Plans of the Lord

Photo: Aztech New Media

For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. (Jeremiah 29:11, found in Daily Word for Healing by Colleen Zuck, et al., p. 169)

Beginning Each Day

Beginning each day with a few minutes of prayer and meditation, I build a spiritual strength that keeps me uplifted throughout the day - every day. (Colleen Zuck, et al., Daily Word For Healing, p. 176)

I have seen the workings of the unseen God ... (Daily Reflections, 4 July)

I pray that I may rely on God as I go through this new day. (Alan L. Roeck, Look To This Day, 11 July)

Miracles

We will never get miracles by neglecting the gifts and the wisdom God has given us. It is when man's skill combines with God's grace that wonder happens. (William Barclay, The Gospel of Luke, p. 59)

The Blessings of Life

Photo: Mr. Dickie (Melva's white peony)

My times in prayer with God prepare me for all the blessings of life. (Colleen Zuck, et al., Daily Word For Healing, p. 154)

Walking With God

Walking with God means practicing the presence of God in your daily affairs. It means asking Him for strength to face each new day. It means turning to Him often during the day in meditation, for yourself and for others. Nothing can seriously upset you if you remember Him. He is beside you in spirit, to help and guide you.

I pray that I may try to walk with God. I pray that I may turn to Him often as to a close friend. (Alan L. Roeck, Look To This Day, 27 July)

Toxic Emotions

Dear God: I now forgive myself for all beliefs, judgments, decisions, choices and agreements that have caused me to be attached to pain, hurt, shame, anger, guilt, disappointment and other toxic emotions. I ask that you transform what I am feeling, experiencing and believing into an expression of love so that I may be healed. Thank you, God.(Iyanla Vanzant, Until Today! 26 July)

Conscious Contact

Photo: Aztech New Media

I seek through prayer and meditation to improve my conscious contact with God as I understand Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for me and the power to carry that out. (One Day at a Time in Al-Anon, 25 June)

Founded Upon the Rock

Photo: Aztech New Media (Vietnam Veteran's Memorial, Washington, DC)

When we build a life upon obedience to God and doing His will as we recognize or perceive it, you and I will become steadfast in trials, tribulations, and hardships.

I pray that my life may be founded upon the rock of faith. I pray that I may be obedient to the heavenly vision. (Alan L. Roeck, Look to This Day, 12 June)

Miracles

I pray that I may expect miracles in the lives of others. I pray that I may be useful in helping others to change. (Alan L. Roeck, Look To This Day, 19 July)

All My Lessons

Photo: Aztech New Media

God, help me be grateful for all my lessons ... (Melody Beattie, The Language of Letting Go, 15 June)

Guide My Steps

Photo: Aztech New Media (Yosemite, CA)

... [I'm building] a strong foundation for my life -- a spiritual foundation that supports me with the strength to make it through any challenge. My relationship with God is the foundation I create, one prayer at a time.

Prayer keeps me in touch with the spirit of God within -- the spirit of life and love that nutures and sustains me. This sacred relationship is the firm foundation of my relationships with others.(Colleen Zuck, et al., Daily Word for Healing, p. 177)

Guide my steps, I pray, on the narrow path of ... [living a balanced life]. (Food For Thought, 17 July)

The Need to Change

I pray that I will not be paralyzed by doubt. I pray that I may meet life affirmatively on the venture of faith. (Alan L. Roeck, Look To This Day, 9 July)

Show me how I need to change my attitudes, my habits, and my priorities. (Kay Arthur, Search My Heart O God, 5 July)

Steady Progress

Photo: Aztech New Media

I pray that I may progress steadily through the rest of my life with faith and confidence. (Alan L. Roeck, Look To This Day, 15 July)

Frustrations and Worries

Photo: Aztech New Media

Today, Father, I take all my frustrations and worries and drop them at Your feet. Breathe Your peace into my heart so that I can respond in love to those around me rather than letting circumstances rule my life. (Kay Arthur, Search My Heart, O God, 10 July)

Prayer for Loved Ones

Photo: Mr. Dickie (Alma Lutheran Church, Mead, NE)

I pray for my loved ones and for harmonious relationships with them. (Colleen Zuck, et al., Daily Word For Healing, p. 157)

I pray that I may pass on my blessings. I pray that they may flow into the lives of others. (Alan L. Roeck, Look To This Day, 27 June)

My Compulsions

Photo: Aztech New Media

Lord, remove me from ... my compulsions and help me live as Your child today. (Ric Engram, Pace Yourself, 27 June)

The Mess We Create

Photo: Aztech New Media

God cannot fix the mess we create. What God can do, will do, and does all the time is give us the courage and presence of mind to do whatever needs to be done to rectify our errors. What we must do is ask for guidance and trust it will be okay. (Iyanla Vanzant, Faith in the Valley, p. 189)

Projects

Photo: Aztech New Media

Lord, help us to finish the projects we have started. (Upper Room Disciplines - 2006, 2 July)

I thank God for ... healing me throughout my life. (Colleen Zuck, et al., Daily Word for Healing, p. 156)

Courage to Change

I pray that I may have the courage to change the things in my life that I can change. I pray that I will be guided by God's wisdom in doing so. (Alan L. Roeck, Look To This Day, 15 June)

In Harmony With God

The spirit of God directs my life and keeps me on the right track. (Colleen Zuck, et al., Daily Word For Healing, p. 159)

In what ways are the words and actions of the most powerful of today's [leaders] ... in harmony with God ...? (The Upper Room Disciplines - 2006, 17 June)

Open My Heart

Photo: Alfonso D. (Panama)

I pray that I may keep growing spiritually. I pray that I may make this my real life work, which I strive to give to others as well. (Alan L. Roeck, Look To This Day, about 19 June)

Make me willing, Lord, to accept the discipline of an ordered life. (Food For Thought, 21 June)

Fill my heart with Your love and my life with Your words. (Kay Arthur, Search My Heart, O God, 31 May)

Open my heart to those I prefer to shut out. (The Upper Room Disciplines - 2006, 16 May)

Peace

Photo: Aztech New Media

Lord, give me the self-confidence to be able to confront those situations I need to in my life. (Ric Engram, Pace Yourself, 1 July)

I pray that today I may have inner peace. I pray that today I may be at peace with the world. (Alan L. Roeck, Look To This Day, 11 June)

A Straight Course

Photo: Aztech New Media

I pray that I may try to steer a straight course. I pray that I may accept God's direction in my life's journey. (Courage to Change, 5 July)

Prayer

Photo: Aztech New Media

Pray we must; but prayer must never be an escape from reality. Prayer cannot preserve a man from the insistent cry of human need. It must prepare him for it; and sometimes he will need to rise from his knees too soon and get to work - even when he does not want to. (William Barclay, The Gospel of Luke, p., 53-54)

Another Heart Surgery

Photo: Aztech New Media

Lord, I ask your blessings on the surgeons and health care professionals who will be performing heart surgery on my Army friend, Noel, today in Atlanta. Give them clear heads and steady hands. Give courage to Noel and his family today and in the weeks ahead as they experience this difficult time in their lives. We ask in the name of the great healer, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Keep Me From Stumbling

Photo: Aztech New Media

Lord, when my way is dark, keep me from stumbling. And when the world's noise and glitter threaten to distract me, help me to listen for Your guiding voice. (Shari Smyth in Daily Guideposts - 2006, 29 June)

Spiritual Growth

Photo: Mr. Dickie (Part of our backyard - Spring 2009)

... after a while, it becomes clear that spiritual growth is less under our control than we had imagined. We have to let go of the desire to get somewhere, because the truth is that we no longer know where we want to go. (Elaine Prevallet in Nourishing the Soul, p. 248)

God Bless This Nation

God has blessed me with life, and am always aware of the importance of this gift and my appreciation of it. (Colleen Zuck, et al., Daily Word For Healing, p. 158)

God bless this nation, our leaders, and all of our people. We give thanks for the blessing of living in this great country.

Better Things

I pray that I may prepare myself for better things that God has in store for me. I pray that I may trust Him for the governance of the future. (Alan L. Roeck, Look to This Day, 29 June)

Sinning

Photo: Aztech New Media

Sinning is as dangerous as irritating a wild beast. In most cases in this world, evil returns to the evildoer in the worst and rudest form. (Leo Tolstoy, A Calendar of Wisdom, 6 June)

Keeping Your Soul Alive

Photo: Aztech New Media

To know what you prefer instead of humbly saying Amen to what the world tells you you ought to prefer is to have kept your soul alive. (Robert Louis Stevenson in The Art of the Possible by Alexandra Stoddard, p. 234)