Be with me when I make decisions and guide my actions.  Wisdom from the Bible, 31 July

Lord, help me avoid using a poor memory as an excuse to ignore Your presence among us.  Disciplines, 24 Sep 2002

Holy Father, teach me to commune with You through prayer and journaling.  Marion Bond West, Daily Guideposts, 13 Sep 2003

Lord, today help me to forget self-pity.  Joni Tada, 31 July

Dear God, we are discovering new joy in giving.  Help us grow in this attitude.  Disciplines, 30 Aug 1986

Father, I pray today, I place my trust in Your greater vision.  Hadge Harrah, Daily Guideposts, 5 Jul 1997

 

Take Care of the Temple

... Mike [Yuen] had something else to say: “I’ve learned we’re not in control of life, and it’s arrogance [if] we think we are.  Each day is a precious gift from God we shouldn’t waste.  We have a purpose in this life, so let’s not neglect it.  Secondly, we can’t take health for granted.  While we do not have control over whether or not we contract cancer or have a disabling accident, there’s much we can do to take care of what we have -- we owe it to those who love us and depend on us, and we owe it to God who created us.”

“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?” (1 Cor. 3:16)  Too many of us take better care of our cars than we do our bodies.  We can affix a dollar figure to a luxury automobile, but who can put a price on the ability to see, hear, think, walk and talk?

What can you do today to better maintain your physical [and mental] health?  Have you been putting off a checkup?  Ignoring your body’s warning signals?  As a Spanish proverb says, “From the bitterness of disease man learns the sweetness of health."

Prayer: Lord, you’ve given me so much, when I think of all the things my body can do.  I bless you for the gift of good health -- I commit myself to taking better care of the temple you have given me.
(Joni Eareckson Tada, “More Precious Than Silver,” May  30th)

May the Strength of God pilot me.  May the power of God preserve me.  May the wisdom of God instruct me.  May the hand of God protect me.  May the way of God direct me.  May the shield of God defend me.

Patrick of Ireland, The One Year Book of Personal Prayer, 8 October

When life seems meaningless and suffering hard to bear, dear God, send Your spirit to teach me the hope of glory.  Disciplines, 21 Jul 1984

Lord, help me to take seriously the reading and study of my Bible, and give me opportunities to share its truth with others.  Barbara Chafin, Daily Guideposts, 21 Nov 1993

Give me the faith I need today, O God.  Put my faith in Jesus, the rock of salvation.  The Upper Room Disciplines, 11 Oct 1986

O God of mercy, guide me toward spiritual growth, fill my mind with thoughts of truth, justice and love.

Lord, remind me that I alter my condition by altering my attitude.  Robert Schuller, Tough Minded Faith, Day 238

 

O Lord, help me to allow you your rightful place in my life.  Upper Room, 12 May 1986

Thank you, God, for quieter times and the awareness of new opportunies.  Kenneth Chafin, Daily Guideposts, 22 Oct 1996

Lord, even as I continue to turn to You in prayer, help me be patient in waiting for your answers.  Upper Room, 18 Oct 1986

God, I bring my hurts and my problems to Thee.  Arthur Gordon, Daily Guideposts, 11 Sep 1995

God make me grateful for all the good things I have been taking for granted.  One Day At a Time, 9 September

May I free myself of impatience or procrastination today.  Help me to use this day to its fullest.  This New Day, 1 Sep

 

 

Lord, may I decide today to be happy and joyful.  Scott Walker, Daily Guideposts, 4 Sep 2002

O Lord, let the words of my mouth be acceptable.

O Lord, I do not understand everything You tell me, but I am trying, and I trust that You know what is best.  Wisdom from the Bible, 2 August

May I learn obedience through the hard thing I'm going through right now, God.  Joni Tada, More Precious Than Silver, 19 August

Divine Master, teach me the difference between right and wrong.  And give me the courage to accept responsibility for my actions.  3 Minutes a Day, Vol. 33, 20 Sep

God, grant me peace through trial.  Wisdom from the Bible, 13 August

 

 

Do I want to pray or only to think about my human problems?  Do I want to pray or simply kneel there contemplating my sorrow?  Do I wan to direct my prayer towards God or let it direct itself towards me?

Hubert Van Zeller