Turn again to the Lord

With all of world's distractions, it seems so easy to drift away from prayer and spirituality. But that is not a new problem unique to our time. Indeed, the bible is full of notes of caution, and also words of advice, on this exact topic.

For example, Lamentations 3:40 (KJV) reads,

Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord.

And Paul commands (1 Corinthians 11:28, KJV),

Let a man examine himself.

And Psalm 119:176 (KJV) reads,

I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.

Again, these are not new problems unique to us. These times of drift are, unfortunately, part of our spiritual journey. Our task is to self-diagnose those times of drift, search our ways, and "turn again to the Lord."

A prayer of praise from Isaiah

The book of Isaiah is long and dense, teeming with prophecies, prayers, visions, and judgments, often packed within just a few verses.

The 12th chapter contains a brief, powerful prayer of praise. I reproduce the first two verses of that chapter from the KJV translation here:

O Lord, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me. Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.

The prayer thanks God for his mercy, his salvation, and his protection, exactly the sorts of topics upon which to base a prayer of praise. Those verses are short and easy to memorize. Let us try them in prayer!

Daily Light devotional

Daily devotionals, publications that provide spiritual readings each day, offer a great way to remain active in prayer, and there are many from which to choose, across a wide variety of formats.

In this post, I'd like to draw attention to the "Daily Light on the Daily Path" option, often shorted to "Daily Light." Originally published in 1875, the Daily Light devotional provides twice-a-day (morning and evening) collections of short bible verses connected through a common theme. The devotional offer no other commentary -- just bible verses, which makes it unique among devotionals.

Due to its age, the devotional is widely available on the internet. I prefer the website https://dailylightdevotional.org/, but there are many other sources.

Try it out for a few days. Read the verses, morning and evening, and reflect on the common theme. See if it enhances your prayer life!

The bible makes it clear

Proverbs 22:20-21 (KJV) states,

Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge, that I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee?

As with so many parts of the bible, those words appear to hold dual meanings. On one hand, those are the words of Solomon to all who seek spiritual wisdom.

But on the other hand, those are the words of God, spoken direct to us. He's making clear that the words of the bible are there for our "counsels and knowledge," that we might know the "certainty of the words of truth," and that we might "answer the words of truth" to others.

So as we read, study, and pray the bible, never lose sight of the fact that the bible makes God's will clear through the plainness of clarity of written form.