Intercessory prayer is the purifying bath into which the individual
and the community must enter every day.
(Dietrich Bonhoeffer)
and the community must enter every day.
(Dietrich Bonhoeffer)
Before You Ask
And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. (Matthew 6:7-8)
Many people think their prayers won’t work if they don’t utter them clearly enough, or fail to explain to God exactly what they mean, or don’t speak loudly enough to him with sufficient earnestness. But when this happens, prayer becomes so exaggerated that our Savior even forbids it.
Obviously Jesus does not want to discourage us from praying. His point is that when we pray we must have a sense of proportion. Once we have prayed, we must be quiet. We need to be like the farmer who has sown his seed. Help will come only when you are quiet in faith. Also in your sickness or with other needs, learn to be still and look to the Kingdom of God.
We can share our needs with the Father in a few words, without making a fuss, and rest assured that God already knows what we need and what he will do to help us. We don’t have to explain our requests in great detail to God, or try and make quite sure that he knows our needs. God knows about even the smallest matters and takes them straight into his heart. We can turn to him by glancing Heavenward, with no words at all. We can do this even when we pray about something concrete and tangible, or about something that specifically troubles us. We may realize that what we thought we needed is actually not necessary and that we can find a way right in the midst of how things are now.
This doesn’t mean that we just let things happen – as if everything will come of its own accord without our longing for it. Nor should we just cast a brief and hurried request at God’s feet. When this happens, we too easily lose sight of God, assume that everything comes to us without his help, and we forget to thank him. Then we cease to have a believing heart and are consequently not true children of God.
Jesus said, “Before you ask him.” Therefore we do need to make our requests known to him, otherwise many things will not be given that could have been given. It never displeases God when we come to him with our heartfelt requests. A real child asks for everything, knowing God has an ear for him. We should bring all our burdens and needs to him, for at the very least this helps to make us ever more aware that in all things God is the giver.
God always has our interest in mind. He carries our various needs with fatherly concern, eagerly waiting for us to come to him. He has not forgotten us. And when we feel tempted to think so, then all the more we should remember that he knows it all and cares for us. In fact, he knows much more about us and our needs than we do. Simple, childlike prayer is enough to move his heart, give you something out of the fullness of his compassion, and save you from all sorts of fear and trouble.
(Johann Christoph Blumhardt)
(The God Who Heals, Words of Hope for a Time of Sickness)
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Julia
A Prayer for Peace in the United States
Almighty Father, we thank you for blessing our nation with your provision and protection throughout its history. We thank you for being faithful to your covenant towards humankind, even when we have not been faithful to you. Thank you for extending your mercy and grace in spite of our actions towards you and our neighbor. You are a God of compassion and mercy, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. We praise your great and awesome name. Your name is Holy! You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. You created all things and they exist because you created what you pleased.
Loving Father, bend down and hear our prayer. Please answer us, for we need your help. Countless lives are being destroyed and our communities are in need of your divine presence, wisdom, and guidance. In Jesus’s name, we destroy the wicked plans of the devil to divide the citizens of our nation. We cancel the assignments of the demonic spirits of murder, division, hatred, and violence.
Peace, be still in our nation!
Peace, be still in every branch of government!
Peace, be still in our law enforcement and judicial systems!
Peace, be still in the hearts of our citizens!
We command justice to run down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream with the hearts of every American.
Holy Spirit, increase your wisdom, knowledge, and discernment in every leader as they collaborate to calm the unrest in our country. Guide parents of every ethnicity on how to talk with their children in a way that will not instill hatred, fear, anger, and unforgiveness
Merciful Father, forgive our nation for all acts of fomenting violence. Forgive those who know the truth, but remain silent. Father, please have mercy on our country.
Holy Spirit, bring all of us to be forgiving and to love each other. Help all of us not to yield to temptation; but deliver us from the evil one.
Gracious Lord, you alone are God. You are the First and the Last. You laid the foundations of the Earth; your right hand spread out the heavens above.
Amen.
(The Prayer Institute)