Written by Chuck Swindoll, these encouraging devotional thoughts are published seven days per week.
We need help, Lord, to overcome the bad habits of the past, to resist wanting to be liked rather than doing what's right, to be popular instead of being pure. And, Lord, in the process, may we continue to be easy to live with, winsome—like Christ—who was the most attractive individual who ever cast a shadow on earth.
We pray that Your mighty presence would take the place of the stress, the demands, the struggles, the mess we've created. We ask that You would give us Your shalom—Your peace—like we've never known it before.
We pray for those who've run away from You. We request that You would win them back through Your compassion and mercy. We ask that they would sense the sympathetic faithfulness of God and that that alone would draw them like a magnet to You.
May we, through Your Spirit's power, become more like our gentle Saviour, who promised, "My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Like our Master and Lord, may our encounters with others be easy and bring light. Meet our needs in a very special way, especially our need for a gentle and quiet spirit.
Our Father, we acknowledge that we need You, and our need is not partial; it's total. It's not occasional; it's always—today especially. We pray for those who wrestle with the very real problem of loneliness. It's not dated; it surfaces regularly in every generation.
Thank You for the joy of this day. Thank You for the pleasure of a relationship with You and with a few good, caring, loving friends. And especially, Father, thank You for the truth of Your Word that lives and abides forever.
We pray for parents. Strong and brave, may they stand. May they set their hearts on You for the protection of their offspring, especially those who serve in the military. We pray for loved ones and family members and friends who grieve the loss of those taken in terrorist acts and in fierce combat on the battlefield.
We acknowledge that death is the last thing we want to think about, but thank You for bringing us face to face with reality. Thank You for the gift of living on earth and the reminder that our days are fleeting. Make us ready for the harsh moments that are before us, calm our spirits, and remove our fears.
Father, we acknowledge that anxiety is not simply a worrisome little habit but rather, it is a sin...a repeated sin. Worry compromises our fellowship with You and with others. We thank You that the death of Your Son, Jesus, provided the payment in full for our sins, including the sin of worry. We trust Him to take care of our worries, just as the psalmist said, "Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken."
Our Father, we confess that placing Jesus first in our lives precludes competition from all other loyalties: that no hobby or occupation or pursuit, however engaging, can contain all of our passion. No relationship, however intimate, can compete with Christ for first place in our hearts. No possession, however prized, can come between us and You.
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