May Prayer Topic: Daniel 9:19

A Prayer by Daniel

"Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.” 

Daniel 9:19

Prayer for Our Best Friends

I have a best friend.  She is so much more than a best friend, she is family. You know, that person that will be there for you no matter what.  A person that will listen to you as you rant on about something, anything, or you listen to them as they rant on about something.  That person, that no matter how long you have been apart, you pick up right where you left off.

We all need prayers, and so this month we are specifically praying for our best friend. I am sure that each of you reading this has a person in mind when I mention best friend.  Maybe there is more than one person who you consider your best friend. My prayer for my best friend is that the Lord will show up in her life.

God brought us together so many years ago.  Our friendship has lasted the test of time.  I believe that God brought us into each other’s lives.  She is my person.   We have been in each other’s lives for so long, and I can’t imagine not having her in my life.

“A friend loves at all times...”  Proverbs 17:17

My best friend is someone I met when I was sixteen years old.  We met in high school.  We have been there for each other in the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.  Our conversations last minutes or hours.  We know each other’s dark secrets and dreams. If I was stranded on a desert island, I would want her on the island with me.

We don’t live in the same state, but we always talk to each other.  When we get on the phone, we talk about everything and nothing at all.  Sometimes we talk about books, or movies, and then other times, we solve the world’s problems.  Whatever we talk about, it brings us closer together.

There have been things that we don’t agree on.  However, we respect each other.  If we do have difficult conversations, two seconds later we are joking about something.  Through the years we have grown and matured, hopefully.

“My prayer for my best friend is that she know that God will never leave or forsake her.” Laura Maxson

Photo by kartini maxson

My best friend sat with me all night long one night a very long time ago.  It was a dark night for me, and she didn’t leave me.  She made sure that I was not a danger to myself. That was just the beginning of our friendship.

If something good happens, then she is the first one that I want to tell.  If I am sad, then she is the first person I call to just listen.  She listens to me and then imparts her wisdom, or sometimes, she just listens. Sometimes, that is all I need.

I pray that God be with her in her life as she makes the decisions and choices for her life. 

Lord, I pray for my best friend.  You brought us together and have made us sisters.  May she know You, and may her life be better because of it.  Thank you for bringing her into my life. I know my life is better because of her.

Amen

Laura Maxson

March Prayer Topic: After putting God first, then what?

Life More Abundant

John 10:10 …I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

My day, get up, have devotions, exercise, breakfast, get ready for work, at the office for nine or more hours, fight traffic, maybe get groceries, fix supper, on Wednesday nights, I have bible study with three other people at my place, after they are gone, I get lunch ready for next day, and clean up, and finally before falling asleep, I like to take hot shower, then I get to do it all again the next day.

I look at the list above, and I am exhausted just looking at it.  How many of us look at that list, and can actually add things to it?  We have filled our lives so full.  Is that a good thing?  Do we have life more abundantly? 

Here is another question, are you so glad that the weekend is here, instead of enjoying every day as God intending?  We have filled our lives with so much stuff.  Is it worthy stuff?  Absolutely, and don’t get me wrong, these things are important.  However, have we filled our lives so full that we have lost prospective of why we were made?

For me, I realize that I have filled my days so full.  Maybe, I can have a new outlook on my day to day.  Instead of a checklist of what I need to do, I can see if I can do them praising the Lord.  Will that change anything?

So, let’s see if I can change my outlook.

·      When I get up, I have worship.  That it is an easy one.  I start my day praising the Lord. 

·      Next, exercise, there are days that I don’t feel like it.  However, I try and go for a least a walk for about a half an hour or so.  While walking, I can put my I-pod on and listen to Christian music.  Or, if I go to the gym, then I can do the same things, and listen to Christian music instead of the loud music playing in the gym.

·      Eat breakfast & get ready for the day.  Praise the Lord that I have food in my refrigerator, and a job to go to.

·      Work – take the opportunity to be a witness to those that I work with and come in contact with at the office.   So, instead of growling over the list of things to do, I will praise and be joyful for the job that I have.

·      Driving home in traffic – Sometimes I wonder where people learned to drive, or if they even took Driver’s Ed.  How do I tackle that one?  Yes, I can change my outlook on that one too.  I can turn my radio to positive Christian music, and sing along.  I have been known to sing other songs at the top of my lungs.  Why not Christian songs?

So, you see there are several things that I can do to change my outlook.  Maybe you can think of your own ways.   Another idea is what we want to pray and see if the Lord will reveal in you what ways we can change our outlook.

Dear Lord, please show me a life more abundant.  I don’t want my life to be a checklist that I look at, at the end of the day to make sure I got everything done that needed to be done.  I want my life to be a praise to you, and no matter what I do, let me do it to your praise. Amen

Written By - Laura Maxson

My Year End Prayer

Dear Lord,

Thank You for the end of this year. The end of this chapter, a mark in time, a stamp I have put in my life.

It's been a year of counting. Counting blessing, only the ones I've been able to see with my human eyes. Such a great year in you. Filled with joy, triumph, sadness, change, questioning, defeat, but all in you and with you. The Real and The Relevant.

I ask for the "remember when we felt close" moments, looking yearningly at the past. Looking back without realizing, yes, we got closer then, but we're past that now. Those moments brought us to where we are now. Going back to those moments would be going backwards in our relationship.

You are the Alpha and Omega. Beginning and the End. My past in you hands. But You want me to know You are the God of my future and everything in between.

You know it's hard for me to leave blank pages in my journal, "incomplete." But, tomorrow we start new. A new book, with pages left unmarked in this one.  I'll try to justify with it's left for blessings and requests groaned by the Holy Spirit. But I'm OK in You, even if these pages remain unmarked, because this is Your story. Not mine.

Help me to trust you with where we go next. In all things. Life, home, family, nursing,  Circle of Prayer, Sabbath School, counting blessings, worship reading, Bible reading, mom, wife, daughter, friend.

Thanks you for always loving me, hoping for me, wanting me.

I leave me past in "Your sweet embrace, " and move forward into the future trusting Your loving plan, while living Your present offering my marked sinful offering of glorifying You. All made perfect in and through Jesus.

All My Love,
Kartini

December: Thinking of New Year's Resolutions

New Year’s Resolutions!

When we say New Year’s resolutions, it bring connotations of wanting to eating healthier, paying off credit card debt, exercising, or going to bed earlier.  Some of you may recognize these type of resolutions. We have all had our resolutions that we have made.  Most years we make it work a week, a month, two months maybe, and then it becomes too hard.  So, we give up, because we don’t want to do hard things.

This month let us pray that God will give us guidance to what we need to change, and the skills and resources to make those changes possible.  We need to also pray that God comes into our heart, and empties us of ourselves.  If He is our coach, and our cheerleader, maybe we won’t quit so easily.

Are the resolutions really something we pray about?  If the answer is no, then why not?  We pray for others, we pray for situations, we pray for our family. We pray for whatever or whoever.  Do you take a moment to pray for yourself?  Do you pray how to become the person God designed you to be?

Maybe there is something that you know you need to change, but you are scared.  I know there is in my life.  I want to be the best possible me that God designed.  He designed me to be someone, and sometimes I am not that person. 

This is the last month of the year.  There is so much in this month.  There are gifts to get, and Christmas parties to host or attend.  We have so much to do.  Take a moment away and pray that God will show you your resolutions.  Pray that He shows you the person he designed you to be.

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Contributed by Laura Maxson

December Prayer Topic: How Jesus is relevant and real in the messy and beautiful aspects of our lives right now!

With December, comes the end of the year. For me a time to reflect on the year past. As I look back, I see His finger prints all over it. From the joy in friendships that have been forged to last into eternity, the unexpected of yet another move, even the sadness in closing a chapter in life I didn't want to end. But He is there, real, relevant in the messy and beautiful aspects of my life.

It seems easier to look back and follow that thread that He has woven through our lives. But what about ahead? Are we able to trust that His tread will hold strong through the unknown. To not only trust Him with the beautiful, but also with the messy?


My prayer is that as you look back, you not only see just how faithful He is, you will believe that through this He will build you up to be faith FULL.


Just look around. Your life doesn't happen by chance. He is there relevant and real.

"I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." John 10:10