What is ‘righteousness’? It’s when God saw what you did and says, “My Son would do that,” Of course, that’s impossible—so God works to make us like His Son, and along the way He even treats us like Him. Quite overwhelming…
Blessings.
—j
Tag: Jay McCarl
Whose Body?
(A bit of wisdom from my dear friend Ken Needham)
“While the surgeons and most of the nursing staff were excellent, there were a couple of exceptions—people who had some knowledge and experience who “knew what was best for me” but were not listening to me. It is MY body. I have inhabited it all my life and I know it well. Their intentions were no doubt good but listening to them worsened rather than improved the situation. This started me thinking about the Body of Christ, the church. There are those who “know what to do”. They are trained, they have experience—but they are not listening to Him, and we are His body. Are you listening to Jesus? Do you know His will? Are you going to be part of what He is doing as we enter each new day, or are you coasting along thinking that you are in charge and know what to do?” —Ken Needham
POTD: A Prayer for Yom HaShoah
What can we say to God in the face of the horrors of the Holocaust? Let’s pray...
Glorified and sanctified be God’s great name throughout the world,
Which He has created according to His will.
May He establish His kingdom in your lifetime and during your days,
And within the life of the entire House of Israel, speedily and soon;
And say, Amen.
May His great name be blessed forever and to all eternity.
Blessed and praised, glorified and exalted,
Extolled and honored, adored and lauded be the name of the Holy One;
Blessed be He, beyond all the blessings and hymns,
Praises and consolations that are ever spoken in the world;
And say, Amen.
May there be abundant peace from heaven, and life, for us and for all Israel;
And say, Amen.
He who creates peace in His celestial heights,
May He create peace for us and for all Israel;
And say, Amen.*
אמן
*Mourner’s Kaddish
Photo: Janusz Korczak Memorial, Yad Vashem, Israel
Do not forget his name.
POTD: Need Hope, Guidance, Love?
Need (or just want) hope, guidance and love? God is so Good. Let’s pray…
Psalm 25:4-7
Show me your ways, O Lord,
teach me your paths;
guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.
Remember, O Lord, your great mercy and love,
for they are from of old.
Remember not the sins of my youth
and my rebellious ways;
according to your love remember me,
for you are good, O Lord.
Thank you, Lord, for King David.
POTD: Repenting from ‘Stuff’
Has the stuff of earth obscured the face of God? Let’s pray…
O God and Father, I repent of my sinful preoccupation with visible things.
The world has been too much with me.
Thou hast been here and I knew it not.
I have been blind to Thy Presence.
Open my eyes that I may behold Thee in and around me.
For Christ’s sake, Amen.
And Amen.
POTD: The Best Part of Waking Up…
A fantastic reminder that God is already part of your day. Let’s pray…
Psalm 30:1-5
I will exalt you, O Lord,
for you lifted me out of the depths
and did not let my enemies gloat over me.
O Lord my God, I called to you for help
and you healed me.
O Lord, you brought me up from the grave;
you spared me from going down into the pit.
Sing to the Lord, you saints of his;
praise his holy name.
For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may remain for a night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning.
Hallelujah.
POTD: There’s Rest in this Prayer
You’ve read it before, time to pray it—and rest…
Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
He leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul:
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
Glorious.
POTD: A Prayer to Hear God’s Voice
When you pray, listen—you may hear music. Let’s pray…
Give me the spirit of the boy Samuel when he said to Thee, ‘Speak, for thy servant heareth.’ Let me hear Thee speaking in my heart. Let me get used to the sound of Thy Voice, that its tones may be familiar when the sounds of earth die away and the only sound will be the music of Thy speaking Voice.*
A-men.
*From The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer
POTD: A Prayer when the Bad Guys are Winning
The arrogant and wicked can prosper while the pure and innocent get punished—a truth you may know all too well. God, however, offers us a different, comforting perspective. Let’s pray…
Psalm 73:18-28
Surely you place them on slippery ground;
you cast them down to ruin.
How suddenly are they destroyed,
completely swept away by terrors!
As a dream when one awakes,
so when you arise, O Lord,
you will despise them as fantasies.When my heart was grieved
and my spirit embittered,
I was senseless and ignorant;
I was a brute beast before you.Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.Those who are far from you will perish;
you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.
But as for me, it is good to be near God.
I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge;
I will tell of all your deeds.
Thank you Lord.
POTD: Not a Pray-er? Start Here…
Maybe you’re not a “prayin’ person” or just don’t know how. This can be your first prayer. He’s listening—so take a deep breath and go for it…
I’ve been waiting for a long, long time
Hoping you’re a friend of mine
If there’s one thing that I need to do
Well, that’s to find out more about you
I have been wandering all of my days
So if you’re there, show me the wayI see people in a world of lies
Staring out through lonely eyes
Watching as the years go by
Knowing they’re living only to die
There must be something missing somewhere
So if you’re listening answer this prayerI will follow if you’ll lead me
Help me make a stand
If you’ll breathe new breath inside of me
I’ll believe you can, I’ll believe you canWell, I never really learned to pray
But you know just what I’m trying to say
I don’t want my life to end
Not ever knowing why it began
So if you’ll trust me, I’ll do my best
And I’ll be trusting you for the rest*
Now wasn’t that easy?
Amen.
*First Prayer, by Randy Stonehill
Jay McCarl 