Tag: Jesus

A Prayer for SIL, Day 112

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Lord, I don’t get SIL. She says she wants things to get better, yet won’t take even the baby steps to get there. There has to be something blocking her, holding her back, keeping her blind to the truth. Jesus, please break through all that.

Then shall your light break forth, like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Isaiah 58:8

Father, the surrounding verses talk about true fasting. I pray that You lead SIL to do that so this verse becomes a description of her. As SIL begins to serve others as You direct in the other verses, may Your light break forth like the dawn, and Your healing spring up speedily in her body, mind, and spirit. May her righteousness (though not hers but Christ’s) go before her, and Your glory be her rear guard. Let her know that You have her back as she walks forward into new areas. Protect her from enemy attacks and keep her from turning around.

In Your Faithful Name,

Amen

“Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in. “If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the Lord honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly, then you shall take delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” Isaiah 58:6-14

A Prayer for SIL, Day 111

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Father God, You are a good Father. Jesus, You are the good Shepherd. In both roles, You take care of Your own. You feed them, comfort them, guide them, and love them. But You also discipline them and provide medical care when needed. Sometimes the discipline and medical care is unpleasant but the healing makes it worthwhile.

For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Hebrews 12:11

God as You work in SIL, as You love her and communicate with her, I pray that You also discipline her. And I pray that just as she readily receives Your love and provision, she will also receive Your discipline. May she be aware of and receive the goal of that discipline – the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

In Your Caring Name,

Amen

A Prayer for SIL, Day 109

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Lord, shine Your face on SIL this day. Shower her with Your grace and mercy. Fill her with Your Spirit. Restore her to who You created her to be. Heal her of past pain and the current struggles caused by the scars she carries. Set her free, Lord, so that she can love people and serve you without the self-centered mindset she’s had. Help her to release herself into Your hands and allow you to take care of her needs while she seeks to help others in their needs.

By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. John 15:8

Jesus, I pray that the Father will be glorified in SIL, that SIL bears much fruit for You and so prove that she is one of Your disciples.

In Your Radiant Name,

Amen

A Prayer for SIL, Day 108

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Dear Lord, be in each moment with SIL. Help her to wake up and see where she is. Fan in her the desire to stand up and live for You.

But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:11-12

Jesus, make SIL into a woman of God. May she flee from what displeases You, and instead, pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness. Raise her up to fight the good fight of faith. Help her to take hold of the eternal life to which You called her and to make it the main focus in her life. And help her to remember and uphold the good confession she made before others. May she be faithful to the promises she made to You.

In Your Gentle Hands,

Amen

A Prayer for SIL, Day 107

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Jesus, call SIL out of herself and into the life You prepared for her.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10

Lord, SIL is Your workmanship. You created her. She did not create herself so she can’t set her own purpose. You have a purpose for her – and have already set up things for her to do. Open her eyes to see her calling. Open her heart to embrace her calling. Heal her and set her free from everything that has bound her so that she may walk in the good works You prepared for her. It is only in You that we have real true, lasting life. I pray that You call SIL out of her darkness and into Your life.

For “in him we live and move and have our being”. Acts 17:28a

In Your Constructive Hands,

Amen

A Prayer for SIL, Day 106

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What a rocky road SIL seems to be on. Highs and lows, progress and backsliding, missteps in potholes and rapid gain on smooth areas. It can be so frustrating at times – both to her and to those praying for her. If only her path was straight and level.

The way of the sluggard is like a hedge of thorns, but the path of the upright is a level highway. Proverbs 15:19

In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:6

The path of the righteous is level, you make level the way of the righteous. Isaiah 26:7

According to the dictionary, a sluggard is a habitually lazy, idle, or inactive person who avoids work, loves to sleep, and lacks the motivations to be productive. That sounds so much like SIL. Lord, reveal to her where she is being a sluggard and give her the strength and motivation to change so that her path becomes a level highway. Father God, I pray that You bring SIL to the place where she can acknowledge You in all her ways so that You can straighten out her path. Your Word says that the path of the righteous is level. SIL is not righteous on her own but she does have the righteousness of Christ. I pray that she will learn to walk in that.

In Your Encouraging Name,

Amen

A Prayer for SIL, Day 103

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If we are faithless, he remains faithful – for he cannot deny himself. 2 Timothy 2:13

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, he will surely do it. 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

May the God of peace – that’s You, Jesus – sanctify SIL completely, and may her whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord – that’s You again, Jesus. You have called SIL, and You are faithful even when we are not, and you will surely do it. Sanctifying SIL is not my job. Loving her is. Help me to remember the difference.

In Your Sanctifying Name,

Amen

A Prayer for SIL, Day 102

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Lord, speak again to SIL’s heart as she sleeps. Let her dreams instruct her.

I bless the Lord who gives me counsel, in the night also my heart instructs me. Psalm 16:7

Jesus, some say that we shouldn’t ask to encounter You in our dreams. But Your Word says otherwise. Thank you for Your promise to counsel and instruct us in the night. I pray that You continue to do so for SIL – and that You use her dreams as a communication tool. She is not used to listening for Your voice during the day – I pray she hears You at night. Show her both the good things in her as well as the things that need to improve. Grant her discernment and understanding, and the courage/motivation to act on what You teach her.

And he said, “O man, greatly loved, fear not, peace be with you; be strong and of courage.” And as he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.” Daniel 10:19

Lord, as You once told Daniel that he was greatly loved and then gave him a blessing and some encouragement, I pray that You tell SIL that You love her. Bless and encourage her so that she is strengthened and ready to hear Your words to her.

In Your Encouraging Name,

Amen

A Prayer for SIL, Day 98

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Jesus, You are the Good Shepherd. A shepherd not only watches over his flock but also monitors the health of the sheep. If one is injured or sick, the shepherd does what he must to restore the sheep to good health. That’s what I pray tonight for SIL. I pray that You, as her Shepherd, do what You need to do in order to restore her to good health both physically and spiritually.

Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul. 3 John 1:2

Jesus, I pray that all may go well with SIL and the she may be in good health physically as she is in good health spiritually. If there is any area that is not good or well, I pray that You take care of that. No, not if. There are definitely areas that need Your attention. Restore her, Lord, that she may be at peace with You, with herself, and with others. Real peace. Not the peace that comes from ignoring issues but the peace that comes with healing them.

In Your Good Name,

Amen

A Prayer for SIL, Day 97

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Lord, God, she did it again. And she had no idea why it hurt me. “It’s just a joke. I didn’t know it offended you,” she had retorted and then dismissed the whole thing. Jesus, how did You live here without being offended by people? You got angry and frustrated at times – but at people’s lack of faith and their hypocrisy – not for personal reasons. Teach me how to do it so I can be more what I need to be with SIL instead of self-protecting and being too busy dealing with offenses.

Hated stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses. Proverbs 10:12

Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends. Proverbs 17:9

Lord, I pray that I will learn to cover offenses, sharing them only with You and those You direct me to. And that that will be enough.

I will cleanse them from all the guilt of their sin against me, and I will forgive all the guilt of their sin and rebellion against me.  Jeremiah 33:8

Father God, just as You forgave the Israelites time and time again, I pray You forgive us yet again. I pray that You cleanse us from all the guilt of our sin against You – for that is who we ultimately sin against – and that You forgive all the guilt of our sin and rebellion against You. When we don’t care if we offend someone, or if we withdraw from those who offend us, we are not obeying Your command to love others as ourselves. We are choosing not to obey. That’s rebellion. Jesus, I can’t repent for SIL, but I can pray that You forgive her just like You prayed that the Father forgive those who crucified You.

In Your Merciful Name,

Amen