Prayers That Move the Heart of God

How to cultivate a meaningful conversation with the Lord - by Nancy Guthrie

Superficial Prayer vs. Significant Prayer:

I've often found myself slipping into superficial mode in my prayers for Matt—asking God to keep him safe or to bless his day at school. But I really don't want to settle for those things. So my prayers have moved from the superficial to the significant. I'm asking God to shape Matt's character—even if it requires some struggle. I'm begging the Holy Spirit to ignite in Matt a passion for holiness and a love for God's Word. These are things that really matter. This is what significant prayer is all about.

Reflection of B:

Reading the above paragraph suddenly moved me to tear and spontaneous prayer. The Holy Spirit just touched my heart with the sentence, "begging the Holy Spirit to ignite in Matt a passion for holiness and a love for God's Word."

Yes, I asked God to "ignite" my heart too.... to have a passion for God's word.


Dear Lord,
You have heard my prayer and saw my cry just now. I pray that You will ignite my heart right now for Your word and works. Grant me the spiritual eyes to discern the things that are from You and those that are not.

I also want to pray for the request made by my friend, Richard. I pray that You will grant him wisdom to know how to speak to his cousin on the issues at hand. May Your peace rules his heart, knowing that everything is in Your hand.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Don't Forget to Pray

Message from Daily Encounter:

"The men of Israel sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the Lord." - Joshua 9:14 (NIV).

After the days of Moses when the armies of Israel, led by Joshua, were conquering the Promised Land marked out for them by God, the surrounding kings and nations were understandably terrified. This was because God was with the Israelites giving them great victories wherever they went.

However, the men of Gibeon, a nearby country, resorted to trickery and outsmarted Joshua. They sent a
delegation to Joshua with the appearance of having come from a distant land so they could deceive Joshua
into making a treaty with them. Their donkeys carried worn-out sacks and old wineskins that were cracked and
had been mended. They wore old clothes, and worn and patched sandals, and the bread they carried with them
was dry and moldy.

Their ruse worked. Joshua signed a treaty with them and only afterwards discovered they were a neighboring
people among those countries God had told Joshua to destroy because of their wickedness. They had to live
with the consequences as a result.

Joshua's mistake was that he made this treaty without praying and inquiring of the Lord! An extremely
valuable lesson for all of us to learn!



Reflection of B:

After stopping my habit of doing quiet time with my best friend last year, I found it difficult to keep a consistent quiet time regiment on my own. I guest it is the same with my best friend too. I feel so guilty that other things have taken precedence to my time with God. :(

The above passage came into my mailbox yesterday to remind me that I need to pray and seek God's direction for my life and career. I have been busy with planning to start my own business and to resume my postgraduate study, but I have not seriously consulted God. It's time I go back to basic, to seeking God's will for my life.


Dear Father,
Sorry that I have put you in my closet and forgotten about seeking Your perfect will in the things I do. Forgive me, Lord. Please give me the strength to continue this spiritual journey with You daily. I want to commit all my plans into Your hands now. Help me be clear of the name of my startup, selection of my partners, and my decision to further my study.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Surprise Me!

Ephesians 3:14-21
“My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. —Isaiah 55:8

Reflection of B:

I have been busy doing my own internet research on the things I want to do and how to go about doing them. Through it, I realized that there are still many things that I don't understand and that I need to embark on a course of study again. I was contemplating between a MBA or a DBA, since the cost of both are about the same.

However, when I read tonight's devotion quoted verse, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” it seems God is telling me that I need to seek Him. I should ask Him what He wants me to do instead of just doing things base on my own impulse.


Dear Lord,
Forgive me for forgetting You in the course of planning for my life. Thank You for reminding me through Your word to seek Your way and Your thought on the things I should do instead.I humbly commit my desires, my thoughts, my ways to You tonight. Change my heart and mind to be like Yours. Teach me to do what pleases You.
Amen.

Reframing The Picture

Deuteronomy 32:7-12

As an eagle stirs up its nest, hovers over its young, spreading out its wings, . . . so the Lord alone led [Jacob]. —Deuteronomy 32:11-12

Reflection of B:

"Moses used eagle imagery to describe God. As eagles carry their young, God carries His people (Deut. 32:11-12). Despite how it may seem, the Lord “is not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:27). This is true even when we feel abandoned."

Reading today's devotion with the above verses caused me to be overwhelmed with emotion and tears. For a while, I felt so alone and "abandoned", yet I knew that God has been watching me and protecting me all the time from afar, perhaps. My recent job resignation has brought new lease of life for me...I felt so peaceful and relieved when I finally handed in my letter As I looked back in all my previous employments, I begin to analyze what it means to be a good leader (be it spiritual or corporate).

Someone shared recently that it's more difficult to lead a church of 3000 members, than to lead a corporation of 3000 staff, He explained that church members are volunteers with no benefits yet have to pay or contribute to the church, while staff of a corporation are being paid for their jobs.

I beg to differ! I feel that the same principle of motivation applies in leading these 2 different groups of people. For the church members to stay in the church without tangible benefits, their self-motivation (through their faith in God or in the bond of fellowship they have with their members) are even more lasting than the tangible benefits employees will have. Therefore, the leader of the church must be someone who knows how to motivate its congregation to remain and serve through intangible means (the spiritual, the emotional, the social).

One best example of a great leader is Jesus Christ. He called the outcasts, the fishermen, the tax collectors, etc, to follow Him and He changed them into great leaders.

So what now for me? Each time I wanted to start on my own business, some job offers would come to entice me away from that idea. But now, I have decided to be self-employed, something which I have been postponing for the last few years. All my work experiences have more or less prepared me for this day, though I know it will not be easy. I need God's grace and guidance, and I hope to have more time and chances to impact people's lives through it all.

Blowing Trumpet

1"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
2"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Matthew 6

Reflection of B:

I don't wish to make a sweeping statement here... but I really feel that some people are abusing their position as spiritual leaders to control other believers. *sigh*

Now I begin to feel or understand why some people don't want to go to church even though they still believe in God. For they see hypocrisy in some Christian leaders. I dare not use the word 'hypocrisy' on one particular pastor I knew, yet he seemed to be governing the church under his care as if he is God himself. May God forgive me for saying that!

Last Saturday, I was at my friend's church wedding. Her pastor told the bride's and groom's parents, in front of the congregation, that he was the one who "taught" them to honour their parents and to do good. Why must he said that? To claim credit? We were told in the bible that when we do good we should not blow our own trumpet. Yet what that pastor did was indeed blowing his horn.

Sorry, pastor, if you didn't mean it that way. But what you did was indeed making me feel that you are bragging about how well you "taught" your charges. God forbids!

Dear Lord,
Forgive me for having to said all these, but that's exactly how I am feeling, feeling indignant by what this pastor did and said. I pray for humility for him, and love and forgiving for myself for this pastor, for what he did to me. I pray for healing of wounds and the clearing of any misunderstanding. May your love reigns in our hearts and minds. May your kingdom come and Your will be done in our lives.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.