Day 71 - A prayer in the dark

Dear Lord,
This morning I come to you with childlike faith knowing that all you have in store for me is good.  I am remembering in my prayers how small the world and even the Universe is compared to You.  How great and unimaginably powerful You are to have created not just the Universe but all creatures.  To have breathed life into all creatures and to call us all good.  I praise You that I am a child of God and You desire to be near to me.

I pray for wonder when I am increasingly blind by my life.  I keep my eyes ahead and do not waste time looking behind because I know by faith in my darkness Your Light will eventually appear.  I pray that You take me during this time and that I release anything that is in my own way in overcoming.  I release all remnants of who and what I was and am today.  I give my life to You fully and completely knowing that You know what's best for me.

I do not mind living in the clouds - in the blindness.  I will walk through and marvel at each distinctive form the clouds in my life take.  I will not fear them at all even though they become black with lightening.  Instead I will enjoy each one knowing that my life and my spirit will not remain the same once they have lifted.

Thank you for Your Word.

Your daughter,

Cathy




**Cathy is a speaker, writer and worship leader.  Contact her for engagements at 217 521 2070 or cwoolaway@yahoo.com

Day 66 A Prayer of Embracing

We are a little more than half way through our 123 days and today is a prayer of embracing.  God longs for us to embrace not just the good in our lives but that which we may consider uncomfortable.  If we are to be called Disciples we must learn that God uses all things to bring glory to Him and to bring the BEST for us 

 Embrace change and all circumstances as God moving in our lives and see how it changes us from good to best in the light of His glory and grace.

Father in Heaven

We pray this morning that we might embrace ALL that you have for us.  Not just the good but those things which cause hurt and discomfort.  We ask Lord that you thoroughly use us today in whatever means possible to bring continued glory to You.  May we never wish to be lifted up - but only through You may our actions words and deeds be seen.  

We embrace You....all of You including Your times of melting and molding.  We embrace the change that You bring to our lives.  We embrace the struggle and release it to You knowing that when we stop fighting and start embracing Your truths become more apparent to us and our imperfections diminish in Your Light.

Thank you that you are a Father that allows us to embrace You.  That you are not a distant father figure but a papa that we can climb up onto Your lap and tell our inner most secrets and You will not admonish us but will wipe away our tears and embrace us as well.

We love You this morning and every moment of our day.  I breath You in and I breath You out. My rock, my shield, my comfort, my Abba.

Your daughter,

Cathy

**Cathy is a professional writer, speaker and worship leader.  You may contact her for engagements at 217 521 2070 or email at cwoolaway@yahoo.com

Day 64- A Prayer of Passing

“Has this world been so kind to you that you should leave with regret? There are better things ahead than any we leave behind.”  ~ C.S. Lewis


Father God who created us in His likeness and stands beside us while on this earth, we pray on behalf of our loved ones who are moving into your presence for all eternity.  We thank you for the restoration of our spirit and for the new body that shall be supplied as you promise us.  To laugh, to sing, to speak, to love, to praise You; to live in complete unity and peace together with those who came before us.

Comfort those who are behind and encourage them knowing that one day they too will see You in Your Glory!  Be merciful to all reminding them that this is not the end of life here on earth - but that death is actually the beginnning of our eternal life.  Let us not be afraid, but let us be grateful knowing that You are the one who truly has cared for us from the beginning.  Help us to rally and remember and celebrate a life that we loved and will continue to love in death.  Show us the beautiful steps that one day we too will walk and wrap your arms around us in comfort knowing once again this is not the end...but the start of a beautiful new beginning that lasts forever.

Amen.

DAY 59 - Prayer of Release

This is a prayer that was sent to me through an anonymous source. I liked it and hope that you do too. 

Prayer of release:

I know the one for whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return. 2 Timothy 1:12

Heavenly Father, I release to you the burdens that I have been carrying, burdens that you never intended for me to carry. I cast all my care upon you , all my worries, and all my fears. You hold me to not be anxious about anything, but rather to bring to you everything in prayer and with thankfulness.

Father, calm my restless spirit, quiet my anxious heart, still my troubling thoughts with the assurance that you are in control. I let go of my grip upon the things I have been holding onto, and with open hand now I come to you. I release to your will all that I am trying to manipulate; I release to you authority all that I am trying to control; and I release to your timing all that I have been striving to make happen.

I thank you for your promise to sustain me, preserve me, and guard all that I have entrusted to your keeping. Protect my heart and mind with your peace, the peace that passes all understanding. Father, may your will be done in my life, in your time, and in your way.

Psalms 55:22, 1 peter 5:7, Philippians 4:6, Mathew 6, Isaiah 26:3, Luke 11:2.

DAY 52 A Prayer of Forgiveness

Day 52 of 123 Days of Prayer.

Pray.Love.Forgive.  

Today I pray the prayer of forgiveness from Psalm 51.  This was David's prayer of forgiveness in his great sin against Uriah. Though our own sin may not be as great as adultery or murder it is good for us in any situation where we feel we have sinned or turned from God to pray this prayer with all authenticity and affection; grace will be supplied.  May this prayer minister to you today - knowing that no sin is beyond forgiveness by our great and merciful Lord.

Psalm 51

Be merciful to me, O God,
    because of your constant love.
Because of your great mercy
    wipe away my sins!
2 Wash away all my evil
    and make me clean from my sin!

3 I recognize my faults;
    I am always conscious of my sins.
4 I have sinned against you—only against you—
    and done what you consider evil.
So you are right in judging me;
    you are justified in condemning me.
5 I have been evil from the day I was born;
    from the time I was conceived, I have been sinful.

6 Sincerity and truth are what you require;
    fill my mind with your wisdom.
7 Remove my sin, and I will be clean;
    wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear the sounds of joy and gladness;
    and though you have crushed me and broken me,
    I will be happy once again.
9 Close your eyes to my sins
    and wipe out all my evil.

10 Create a pure heart in me, O God,
    and put a new and loyal spirit in me.
11 Do not banish me from your presence;
    do not take your holy spirit away from me.
12 Give me again the joy that comes from your salvation,
    and make me willing to obey you.
13 Then I will teach sinners your commands,
    and they will turn back to you.

14 Spare my life, O God, and save me,[b]
    and I will gladly proclaim your righteousness.
15 Help me to speak, Lord,
    and I will praise you.

16 You do not want sacrifices,
    or I would offer them;
you are not pleased with burnt offerings.
17 My sacrifice is a humble spirit, O God;
    you will not reject a humble and repentant heart.

18 O God, be kind to Zion and help her;
    rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then you will be pleased with proper sacrifices
    and with our burnt offerings;
    and bulls will be sacrificed on your altar.

**Cathy is a speaker, writer and worship leader.  You may contact her for speaking engagements at cwoolaway@yahoo.com or 217 521 2070.

Day 49. Pray. Love Forgive

Day 49.  On this day I ran across an article by Robert Velarde on what we should not expect prayer to be.
I loved the short but encompassing examples.  Take a look.....

What Prayer Is Not

Now that we have a clearer understanding of God's nature, it may be tempting to delve right into a definition of prayer. But first let's take a brief look at what prayer is not (this is by no means an exhaustive list):

• Prayer is not magic. We cannot summon God as though He were a genie, waiting to grant our wishes without regard for our circumstances or the consequences.
• Prayer does not make demands. While we can make requests of God in prayer, we dare not make demands. God is the Creator of the universe and does not take orders from us.
• Prayer is for our benefit, not God's. We need a relationship with God, available to us through Jesus Christ and engaged primarily through prayer, because we were made to function best when we are in a proper relationship with our Creator.
• Prayer is not a guarantee against suffering. "In this world you will have trouble" (John 16:33); "Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed" (1 Peter 4:12-13).
• Prayer is not an opportunity for us to show off. "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men" (Matthew 6:5).

Our prayer for today:

Father God.  May I never use prayer as anything but an opportunity to grow closer to you through dialogue, companionship, relationship and authenticity.  Although You know everything about me, You yearn for me to learn more about You through our prayer language.  I thank you that you are never too busy, too important, too angry or too preoccupied that You will not engage intimately with me.  There is no greater love than devotion to You in my life.  Thank you for being more than a friend, thank you for being my God.

Amen.

**Cathy is a professional speaker, writer, dramatist/story teller, worship leader.  You may contact her below or at cwoolaway@yahoo.com or 217 521 2070.