternal God, this is a wonderful 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!

VMM

ADVENT

Remember to share your prayers for peace, hope and joy along with your holiday thoughts and traditions in preparation for the coming celebration of God coming to the world to dwell among us at praycation2@gmail.com.

Happy “Thanks-living” Day!

2011-11-24T05:50:00.000-06:00

Happy “Thanks-living” Day! Today reminds us that thanksgiving is a 24/7 lifestyle choice. We will be with friends and family or join others to cook meals for those with limited choices. We will worship and witness about the goodness of the Lord either in church or reverently bowed over the turkey!

Whatever you do today make room for the Lord at your table and in your life. Don’t wait for an invitation invite someone to join you!

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

Psalm 118:29

Let Us Pray:

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.

With eyes wide open we see that we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing. Every good and perfect gift has graciously come from your hand. Thank you Lord, for all you have done for us. In Jesus Name, Amen.

VMM

ADVENT

The Advent season, the days prior to the celebration of the birth of Christ is a crucial time of preparation. It is more that presents and pomp and circumstance. It is a journey where we remember that God came to dwell among us. The Word was made flesh!

Share your prayers, thoughts, holiday traditions and prayer experiences with us. Just email them now for consideration after Thanksgiving to praycation2@gmail.com.

A Timely Shelter

2011-11-23T06:50:00.008-06:00

“The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.”

Psalms 9: 9

Trouble comes knocking at the door of our lives often unexpected. Trouble comes in uninvited and takes a seat in the living spaces of our hearts and minds. Trouble puts it feet up on the table of our resources refusing to leave in a timely fashion. Troubles acts like it never heard “This too shall pass.”

David was acquainted with trouble. He experienced trouble from the palace to the battlefield yet he was able to praise God for being a shelter for the oppressed and a refuge in times of trouble.

Let us pray:

Lord, thank you for being there for us in unsettling seasons. You didn’t abandon us when the unthinkable happened. Your love never wavered. Your protection was assuring. Your grace amazingly showed up when trouble took up residence in our lives.

We give thanks today because we can find shelter in you when trouble comes calling. In Jesus name, we trust our lives to the one who can help us and our troubles to the one who can solve them. Amen.

ADVENT

I have been out of the USA for the last several days on a journey with a group of ecumenical bishops to visit the Holy places in and around Jerusalem. I'll share the prayers for peace in subsequent months. Thank you for your prayers for a safe journey.

The Advent season is beginning soon. Please share your prayers for the coming season of Advent. This is the time of the year we celebrate the coming of the Christ child again. It is a season of hopes and dreams. It is a season of giving ourselves to Christ once again. Keep Christ the focus of your Advent season by sharing your prayers and prayer experiences. Email your prayers and thoughts to praycation2@gmail.com.

Can You Praise God Enough?

2011-11-11T06:45:00.003-06:00

Have you ever praised God so much that you ran out of words? You strain to offer more praise and thanksgiving but you find yourself at a loss for words. You are not alone. All of us have had that experience especially after the Lord has done the impossible or the miraculous for us.

The Psalmist had the same experience. When he recounted all the moments when God didn’t utterly destroy Israel even when Israel had proven unworthy of God’s love. How can you ever praise God enough for when the Lord has done for you!

Let us pray:

“Who can list the glorious miracles of the Lord? Who can ever praise him enough”

Psalm 106: 2

Today we lift our voices to join the chorus of those who are continually praising your name for your acts of kindness, your goodness and your mercy towards us. You are good and your faithful love endures forever!

We can exhaust ourselves in radical praise and it still won’t be enough. We can come to end of the lexicon and it still won’t be enough. We can empty ourselves in thanksgiving and it still won’t be enough because who can ever praise you enough?

Take our praise offering as just the beginning….in Jesus name, Amen.

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PRAYING THROUGH THE PSALMS

Join us in Praying through the Psalms during this transition season between autumn and the liturgical season of Advent. Pray a psalm a day or pray your favorite psalm. Share this psalm discipline with others on FB, twitter or via email. You can always subscribe by clicking on the icon on the lower right side of the home page. Let us pray together and watch God work wonders in our lives!

Divine Defender

2011-11-10T06:54:00.003-06:00

Why, LORD, do you stand far off?

Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

Psalm 10:1

Dear Lord,

There are times when we feel that you are so far away. When we can’t hear you, we want to runaway. When we can’t see you, we seek other sources of relief to our own detriment. When we feel insecure, we lash out at those who may be weaker than ourselves. When evil triumphs and justice is ignored, we feel abandoned.

Forgive us Lord. It is not You who moved. We allowed our fear to move us where faith would have held us. You alone know the depth of our anguish. Breakthrough the trampled levels of faith so that your love overwhelms are fears once again.

We place our lives into your hands because it is there we find strength and comfort. You are the defender of the helpless and the oppressed. Help us today to live with integrity as examples of your loving presence in the world.

In Jesus name, Amen.

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It's Yours!

2011-11-07T06:55:00.004-06:00

“ The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it,  

the world, and all who live in it;…”

Psalm 24:1

The Earth is yours, O Lord. You have given the world life and everyone who lives in it with fullness and glory. You have founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. Help us today to take better care of the seas, rivers and the life that lives within it and beside it. Equip us with new wisdom and knowledge to overcome environmental negligence. Please help us in this hour as the seas and it creatures are being spoiled by pollutants that may change the world you so carefully created forever. In this hour of need we pray in Jesus name, Amen.

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PRAYING THE PSALMS

In this season of transition from autumn to winter, let us pray together the Psalms. It is a wonderful book filled with joy and lament, excitement and sorrow, poetry and prose that speaks to the depth of our souls. Let’s see what God wants to say to us!

Dawn's Early Light

2011-11-04T06:41:00.004-05:00

"In the morning, O Lord, hear my voice. In the morning, I lay my needs in front of you, and I wait."

Psalm 5:3

Orchestrator of the Universe help me this morning and every morning that you grant me life, to come to you in the quiet of dawn's early light, before caffein, rush hour, the opening bell, the punched clock, while there is a hush all over the house. Before I take on too much of the day or before the day takes me on, I come before you to hear Your voice telling me which way to go.

I present myself, my soul and body as a reasonable sacrifice. I bring you praise and thanksgiving before I lay my needs before you. I bring the possibilities of the day and ask you to use it for your glory. I bring whatever patience I can gather to wait, wait to hear your voice in every matter. In Jesus name, Amen.

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PRAYING THE PSALMS

Sometimes we are not sure where to begin when it time to pray. Start with the Book of Psalms! Join us during this transition season between autumn and winter to pray the psalms. Let this time be your jump start into your daily devotions or pray it as a sustaining moment during the day.

Let me know if you will be praying the Psalms with us as well as what is your favorite Psalm?

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Why God?

2011-11-03T06:31:00.006-05:00

“Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?”

Psalm 2:1

Let us pray:

O Lord our God, we are overwhelmed with questions today. We are inquisitive children. We seek to know the unknowable.

Why do the nations rage? Why do people plot against each other in vain? Why do they desire to stand together against You and your anointed?

Show us how to navigate between those who are distracted by greed and those distracted by arrogance. Remove from us the desire to join their plots. Forgive us when we have submitted to our own selfish motives. Forgive us when we have become the they.

Help us to love what is right in such a way that wrong will not be tolerated. Help us to speak truth to power and speak it in the way of Love. In the matchless name of Jesus, Amen.

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Stand Strong

2011-11-02T08:46:00.004-05:00

Praying Through the Psalms

We are living between the golden glow of autumn and the icy glare of winter. Many of you have already tasted the snow or cold menu that winter provides: the early morning chill has given way to plummeting temperatures; jackets are shed, coats dug out of closets, boots located, snow covered the not yet fallen leaves, planes diverted and travel plans changed.

In this transition, I asked the Lord what should we do. The answer came back, pray the Psalms. The Book of Psalms offers us an opportunity to transform this transitional season into powerful encounters with God. You can turn each psalm into your own personal prayer or testimony. We may not pray through all 150 psalms by Thanksgiving and the genesis of the Advent season. We will however touch upon several Psalm-subjects from anger to zeal, fear to power, oppression to joy and healing to guidance.

Center your attention on God in your prayer space.
Assume your prayer posture whether it is standing, sitting, lying prostrate or simply lifting your face towards heaven.
Be still while invoking the presence of God
Read the Psalm of the day or a portion thereof.
Pray the Psalm and discover its power.

Let's try this prayer discipline. Let me know in the comment section is you will join the journey.

Let us pray:

“And he shall be like a tree which is planted near the running waters, which shall bring forth its fruit, in due season.”

Psalm 1: 3

God of all seasons, I desire today to walk hand in hand with your goodness, stand strong beside virtue and sit in the seat of your Truth. I delight in your Word and will dwell on it day and night.

Position me in a place where I can grow and flourish like the trees planted beside the streams of waters. Stretch me beyond my comfort zone so that I may produce good fruit in due season. Even in the uncertain seasons of transition, cause me to prosper in whatever I do today.

In Jesus name, Amen.

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Good Morning!

2011-10-24T05:00:00.001-05:00

Let's pray together:

Good Morning Father. Thank you for awakening me to brand new mercies. I can’t wait to see what you are up to today. You are awesome! I worship you!

You are my shelter and my safe place. You’re my peace in the midnight hours; my strength when I am frazzled, my wisdom when I don’t know what to do. You are my healer when doctors have no clue! There is no God like my God!

Teach me your ways, for your ways are above my ways. Your ways are righteous and just when I would seek to right, or strike back at a wrong. Your ways bless others when I can get preoccupied with myself.
Lord show me your path. Your path leads to hope, salvation, and peace. In Your presence is truly the fullness of joy!

Thank you for not dealing with me according to my transgressions—for I do sin and fall short of your glory! I miss the mark and overstep your boundaries. On my best days, you know I am prone to err. So create in me a clean heart. Start me all over again. Protect me from the works of the devil.
I praise you for victory in Christ! Prosper the work of my hands that you may receive glory and your people are built up.

I ask all these things in the marvelous, matchless name of Jesus, my savior, Amen!
(Inspired by Psalm 25:4-7)

Rev. Dr. Rosalind P. Denson
Associate Pastor
West Side Missionary Baptist Church
St Louis, Missouri
http://afruitfullife.blogspot.com

Rest vs Rush

2011-10-21T05:00:00.001-05:00

“Rest. Rest. Rest in God’s love. The only work you are required now to do is to give your most intense attention to His still, small voice within.”

Madame Jeanne Guyon

Lord, we live in a world of rush, busy, do, demand, now, stress, test, tiring and more rush. Rest has been taken out of the lexicon of the 21^st century. Role models of rest are limited. Paradigms of rest are few. Rush and rest wrestle for control of our agendas.

Help us today to begin to prayerfully cultivate a life where rest, renewal and restoration have a place. We release the cares and woes of this week into your hands. We relinquish worry. We exchange the jangling discords church, community and country for the rest of soul and body in the solitude of our desert wanderings. We silence ourselves to sit in the holy hush of your presence. Speak Lord, for you servants are listening.

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Money Can't Buy

2011-10-20T05:00:00.000-05:00

It’s amazing. Sometimes that the things we want and need the most seems to elude us. It is not that we don’t have the financial capability to purchase it. Money cannot buy everything. Who can buy peace of mind, a clear conscious or salvation?

Let us pray:

Lord, you promised if we confess you would be faithful to forgive. We come today confessing that we have sought fulfillment upon the altars of culture and possessions. Our happiness does not lie in knowing the right people, or having more money, power or prestige. Bigger houses, cars and land doesn’t satisfy the soul nor more than ‘striving after the wind.’ (Ecclesiastes 12:13) Our salvation lies in knowing you in the pardoning of our sins.

You have given us freedom. Help us to use it wisely everyday. Draw us closer to you so that we will not be pawns in the hands of the enemy of our souls.

We place you again at the center of our lives. Strengthened us in our weak places and when we have been strengthened, we will strengthen others. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

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Autumn Majesty

2011-10-19T05:00:00.004-05:00

I looked out of the window and saw a magnificent display of colors from a deep golden glow to a resplendent red and deep rich browns this morning. The leaves are turning on the trees. God is showing off again.

Don’t be in such a hurry today. Walk a little slower. Breathe in the smells, sights and sounds of this transition. Take a different route home so you can enjoy the majesty of the season.

Let us pray:

Great Creator God, we come to you today in the quiet mystery of early morning dew and the majesty of autumn’s splash of color. Help us to treasure your creation with the same intensity as we treasure our Creator.

We lift before you those who have experienced a loss in their lives – the loss of a friend or family member, the loss of employment or health benefits, the loss of sleep or the loss of peace. Help them to let go just as the leaves are releasing their hold upon the branches of the trees to make room for hope and healing. Guide those who can comfort and correct to be visible and vocal on their behalf.

Now, may the plans you have for them, plans not to harm but to prosper them be greater than the pain of the moment. In Jesus name, Amen.

BREATHING PRAYER

Have you forgotten the breathing prayers we learned over the summer? Remember when we are stressed, we tend to take shallow breaths. Breathe and do it deeply in prayer. Try it today.

Exhale: Lord I need you. Inhale: Lord I receive you. Repeat.

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Be Faithful

2011-10-18T05:00:00.000-05:00

Remind us anew today that you are always with us; that circumstances surrendered to you become stepping-stones to high purpose; that crushing blows left in your hands do heal and become teaching tools for our survival both in this lie and the lie to come; that illness may weaken and even destroy the body, nut will not destroy our soul. Help us to trust you more fully and to remain faithful in all circumstances, as did those first followers whom you taught through Christ to pray:

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your Kingdom come,  your will be done,  on earth as in heaven Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.  Lead us not into temptation,  but deliver us from evil.  For the kingdom,  the power and the glory are yours.  Now and forever.

Amen.

Henry Fields

Above Our Circumstances

2011-10-17T09:00:00.005-05:00

Let us pray together:

Thank you Lord for being all beginnings and all endings. In the morning you cradle the world and in the evening you heal our wounds so we can fight another day; You are the morning dew and the evening mist; You are the early morning sun kissing the potential of a new day and you are the twilight whispering promises yet to come.

We sing of sorrows and laugh at mistakes; we dance in the rain and laugh at the wind; we dream of things yet to come and believe the things we hope for, the evidence of thing unseen.

When our faith falters and our hopes crash upon the craggy rocks of ambition, renew our strength; let us be caught into your loving arms when we faint and lifted up as we struggle to rise above circumstances that seek our demise. You are a great and mighty God who helps us to live above our circumstances.

It is in the name of Gratitude we pray, Amen.

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Strength For Today

2011-10-14T07:13:00.005-05:00

Let us pray together:

O Lord, in this time of change and promise, strengthen us. You are our strength and our shield; You are our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. We know, Gracious God that your eyes go to and fro throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts long for you. We often grow weary, but our hope is in you to renew our strength, courage and vision. We do not fear, for you are with us. We are not dismayed or overwhelmed, for you are our God. We know you will strengthen us and help us; that you will uphold us with your righteous hand. We abide in your comfort. In the matchless name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Dr. Lance Watson

St. Paul Baptist Church

Richmond, Virginia

Prayer Quote

"Prayer catapults us onto the frontier of the spiritual life. Of all the Spiritual Disciplines prayer is the most central because it ushers us into perpetual communion with the Father. Meditation introduces us to the inner life, fasting is an accompanying means. Study transforms our minds, but it is the Discipline of prayer that brings us into the deepest and highest work o the human spirit. Real Prayer is life creating and life changing."

Richard J. Foster

Late In The Season

2011-10-11T07:27:00.004-05:00

Tucked away in the corner of my backyard is a small square of earth called my Salad Garden. Lettuce, zucchini, and tomatoes were neatly planted in a place where it could get sunshine all day long. The harvest was delectable!

The other day, I went to my Salad Garden to prepare the ground for winter. There among the yellowing lanky plants was one last green tomato. It hung by itself. It hadn’t ripened yet and the cooler mornings and cold evening had damaged it.

Just like my last rose of summer, which is still a brilliant red by the way, it was hanging on late in the growing season. There was still a chance it may ripen before the first frost.

Let us pray:

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.”

John 15: 1

Dear Lord,

Help those of us who take a little longer to reach full maturity in the things of God. Protect us from the elements in life that can stunt our growth. Surround us with a love that will keep us until we are ready for the next level of faith.

You are the vinedresser and apart from you we can do nothing. Even when there is a change in the atmosphere, grant us a grace to hang on a little while longer. Prune away the dead growth to make way for the new. Resource us so that even if it is late in the season, we can bear much fruit. In Jesus name, Amen.

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Dance the Day

2011-10-10T08:12:00.003-05:00

Merciful God, awaken my soul as another week begins! Grant me a williness to live in covenant with you even while the surprises of the day unfolds. Lift me to dance and sing your praises today so that all who see me will see the joy you bring to my life. Empower me to dance with a joy that sends darkness running and suffering into submission.

Grant me a seeking heart so that among all the options, I may still seek you in everyone, in everyplace and in everything. In Jesus name, Amen.

VMM

"God with us" explodes the myth that God is distant and uncaring . He is with us in our worst, working for something better.

C. Neil Strait

The Last Rose of Summer

2011-10-03T09:06:00.004-05:00

Just as dawn’s early light spilled over the horizon, my eye caught site of the last rose of summer just outside my kitchen window. It was a bright brilliant red. The flower was acting like it didn’t know that the air was chilled and summer was over. All the other blossoms had faded and fallen. Yet this rose bloomed on.

Every now and then seasons change in our lives. The expectation is that we must pack it in, call it quits or retreat until a better day. But something inside us won’t let go. In spite of the forecast we bloom even if we have to bloom all by ourselves.

Dear Lord,

There is nothing that we can do to deserve the gift of eternal life. You gave it freely to all who accept it and it allows us to be light in dark places. Your gift helps us to bloom like the last rose of summer in spite of the forecast of change.

Thank you for giving the roses among the thorns the power to bloom another day in spite of the conditions that can hinder it or make it difficult to bloom.

Thank you for the anointing to bloom in difficult places and in difficult times. Thank you for your favor that continually creates favorable circumstances in uncertain seasons.

In Jesus name, Amen.

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Divine Way Maker

2011-09-30T05:00:00.000-05:00

Gracious and Generous God, thank you for the opportunities to exercise the gifts you’ve given us – the gift to write, create, invent, discover, organize, dance, sing, invest, grow businesses, improve communities, network, build, gather, share, and all the other complex gifts of creativity. Help us to build on the foundation left by our ancestors and at the same time create new pathways of success.

Help us to resist self-destructive actions that could ruin the lives of those we love. Help us to embrace Holy living so that everything we do brings honor and glory to your name.

Go with us today and be our human resource counselor, relationship advisor, problem solver, finance officer, promise keeper, protector, defender and divine way maker. Amen.

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PRAYER TIME

Praycation, a prayer break from routine or Selah, meaning to stop here before moving forward, is not your grandmother's prayer meeting. It is a digital spiritual discipline to guide you into prayer or help to get started to pray without ceasing as Paul suggests in the word of God.

More than 200,000 people have prayed and more than 400 are regular subscribers. Since prayer changes people and perplexing situations, invite others to be a part of this prayer journey. Subscribe yourself, if you haven't already. Make this prayer blog a part of your daily routine. Share this blog with others. Share your prayer experiences and send us your prayers so we can share them with others at www.praycation2@gmail.com.

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Speak Up

2011-09-29T06:00:00.000-05:00

O God of justice, miracles and mighty deed,

We lift up to you those who have been silenced by hardship, affliction and injustice. Forgive us for not speaking up for the least among us. We confess that we have not exercised our influence and position to change things. Grant us the courage to be agents of change and instruments of justice. Empower us with the will and the desire to see your kingdom manifest on earth as it is already done in heaven. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.

Junius Dotson, Africana Worship Book

An Ordinary Extraordinary

2011-09-28T06:32:00.006-05:00

O God, thank you for meeting us in ordinary places, doing ordinary things and at ordinary times. Your divine presence in the ordinary transforms the moment into an extraordinary theophany.

Empower us to be extraordinary in this uncertain season. Fill our lives with wonder as we witness extraordinary mercies instead of judgement and extraordinary miracles instead of the usual mess.

Tune our hearts to perceive your presence when we cannot hear your voice. Give us joyful words to proclaim the good news so that it may be heard above the cacophony of the world's fears. In Jesus' name, may the Holy Spirit energize us to proclaim hope and then be that hope in a darkened world. Amen.

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Call And Response

2011-09-27T05:00:00.000-05:00

"I call upon you, O Lord.

In the morning you hear me;

in the morning I offer you my prayer, watching and waiting. . ."

Psalm 5

I lift my heart to you, O Lord,
to be strengthened for this day.
Be with me in all I do, my God;
guide me in all my ways.

I will carry some burdens today;
some trials will be mine.
So I wait for your help, Lord,
lest I stumble and fall.

I will do my work, Father,
the work begun by your Son.
He lives in me and I in him;
may his work today be done.

FRD

God-centered

2011-09-26T05:00:00.002-05:00

Gracious God, we pause in the press of daily responsibility to call upon your name. Hear our voice as we praise you for being a merciful redeemer. For while we were up to no good, you died to give us everlasting life.

Forgive us for being self-centered. Help us to push beyond the me, myself and I of today with a new spirit to serve side by side with you for the redemption of the world. Strengthen us to be your covenant people and faithful witnesses. We desire to be God-centered in all we think, say and do today.

Give us a boldness to share what we have heard and come to know of you. And with the Lord being our helper, may we do so in words and deeds acceptable to you. In Your name, Amen.

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Finger the Exact Spot

2011-09-23T05:00:00.001-05:00

This is Intercessory Prayer Week. Today we stand in the gap for those who are struggling to find what needs attention in their spiritual growth. We pray for those who need to let go of something so that they can grab ahold of the things of God

“The Work of following Christ is like working with a psychotherapist who has a clear insight into what is wrong with us. With incredible accuracy, God puts his finger on exactly the spot that needs attention at the precise time in our spiritual growth. If we are hanging on one last shred of possessiveness, he comes along and says, often through some person or event, “Won’t you give this to me?”

Thomas Keating in Invitation to Love

“O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways. (Romans 11:33)

Eternal and all wise God, we stand in the gap for those who are struggling with what to hold on to and what to release. We pray that they will be able to release everything and everyone into your care.

They have held on to stuff too long. Lord, you know there have been seasons where we have done the same.

Have they forgotten to trust you, the one from whom all blessings flow. Forgive me and us for trying to take your place to do things beyond our mortal resume.

Thank you for putting your divine finger in the exact spot on our spiritual landscape. Thank you for showing us what needs my undivided attention. Your things had gotten lost in our things, the things of this world. Thank you for waiting until the moment was ripe for intervention.

We appreciate today how you confirmed through others it was time to let go. Yes Lord, we give this to you. We give you everything and everyone trusting you leaning not unto my own understanding.

In Jesus name, Amen.

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Love Who?

2011-09-22T05:00:00.000-05:00

This is Intercessory Prayer Week.

Let us pray for our neighbors who may be in need. Then ask God to show you how you can meet at least one need.

“Beloved let us love one another, for love is from God…”

I John 4:7

Dear God,

Open our eyes today to the time in which we live. Help us to see our brother’s needs and our sister’s concerns. Help us to do unto the least of these, those who are hungry, thirsty and held captive by physical and social incarceration. Help us to remember those who cannot do for themselves because of age and infirmity.

Grow us beyond indifference to compassion so that the love of God is shown through whom we are and what we do. Help our hearts to understand what is at stake so we can focus our witness and work as an outreach of love.

In the name of Him, who is Love, Amen

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What About the Children?

2011-09-21T16:14:00.007-05:00

This week is Intercessory Prayer Week.

Please join us in prayer as we stand in the gap for someone else.

Our children leave our homes early in the morning to go to school or our grown ones leave their homes hopefully to go to work. Let us pray that they have positive experiences all day long and return home safely where there is love and protection.

Holy Righteous and forgiving God, in your son Jesus name we ask for your healing protection for our children. We ask you Lord that you meet them where they are in the full pardon of their circumstances.

Lord reign over their lives that their living is not in vain. Teach them God what it is to advocate for themselves, teach them what it is to acknowledge you first and show them what it looks like for all things to line up because you are the head of their lives.

Show our children what it means to love themselves as you have loved them. Teach what it means to be their comforter, thier confidant and their guide. Demonstrate what real love looks and feels like for them so that they does not seek it elsewhere.

Put our children in right relationship with you, so that they will be able to recognize what good healthy relationships are and how to manage and stay in them.

Teach them what it means to be the very temple of the living God, that they learn not to abuse or mutilate their bodies with drugs, sex, alcohol, or weapons, but show them what it means to rise early and bathe and bask in the glow of your peace and righteousness and love.

We thank you Loving God, in your son Jesus name we pray. Amen

Rev. Toni Belin

Atlanta, Georgia

Protect and Serve

2011-09-20T09:09:00.003-05:00

This is Intercessory Prayer Week

We tend to think about these persons when we need them or if they are a member of our circle of friends or family members. Fire fighters and the police put their lives on the line in the line of duty daily. Let’s lift them up in prayer today.

Almighty and Everlasting God, we stand in the gap today for those who work to protect our homes and our lives from catastrophe. Protect and preserve them in dangerous situations. Keep them strong in the face of every challenge whether by fire or violent confrontation. Help them to conduct their responsibilities with integrity even when tempted to do the less than honorable.

Comfort the hearts of their families who wait for their safe return home. And, while they are looking after other families, Lord, look after theirs. In Jesus name, Amen.

BELOVED

Who among us needs intercessory prayer? Who are you praying for today?

Sustainable Employment

2011-09-19T06:23:00.006-05:00

Wanting sustainable employment is different from obtaining sustainable employment. Thousands of our friends and neighbors are wanting but their prayers go unanswered. Many of our seniors are delaying retirement because of the economic forecasts. And, many of our seasoned citizens have gone back to work part time jobs to supplement their retirement funds. Others are not sure what they have saved or invested will be enough to sustain them in the sunset years of their lives.

Let us pray:

Almighty God, we remember today that you grant us the ability to create wealth. We stand on this your word on behave of those who suffer want and stress because of the lack of gainful employment. We pray for those who exercise authority over public and private funds. Guide them to responsibly create sustainable employment for all who want to work.

Open the door of opportunity in every community and country. Prepare the people to walk through those doors so they can provide for themselves and their families through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

BELOVED

Let us pray prayers of intercession this week and not just prayers of supplication. When you pray prayers of intercession, you are praying for action on behalf of someone else. Supplication prayers are the Sweet Hour of Prayer where we make all our wants and wishes known to God for ourselves.

Early We See You!

2011-09-16T06:56:00.003-05:00

Let us Pray together:

Early we seek you this morning to pause in your presence; to breath out impurities and breath in whatsoever is kind, good, and lovely, to think on these things before the intrusion of whatsoever is deep, dark and real.

Strengthen us for the journey ahead; equip us to stand before our adversaries as we humble ourselves before you.

Lift us up to live the abundant life you came to give us so we may lift others, the lonely, least and left out. May we all today see a vision beyond what our eyes can see to what is promised in Your word.

In the name recognized in heaven, earth and hell, Amen.
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BELOVED

Remember your breathing prayers. Do this first thing in the morning before your regular devotion or anytime during the day. When we are under stress we do not breathe deeply. Try it today!

Exhale, Lord I need you. Inhale, Lord I receive you. Exhale, I release all toxic thoughts. Inhale, I receive whatsoever is pure, wise and good.

Drag Your Dreams

2011-09-15T05:01:00.000-05:00

God of promise and possibilities, help us to drag our dreams out of the closet today and hold them in your palms of love and sacrifice. Open our eyes to our gifts which have been buried or suspended by daily challenges or responsibilities. Show us the appropriate risks to take. Guide us with your Word and wisdom.

O God, you who gave us Jesus, help us in those moments when our unbelief overshadows our potential and your promise to remember that there is nothing impossible with you! Help us to do the impossible today. Help us to live in such a way that even our haters behave.

In Jesus name, grant us the vision to be faithful witnesses of your enabling power.
Amen and Amen

VMM

Speak into My Silence

2011-09-14T05:03:00.000-05:00

Dear God,

Speak in my silence.
When the loud outer noises of my surroundings
and the loud inner noises of my fears
keep pulling me away from you,
help me to trust that you are still there
even when I am unable to hear you.
Give me ears to listen to your small, soft
voice saying:
"Come to me, you who are overburdened,
and I will give you rest...
for I am gentle and humble of heart"
Let that loving voice be my guide.
Amen

Henry J.M. Nouwen
"With Open Hands"

Walk With Me Lord

2011-09-13T05:41:00.000-05:00

Lord, help me to live this day with a sense of Your presence with me.
Let that sense of Your presence order my steps, guide my feet,
Bridle my tongue, regulate my mind in quiet, idle moments,
And direct my interaction with others.

When You are present with me, choices are clearer,
Spirits are more easily discerned,
The gifts of others are more easily recognized and affirmed,
And Truths that I speak are tempered with love,

“Just a closer walk with Thee;
Grant it, Jesus, if you please,
Daily walking close with Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.”

IN JESUS NAME, AMEN!
“Just A Closer Walk With Thee”
#387 AMEC Hymnal

Dr. Clement Fugh
Chief Information Officer
African Methodist Episcopal Church

Breathe On Us

2011-09-12T07:06:00.000-05:00

Let us pray together:

Breathe on us, breath of God. Fill us with life anew.
Come and breathe on the anxieties that are capable of keeping us from You. Breathe on the habits that keep us from doing Your will and Your word. Breathe on the thoughts that hold us back. Breathe on the weaknesses that hold us down.

Enable us Holy Spirit to discover the vast sources of power, strength and trust you have made available to us in our innermost heart. Breathe on us, breathe of God!

In Jesus name, Amen

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Live Beyond Your Worries

2011-09-10T05:03:00.003-05:00

Sometimes the worse thing you can say to someone is "Stop worrying. It's going to be alright". The person may believe you for a moment but go right back to worrying. Try this. Encourage the person to give their worry to God. Invite them to take their hands off the worry and let God handle it this time. Surely, its worth a try.

Therefore I tell you, stop being perpetually uneasy (anxious and worried) about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, or about your body, what you shall put on.” Matthew 6: 25-27

Gracious God, thank you for loving me even when I wasn’t loveable. Thank you for caring about me and showing me in so many different ways. You are the provider of all my needs and you are generous with your gifts.

Forgive me for being consumed with worry. I’ve allowed worry to sneak into my life stealing joy, peace and happiness. Worry has worn me out. I do not have the energy to dwell on your Word or the concerns of the community.

Help me to live beyond my worries and focus on your Word. Deliver me from myself so that no matter what is going on, I will remain calm trusting you to handle the day. Deliver me so that I’m free to enjoy the joy of my salvation.

In Jesus name, I place everything into your hands. Amen.

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Infuse My Life

2011-09-09T05:01:00.000-05:00

Let us prayer together:

Gracious Lord and lover of my soul,
Let hope so infuse my life that all I am, all I think, all I do is a testimony to your power in my life. Let me face the challenges of the day discerning your guiding hand; Let me face the world's problems with a fresh vision, passion, energy and the perspective of the one who know that you are the hope of the world. For in this hope we are saved.

In Jesus name, Amen
Romans 8: 18-25

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Right Motives

2011-09-08T06:00:00.000-05:00

"You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with the wrong motives..."

James 4:2-3

Lord, help me to ask for the right things in the right way with right motives. Help me to cooperate with you, my savior, to accomplish your will for my life.

Forgive me when I have been too impatient to wait for your answer. Forgive me that I've mistakenly taken matters into my own hands moving ahead of your guidance. A non-answer just may be an answer after all.

VMM

Endless Love

2011-09-07T05:10:00.000-05:00

O lord, our God, how excellent is your name in all the earth. Forgive us for coming too often with our petitions for our right now and tomorrow needs without proclaiming your great and mighty acts or thanking you for the joy of our salvation.

We rejoice this morning for your unfathomable amazing grace, unequaled peace and endless love. Help us to make known today all the marvelous things you have done in us and in the lives of those we know and love.

We pray for the victims of earthquakes and tsunamis; gang violence and acts of hate; victims of AIDS and other diseases; and those who live in the gap between what is promised and what is delivered. Giver of every good and perfect gift, help us to share with the hungry and marginalized; help us to bless those who can't bless us back.

In Jesus name, Amen
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Open Up!

2011-09-06T05:05:00.000-05:00

Lord, open our eyes that we may see you working behind the scenes of our lives.

Open our hands that we may share generously the gifts you have provided.

Open our mouths to speak on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves.

Open our minds to receive new ideas, concepts and innovations.

Open our hearts to love our neighbor and ourselves better today than yesterday.

Help us to be more open to your Word so that we will be better hearers and doers of your Word.

In Your name, Amen
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Working Favor

2011-09-05T08:27:00.005-05:00

Lord, we come today depending upon you to be our human resource department. Put us in places where our gifts can be appreciated and utilized. Put us in places where the benefits will be sustaining for our families and ourselves.

If a door closes, sustain us in the days ahead. Prepare us for the next opportunity. Help us to see our weak spots and work on them. Help us to see our strengths and capitalize upon them.

Grant us favor in the sight of potential employers or grant us the resources to start out own enterprise. In any case, you are the one who grants us the ability to create wealth. We pray today knowing that it is all up to you and we work as if it is all up to us. In Jesus name, Amen.

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Dawn to Dusk

2011-09-02T05:00:00.000-05:00

I love to watch the glow grow in the morning sky just as much as I love to watch the setting of the sun. I may not have a lot of time to do either but I love it just the same.

The glow always reminds me of potential and promise. The dawn represents the potential waiting for us in a new day. The evening glow reminds me that the promises of God will be strong and true through the night.

"God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day."

Genesis 1: 5

God of the Morning Sun and Evening Star, the creator of dawn and dusk, we desire to live a life worthy of you. Awaken us from the dark night of the soul. Rescue us from the grip of fear and doubt. Clothe us with your love and grace to greet the day with confidence.

Wash us and cleanse us of all our iniquities. Reclaim our bodies as your own. Cut the strings that bind us to the gods of this world. Renew in us the joy of our salvation and then deliver us from our contentious ways and blind ambitious habits.

When the shadows of dusk seek to overcome the day, help us to find comfort and rest in your presence. In Jesus name, Amen.

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Press On!

2011-09-01T05:06:00.002-05:00

“…And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us…”

Hebrews 12:1

Faithful God of the Universe, empower us to run the race you have set before us not the one we pick and choose for ourselves. If we have fallen on the track, give us strength to get back up. If we have lost sight of the finish line, help us to remain focused. If we have tripped over our own fumbling feet, pick us up and try us again. If we have tripped others along the way help us to extend a helping hand.

Today we lay aside everything that gets in the way of running the race, even the sins that so easily beset us! In Jesus name, Amen.

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Drink Deeply

2011-08-31T05:01:00.001-05:00

DAY THIRTY-ONE

Surely you have heard it said before in previous generations “You don’t miss your water until the well runs dry.” Many people take water for granted until there is too much water or too little. When there is not enough water to drink the body craves liquid nourishment. Thirst becomes a powerful motivator pushing you to seek satisfaction and survival.

Jesus was teaching at the Feast of Tabernacle in the gospel of John. It commemorated God’s gift of rain and the exodus. For seven days an impressive possession carried water to the temple. The water was poured on the altar.

On the final day of celebration Jesus stood at a critical moment and said, “If a man is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. (John 7: 37-39) The Lord presents himself as the ultimate source of the believer’s life.

The people who drink from the ceremonial waters will be thirsty again. Only Jesus satisfies. Everyone who comes and drinks the water that He gives will never thirst. (John 4: 13) Come beloved drink deeply!

For the past 31 days, you have come to Praycation to drink from the word of God, pray, praise, study and be silent in the presence of the Lord. We take a Praycation because it is a needed break from the ordinary just like a vacation is a step away from routine activities. It creates space to reflect and restore before your well runs dry of water. It has been a refreshing journey to help us end one season before beginning another.

It is my prayer that you have been blessed. I hope that Praycation has propelled you into your own quest to drink from the waters the Lord offers to us. If you are just starting or your started and stopped…never fear. Just go back into the journey archived on this site. Drink deeply!

I will continue to share my prayers and the prayers of others on our Selah/Praycation blog. I will lead a prayer intensive again at the beginning of he season of Advent in November.

You are invited to join us early Thursday morning, September 1, 2011 for our final Praycation Summer Conference Call. You can share your prayer experiences on the call or in the comment section on this site. Just call 1-218-936-2800, access code 812713 at 6 AM CDT/ 7 AM EDT for prayer, testimony and study.

“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”

John 7: 37-38

Lord, I come to drink deeply from the only source who can quench my thirst for righteousness and become a fountain of living water like a spring whose waters will not fail.

Now, let us sing this praise song:

"I've got a river of life flowing out of me! Makes the lame to walk, and the blind to see. Opens prison doors, sets the captives free! I've got a river of life flowing out of me! Spring up, O well, within my soul! Spring up, O well, and make me whole! Spring up, O well, and give to me that life abundantly."

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The Worm Turns

2011-08-30T05:01:00.001-05:00

DAY THIRTY

There have been wild fires, devastating tornados, killer hurricanes and earthquakes in unusual places this summer. When so many events occur which are beyond our control, it can make one feel weak or powerless. There is help!

A worm can be easily crushed. It can be trampled under foot or under a machine. In contrast, a threshing sledge’s sharp teeth can cut through rock and hard soil without being broken. Yet, God can transform one into the other.

Our God can transform the weak and powerless with Holy Ghost power. Our God can make us stronger than our circumstances. Our God can help us cut through the toughest times without breaking.

“Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob…I will make you into a threshing sledge, new and sharp, with many teeth.”

Isaiah 41: 14-15

Lord, today empower and energize me to cut through tough times without being broken or bruised.

PRAYCATION - A SPIRITUAL JOURNEY 2011 EDITION

Beloved, if you haven't done so already, join this journey today. Everyday throughout the month of August, there is a daily message, simple sentence prayers and other Praycation Practices to help you break away from your ordinary devotion routine. Go back to Day One and read all about. Share your prayer experiences in the comment section. Send this invitation to someone else or tweet and facebook it!

We will have a special Praycation Conference Call on Thursday, September 1, 2011 to culminate this walk with God! Call 1-218-936-2800, access code 812713. Make your calendars now!

An Inner Stillness

2011-08-29T05:06:00.001-05:00

DAY TWENTY-NINE

I remember when my brother called to tell me that my father was in the midst of transition from life to death. It was early in the morning before the birds would sing at the rising of the sun.

Instead of quiet anxiety an inner stillness took over. In that moment it was the still small voice of God that spoke to my heart..." when your father and mother forsake you, I will take you up." It was in that moment that I began to know God in a new and marvelous way.

No matter what happens today pursue the inner stillness instead of quiet anxiety that leads to divine revelation. It is an absolute necessity to your growing knowledge of God.

“Their strength is to sit still.”

Isaiah 30:7

Lord, create in me an inner stillness so that I may know you in new and marvelous ways.

And It Is So!

2011-08-28T20:24:00.005-05:00

DAY TWENTY-EIGHT

Have you ever had to pray through something? Praying through can mean praying while you’re in the midst of circumstances beyond your control. Praying without ceasing while you’re in the middle of direction and destinations issues.

Pray continually while be constantly accused. Praying until you have reached full faith or complete assurance and complete confidence that God will respond to what you have asked. It is complete trust that nothing on earth can hinder the immutable Word of God. God will keep all of God’s promises even in an uncertain world.

“And God said…And it was so.”

Genesis 1:9

Lord, today and everyday I live with complete confidence that you are ready to do for me according to your Word and to my faith.

Early Warning System

2011-08-27T05:06:00.000-05:00

DAY TWENTY-SEVEN

Mornings are a critically important time of the day. Grace stirs the body and mind to face a new day full of potential. It is a time to face God before facing the world and talk to God before talking to anyone else. You really can’t expect to be victorious in your day on your idea and strength alone…right? Plan and begin the work of the day after you’ve check in with your heavenly headquarters. You may receive a message from God’s early warning system or a heads-up about an opportunity.

Plan to meet God in prayer regularly and you will be prepared to face the ordinary with extraordinary favor! Remember your breathing prayer: Exhale Lord I need you. Inhale, Lord I receive you as shared by John Ogilvy. (Go to Day One) Use it throughout the day.

“Be ready in the morning, then come up…Present yourself to me there on top of the mountain. No one is to come with you.”

Exodus 34: 2-3

Lord, early in the morning I am ready to seek your face to know you, seek your hand to guide me and seek your anointing to empower me.

No Never

2011-08-26T05:10:00.000-05:00

DAY TWENTY-SIX

My Lord God,

I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please You. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that, if I do this, You will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore I will trust You always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for You are ever with me, and You will never leave me to face my perils alone.

Thomas Merton

Thoughts in Solitude (pg. 83)

“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

Hebrews 13: 5 (Deuteronomy 31: 6)

Hallelujah Lord, you are my never changing Christ in an ever-changing world never leaving me to face my perils alone.

Stand Firm

2011-08-25T05:06:00.001-05:00

DAY TWENTY- FIVE

Whenever you are confronted with dire circumstances where you cannot move forward and retreat is not an option, what do you do? Many will come forward with suggestions.

Despair will tell you to give up. Hopelessness will tell you it useless. Agony will speak words of discouragement. Arrogance will tell you that you’re better than that. Impatience will tell you to do something…do anything but do it now!

Moses and the recently emancipated Hebrews in the book of Exodus faced dire circumstances on the edge of the Red Sea. God responded with “Stand still” or “Stand firm.”

What do you do? Stand ready expecting to hear your marching orders from the Master’s voice, our God instead of the voices that steer us in the opposite direction.

“Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today.”

Exodus 14: 13

Lord, help me to stand firm today waiting on my marching orders instead of forcing myself into action.

Shake, Rattle and Roll

2011-08-24T06:14:00.007-05:00

DAY TWETNTY-FOUR

It is possible for us to be moved by events or circumstances around us. A tornado hits, a hurricane is coming in our direction, the earth shakes in unprecedented ways or there is an upheaval in our personal lives. Is there a place where nothing upsets or disturbs us?

God makes strong. Whenever God is the center of a soul, city, community or country it becomes “…like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken” though disasters may crowd in on all sides and roar like the waves of the sea there is a peace that surpasses all understanding. This constant calm within, writes Leighton, is something that the world neither gives nor takes away. We shake like leaves at the first hint of danger because the world not God occupies the center of our being.

“God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns.”

Psalm 46: 5

Lord, though the earth shakes we will not be afraid because you are our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble.

PRAYCATION - A SPIRITUAL JOURNEY 2011 EDITION

We will have a special Praycation Conference Call on Thursday, September 1, 2011 to culminate this walk with God! Call 1-218-936-2800, access code 812713. Make your calendars now!

Sacrificial Love

2011-08-23T05:10:00.000-05:00

DAY TWENTY-THREE

What does a good day look like? Perhaps it is a day when you get to indulge, pamper or promote yourself. In God’s economy, a good day is when you give instead of taking, serve instead of being served or consider others better than yourselves.

Our culture tells us grab all the gusto we can because life is not a dress rehearsal. God’s Word tells us if you lose your life, you’ll find it, deny yourself and have the time of your life; the least is the greatest and the first will be last and the last first.

“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves.”

Philippians 2:3

Lord, forgive me for the times I have succumbed to a self-indulgent, self-ambitious conceited lifestyle and fill my heart with a sacrificial love to serve instead of being served.

Imageo Dei

2011-08-22T05:06:00.002-05:00

DAY TWENTY-TWO

We are created in the image of God! Yet sin, doubt and fears can distort what is seen.

We can become more like Christ every moment, minute and hour of the day if we trust our lives to His workmanship. God will shape us “along the same lines as his Son.” (Romans 8:29) It is like putting on a pair of rubber gloves. The material shapes or molds itself to your hand. In the same way we put on Christ. Our lives then take on the shape of our Redeemer.

“We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.”

Ephesians 2:10

Lord, I submit the threads of my life to your workmanship to be woven into a tapestry that reflects the true image of Christ.

Glory Declared

2011-08-21T05:10:00.001-05:00

DAY TWENTY-ONE

What is the number one thing on our “to do” list today? It is to declare the glory of God. In Hebrew the word translated as glory comes from the root word meaning, important, weighty or heavy. God’s glory, wrote one author, celebrates God’s significance, uniqueness and one-of-a-kindness. God is glorious, awesome, holy, powerful and great worthy of all praise and adoration!

The psalmist writes that heaven exits to declare the glory of God. (Psalm 19:1) Those who are come near God, God must regard as holy and before all the people God must be glorified. (Leviticus 10: 3) Today ask the Lord to show you in what way can your life declare the glory of God.

“Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.”

Psalm 29: 2

Lord, help me to live in such a way, that just like the heavens, my life declares your glory everyday.

Too Busy to Pray

2011-08-20T05:10:00.002-05:00

DAY TWENTY

Truth? Most of us struggle with prayer. We forget to pray or there is never seems to be enough time for prayer. We pray and fall asleep. We pray and our thoughts begin to scatter over a wide range of subjects. We do quick panic prayers instead of patiently kneeling at the feet of our savior.

One of the amazing thing about prayer is that it doesn’t require a degree from an institution of higher learning, a uniform or a budget. It can be done at any time, anywhere by anyone.

The enemy of our souls doesn’t mind that we go to church, teach Sunday school, preach and do outreach ministry. This enemy gets real nervous when we pray because the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but spiritual that can destroy the enemies’ stronghold.

“Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.”

Colossians 4:2

Ever Listening Lord, thank you for the privilege to speak freely with you at any time and place with our praise, confessions, thanksgiving and petitions.

Praises Go Up

2011-08-19T05:45:00.006-05:00

DAY NINETEEN

The Lord delights in the praises that come from the heart and through the lips of the worshipper. Yet, complaints tend to be on our lips in seasons of uncertainty instead of praise. Praise God everyday, at least 31 seconds or more. It is just one of the Praycation Practices. (Go back to DAY ONE for more)

In the morning, do your first-thing-in-the-morning breathing prayer before talking to anyone or checking your social network system. Exhale, Lord I need you. Inhale, Lord I receive you.

Open your life to God through Praise. God takes up residence in the midst of praise. Praise God with a sincere heart and genuine thanksgiving. Bless God back with the fruit of your lips. Praise God for just being God. Praise God for the blessings sent and blessings yet to be received. Praise God boldly in advance of the answers to your prayers. Let everything that lives and breathes, praise the Lord!

“Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the one Israel praises."

Psalm 22:3

Lord, with an uplifted heart and outstretched hands, I will praise you continually with my mouth today.

Share your prayer experiences in the comment section on this site. Remember to send someone else this invitation to participate in this month's Praycation. - A Spiritual Journey.

Face it!

2011-08-18T05:10:00.005-05:00

DAY EIGHTEEN

One of our young adults is afraid of bugs…any bug, any size and anywhere. She will stand frozen screaming until someone comes to rescue her from the spider or Daddy Long Legs.

Everyone is afraid of something. It may not be bugs for you but it could be the fear of failure or success. Some are afraid of standing out in a crowd and others are afraid they won’t fit in. Fear can be an early warning system or a stumbling block.

Fear can say its prayers and become courage. If there is something you’re afraid of that is holding you down or holding you back. Pray. Face it and move on.

“God didn’t give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and sound mind.”

2 Timothy 2:9

Lord, I refuse to take what you didn’t give me and freely receive the power; love and sound mind that you gave me.

Remember to breathe: exhale, Lord I need you; inhale, Lord I receive you. When fear tries to block your blessing repeat this breathing prayer and move on.

Call in this morning to the Praycation Conference Call for our time of prayer, testimony and study. You can just call on at 6 AM CDT/ 7 AM EDT 1-218-936-2800, access code 812713. September 1^st will be our next Praycation call. Send this invitation to someone you know!

Left Alone with God

2011-08-17T05:06:00.000-05:00

DAY SEVENTEEN

There are many people who are afraid to be left alone with God. Being alone to some people means loneliness, grief and sadness. Other people see being alone as a time of peace, quiet and rest. You can be alone, without being lonely.

To be left alone without God can be horrendous. Being left alone with God can be a transforming experience.

Moses was alone with God at the burning bush café. Gideon was alone when God commissioned him to save Israel. Peter was alone on the rooftop when he was instructed to go the Gentiles. John the Baptist was alone in the wilderness. The beloved disciple John was alone on the Isle of Patmos. Each received their marching orders when they were alone with God.

“So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak.”

Genesis 32: 24

Lord, forgive me when I think I have figured it all out or know-it-all as I accept your invitation to sit alone patient in your presence to hear, ponder and obey.

Don’t let God go until the blessing comes!

Remember apart of Praycation is the study of God’s Word. Go to a Bible study in a local congregation. You could gather a few friends to study together or study alone. There are lots of Bible resources at your local Christian bookstore or on-line. Study the Bible verses given weekly on this site or begin to read through the Bible in one year. The one-year Bible verses are found on the right lower side of the home page.

Early tomorrow morning is our bi-monthly Praycation Conference Call. Mark your calendars, set your alarm and tag your digital agendas for our time of prayer, testimony and study. You can just call on at 6 AM CDT/ 7 AM EDT 1-218-936-2800, access code 812713. Send this invitation to someone you know!

Laugh With God

2011-08-16T05:10:00.002-05:00

DAY SIXTEEN

Charles Spurgeon tells the story of riding home after a hard day’s work. He was very tired and very depressed. Ever been there?

Spurgeon said that suddenly as a lightening bolt God’s Word came to him: “My grace is sufficient for you.” When he got home he looked up the verse and laughed. That verse seemed to make unbelief totally absurd.

He concludes by saying that little faith will bring souls to heaven, but great faith will bring heaven to your souls. There is a large balance credited to our account waiting for us to exercise our faith to draw upon God’s not Wall Street, the White House, the Worker’s salary, pension or any of humankind’s resources.

“My grace is sufficient for you.”

2 Corinthians 12:9

Lord, by faith I download from your vast resources sustenance for survival and grace sufficient to soar.

This Thursday is our Praycation Summer Conference Call at 6 AM CDT/7AM EDT 1-218-936-2800, access code 812713. Hear a message, share your testimony or praise report and/or make your prayer requests known. Join us and invite others to do the same!

God Works!

2011-08-15T05:10:00.002-05:00

DAY FIFTHTEEN

The psalmist reminds us during our Praycation sojourn that God works in Psalm 37: 5. The meaning of the verse is “Roll your way onto Jehovah and trust Him, and He works.” Whatever we bring to God’s attention and roll onto God immediately God goes into action. Our expectation that God will work in God’s own time and way is what enables the Holy Spirit to do what we have “rolled” onto him. It is out of our hands.

“Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this.”

Psalm 37: 5

Lord, I roll onto you every challenge, crises and concern knowing that you are working on it right now!

Remember to pray your Simple Sentence Prayer daily and breathe. Exhale, Lord I need you. Inhale, Lord, I receive you.

Wait or Walk

2011-08-14T05:25:00.000-05:00

DAY FOURTEEN

Welcome to week two of Praycation – a Spiritual Journey throughout the month of August. It is my prayer that you are drawing closer to the Lord using as many Praycation Practices as your can. They are your breathing prayer, 31 minutes of prayer, 31 seconds of silence, 31 seconds of praise and at least 31 minutes of studying God’s Word per week.

I also added an Evening Review. Take a few minutes each evening and review the events of the day. See where you stayed on course, strayed from the course and/or need course correction for the next day.

Let me know in the comment section your Praycation experiences. Please share this invitation to someone else.

This Thursday is our bi-monthly Praycation Summer Conference Call. Mark your calendars and tag your digital agendas for the first and third Thursday every month for 30 minutes of prayer, testimony and study. Just call this Thursday, August 17^th at 6 AM CDT/ 7 AM EDT 1-218-936-2800, access code 812713. Join us!

Discerning direction and destination issues can be filled with doubts and difficulty. Fear tramples faith especially when well-meaning friends suggest conflicting courses of action.

Get alone with God where your questions can be asked without the intrusion of the world or the opinions of others. Listen. Wait in silent anticipation for God’s voice telling you which way to wait or to walk.

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind your saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’”

Isaiah 30:21

Lord, give me the courage to wait on your distinct unmistakable sense of direction and then to walk in it.

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God's Covering

2011-08-13T05:45:00.001-05:00

DAY THIRTEEN

Sometimes the things that keep us up late at night are more than dietary issues. An emotional hurt or pain, a disappointment, an attack, grief, a loss or the memory of a cruel injustice can sweep over us ruining more than one night’s sleep.

A young child wrote her experience of wrestling with great agonies in the midnight hour. She wrote that as she cried out to God, she heard in response “Love covers all”. She mentally dug a deep grave. She buried the offense that had wounded her heart and covered it with dirt. Her testimony is that she covered the hole with green sod and planted white roses and forget-me-nots on top and walked away.

Restful sleep found her once again and the issues that wounded her so deeply healed without a scare. God’s love completely covered her grief.

“Love covers all wrongs”

Proverbs 10:12

Lord, I bury all of the people; places and things that have caused me grieve into your love that has the power to cover all wrongs.

An Evening Review

2011-08-12T05:18:00.004-05:00

DAY TWELVE

Gorham D. Abbot wrote in 1833 Rules for Daily Conduct. We are to make God’s Word the rule by which we act. We do all things by the power God and in strength of Christ and do all to the glory of God. In the evening, you review. Love it!

While waiting on sustenance or as you are careening towards sleep do an Evening Review. Set aside a moment in the evening for confession, course correction and counsel. Review the events of the day. Thank God for whatever grace and mercy showed up on your behalf throughout the day. Ask God to help you discern the meaning of the events that took place or the personalities you encountered. Confess sins, receive forgiveness and give forgiveness. Release, relax and rest!

“And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at he eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw…”

Genesis 24: 63

Lord, by your grace I will set aside an evening moment to savor the events of the day and seek wise counsel for tomorrow.

Remember to breathe. Add the Evening Review to your daily Praycation Practices: Daily First-thing-in-the-morning breathing prayer, 31 minutes of prayer, 31 seconds of silence, 31 seconds of praise and weekly, at least 31 minutes studying God’s Word.

Share this invitation with others. Be sure to share you prayer experiences in the comment section.

VMM

Diagnostic Tests

2011-08-11T05:15:00.000-05:00

DAY ELEVAN

Praycation helps us today to admit our blind spots. All of have blind spots and unless we deal with them they can lead to a breakdown. In Psalm 139, David asked God to search him for any sin of omission or commission to allow God to run a diagnostic check on his heart and mind. When we allow the Lord to do a thorough examination of our motives, perspectives and shortcomings then we are able to grow up in all aspects in to Him who is the head, even Christ writes Paul Fritz.

When the engine light of your car comes on, you know to take it immediately to the mechanic to check it out. If you wait too long, what would have been a minor adjustment could end up in a major repair bill. Don’t put it off any longer. Today is a good day to go in for a check up.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.”

Psalm 139:23

Lord, when you find that I’m too well pleased with myself or when my dreams have come true because I have dreamed too little, disturb me.

Today use the prayer breathing exercise along with the daily Praycation Scripture. Repeat the Word first and then exhale, Lord, I need you; inhale, Lord I receive you. It’s a great way to keep God’s Word in your heart and mind.

Leave it Alone

2011-08-10T05:06:00.000-05:00

DAY TEN

There are things in all of our lives we just need to let well enough alone. We don’t give our scrapes, bruises, or wounds time to heal. We keep checking on it in our minds, pick at the scare tissue in conversation or invite others to share the pain at our private pity parties.

Faith often requires us to leave some things alone. We can entrust the issues and injuries to God, even the self-inflicted wounds. Keep your hands off it! God knows our circumstances and will work at the right time in the right way on your behalf. I’m sure God doesn’t need your help.

“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.”

Psalms 37:7

Lord, today I entrust into your care the entanglements and perplexities of my life into your hands and leave them there.

Push!

2011-08-09T05:00:00.004-05:00

DAY NINE

Remember to start the day with “first-thing-in-the-morning-prayer”. As you awaken, talk to God before you talk to anyone else. Start with your prayer breathing exercise mentioned earlier (DAY ONE) : exhale, Lord I need your and then inhale, Lord, I receive you. It’s a great way to start the day. I have also found this to be beneficial throughout the day. When I go into a meeting, engage in conversation, making a tough decision I breathe a prayer.

“For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

Jeremiah 29:11

Lord, push back the horizons of my dreams and push me into the future you have for me with strength, hope and courage.

Speak Lord

2011-08-08T05:06:00.002-05:00

DAY EIGHT

When we are silent, we can hear things that we have pushed to the back of our minds. When we are silent after prayer or reading God’s Word, we hear God speaking to our heart of hearts things we don’t hear because we’re so busy. It’s hectic out there and it is also hectic on the inside of us.

Silence can be powerful. It’s Praycation, our annual August break from the ordinary. Be silent for 31 seconds everyday after prayer, 31 seconds praising God or the reading of God’s Word. Engage in active listening. Speak Lord, your servants are listening!

“… a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;”

Ecclesiastes 3:7

Lord, reveal your truth to me as I turn away from every distraction to turn towards you in silence.

Remember to breathe! Exhale, Lord I need you. Inhale, Lord I receive you. Exhale, Lord I am silent. Inhale, Lord, speak to me.

Take Direction

2011-08-07T06:00:00.001-05:00

DAY SEVEN

The “first-thing-in-the-morning-prayer” breathing prayer exercise is not a substitute for praying. Praycation is an opportunity to grow deeper in prayer. The goal is 31 minutes of prayer daily for the rest of the month of August. If you can find hours to tweet, text, talk, facebook and blog, surely you can find a mere 31 minutes to talk to God! How? Go on a social network fast for 31 minutes per day.

“O Lord, direct our hearts to the love of God and the endurance of Christ.”

2 Thessalonians 3:5

Lord, open the eyes of my heart today so that I may see your clearly while your love overwhelms my very being.

Going Fishing

2011-08-06T05:15:00.000-05:00

DAY SIX

Fish are to be found in deep waters, not along the shallow shore. Praycation is a way to draw you into the deep things of God. It is your invitation set sail into the deep of God’s heart and God’s Word where the Holy Spirit will open to us profound and prophetic truth.

“Put out into deep water and let down the nets for a catch.”

Luke 5:4

Lord, today I cut the cords holding me to a shallow faith and set sail for the deep things of God.

Praycation is a spiritual journey to stroll through the things of God to gain a greater understanding of the will and way of our Lord. Share this invitation with someone else!

Amazing Things

2011-08-05T05:15:00.002-05:00

DAY FIVE

How do you prepare yourself for God to do amazing things in your life? When Joshua and the Israelites were at the Jordan River, they had to get ready to possess the promise of God. For 40 years they have been moving towards that promise.

They were not told to sharpen their swords, check their shields or pack their gear. They were told to consecrate themselves. Pay attention to God. Draw closer to God. Be prepared on the inside and outside. Wash yourselves and your clothes because God is getting ready to do amazing things…tomorrow. Are you ready?!

“Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you”

Joshua 3:5

Lord, I consecrate myself, wash me, cleanse me so that I am ready for the amazing things you will do in my life.

Remember to breathe! Exhale, Lord, I Need your. Inhale, Lord I receive you. Exhale, Lord Prepare me. Inhale, Lord, I receive your preparation.

Consecration

2011-08-04T05:06:00.001-05:00

DAY FOUR

You are to set yourself apart from evil and turn to the Lord. You are set apart by God for service in the kingdom of God.

Fanny Crosby hymn says that we have heard the voice of God and long to draw nearer. Having drawn nearer we pray “ Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,   By the power of grace divine;  Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,   And my will be lost in Thine.”

Praycation is a way to draw nearer to God and let God draw nearer to you. Set apart, you will fulfill God’s purpose.

“…offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.”

Romans 6:13

Lord, I offer, yield, surrender, release and give myself, my soul, mind and body totally to you to be used as instruments of righteousness.

Breathing prayer: Exhale, Lord I need you. Inhale, Lord, I receive you. Exhale, Lord, I yield to you. Inhale, Lord consecrate me now.

Washing Day

2011-08-03T05:10:00.000-05:00

DAY THREE

There is a joy that comes from the moments we confess our sins, receive forgiveness and give, praising God and praying. Praycation today takes us to Psalm 51 where David cries out to God to be washed, cleansed and purged. He had trudge around in sin and felt filthy. He longed to taste again the sweet fellowship with God like in his early years.

Take time this week in your 31 minutes of study to read Psalm 51. Walk slowly through each passage confessing as God restores unto you the joy of salvation giving you a spirit to sustain you. (Verse 12)

“Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.”

Psalm 51: 2

Lord, create in me a clean heart, renew a right spirit and restore unto me the joy of salvation today.

Guard Your Heart

2011-08-02T05:00:00.004-05:00

DAY TWO

Remember everyday you'll get a message, Bible verse and a sentence prayer. Be sure to keep up up your "first-thing-in-the-morning" breathing prayer - exhale, "Lord I Need you" and inhale, "Lord I receive you". Revisit day one for all the details. Share your prayer experience in the comment section.

We work hard to guard our most precious possessions from the tangible to those we care about deeply. Yet we leave our hearts unprotected.

The writer of Ecclesiastes reminds us that our hearts are valuable. Our thoughts, words and deeds flow from our hearts. It is the place where our hopes and dreams live. It is also the source of our desires and passions.

A river or wellspring, can be stagnant, poisoned and polluted. Be careful to guard your heart from pollutants that can distort it. One of the best ways to guard your heart is through prayer.

“Above all else, guard your heart.”

Proverbs 4:23

Lord, put a watch over my heart to protect it and show me how to guard it from an enemy that seeks to disrupt, disappoint and destroy.

VMM

Let the Journey Begin!

2011-08-01T05:18:00.000-05:00

Effective praying involves a number of ingredients: there is praise, confession, contrition, thanksgiving, commitment, meditation or creative listening, intercession and supplication. Supplication - is praying for our own needs asking God for something. It is an extension and amplification of the prayer breathing exercises that Lloyd Ogilvie writes about: “We exhale saying Lord, I need you and then inhale – Lord, I receive you."

William Walford, the hymn writer tells us that supplication is the Sweet hour of prayer when we bid at our father’s throne to make all our wants and wishes known.

Beginning today, you are invited to participate in the 3^rd Annual Praycation. Praycation is a spiritual discipline vacation from your ordinary prayer routine. It is a 31 -day step away the ordinary without catching a plane, boat or train. It is a journey from where you are right now to where you can be in Christ Jesus through prayer, praise, silence and study. This journey can be taken in a matter of seconds and minutes.

The increments of the journey are such that you can do it right where you are – home, work, or on your own vacation. It can be done with others or alone.

The goal is to draw closer to God by listening more to God than talking. Here is your opportunity to slow down to see the hand of God working in your life; listening to discern the will of God for your life; finding strength in your weak places; becoming more centered in Christ; do more praising than complaining; do more studying so that God’s word is working in you.

This is how it works: for the next 31 days when you wake up, before you speak to anyone speak else talk to God in prayer, exhale saying I need you, Lord and then inhale I receive you, Lord. Create a 31-minute space in your day to pray. Be still after your prayers for at least 31 seconds or more listening to God. Praise God for at least 31 seconds audibly or in your heart. But when you do it out loud, it will immediately change the atmosphere of the home.

Log onto the Selah prayer blog for your daily praycation scriptures and sentence prayers – the link is on this site. Study God’s Word at least 31 minutes per week. You can go to a bible study in your area, log onto an on-line bible study or you can do it on your own with a good study Bible. Focus on the scriptures provided during the week on the prayer blog.

Keep a written account of what was revealed to you in prayer, praise and study. On September 1^st we will have an end-of-the summer praycation conference call to see what wonderful things the Lord did or is doing in your life.

Remember Praycation is a journey of 31 days of “first-thing in-the-morning-prayers” – exhale, I need you Lord and inhale, I receive you Lord; 31 minutes of prayer; 31 seconds of silence listening to God, 31 seconds of praising God, 31 Bible verses, 31 sentence prayers and 31 minutes studying God’s Word weekly.

DAY ONE

Simple Sentence prayers have been around for centuries. This prayer form has often been described as a classical form of prayer. You can add it to your prayer arsenal along with intercession, supplication, thanksgiving, confession, praise and contrition. You have probably utilized simple sentence praying without knowing it. Have you ever prayer, Lord, Have Mercy or Lord, save me? That's a sentence prayer. Below is our first Bible verse of the journey followed by the prayer. Let the journey begin!

“Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.”

Psalm 62:5

Lord, speak to me.