My God, may my message to the world be organized around the Lordship of Jesus, and myself as a slave to others, for his sake.
Making prayer personal
We should ask God for help in overcoming temptation and not be afraid to give specific problematic situations (1 Cor. 10:13). If you are battling with something personally, go to God about it. If a situation has developed in the congregation that has the potential to create problems, pray about it in public.
Does all of this require more thought? Sure. That’s what makes it meaningful. The truth is that generic prayers reflect a generic relationship with a generic God. If we truly seek a personal relationship with a personal God, this will be reflected in the personal character of our prayers.
May my words be only those you give me
Heavenly Father, may my words be only those you give me, and my actions be those which honor the Son. May our worship be in spirit and in truth, our message faithful to the gospel. Through these may we have unity with one another, for sake of the kingdom.
The Psalms that teach us about prayer
We have all had the frustration of being misunderstood. Our words were heard, but either we used the wrong words, or the hearer misconstrued the meaning. That never happens in Prayer. God will not only “Give ear to my words,” he will also “Consider my Meditation.” That is, he will think about what we think about. But even more, God will “hearken unto the voice of my cry.” God knows what we say, how we think, and how we feel. The Psalms that teach us about prayer teach us about God (Psalm 5:1-2).
Omniscient God, let learning not go to my head
Omniscient God, let learning not go to my head, but in me make it the path to knowing you.
O God, let justice be done speedily
O God, let justice be done, and that right speedily, if not here on earth, then in heaven. Let men judge with just judgment, and let those in power acknowledge that your laws are righteous and good. However good may be a human legal system, we know that full justice will come at the End. For that day we plead.
Point them beyond a Sunday thought to a lifetime commitment
Father, I’m glad that many today are thinking of my risen Lord. May you use me to point them beyond a Sunday thought to a lifetime commitment of service to him as Savior of the world. Make my life an example of that commitment, with your words alive in my heart and sweet upon my tongue.
Let my life not be a religious holiday to punctuate my year once or twice
Let my life not be a religious holiday to punctuate my year once or twice, nor a ritual that trusts in an outward motion without the corresponding understanding of the mind, but a constant journey toward you, O God, and a tool in your hands for the kingdom.
Put steel in my spine, O Lord
The world may follow the path of the evil one,
But I’d stay true to my Lord,
Would I be like Peter, full of brave words,
But lacking in courage when push came to shove?
Put steel in my spine, O Lord,
For that moment of truth.
Lord, it’s easy to live without objectives
We acknowledge, Lord, that it’s easy to live without objectives. It takes nothing, nothing but indifference and indolence. God, help us to sit down and set some objectives, some goals. If, no more than to know You and teach Your Word, that others may be fed and grow, to start there. Whatever it is, Father, help us to set a goal, the energy, the spirit, to go at the courage of conviction, to pay any price. —John Macarthur