As we wake each morning we never really know what the day
has in store for us. We may have plans
or activities we have scheduled but each day is uncertain as we may run into
some unexpected events. Most believers begin
the day with some type of devotional or prayer activity seeking God’s guidance,
grace and strength for the day ahead. Several
years ago God seemed to point me to three scriptures that formed a guide for a prayer
asking for His Spirit and guidance as I would go through the day.
The first is found in 1 Kings 3:9. Solomon has become King of Israel and is
overwhelmed with the responsibility of the weighty decisions he must make. Verse 5 tells us that God said to him in a
dream, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” Solomon asked God, “Therefore, give thy servant an
understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and
evil.” This struck me as a powerful and effective prayer request for all
of us as we begin each day. While we may
not have the responsibility of the King but each of us will be called on to
make judgements about the people we encounter each day. Is this
a person I should befriend or avoid? Is this a person who needs help? Is this a person I should let others help? Often
we encounter people that others are better equipped to help. Sometimes the best help we can give is to
leave others to their own resources or give them just enough help so they can
do it themselves. Is this a person I want to hire or work for? Is this a person I want to date or
marry? One certainly needs
understanding and discernment with these questions. An understanding heart has a balance of
discernment, compassion and wisdom. So I
would begin each day (and repeat this prayer often during the day) asking God
for an understanding heart to make wise decisions and judgments with everyone
I would encounter during the day.
The second part to the prayer is based on Psalm 19:14, “Let
the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy
sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.”
Our words and thoughts are so important and powerful. Our thoughts are the foundation and origin of
our words. Before the words come from
our mouth the thoughts have been formed, often from beliefs we have held for
some time. It is vital to keep our
thoughts founded on a pure heart. Words
can spill out quickly and once they are out of our mouth, we can’t take them
back. In the lengthy but wonderful poem,
The First Settler's Story, about the
power of words by Will Carleton we are told; “Boys flying kites haul in their white-winged birds: You can't do that
way when you're flying words.’ Careful with fire,’ is good advice we know: ‘Careful
with words, ‘is ten times doubly so. Thoughts unexpressed may sometimes fall
back dead, But God himself can't kill them when they're said! Any thought that is not pleasing or
acceptable to God should be confessed as sin and wiped from the mind
immediately before they have time to take root.
Any word that will not be pleasing to God should never be uttered. Words and thoughts that are acceptable and
pleasing to God will be primarily encouraging and uplifting. They will never be harmful, even if they are
a rebuke. A rebuke, based on a pure
heart and words pleasing and acceptable to God will be one that is necessary
and expressed as an act of love. Therefore it is vital to begin each day with a
prayer to keep one’s thoughts and words as those which will be acceptable and
pleasing to God.
The third and final portion of the prayer is based on the
words of Jesus from Luke 22:42. Just hours before Jesus went to the cross to
willingly suffer the agonizing death that would pay our penalty for sin he
prayed. Boy did he pray! The scripture tells us that he was so tormented
that his perspiration was as drops of blood.
Jesus came to seek and save the lost.
He was willingly submitting to do whatever it took to pay the price for
our sin. However, we must remember that
while Jesus was God incarnate. He WAS
flesh and blood. No human in their
right mind would wish to suffer the horrors of the cross. Jesus grew up when Romans were the best in
history at executing people in a public and horrible manner. All his life Jesus had seen people die a slow
and horrifying death on the cross. He
knew that was waiting for him in a few hours.
He revealed his human nature as he prayed for any way to avoid such
torture. His prayer shows us that there
is nothing wrong with praying for God to keep us from harm and evil that
abounds in this sin-scarred world. We
all would like to avoid suffering and pain.
However, there are some difficulties that cannot be avoided but are best
endured if we realize that this difficulty is the only path to greater
blessing. Jesus asked the Father if
there was another way to provide a path for salvation. However, the only price that was worthy of
the atonement for our sin was the cross.
Jesus began by asking for an alternative route but completed the
sentence putting Himself aside and asking that God’s will be done; “Father, if you are willing, take this cup
from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”
Our spirit, personal wishes and desire must be put aside as we
trust the will of our Heavenly Father knowing His wisdom and plan is
better. He sees a tomorrow that we
cannot know until we put ourselves aside seeking and following His will…even
when it is difficult to understand. So who
knows what the day has before us but I have found this prayer to be
helpful.
I pray for the
understanding and wisdom of Solomon:
I Kings 3:9,
“Therefore, give thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy
people, that I may discern between good and evil.”
I pray for words and
thoughts of David:
Psalm 19:14,
“Let the words of my
mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my
strength and my redeemer.”
I pray for the
submissive spirit of Jesus:
Luke 22:42
“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will,
but yours be done.”
