On Our Hearts: I Am Human

I am going to break format today and be a little vunerable. I have not posted a prayer in more than a week. I confess I have been struggling, conflicted, and have a heavy heart. Last year I had a wake up call, a 'close call' if you will, the scare of the reality that we are mortal. At that time I grew alot and was affirmed in my faith. Now I have a good friend in this serious situation. I know in this situation I should be turning to my Lord, and I have, but what is on my heart I have not been able to put into words. Until now.

-Micki

Father,

I cry out to you, I fall on my knees, I have no choice but to turn to you. There are situations we are faced with in life we just don't understand. To us they just don't make sense. This is our human nature - our desire to have control, our desire to understand what without a doubt is not meant to be understood. Whether it is us personally in this situation or others we know and love.


I pray for peace, I pray for reassurance, I pray for healing. Praise Jesus for our salvation, I am so blessed. I am blessed.


Amen

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God." 2 Corinthians 1:3,4

On Our Hearts: Praise

Heavenly Father,

Today we just lift up our voices to praise you. Your blessings know no boundaries. You comfort, teach and heal us. We are in awe of Your love for us. Thank you Lord for saving our souls and preparing a place in eternity with You.

Father we ask that we use our voices to constantly praise You today. Let our worship be in everything that we do. From our words to our actions, we want others to know just how much we love You and how thankful we are that You are our salvation. May we shout it to the world, 'Praise You God!'

Amen

"Therefore I will praise you among the nations, O LORD; I will sing praises to your name." Psalm 18:49

On Our Hearts: Bad Days

Heavenly Father,

We all have one of those days. The car won't start, dinner was burned, the electricity went out - life is full of unexpected challenges. Sometimes we let those inconveniences get us down and get in the way of how You want us to be. We grumble and moan, gripe and complain, and let everyone know just how annoyed we are. We don't have control over these things that irritate us, but we can rest in the fact that You do.

Lord, we ask that you give us Your spirit of joy, despite the circumstances. Thank You for the car that wouldn't start so that we could spend the extra time with our children this morning. Thank You for the scorched dinner that allowed us the excuse to go out to eat and be waited on. Thank You for the power outage that forced us as a family to sit down and actually talk to one another. Lord so fill us with gladness that it overflows into everything that we say and do. Let Your light shine so brightly that others see You in us.

Amen

"The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy." Psalm 126:3

On Our Hearts: The Word

Heavenly Father,

We are so thankful that there is a place where we can go and find the truth. Whenever we have a need we can turn to the Bible and read Your word. Your word is filled with encouragement, support, wisdom, and instruction. The Bible has all the answers if only we would seek them. There is no question that You have not answered. For every challenge in our life, Your word has the solution. We praise you Lord, for giving us a lamp to guide us as we take this journey in life.

Lord, we ask that You give us time each day to get into Your word. May we find the encouragement we need first thing in the morning, the covering we need throughout the day, and the comfort at night to rest. We know that when our hearts are turned toward You, God, that we will not stray. May we use Your Word as a fortress against the enemy. With the Bible as our protection we will not be defeated.

Amen

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." Psalm 119:105

On Our Hearts: Strength

Heavenly Father,

There are times when we just seem to be struggling. We're struggling with deadlines, housework, our children, and the motivation just to get things done. Everything seems to be a challenge these days. Every time we think we're on the right track something comes along and derails us. We feel defeated, down and exhausted.

Lord, give us the will to keep going despite the setbacks. Give us the courage to confront the enemy and finish the task. Father we can't do it alone, we need a soverign God to guide us and direct us. When the labor gets difficult, give us strength to endure. When the burden is heavy, give us energy to carry on. And just when the task seems impossible give us the will to follow through.

Amen

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Phillipians 4:13

On Our Hearts: A Giving Spirit

Heavenly Father,

We are so thankful for the blessings You have given us. Because of the blood of Jesus we can rest in knowing that we have eternal life. In the meantime, we have a responsibility here on earth to use what You have given us to bless others. The Bible tells us that as freely we have received we are to give. Some of us may be blessed financially, spiritually, or intellectually. Some of us may have the gift of hospitality, friendship, prayer, or compassion. Lord we know that You have given each of us a special quality that we can use to expand Your kingdom.

Father we pray that You show us how and where to give. We ask that You bless our time as we serve the homeless and weak. Nourish our bodies as we feed the hungry. Renew our spirit as we minister to the lost. Replenish our resources as we financially assist those less fortunate. Lord, nurture a spirit of giving in each of us. Show us where to best use the gifts that You have blessed us with.

Amen

"But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver." 2 Corinthians 9:6-7

On Our Hearts: His Love

Heavenly Father,


Lord, we know that there are women out there who don’t know Your love. Some of us have been so devastated by our childhood that we cannot comprehend how anyone could love us. Some of us work so hard to be loved by others yet feel condemned when we fail to meet their (or even our own) expectations. There are some of us who have so much sin in our past that we have labeled ourselves unlovable. In today’s world where the word “love” is used to describe how we feel about shoes, cars, and cake – how could we possibly understand the unconditional love You have for us?

Lord, thank you so much for loving us. We know that Your love is not dependent upon our works. And even though we may not deserve Your unconditional love, You continue to give it. Despite all of our sins, our failures, and the times we turned our backs to You, You have faithfully loved us. Since we are human, it is sometimes just so hard to fully comprehend how much love You have. We ask that we experience Your love by holding our hands during a difficult time, by feeling Your comfort when our hearts are breaking, or by feeling you walk beside us as we navigate through life.

Amen

"And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. We love because he first loved us." 1 John 4:16, 19

On Our Hearts: Good Fruit

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for being such a good Father to us. You are constantly there to teach and guide us along our path. As sinners we are often selfish, quick to anger, and impatient with those who annoy us. Our desire is to be more like You, Lord, but all too often we fall short. Our disobedience only reminds us just how much we need to rely on You.

Lord, please give us Your fruits. We ask that you show us how to be loving to those who appear to be unlovable. May we show kindness and patience even when our nature wants to be mean and hurtful. Open our eyes to see joy and goodness when the rest of the world only sees heartache and despair. We pray that we remain faithful to Your word when we start to stray. We need you Father, work a miracle in each and every one of us.

Amen

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." Galatians 5:22-23

On Our Hearts: A Mighty Warrior

Heavenly Father,

Since you have made us human we are prone to sin. Every day we battle evil temptations, sinful desires, and destructive influences. We see it in the media from the types of television shows we watch to the movies we see. Sin can be revealed in the strangers we meet on the street, our co-workers, our friends, and even sometimes our own family. We are constantly bombarded by the devil.

Father, we know that by the blood of Jesus You have set us free from sin, but that doesn’t mean that the battle for our souls is over. Lord, give us wisdom to recognize sin and the strength to resist it. Luke 10:19 tells us that You have given us authority over sin. Lord, show us how to “overcome all the power of the enemy”. Reveal the power you have furnished in each of us. Give us courage to wield Your truth like a mighty sword to defeat the enemy. Lord, we stand together in our faith and proclaim that we are warriors for Christ our Savior.

Amen

"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

On our Hearts- Friendships

Father God,


Being both a woman and a mother can be complicated. We have responsibilities, duties, schedules, and just a lot of stuff going on. Among all this craziness, it's hard to believe that we can feel all alone, but we are so busy thinking about what needs to be done that sometimes we neglect our friendships. These friendships are important, they provide comradery, fellowship and accountability. We can relate to other women, use their insight in situations and some days they can just be another adult to talk to.


Father, we get so wrapped up in the needs of our family that we can fail at being a good friend to others. Help us not to withdraw but to seek fellowship with our fellow moms. And because these friendships are so vital to us as women, we ask that You bless the time that we have to nurture these relationships. Father, we pray for those who are needing a friend find one, and that we ourselves can become a better friend to the ones we already have.


Amen

"There are 'friends' who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother." Proverbs 18:24

On Our Hearts: Frustration

Heavenly Father,

We all have that one person or situation in our lives that repeatedly frustrates us. They get under our skin, they push our buttons, and they make us feel inferior and out of control. We do our best but we find ourselves quick to anger and tempted to lash out at them. There's anxiety, tension and a feeling of helplessness about the circumstance that begins to overwhelm us.

Lord, we ask that you give us patience with those that test us. The Bible tells us to be kind and forgiving to one another just as You have been with us - but sometimes that is so hard when we feel so angry. God show us how we can begin to forgive those who have angered us, let us speak only kind words to them, and remove all bitterness that we may have. And while the situation may seem hopeless, Lord, we know that nothing is too big for You. You can change hearts, You can transform perspectives and attitudes, and You can heal relationships. Do a mighty work in us, Lord, so that we may become Your light for others.

Amen

"Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires." James 1:19-20

On Our Hearts: Growing Up

Heavenly Father,

Change in a mother's life is inevitable. As our children get older we find ourselves having to ammend our discipline, refocus our attention, and alter our schedules. Some moms are working on transitioning from diapers to underwear, elementary school to junior high, or being the chauffeur to handing over the keys. Parenting is a constant evolving process and it is often hard to let go of what is familiar to us. We try hard to provide just the right amount of love and devotion balanced with adequate supervision and guidance. It's not an easy journey.

Lord, we ask that You give us the wisdom to recognize our child's needs. Show us when to hold tight and when to let them spread their wings. Give us strength and patience when they push the boundaries and need to be pulled back in. Fill us with love and compassion as we watch them struggle to become independent from us. May we be an example to our children of how we are to love others, and love You, Lord. We pray over our children, Lord. Help them to rely on You and keep them safe.

Amen

"Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." Proverbs 22:6

On Our Hearts: Complacency

Heavenly Father,

It is so easy to become complacent in our lives. Our job, home, family, friends - like a favorite pair of shoes we just slip them on and keep walking the same path. We trust they'll get us where we need to go. But what happens if we make a wrong turn? Suddenly the things that are a comfort to us are nowhere to be found. So we just keep walking, hoping that we'll accidentally find the right path.

Lord, we ask for Your guidance. Show us the way in which we are to go. If we have fallen from Your grace, pick us back up. If we have darkness in our hearts, let Your light shine bright. If we have veered from the trail, provide us with Your compass to guide us back. We put our focus on You, God, You are our comfort, our provider, our everything. Break us free from the vicious circle of relying on others, only to be disappointed when they fall short. As long as we give our trust to You, we will not be led astray.

Amen

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5, 6

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you." Psalm 32:8

On our Hearts: Our Priorities

Father God,

Being a mother, wife, and a woman means multitasking. Whether we are juggling a job, school schedule, visitation schedules, sports, or family, all of these obligations can create distractions and new priorities. Father, sometimes these other obligations seem more important than even our own children or husband. If our children are sick, we wonder how we are going to work. When we work late, we are spending time away from our husbands. When we fill our schedules with sports and extra curriculars, we are spending less time at home as a family

Father, help us to discern these "obligations" and remember what is most important. Help us to not feel guilty for letting others down - be it a boss or a coach. If our child is sick they need their mom, if our husband is sitting home waiting - where should we be? If there doesn't seem like there is enough time in the day, help us reevaluate our obligations.

Amen

"Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ." Phillipians 1:27

On Our Hearts: Physical Pain

Heavenly Father,

We pray for those who are physically hurting and for those who are suffering from an illness or disease. Lord, there are so many who keep their physical pain private. They suffer silently so that they would not be a burden to others. Some women have no choice but to continue on through the pain as they have no one else to rely on. Others are ashamed of their illness or view their disease as a punishment for their sins.

Father we know that You are able to heal all. We lift up each and every one of these women to You, Lord. You know the wounds they hide from others, the disease they cover up, and the physical pain they suffer through. Just as Jesus Christ is able to heal our soul, He is able to heal our bodies. We ask that You restore physical abilities, remove fatigue, destroy cancer cells, heal broken bones, and regenerate unhealthy organs. We also pray that You give us Your comfort and peace while we wait for Your perfect timing. In His mighty name,

Amen

"But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." Isaiah 53:5

On our Hearts: We are Forgiven

Father,


We have all made mistakes, we have all sinned. When we sin we repent for them. When we repent; you forgive us. You forgive us. You forgive us. Why is this so hard to remember? Why do we let these forgiven sins keep coming back and we feel like we have to repent again even years later. Why do we have a hard time accepting Your forgiveness?

Father help us to remember these forgiven sins are indeed forgiven. Christ shed his blood so we would have this forgiveness. Father as You forgive us, help heal our hearts. We are forgiven.


Amen

"He is the one all the prophets testified about, saying everyone who believes in him will have their sins forgiven through his name." Acts 10:43

On Our Hearts: Unspoken Prayer

Heavenly Father,

There are so many hurting in the world today. We couldn't possibly know all the pain and suffering that so many others feel. Even though we are helpless to take away their hurts, we rest in knowing that You can. You hear their prayers, You walk with them, and You comfort them through your grace.

Lord, we lift up all the unspoken prayers. We ask that You wipe away the tears of those grieving, provide food for those who are hungry, give rest to those who are weary, and heal bodies that are broken. Only You can do these things that we ask, Lord.

Amen

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." - Matthew 7:7

On our Hearts: Insecurities

Father

Why do we worry what others think about us? Why is it so hard to accept others opinions or critiques about us? Ultimately You made us, You love us, we should be confident in ourselves. Whether it is our physical appearance- hair, nails, clothes, or our personalities, our attitude, our approach, our faith. We often worry if we will fit in, be good enough. Am I ‘that’ mom that all the other mom’s look at and scratch their heads at? Father this is just our insecurities.

Father we pray that we stop worrying what others think. Remind us that these are just the outward things, they mean nothing. What brand of clothes we buy, where we get our nails done, what vehicle we drive, how big our house is, or how successful our husbands are. In the end none of this will matter, the only thing that matters is our belief in You. We pray that we, as mothers, can direct our efforts to teach our children the true focus of life and not get so caught up in the madness of it all.

Amen

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:2

On Our Hearts: Worry

Dear Heavenly Father,

Right now there is so much resting on our shoulders. It's not enough that we have the day to day responsibilities of housework, the carpool, and figuring out what's for dinner; we're also worrying about our jobs, the economy, national healthcare and the war. Our neighbors' homes are foreclosing, our parents are going back to work, and we're terrified of our children coming home with a contagious disease. It sometimes feels as though the world is spinning out of control. We need You, Lord, now more than ever.

God it's going to be hard, but we lay our worries at Your feet. The Bible tells us that we shouldn't worry about tomorrow. Your word assures us that You have already taken care of all of our needs, just as You have taken care of the needs of the tiniest creature. Please give us the courage to take that to heart, Lord. Worrying is easy, letting go and trusting You has proven to be the difficult part. Give us strength in our faith that You are in charge, not us. We rest in You, Lord.

Amen

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33