Jan 4, 2007

Father, I celebrate you; I find my joy in you.
Your name is greater than anything else. Help me to always put my trust in you.
You have made the heavens, the entire world and everything in it.
You made the earth and every living thing on the earth.
You made the water that sustains life and the sun that warms us and gives us energy.
You made the stars that shine for your glory every night.
All of creation testifies to your power and majesty.
You are the one and only God; you are the only one who deserves all the credit, all the praise, and the honor. Praise God. Hallelujah.
You chose Abram and gave him a new name.
You chose him and gave him a son.
You chose Isaac as the son of the promise.
You chose Jacob and named him Israel,
from his sons you made a great nation,
and from that nation you blessed the world,
even me.
You fulfill all your promises;
you are faithful and righteous.
Give me the faith to put all my trust in you.
You are a loving, merciful and gracious God.
You heard the cry of your people in Egypt and you saved them.
You heard the confessions of David and forgave him.
You heard the prayers of Zechariah and you fulfilled him.
I know you answer the prayers of those who love you.
You took out my heart of stone and replaced it with a heart of flesh.
And I know you will continue the good work you started in me.
Help me to follow you, to love you, to want to see you glorified more than anything else.
Father, you forgave me of so much when you saved me, and you continue to forgive me and save me from sin. So often, I ignore your wisdom; I ignore your glory; I pretend I know better than you. But, more and more, I see your greatness and learn from your discipline and grace.
Every day I am amazed by my sinful nature--the temptations my heart looks toward, my own desires to taste forbidden fruit. Help me resist temptation. Keep me from temptation. Let me see sin as the evil it is; help me hate sin as you do.
Thank you for your grace and mercy.

Father, I pray for the needs of those around me.

Bless Leslie as she returns to school for another semester. Help her be successful in school; help her learn and grow in wisdom, and help her use her education for your glory. Help her be a witness for you at school. Help her show your greatness through her work. Help her balance her school demands with the rest of her life. Because, you give sleep to those you love (Ps 127:2).

Father, keep Frank safe in the last days before he returns home again. Bless his work in Iraq; help him be successful in training those who hope to restore order and bring safety to that nation. You are a God of order, not chaos; that nation needs your blessing. Give Rhonda continued strength as she bears so much responsibility at home and looks forward to his return. And help Rhonda be a blessing to Frank and a witness for your love. Open Frank's heart to his own need for you. Change his heart, Lord. Bring him to know you.

Father, bless Greg and Alice and their families. Be with Allen as he prepares to leave for the Army. Minister to him. And I pray for the unspoken needs of Greg and Alice. You know our needs before we do. You know everything about us. So, I pray you will bless them and minister to them; show them your greatness and your love. Grant their prayers in a way that they can't help but see your power and praise your name.

I pray for Marsha's father who fell and was injured. Give him a fast and healthy recovery. Show him your compassion. And I pray that Marsha would be able to use this time to minister to her father and demonstrate your love to her whole family. Also, I pray for a healthy and successful marathon for Marsha. Keep her strong. Keep her safe. And may she bring you glory through everything she does.

Father, I also ask that you bless our Life Group. Help us grow in our unity together. Help us be a community, a body, of believers that ministers to each other, edifies each other and instructs each other. Help each one of us--Mike and Latrelle, Charlie, Mike and Meredith, Rhonda, Greg and Alice, Clay and Julie, Robert and Sandy, Marsha, JR and Keri, Steve and Angela, Frank and Leslie, Tim and Lisa, Freddie and Kathy, and so many more--help us grow in our knowledge of you and our love for you. Bless our entire church. Bless or pastors, Rick and Darrol. Bless our great church staff that ministers for us in so many often unseen ways. Grant our leadership the wisdom to lead us toward you. Grant our congregation the wisdom to worship you in truth and love.

And father, I pray that you would bless Jennifer and I as we raise Charlotte. Help us as parents model your love. Bless out marriage because you ordained marriage as a symbol of Christ's relationship with the church. Help me love Jennifer and I love my own body; give me the wisdom to see her as a loving and wonderful gift from you.

And father grant me the wisdom to see great things in your word. Help me understand your word and teach your word. And help me live your word.

I pray that you be glorified in all things and in all things your purposes will be accomplished.

I ask all these things in the name of Jesus. Amen.