Prayer

A Teacher’s Heart

/ The Pastor / 1 Comment

As a parent of two school-aged children, my thoughts these days are for the many teachers who are either starting classes or are preparing to receive students in the coming weeks. I could not do the job they do and thus I am thankful God raises up people who have a heart for teaching. A teacher is a one-of-a-kind. They show love, commitment, and dedication that few can understand. They have a heart for children as they, mold, shape and nurture the hearts of our precious little ones. They endure stress, judgment and criticism, often from those who do not understand. I can’t imagine what it takes to be a teacher, but God knows. Would you join me in praying for teachers, staff and administration, as this new school year begins. It is to them that I dedicate this poem.

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A teacher’s heart is special and dear.
And to my child it’s always near.
Love and sacrifice and caring too.
A teacher’s heart will always come through.

It is unique for it’s Your design.
All it’s qualities You did assign.
I can’t imagine a heart without,
A grace that runs all the way throughout.

Oh God would You bless our teacher’s hearts.
And from them would You never depart.
Keep them and hold them close to Your side.
And may Your Spirit in them abide.

Praying the Psalms ~ Psalm 121

/ The Pastor

Psalm 121 is favorite for many. It is a great reminder to me that God is the only true Helper in this life. Yet, we all too often look to other things and people of this world for help, but they will all let us down. God, though, never rests. He never tires. He never takes time off. God will always stand guard over you. God will never fail. Let us give Him thanks and praise for being our Helper…

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My Helper, oh my Helper,
the defender and Keeper of my life,
my eyes often scan the horizon of this life,
Looking,
Searching,
Seeking,
Trying to find anything and anyone to make things right.
But You, oh my Helper, my Lord and my God, I give You thanks for,
You are always here.
You are never distant.
You are never oblivious to my needs.
So why, oh why would I look elsewhere?
After all, You are the maker of everything.
You are the giver of life.
You are the great I Am.
You, oh my God and Helper,
You never get tired.
You are never distracted.
You never take time off to recuperate,
for You are the sovereign God,
and I am Yours,
thus nothing will ever strike me.
Evil,
Death,
Satan,
Nothing! Nothing, will ever strike me with You by my side,
for my life is hidden with Jesus Christ in You.
As my eyes rise to see the horizon of my life,
may they see You as my Helper, Lord and God.
In all that I do,
In everywhere I go,
Now and forevermore,
You are my God.
Amen.

Deliver Us From Evil

/ The Pastor

This series of poems exploring the Lord’s Prayer has been a valuable devotional exercise for me – I hope it has been for you too. If you want to recap any of these, simply go to “Categories” on the bottom of the right sidebar of this page and scroll down to “Praying the Lord’s Prayer”. I know I will be reviewing these from time to time.

Now, for this second to last installment – Deliver us from evil. Here, at the end of this prayer, we are praying for deliverance from bodily evil/harm and from the Evil One. On that Last Day, we ask to be saved from this evil world and delivered to God to abide with Him forever. Praise be to God that we have the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

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Deliver me, oh God, from all evil.
Save me from all harm.
Help me,
Strengthen me,
Shield me with Your arms.

Satan never tires of his prowl.
He’s always seeking.
Looking,
Watching,
As a lion sneaking.

I am not strong enough to fight the fight.
I am very weak.
Overpowered,
Overwhelmed,
I am very meek.

Jesus Christ is my victorious king,
He saved me by grace.
Amazing
And awesome
My sins he erased.

Oh Lord, show me Your mercy on that Day.
Take me to Your side.
Mercifully
Lovingly
With You to abide.

A Prayer for the Church

/ The Pastor

Father God, Lord almighty, gracious and merciful, give to pastors a more intimate relationship with You that they would long to preach the pure Gospel of Jesus Christ crucified and raised for sinners; a Gospel without the bells and whistles that often distract. Give Your Church receptive and picky ears that they may desire only the pure, unaltered Gospel, not a social justice rant that can not save their souls. May leaders not desire their own glorification but rather humble themselves under the cross of Christ. Your Church, oh God, seems to long to be accepted by the world; acquiescing to its demands to liberalize its message and turn a blind eye to sin. May You convict, transform and embolden Your Church to stand out and be a lighthouse in this dark world. It’s not about being liked or being popular, but rather about being obedient to You and shining the light of the Truth through Jesus Christ. Oh God, send now Your Holy Spirit into our lives that we may draw people to the light of Your love through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Praying the Psalms ~ Psalm 88

/ The Pastor

It is okay to be honest with God. It is okay to open the flood gates and pour out your heart to God. God can handle it. God can handle your feelings. You are not going to hurt God’s feelings with your laments and crying out to Him. Yes, there will be dark times in your life and yes, it is okay to run to God with your fears and despair. Too many people have been taught to be careful what you say to God, but one of the things the Psalms teach us is to raise our voices to God, but to do so in faith; for God is faithful.

Notice at the beginning of the Psalm, the psalmist refers to God as my salvation. It is in that light that I offer this prayer for you…

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O Lord, God of my salvation, I cry out day and night before you. Let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry!
[Psalms 88:1‭-‬2 ESV]

Oh Lord, my God, I am in utter despair.
I am lost.
I feel embattled on all sides.
My hope is waning, especially when I look to this world; seeing the hatred and violence, oppression and division, walls and weapons, loveless words and hate-filled rhetoric.
Oh God, I cry out to You but it appears a hopeless endeavor at times.
People close to me are hurting.
People that I love are in pain.
People dear to my heart are without hope and I am at a loss for words.
I don’t know what to say to You. I don’t know how to pray.
Turn Your ear to my prayer.
Look upon my sorrow.
Gaze upon me with Your love.
Though I feel You are distant, I know that You are not.
Though it feels like You are not listening, I know that You do.
Though is feels like I am abandoned, I know that I am not.

But I, O Lord, cry to you; in the morning my prayer comes before you.
[Psalms 88:13 ESV]

Enemies attack.
The Evil One is having a party in my midst.
Darkness surrounds me.
Oh Lord, my God, show me Your glory.
Touch me with Your mighty hand.
Speak to me with Your still, quiet voice.
Hold me in Your loving arms.
I cry out to You in hope, for You are ever present.
I cry out to You in hope, for thy will be done.
I cry out to You in hope, for I am Your beloved child.
Oh Lord, my God, You and You alone are my salvation.

Amen.

Praying the Psalms ~ Psalm 33:18-22

/ The Pastor

This prayer is titled, “Beautiful Eyes” and is from the Psalm that will be read in worship on Sunday, August 11. These closing verses captured my heart and I hope they lead you to deeper appreciation and worship of our awesome God. Let us pray…

Oh Lord my God,
what beautiful eyes You have,
to look upon me with grace and love,
to keep my soul and to give me peace.
Your eyes look off the advances of the Evil One;
keeping him at bay as a pitcher staring down a runner at first base.
With Your eyes lovingly gazing at me, I have nothing to fear.
Oh Lord my God,
Father and Creator, I give You thanks.
And now I wait on You, for I know that Your beautiful eyes are on me.
I know I am not forgotten.
I know I am not lost in the shuffle.
Your eyes are on me and thus my heart is glad.
My trust is in You for Your eyes will never depart from me.
You will never be distracted thus I can rest secure.
Your eyes won’t grow weary or tired.
Your eyes will not fail.
Because You are God almighty,
Sovereign,
Lord,
and Creator,
I will continue to place my hope in You, from this day forth and forevermore.
Amen.

No Matter What, God Reigns

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

Today, is August 4, and this nation is mourning after two deadly shooting sprees in the last days or so. Many are shaking their fists at heaven wondering where is God; and thus turning to worldly leaders for answers and action. But no matter the situation, God reigns. I have no explanation for this shooting sprees, I just know my God who holds my life in His hands and thus my hope is in Him. My prayer is that others come to know Him through Jesus Christ as well.

So with that in mind, I wrote the following Holy Communion liturgy for this morning. Let pray together, and instead of finger pointing, let’s raise all our fingers to God in praise and worship for being rich towards Him in Jesus Christ.

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It is indeed right and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to you, oh God, Father and Creator. We look around and grieve the violence and hatred. We listen to our neighbors and hear hate-filled words, fear and hopelessness. We live in a sin-fallen world that looks to worldly gods and leaders for their peace and security, but You reign, and thus we give You praise. Through Jesus Christ You and You alone have overcome this world. You have defeated sin, Satan and hate. No amount of violence can stop Your will from being done. No amount of rhetoric can bury Your Words of Life. No amount of riches can compare to You, for through Christ we are rich beyond our wildest dreams and imagination. And thus, as children in Your family; sheep of Your flock we have no fear in this world, for You and You alone reign. And therefore, with the Church on earth and the hosts of heaven, we join in singing Your unending praise…

Praying the Psalms ~ The King of Glory

/ The Pastor

Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord , strong and mighty,
the Lord , mighty in battle!
Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts,
he is the King of glory!
[Psalms 24:7‭-‬10 ESV]

Oh, who is not guilty of glory-stealing? We all are. We all seek to satisfy good ole number 1 — ourselves. That is why I am always convicted when I read these verses from Psalm 24. But God, the King of Glory is worthy; Him and Him alone. Just reflect and meditate on what God has done through Jesus Christ and you will soon be reminded of why He is called, the King of Glory. Let us pray…

Oh to praise You, oh Lord.
Oh to sing of Your mighty name.
For Your name is glorious,
Your name is Life.
You have lifted me up from the miry bog of sin and have rescued me from the clutches of the Deceiver.
You have sealed me with Your Spirit and marked me for Life.
You have claimed for me an inheritance through Christ Jesus my Savior.
You have shielded me from my enemies; placing a guard over my soul.
You reign victorious and thus Your title, “the King of Glory”
But I confess that at times I have sought my own glory. I confess that at times I have tried to make it about me.
Oh God, King of Glory, I confess and repent. Forgive me.
I open the gates of my heart that You may enter in.
You are my King.
You are the Creator.
You are the Mighty One.
You are the Lord of hosts.
There are none that can compare with You; none that can stand against You.
There are none beside You who is worthy of worship.
You are the King of Glory.
Oh Lord, my God, the Lord of hosts,
To You I lift up my head and praise You.
In Jesus name I pray,
Amen.

Shamelessly Persistent

/ The Pastor

The following is the opening prayer for the sermon I am preaching on Sunday, July 28. The text is Luke 11:1-13; Jesus teaching the Lord’s Prayer and the story of the persistent friend. To God be the glory. Let us pray…

Good things. That’s what we want, oh God, is good things. But too often those good things that we desire are only for our comfort and peace; for self-glorification. We want healing. We want stuff. We want notoriety. We ask and ask and ask some more. Maybe we even recruit others to ask on our behalf, because, after all, the more who are praying the better our chances. But that’s not how it works. Convict our hearts of this error, oh God. Give us understanding. Give us intimacy. Give us Your good gifts. We ask but we are too short-sighted. We long for something and become idolatrous. Forgive us, oh God, through Christ Jesus our Lord. Give us your good gifts. Through faith in Jesus Christ, may we long for the gift that only You can give. And thus, may we be shamelessly persistent in our prayer for the good gift of You. Now may the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in Your sight, oh God, our rock and Redeemer. Amen.

Oh God, You are Lord of All

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

[Inspired by Job 38-42]

Holy God; Creator and Father, Lord of all,
The depths of Your being is beyond comprehension.
There is no limit to Your knowledge.
Your strength and power is unmatched.
Your authority is absolute; even the waves and the waters obey you, and creatures without understanding know their prescribed limits. You have set everything in motion and You sustain all that You have made.
Oh God, You are Lord of all.
You know the deepest recesses of the earth – nothing is hidden from You.
You know the secrets of all living things – You breathed the breath of life.
Your providence is unmatched in all the world – only from You do we have our sustenance.
Oh God, You are Lord of all.
Darkness is not dark to You for You are the Light, and nothing can overcome You. The most heinous of evil is no match for Your power and rule; for it has already been overcome. Actually, it never had a chance. You are King and sovereign.
Oh God, You are Lord of all.
You are the source of all wisdom – You are omniscient.
You are the source of love – You are love.
You are the source of all morality – everything is judged by You.
Oh God, You are Lord of all.
You are filled with majesty and honor – clothed with splendor unmatched.
You are enthroned on high – King of all creation.
You and You alone are worthy all all praise and worship.
Oh God, You are Lord of all.
Who am I to question You – to doubt Your actions?
Who am I to make suggestions – to dare tell You what to do?
Who am I to resist Your commands – to disobey, to act contrary to Your will.
I am but a worm in Your presence; nothing but clay molded by You; a creature without understanding.
In all my ways and words, I despise myself and repent. For the sake of Jesus Christ forgive me, heal me, remake me, mold me.
Oh God, You are Lord of all.