James 4: 8
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.
Posted on 07/25/2005 11:40:54 AM PDT by Faith
James 4: 8
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.
So many things try to crowd You from our day. We react constantly to the tyranny of the urgent; and yet, nothing is more urgent and important than our relationship with You. There is no greater blessing than to know that You are always there. You never move away from us. Any distance between us is caused by our own movement away from You. Holy Father, please help us to draw nigh unto You each day, so that we may receive the sustenance and purpose that only You can give us.
Father, as we grow older, we see how much our beloved country has changed. Gone are the carefree days of youth when children could be children instead of mini-adults, and could play outdoors freely with their safety nearly guaranteed. Gone are the small town values where everyone knew each other, and where houses did not even need to be locked. Gone are the simple pleasures of life, when parents and children dined together without the noise of TV, computers, and cell phones. Gone are the days when free speech included the right to religious expression, when public Christmas displays could refer to the birth of our Lord, and when God and country were core values that united Americans. O Lord, we pray for simplicity to return to us. Our complicated lives only lead us away from You---the One we need the most. Father, we know we cannot ever go back to days that have passed, but we can move forward hand in hand with You. You are the security and strength that we need both now and throughout eternity.
Our prayer for our President is that he would become more Christlike with each passing day. We know that You are the God Who changes his children from glory into glory. We ask that You would help President Bush to grow in grace and in knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Build Your holy temple within him, Lord, and make him a man after Your own heart. Give him the strength to stand strong against temptation, to return no one evil for evil, and to fulfill every purpose You have for his life.
We pray for each man and woman in our current military, that this time of service would also be a time of discovery of the goodness and love of You, our Mighty God. Help each one to depend upon You and to rest each night in the awareness of Your presence. Father, reward each of these special individuals with blessings, for they stand ready and willing to defend us and also peoples of foreign lands. Protect them with Your mighty shield and bless the families who await them at home.
Grant each of us the desire to serve, Lord, for there is never a shortage of things to do for Your glory. Keep our eyes open, our ears alert, and our hearts in tune to Yours, that we may be ready and willing to serve as Your hands and heart to those in need all around us. We are Your people, Lord---the sheep of Your pasture. We are grateful to follow You, our Gracious and Glorious Shepherd. In the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
As you join us in prayer, please lift up our brother, Alpha, that his health may be restored. Thank you.
That was a wonderful prayer. Our dear leader Commander in Cheif has so much on his mind, it's difficult to get close to him. But it's good to know that he will always be there when AMERICA needs him. Bush does not waver in the face of terrorism or liberal accusations, and for that Jesus loves him. Just like God feeds his children, the president feeds the patriots with his silent strength.
Thank you for your words of wisdom. We are truly blessed to have George W. Bush as our President. God bless you!
An image flashed across my TV screen
Another broken heart comes in to view
I saw the pain and I turned my back
Why can't I do the things I want to?
I'm willing yet I'm so afraid
You give me strength
When I say
I want to be Your hands
I want to be Your feet
I'll go where You send me
I'll go where You send me
I want to be Your hands
I want to be Your feet
I'll go where You send me
I'll go where You send me
And I try, yeah I try
To touch the world like You touched my life
And I find my way
To be Your hands
I've abandoned every selfish thought
I've surrendered every thing I've got
You can have everything I am
And perfect everything I'm not
I'm willing, I'm not afraid
You give me strength
When I say
I want to be Your hands
I want to be Your feet
I'll go where You send me
I'll go where You send me
This is the last time
I turned my back on You
From now on, I'll go so
Send me where You want me to
I finally have a mission
I promise I'll complete
I don't need excuses
When I am You hands and feet
Hands and Feet, Tyler Burkum, Bob Herdman, Will McGinniss, Charlie Peacock & Mark Stuart
God is so good. He gave alpha the strength to call me today. I bow down before our Heavenly Father tonight in prayer, for President Bush, our troops, all fellow FReepers needing prayer, including alpha.
Thank you Lord. Guide us in Your ways, and we shall become more Christ-like, through all the trials we must persevere.
GODSPEED!
Mrs. alpha
Well, you did it again. You found the perfect lyrics to match the prayer. Thanks so much! God bless you.
Yes, Lord, we praise You for restoring strength to Alpha's body. Grant him full and complete healing, Father, as You surround him with Your comfort and peace. Bless Mrs. Alpha with rest tonight and help her to know that Your people are praying. In the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
From time to time I join you all on the prayer thread. I do pray for the President more often than I join the thread, so please forgive me if this is a REPEAT of something someone else has already posted. Perhaps you can make it part of the daily thread, or maybe each of you can focus on a different part of the prayer each day. I may even make it its own thread sometime...just for informational purposes. :)
This is something someone sent me called
The life of every citizen of every nation is impacted by a vast multitude of individuals who wield significant influence each day. Consider: millions of elected officials, appointed judges, lawyers, police officers, bureaucrats, military officers, business executives and managers, those involved in church leadership, educators, medical practitioners and hospital administrators. How might we pray for these individuals? Here are 30 things based on Scripture that we can pray for people in authority. Don’t overwhelm yourself. Select one person or group of people and then pray one of these things each day for them.
1. That they be God fearing and recognize that they are accountable to Him for each decision and act (Prov. 9:10).
2. That they be granted wisdom, knowledge, and understanding (Jas. 1:5).
3. That they be presented with the gospel and a loving Christian witness (Ro. 10:14).
4. That, if unsaved, they be drawn to a saving encounter with Christ; if born-again, they be strengthened and encouraged in their faith (1 Tim. 2:4, Eph. 1:17-23).
5. That they recognize their own inadequacy and pray and seek the will of God (Prov. 3:5-8, Lk. 11:9-13).
6. That they be convicted of sin, transgression, and iniquity (Ps. 51:17, Jn. 8:9).
7. That they heed their conscience, confess their sins, and repent (Prov. 28:13, Jas. 4:8).
8. That they read the Bible and attend prayer meetings and Bible studies (Ps. 119:11, Col. 3:2).
9. That they value and regard the Ten Commandments and the teachings of Christ (Ps. 19:7-11, Jn. 8:31-32).
10. That they respect and honor their own parents if living (Eph. 6:2-3).
11. That they respect authority and practice accountability (Ro. 13:1-7).
12. That they be given godly counsel and God-fearing advisors (Prov. 24:6).
13. That they be honest and faithful to spouses and children (Mal. 2:15-16).
14. That they be practicing members of local congregations (Heb. 10:25).
15. That they desire purity and avoid debauchery, pornography, perversion, and drunkenness (1 Cor. 6:9-20, Titus 2:12).
16. That they be timely, reliable, and dependable (Mt. 21:28-31).
17. That they be honest in financial, tax, and ethical matters (1 Cor. 6:10, 1 Tim. 6:6-10).
18. That they seek pastoral care and counsel when needed (Heb. 13:7).
19. That they seek out and nurture godly friendships (Ps. 1:1-3).
20. That they have thankful and teachable spirits (Ro. 1:21).
21. That they be generous and have compassionate hearts for the poor and needy (Ps. 112:9, Lk. 10:33-37).
22. That they redeem their time and know priorities (Eph. 5:15-17).
23. That they desire honesty, integrity, and loyalty (Psalm 26, Prov. 11:3).
24. That they have courage to resist manipulation, pressure, and the fear of man (Prov. 29:25, 2. Tim. 1:7).
25. That they be shielded from occultism, New Age cults, false religions, and secret societies (Is. 1:29, 2:6).
26. That they be presented with biblical worldviews and principles (Eph. 3:10).
27. That they endeavor to restore the sanctity of life, families, divine order, and morality in our nation (Eph. 5:22-6:4).
28. That they would work to reverse the trends of humanism in our nation (1 Chron. 12:32, Is. 59:19).
29. That they desire humility and meekness and be willing to serve and cooperate (Jn. 13:14, Titus 3:1-2).
30. That they be prepared to give account to Almighty God (Heb. 9:27).
Adapted from “Intercessors for America” newsletter, (Vol. 22, No. 3). Used by permission of Intercessors for America, 1-800-USA PRAY; www.ifa-usapray.org. Excerpted from Pray! Magazine issue #13.
Thanks so much, RD! You've contributed a wonderful resource---one that I'm sure many of us will use. I'm going to copy and paste it right now. God bless you!
Amen.
Proverbs 8:15 "By me (wisdom) kings reign, And rulers decree justice. By me princes rule and nobles, all who judge rightly. I love those who love me; and those who diligently seek me will find me."
Lord, we are so very grateful that You have, in Your great love and undeserved favor toward us, given us a ruler who seeks after Wisdom and is humble enough to ask for us to pray for him. It is with great honor that we do this. Thank You for the agreement of the saints and Your promise to us of Your hearing and answering our prayers. Guide, protect, give answers and be a shield over him as he leads us by your appointment and great grace.
In Jesus' name. Amen.
Amen to your prayer, Hiskid! God bless and keep you.
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