7 Prayers That Work

  Psalm 66 tells us 8 things God wants us to know when life is hard. When my world is melting, sliding out of my control, sometimes I wonder what he's doing. So I usually go to Psalms. God always reminds me that he is busy, and he is triumphant already.  So stop panicking. Here's my paraphrase and prayer of  Psalm 66 , bullet-pointed for clarity: 1. Praise God first, regardless of what's happening Shout for joy, everyone! Give  God credit for his miraculous works! 2. God is in control because he is the Creator Oh, Lord, You fill me with awe. Your enemies cringe at your name. They rebel and slander and revolt, yet the earth itself follows your commands and bows itself in reverent obedience. The orbits rotate, the earth shakes and spews, the animal kingdom continues its circle of life, the wind and waves take their predictable paths. 3. God directs and uses the world for his glory You can alter the world's state at any moment. You can send fire, part waters, stop uprisi

  Here's a guest post (combo devotional and prayer!) from my friend Tracey Kelly. Psalm 62:8   Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.   I often think that asking God hard questions is an act of unbelief in him. It feels like I don’t trust him if I admit that I don’t understand what he’s doing. But questions and trust are not opposites. I can be confused and trust him at the same time. I can bear heavy feelings, admit my doubt and fear, and still know that he is good. Bringing the ugly stuff to God is a bold act of faith . Our relationship is so authentic that it can carry the weight of hard things. If I didn’t go to God with the really hard stuff , what does that say about my relationship with him?   It matters who I run to when life is dark. It matters where I hide and where I look for light. My direction reveals the authority is in my life. What if true communion with Jesus looked like a heart poured out completely--a tota

  I read 1 Samuel 14 today. Such a cool story.  Back story :  Jonathan and his father King Saul are the only people in the arm with swords (can you imagine!?) because the Philistines had a monopoly on blacksmithing. That's not a good strategy for winning a war. Problem : Jonathan wants to attack an entire Philistine outpost on a cliff, at night, with only his armor-bearer. They have one sword, and they have to scale a cliff to get to the enemy. Jonathan is tired of losing . He's tired of his father disobeying God's commands. He wants justice . He wants righteousness . He knows they should be ridding their land of the Philistine's godless influence.  And he's not afraid of the cost. What Jonathan says : "Come, let's go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised fellows. Perhaps the Lord will act on our behalf. Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving , whether by many or by few." (1 Sam. 14:6) What happens : They go--just the two of them--and call up