A Simple Prayer from Exodus 33

I enjoy passages of the Bible that provide simple prayers with timeless relevance.

In this post, I'd like to turn to Exodus 33, a time during which the Israelites were roaming the wilderness. Moses, the Israelites' leader, was apprehensive about his mission, and he appealed to God with the following prayer (Exodus 33:13, NLT),

If it is true that you look favorably on me, let me know your ways so I may understand you more fully and continue to enjoy your favor.

That prayer is simple, beautiful, and timeless. At some point today, find a quiet place, and recite that prayer to God. Perhaps you'll receive the same response from God that Moses received (Exodus 33:17, NLT),

I will personally go with you, Moses, and I will give you rest—everything will be fine for you.

God's Cure for Unexplained Sadness

Do you ever feel discouraged, anxious, or sad? And furthermore, are the reasons for those feelings sometimes difficult to pinpoint?

Psalm 42:11 (NLT) provides a quick recipe for escaping those feelings.

Why am I discouraged?
    Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
    I will praise him again—
    my Savior and my God!

The word "again" in the fourth line hints that our anxiety is, in part, due to the fact that we have drifted away from praying without ceasing. So next time those feelings of discouragement set in, find a quiet place, recite Psalm 42:11, and reflect upon its meaning. God wants us to rejoice in his spirit!

"A Method for Prayer" by Matthew Henry

I posted previously about "Morning and Evening," a wonderful prayer devotional by Charles Spurgeon.

In this post, I'd like to point the reader to another useful book on prayer entitled "A Method for Prayer" by 17th/18th century British minister Matthew Henry. The book essentially provides a Bible-based outline for how to pray. Henry's goal is to teach us to "pray the Bible." The neatest thing about the book is its extensive compilation of Bible verses for each "section" of prayer.

Many people have attempted to modernize the language of the book, as well as to use modern Biblical translations for the scriptural references. Here is a useful website, including free downloads of ebook versions.

I have really enjoyed this prayer book. Try it today!

Responding to God's Call

The last few chapters of Isaiah make for an intense read! I've previously posted about the final chapter here.

In this post, I'd like to turn to verse 1 of the second-to-last chapter (Isaiah 65:1, ESV),

I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me;
    I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me.
I said, “Here I am, here I am,”
    to a nation that was not called by my name.

Isaiah often touches upon this theme: God calls us, but it is our responsibility to respond. We sometimes fail to recognize his calling, because, as Jesus says in Mark 8:18 (NLT),

You have eyes--can't you see? You have ears--can't you hear? 

That is, we need eyes and ears tuned to spiritual, rather than earthly, matters. In our prayers, let us ask God for those eyes and ears. As written in Proverbs 20:12 (NLT),

Ears to hear and eyes to see--both are gifts from the LORD.

A Simple Morning Prayer from Deuteronomy 26

In the morning, many of us are groggy, grabbing for coffee, and rushing to get our day started. But before doing anything else, saying a quick prayer can set our day on a proper spiritual course.

Deuteronomy 26:17 provides a great template for a quick morning prayer. (I switched second to first person, and I changed the tense of the first verb, but, otherwise, I copied this verse from the ESV.)

I declare today that the Lord is my God, and that I will walk in his ways, and keep his statutes and his commandments and his rules, and will obey his voice.

I previously have posted that memorizing a Bible verse can be a great way to jump start prayer. Well, Deuteronomy 26:17 is an easy-to-memorize verse, and a great way to start the day!

"Morning and Evening" by Charles Spurgeon

I recently discovered this excellent prayer book, written by Charles Spurgeon, the great 19th century English preacher. The book consists of two Bible verses per day, one for morning and one for evening, with each verse followed by a short reflection.

Given its age, and that its Bible verse comes from the King James Version, the book is in the public domain, at least in the U.S. Therefore, there are free digital versions all over the place. Here is a free iPhone app, and here is a downloadable pdf copy, and here is a website that links to each reading.

I really enjoy Spurgeon's insights, and this book is an excellent way to jump-start one's prayer life.

How Much Should We Focus on Politics?

(Note: Some parts of this post draw inspiration from a recent sermon by Jack Graham.)

As the first commandment states (Exodus 20:3, NLT)

You must not have any other god but me.

So if we focus our attention and passion on politics more than on God, then that's a problem.

But assuming we haven't gone that far, how much attention should we focus on politics? This is a difficult question, especially when politicians and courts pass laws or issue judgements that appear to have moral and/or spiritual implications.

In Matthew 16, Jesus asks his disciples (verse 13, NLT),

Who do people say that the Son of Man is?

His disciples respond by repeating some of the theories floating around about Jesus: that he is John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the other prophets.

But then Jesus changes the subject. He asks (verse 15, NLT),

But who do you say I am?

I think the point of this passage is that, it is easy to get sucked into political debates, especially when those debates bleed into matters of faith. But the much more important concern is how we, as individuals, view matters of faith.

To Peter's credit, he gives the only answer that matters (verse 16, NLT),

You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.

That's not to say that political issues aren't important. Certainly, peoples' lives are affected by what politicians do. But, in our prayers, let us first emulate Peter's focus before moving on to other matters.

Important Passages from Psalm 24

Psalm 23 is the most famous psalm, and justifiably so. Yet, I find myself particularly drawn to Psalm 24. (And I especially enjoy Psalm 24 in the King James Version, even though that's not usually my translation of choice!)

First, I like the first verse (KJV).

The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.

This verse emphasizes that we came into this world with nothing, and we'll leave with nothing. Therefore, everything we see, feel, and possess belongs to God. We merely borrow those things while we're here.

Second, I like verses 3 and 4 (KJV).

Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.

What does it take to reside in God's kingdom? We must avoiding sin (that is, keep "clean hands"), and we must maintain a Godly heart. Further, we must lift our souls to God, and not to earthly "vanities." And we must not use our own words in any unholy manner (that is, not "swear deceitfully").

The problem is, we have all violated that ideal placed forth in verses 3 and 4. Every one of us. So our only hope is God's mercy. During our prayers today, let us focus on the deep messages present in Psalm 24.

Prayer of Salvation: Isaiah 12

Many parts of the Bible present short, easy-to-memorize prayers. In this post, I'd like to turn to Isaiah 12. The preceding chapter, Chapter 11, contains an important Messianic prophesy. Following that phophesy, Chapter 12 presents a beautiful prayer. Here are verses 1 and 2 from that prayer (ESV),

I will give thanks to you, O Lord,
    for though you were angry with me,
your anger turned away,
    that you might comfort me.

Behold, God is my salvation;
    I will trust, and will not be afraid;
for the Lord God is my strength and my song,
    and he has become my salvation.

That's a short, easy-to-memorize prayer, and it applies to anyone who accepts God's salvation.