Prayer Thoughts for the Heart

We would be hard pressed to find anyone that doesn’t like to receive a gift. Today, I have good news that there are some exciting gifts we can receive.

First one is God’s gift of salvation and it is your free gift today. “…Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31 NIV). All we have to do is receive it by faith and it is yours to keep. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV).

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Hebrews 11:7 NIV).

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2 NIV).

God has another gift for us and it is His gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a wonderful gift because He is our teacher and guides us in the things of the spirit. He is the one who helps us discern biblical truths and to know right from wrong.
“But the man who isn’t a Christian can’t understand and can’t accept these thoughts from God, which the Holy Spirit teaches us. They sound foolish to him, because only those who have the Holy Spirit within them can understand what the Holy Spirit means” (1 Corinthians 2:14 LB).

Our next gift is the gift of godly wisdom that we receive when we know God as our Lord. “For the reverence and fear of God are basic to all wisdom. Knowing God results in every other kind of understanding” (Proverbs 9:10 LB).

Another gift to receive is the privilege of prayer. We can pray at any moment in time and God hears us. “Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them” (Hebrews 7:25 NIV).

One morning at our church, during our Thursday morning prayer time, a young woman said to me. “I have been thinking that God wants me to divorce my husband”.

I was shocked and couldn’t believe what she was saying to me. She and her husband had three children, came to church, and seemed happy.

I ask her if her husband was abusive to her or the children and she said no. I then asked if she or her husband were having an affair and she said no. As we talked on about her situation, I could see that she just wanted her freedom.

After we had prayer for her and others, I told her that God didn’t want her to divorce her husband, but that the ideas of the world were making her think this way.

I felt bad that she was unhappy and our prayer was that she could see and do what God really wanted her to do. When children are involved, there is much more to consider than just self.

They moved away from our area and I don’t know what happened in this situation. However, I hope that she heard from God, worked on her marriage, learned to love again, and kept the family unit intact.

She had made a commitment when she was in love and got married. The most important thing to remember is the commitment that we make to each other. We will fall in and out of love and if there is no commitment then what. We have to work at keeping our love alive and well.

“Delight yourself in the Lord; and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4 NIV).

Psalm 107 is a wonderful Psalm of Praise to the Lord. It is hard to count the many praises to the Lord that is written down in this Psalm. The first part records, that we should praise the Lord and give thanks to Him for His mercy.

Then let the redeemed of the Lord sing His praises. Oh that we would praise Him for His goodness and His kind and merciful deeds to us. Praise Him because He satisfies our longing soul with goodness.

Lift up your voice and praise the Lord because He sent His Word and healed the people and delivered them from destruction. His greatest miracle is how His Word brought the healing of salvation to us.

Let’s praise the Lord from morning until night. From the rising of the sun until the going down of the same. From dawn until dusk. All day, every day, all day long.

Our praises to God is really an attitude of praise. It’s not that we are sitting around all day praising and thanking God. We live our life in an attitude of thanksgiving and praise as we are working, playing, and serving.

Sometime during our day as we see and hear things, our mind tells our heart that it’s time to silently lift up praises to God. Also, we will want to lift up a request for God’s help in our life or for someone else.

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever” (Psalm 107:1).

During the last two years, I have had my patience stretched far beyond the length, I could have ever imagined. But the years I have lived up to this time as a Believer has helped greatly for this time in my life.

Also my personality is that it takes a lot to make me angry. I try to stay calm and not embarrass myself. The time that I was having some work done at my house, has really taxed my patience.

Having the work done once, and then twice, and now the third time will try anyone’s patience. The second wait was one year and now the third wait is going on six months.

I believe that kindness with firmness works better for as long as possible. I have tried to do this because the Scripture records that “A kind word turns away wrath”.

I am glad to say that my patience got some relief because I received a phone call the other day that the work will begin soon.

This situation has for sure let me practice making my patience stronger with God’s help. I am thankful for that, but no one said that learning patience would be easy.

They say that practice makes perfect and of course none of us like the situations that causes the practicing to be necessary.

“…add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity” (2 Peter 1:5-7 KJV).

I had just made friends with a lady at our church. One day after Bible Study at the church, we decided to stop by the grocery store on our way home.

We enjoyed a slow walk through the store as we talked and did our shopping. When we were ready to leave, we headed for the express line to check-out.

She was pushing the cart and to my surprise and shock, she almost ran over a man pushing a cart, so he would not be able to get in line before her. She also had a few choice words for him.

I was embarrassed and felt like I should apologize to him, but she thought nothing was wrong with what she had just done. She was not only a Christian, but was the wife of a deacon at our church.

I tried to process this incident and learn from it as we never know who is watching, but God is always watching. Incidents that draw attention from others, is a bad testimony for anyone and especially a Christian. However, I do know that no one is perfect.

There is such a thing as a baby in Christ, but Christian are not to stay a baby in Christ. The reason we go to Bible Study and Sunday Church is to mature in Christ, taking on His characteristics.

Scripture says that showing God’s love is the way to show others that we are a Christian.

“And so I am giving a new commandment to you now—love each other just as much as I love you. Your strong love for each other will prove to the world that you are my disciples” (John 13:34-35 LB).


Spring is a beautiful time of the year. We all enjoy it so much in many different ways. The green of the trees and blooms of the flowers begin to replace the drab of winter.

The earth is beginning to renew its self and get all dressed up for us. God is showing His handiwork which is a wonderful gift. However Jesus is the greatest gift anyone has ever received or another has ever given.

Springtime brings to mind some of the names of Jesus that is mentioned in the Scriptures. Dayspring, Day Star, The Bright and Morning Star, The Vine, Marvelous Light, and A Branch of Righteousness.

“Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby The Dayspring from on high hath visited us” (Luke 1:78).

“We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawns, and The Day Star arise in your heart” (2 Peter 1:19).

“I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and The Bright and Morning Star” (Revelation 22:16).

“I am The Vine, and My Father is the vinedresser” (John 15:1).

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His Marvelous Light” (1 Peter 2:9).

“In those days and at that time I will cause to grow up to David A Branch of Righteousness; He shall execute judgment and righteousness in the earth” (Jeremiah 33:15).