Be Blessed and Encouraged
204 Prayers—Praying through Selected Passages of the New Testament for Our Family
by
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INTRODUCTION
For nearly two decades now my church has offered us the Lamplighter Program which encourages us to read through the Bible in a year. It is a fantastic discipline as every time you reread you find something that you absolutely did not see before. I have found that the Bible covers every situation we will ever meet in life and more. It is chock full of history, poetry, acts of courage, miracles, commands, promises, advice, guidance, direction, wisdom, creativity, compassion, blessings, encouragement and so on… Truly a treasured anointed weapon to show us how to live, grow and mature in our Christian lives.
I have prayed for my family through the Scriptures for many years and after reading author Mark Batterson’s book, Praying Circles around Your Children in May of two thousand and thirteen, I was encouraged to pray for my children (family) as I read through the Bible chronologically. The 204 Scripture passages prayed through in this book are a direct result of accepting that challenge. These references just seemed to jump off the pages as I read.
My friend, prayer is indeed a privilege. It is also a pleasure to be able to call on the “King of Kings” and the “Lord of Lords” to bring praise, glory and honor to Him, and to bring our concerns and petitions to Him. We are so thankful to God because of His great and continuous love for us… though we do not deserve it.
WHY PAUSE, MEDITATE & JOURNAL?
After praying through the chosen prayers of each book of the Bible, you are encouraged to Pause, Meditate and Journal. In this fast-paced world in which we live, our agendas are so full that even our devotional time is often “devotions on the go”. So, I encourage you to: -
1. PAUSE… To quiet your heart
2. MEDITATE… To think about what you have just prayed
3. JOURNAL… To pen your thoughts, as often, God is sharing His heart with you
There are many benefits to pausing, meditating and journaling such as…
o It helps you to focus
o You record what the Lord has impressed upon your heart in your quiet time as you pray His Word
o It allows you to note favorite verses, Bible promises, spiritual insights or just your thoughts while in His presence
o It helps you to remember dates, specific times and occasions
o You record ideas, hopes and dreams when given, then you can go back and pray about them when led to
So let’s Pray, Pause, Meditate and Journal and may you be tremendously blessed and encouraged!
Twelve Prayers from the book of JOHN
57. John 3:30
WE MUST BECOME LESS
Humble us to recognize, O Lord, that Jesus must become greater and greater in our lives, and we must become less and less. In Jesus’ name.
58. John 4:24
IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH
Since You are a Spirit, O God, teach us to worship You in spirit and in truth. In Jesus’ name.
59. John 6:27
SEEKING ETERNAL LIFE
Help us, Father, not to be so concerned about perishable things like food. Instead, show us how to spend our energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give us. For You have given us the seal of Your approval. Motivate us to wisely prioritize, O Lord. In Jesus’ name.
60. John 7:24
LOOK BENEATH THE SURFACE
We very easily judge erroneously, O Lord, so please show us how to look beneath the surface so that we can judge correctly. In Jesus’ name.
61. John 8:31, 32, 36
REVEAL YOUR TRUTH
Father we really want to be Your disciples; show us we pray, how to remain faithful to Your teachings. Reveal Your truth to us that we will know the truth, and be set free by it. For we know that if Jesus sets us free, we are truly free... Free us today, O Lord. In Jesus’ name.
62. John 8:47
INSPIRE US TO LISTEN
Because we belong to You, O Lord, inspire us to listen gladly to Your words. In Jesus’ name.
63. John 10:10
RICH AND SATISFYING LIFE
Father, we know that the thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy, but Your purpose is to give us a rich and satisfying life. Teach us daily to obey Your words, O Lord. In Jesus’ name.
64. John 12:43
THE PRAISE OF GOD
Lord, help us to stop loving human praise more than the praise of God. O Lord, please help us in this area! In Jesus’ name.
65. John 13:34-35
REALLY LOVE
Teach us to really love each other as You have loved us, because our love for one another will prove to the world that we are Your disciples. Assist us with this most difficult task to truly love, O Lord. In Jesus’ name.
66. John 14:21
TEACH US HOW TO LOVE
You say, Precious Jesus, that if we accept Your commandments and obey them, we are the ones who love You. And because we love You, ……….
Summary using the titles of the Twelve Prayers
Teach us, Abba Father, that WE MUST BECOME LESS and Jesus must become greater. Show us how to worship You IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH… SEEKING ETERNAL LIFE through Your Son. Mature us so that we would LOOK BENEATH THE SURFACE as You seek to REVEAL YOUR TRUTH to us. INSPIRE US TO LISTEN to Your Word which enables us to live a RICH AND SATISFYING LIFE and may we not chose the praise of man over THE PRAISE OF GOD.
Teach us how to REALLY LOVE each other as You have loved us. Please TEACH US HOW TO LOVE. Push us to REMAIN IN YOU and Your Word in us, keeping us SAFE FROM THE EVIL ONE. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
PAUSE, MEDITATE & JOURNAL
How were you BLESSED and ENCOURAGED through praying God’s Word?
JOURNAL YOUR FAVORITE PRAYER, COMMENTS or INSIGHTS
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Are you sick, sad, or sorry? Are you depressed, disgusted, or disillusioned? Are you weak, weary, or worried? Do you need God’s loving, healing balm?
Be Blessed and Encouraged inspires us to pray God’s Word over ourselves and our families, as His Word promises to never return empty.
God’s Word reveals His tender and loving heart for us. When we pray His Word over our families, He hears our prayers and answers them. He sweeps away any darkness from our hearts, ushering in new hearts.
Pausing, meditating, and journaling push us to slow down our pace and carve out time to meditate on what God’s Word says to us. Journaling helps us to remember the new insights and spiritual direction He gives us concerning our particular situations.
So don’t just read through the Word: pray through the Word, meditate on the Word, journal your insights, and experience God’s awesome, supernatural hand leading your life, guiding your steps, and directing you and your family to deeper and greater heights for His honor and glory. Be Blessed and Encouraged!
About the Author
Hope McCardy is Director of the Prayer Ministry and Co-director, with her husband, of the Marriage and Family Ministry at Grace Community Church in Nassau, Bahamas. She is a science teacher and has also homeschooled her children. She and her husband, Cardinal, have four adult children and one son-in-law.