Prayer: A Planned Future with Hope

O Guardian of my soul, You know the plans You have for me, plans for good and not for evil; plans to give me a future with hope. Your Divine Mind and its wonder-working power on my behalf is far beyond my understanding. May I know with surety that nothing happens by mere chance. May I hear Your voice above the murmuring of my doubts, above the shouting of my self-will. Come, O Lord, and fill me with Your peace, quiet me with Your love, let me hear You rejoice over me with singing. May I, like King Josiah, choose to love you with all my heart, and soul, and might -- trusting You not only with my past, and my present, but with my future, as well. You tell me that Your Kingdom is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. O move me into Your Kingdom, O Lover of my soul! (Jeremiah 29.11, Zephaniah 3.17, 2 Kings 23.25, Romans 14.17)

Prayer: Sleeper, Awake!

So often we see circumstances, but close our eyes and do not see Your hand at work. We fail to realize that nothing touches our lives without first having passed through You. "Ill that He blesses is for our good". The time of being laid aside is a time of being asked to "Come apart to a quiet place and rest", and to learn Your intimate lessons. If we can but awaken to this realization we will find restoration, power, and joy.

Forgive us for choosing instead to be overcome with sleep -- dull of heart and spirit, vision blurred, mind in a fog...Rouse us, O Lord! Help us understand that which is plentiful is not as valuable as that which is rare. We go through our day, our senses dulled by the plenty and asleep to Your still small voice. Grant us a desire and passion for that which is incomparable. May we press on to take hold of the truly rare -- Your Presence in the present.

May we grasp the truth that our salvation is nearer today than when we first believed. Clothe us in the light of Christ so that we may honor You and glorify Your name. O Lord, be gracious to us. Strengthen us each morning. Call us from our sleep! Be the stability of our times. As we trust in You may we experience Your rich, abundant life and share it freely with others! Grant us both wisdom and knowledge, precious and rare indeed in our world today.(2 Kings 22.21, Isaiah 33.2,6, 2 Esdras 7, Romans 13.11-14)

Prayer: Closing the GAP

Ah, Lord, God: so often we choose not to hear Your voice when we read Your Word, sit in small groups, or listen to sermons. We confess that it is in the intimate language of our circumstances where You finally get our attention. Forgive us, O Lord, for being so hard of hearing, so hard-hearted. May our eyes be opened and may our ears be ever attuned to Thee. May we turn to You and find rest, peace, quiet, trust and security. May we see that we are being led in a very definite way by You, and begin to acknowledge that You are the Architect and we are merely the builder.

We present ourselves to You as a living sacrifice, choosing very deliberately not to be conformed to this world -- disavowing corruption, hardness of heart, self-centeredness -- choosing instead to be transformed by Your Spirit and Your Word so that we might choose Your good, acceptable and perfect will. Close the gap between what we say we believe and what we actually do. May we be willing to ask:

• Is this good?
• Is this acceptable to God?
• Does this more perfectly demonstrate the reality of the Kingdom of God to others? (Psalm 37.23, Isaiah 32.17-18, Romans 12.1-2)

Prayer: My Father's Eyes

Forgive me, O Father, for my selfishness and for seeking my own best interest. Thank You for Your gracious patience as You wait for me to move from my small, short-sighted, earth-bound perspective to Your Kingdom view. I realize that when I seek to build alliances I am demonstrating lack of trust in You. May I truly learn to come to You will all things and then stand in awe as You work all things together for good...each in its own time. Grant, I pray, eyes to see as You see; may I truly have My Father's eyes. (Isaiah 30.18, 2 Kings 20.19, 2 Esdras 5.47, Romans 11.20, Psalm 20.7)

Prayer: God's Loyalty & Power in Difficult Circumstances (Prodigal Prayer)

Ah, Lord God: It is so true...in today's world there are so many things clamoring for our attention...it is so easy to get pulled away from You. Yet we are reminded that You alone have the words of eternal life -- words that we so need to hear in this day of fleeting reality and shifting "truth". So often, we see the sand shifting under the feet of our loved ones. Too often we see them buffeted about by the winds and waves of overwhelming circumstances. They eat the bread of adversity and drink the waters of affliction, and we wonder, How long, O Lord, how long?

Like your disciples of old who were in the boat with You during the storm, we are tempted to think You are asleep or that You do not care. May we remember how mistaken they were and take comfort in crying out to You, knowing You do care and You do hear. We ask You to incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; to open Your eyes, O Lord, and see the pain and hurt of those we love. We return to You, O Lord, for we have no where else to go. You tell us that by resting in You we shall be saved and in quietly trusting You we will find strength. Thank you for waiting patiently and with open arms for those who are caught up in disobedience. It appears that You have been hidden from their eyes; may they begin to see You as their Teacher not through our eyes, but with their own eyes. When they begin to turn to the right or left, may they hear Your voice behind them saying, This is the way, walk in it. May your Word be very near to them in the days ahead, not only on their lips, but in their heart. Thank you for loving them even more than we can comprehend. Be our strength as we wait for their return. (John 6.68, 2 Kings 19.16, Isaiah 30.15, 18,20-21, Romans 10.8,21)

Prayer: Keeping Our Spirit-Life Calm

Ah, Lord God: Separation, calm, remaining unruffled, keeping our heart with all diligence...These are not mere suggestions, they are Your command. May we, like Hezekiah, trust in You will all our heart, hold fast to You, and not depart from following after You -- no matter how difficult the circumstance. May we experience true Spirit-filled discipleship. May we follow hard after You and not get caught up in doing something simply out of habit or rote memory.

I do confess that I look at today's headlines and become quite anxious in my thoughts and agitated in spirit. May I calm myself by coming to You, knowing You are not wringing Your hands over world affairs; in fact, You state that one day Your glory will fill the earth even as the waters fill the sea. I come to You and quiet my heart and mind so I may hear Your voice and choose to join You in Your activity in my small part of the world today. May I be a voice of hope and peace and love with all those whom I encounter. I am reminded of the Psalmist saying, I come to you like a weaned child...not because I need nourishment, but simply because I love You and want to be near Your loving presence. Amen. (Proverbs 4.23, 2 Kings 18:5-7, Isaiah 29.13, 2 Esdras 3.3, Romans 9.20-21, Psalm 131)

Musing: Response to Launch of Prayer Site

Response to the Prayer Blog has been overwhelmingly positive and supportive -- thank you! What a nice confirmation that if one steps out in obedience to God, others will naturally be blessed in the process! I received some helpful feedback and questions:

• identify which entries are "prayers" and which are "musings",
• include the Scripture references from which prayers are written at the end of each post (previous posts have been updated to reflect these changes).
• Where did the title of the blog come from?

When looking at a title, it was either Deep Calls to Deep (from Psalms) or Doors to the Sea (from Job). "Or Who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb? -- when I made the clouds its garment and the thick darkness its swaddling band, and prescribed bounds for it, and set bars and doors, and said, 'Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stopped'?" Job 38.8-11

These verses record part of God's response to Job's questions regarding his confusing circumstances. I began to understand that God is much more grand than we imagine -- the bounding and pounding surf abruptly halt at the command of God! Being here at the Oregon Coast, it is a constant reminder that God is not unaware of our circumstance -- we are to simply come to the One who created the Doors to the Sea and lay out our requests and praises. We may not get an immediate answer; but we can be assured that God knows our situation and has established parameters on our circumstance: Thus far shall you come, and no farther! Our God is faithful and will see us through.

Prayer: A Resurrection-Defined Life

"When it pleased God..." what a curious phrase, O God! May we live a life of expectancy, leaving room for You to come into our lives and work as You please. The resurrection of Your Son was such an unexpected event in the lives of the first disciples. It surpassed all their understanding. May we see that Your plans for us are still beyond our comprehension, beyond our highest hopes, truly beyond all understanding. May we be defined by Your resurrection power -- knowing full well that we are not what we used to be, and filled with the anticipation that we are not yet what You have planned for us to be, but by Your grace we will choose to live our utmost for Your highest.

Fill us with the realization that Your Spirit is ever interceding for us so that we might move into Your will -- not through our own determination or stamina, but by Your ever-present and active Spirit in our heart and life. Thank You for reassuring us that when we fail, there is no one to condemn us, and may we be ever assured that nothing can separate us from Your love. Grant us ears to hear Your Spirit interceding for us "with sighs too deep for words" so that we may see it is only our "reasonable service" to live a resurrection-defined life in this broken and confused world. (Galatians 1.15, Romans 12.1, 2 Kings 17.33,Isaiah 28.15, Romans 8)

Prayer: A Pleasant Vineyard

Ah, Lord God: May I be devoted to You, not to a "cause". May I learn not to be disobedient to Your vision, Your plan, Your purpose for my life. May I not trade Your riches for a false sense of security and well-being. You are the One who "planted" me, you are the One who watches over me moment by moment. You, O Keeper, water me with Your Word and keep my relationship with You fresh each day, so that I may bear fruit that is pleasing to You. It is so easy in today's world to be pulled away from You...

May we not be like our ancestors, who very quickly forgot You. You created a highway for them through the sea, You were their light, and You did great wonders for them. You do the same for us today -- show us the path that we should take, and make a light for our path, open our eyes to see the wonders You pour out on us each and every day -- and open our spirit so that we do not forget! May we be gathered under Your wings as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings -- be our shelter and our shield. Fill us with gratitude and gladness even though we cannot see You with bodily eyes; open our hearts and our spirit to see You at work in and through us. We belong to You for You raised us from the dead through Your Son, Jesus Christ, so that we might be a fruitful vineyard for You. May Your work in our hearts and lives not be in vain, O Lord. Amen. (2 Kings 16, Isaiah 27.1-2, 2 Esdras 1, Romans 7.4)

Prayers Along with Occasional Musings

I have received prayer requests the past few days from dear friends. When I don't know how to pray specifically, I allow the Holy Spirit to lead me in prayer based on my quiet time.

I have a couple of dear, old devotional books I use each day in my quiet time: My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers, and God Calling Journal by Two Listeners. I then read four different chapters in the Bible (three from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament). As I do these readings, I make note of what the Holy Spirit points out to me -- phrases that were especially meaningful, verses that seemed to "jump off the page". I then compose a prayer based on those phrases / verses. I have been doing this for years in journals - there is a whole plastic bin full of old journals in the store room! Since I have been receiving requests for prayer, I am contemplating turning my blog into the repository of my new prayer for each day. I had an urgent request for prayer yesterday, so will include yesterday's prayer from my journal with this post.

I must confess that I am so comfortable with my journaling, I am not too sure how this will go! I tend to write prayers in first person, so please feel free to change them to fit your prayer need. By the way, in the reading of the Bible in the pattern outlined above, you will get through the Old Testament in about nine months, and the New Testament in about six months -- just keep going -- it is always fresh, always new, always applicable!

Prayer: Mirroring Your Image to a Watching World

Lord God, May I learn to behold You with an open face so that I might be changed into Your image. May I be so filled with Your Spirit and Your transforming power that I perfectly mirror You to the watching world around me. Forgive me for those times when I sully Your image, Your name, by reflecting my own agenda, ideas, feelings, emotions. May I more and more come to realize that I am accepted by You and this is all that matters -- may this surety, this confidence affect all my behaviors and attitude. Keep my mind on You so that I exude Your peace and love, Your grace and compassion, even in the midst of difficult circumstances. May I truly walk in newness of life, dead to all my old passions and desires, but now alive -- fully alive -- to You. Amen. (2 Cor. 3.18, Isaiah 26, Romans 6.3-4)

Musing: Master Gardener

When not much was going on in the garden / landscaping department here at the coast last fall, I happened upon an advertisement for the Oregon State University Master Gardener program. I had always wanted to participate in the Master Gardener program in Michigan, but could never seem to carve out the time required. I applied and was accepted into the OSU-sponsored program and attended my first all-day session last week (8:30am to 4:30pm). It has been quite some time since I was on the "receiving end" of a class -- sitting on hard plastic chairs and being assigned lots of homework! They have brought in some top-notch people to teach the course, so it is interesting and I'm sure it will be helpful in adapting what little gardening skills I already possess to the Oregon coast. Even though we have quite moderate temperatures year round, I am learning that the wind and salt air can have quite a desicating effect on plants. Several in the class lamented that they had been working on their landscaping for several years and were tired of throwing out plants ruined by the salt and wind -- it was getting too expensive for them not to take the class! So far, I've only made one wrong decision in the plant selection phase, so I'm glad to be getting good advice pretty much from the "get-go".