Father, Dee and I want to thank You for Who You are!
You have never turned Your back on Your creation even though many of them turn
their back on You. You are always willing to offer anyone another chance if
they ask You for it. You tolerate every evil there is, just to allow time for
more individuals to enter into a relationship with You. You get blamed for all
the bad we sinful people do, yet continue to offer forgiveness, grace and
mercy. We take most of the glory for the good that happens, much of the time
not really giving You the credit for the gifts, talents and abilities You
equipped us with while in the womb, yet You still give grace to the righteous
and the unrighteous alike. You have to endure our hypocrisy as we claim to have
the ability to destroy Your earth while at the same time claiming that all of
this was a random accident, without design or purpose, still You continue to
sustain this earth, in spite of the way we mismanage it at times. Your love for
the individuals in this world is so great that You spared our rebellion at
creation, provided a full redemption paid completely by You, yet, refused to
force anyone to accept it! Your love is so complete that You allow each
individual to choose to have a relationship with You or not!
Our prayer is that all would desire to experience Your
tremendous love and grace, realizing that You are God, not a god, or their
image of god. You are Who You are and we pray that all will know that though
none of us will ever comprehend the Infinite One, we can refuse to judge what
we do not understand, choosing instead to embrace the reality that One so far
above us, made Himself one of us in order to offer an intimate relationship
with the Creator of all things!
Father, each year that passes brings highs, lows, happiness,
pain, regret and accomplishment. We pray that as we look back we will realize
that through each experience we went through, You were there with us…even if we
did not see or believe You were; watching over us, desiring to work every
circumstance out in a way to bring us closer to You, help us know You better
and to mature us in life! We pray that all will look back over 2014 and connect
with what You were doing in their life; letting go of the failures while
learning from them; enjoying the victories, sharing the joy with You. We ask
for all that suffered losses this past year to turn toward You for the only
comfort that can penetrate into the most intimate portion of the heart. We pray that 2014 will be used as a
step toward 2015 and all it’s potential.
Father, as we approach the New Year, our prayer is that all
will see the great opportunities that lay before them if they would allow You
to illuminate their hearts to Your plans. We pray that all will understand the brevity of this life while comprehending that temporal things can never really satisfy a
heart that possesses the reality of eternity, which You placed in it. We pray
that every soul on this earth will realize with You, everything is
fixable…except when we quit! We also ask that no matter the position that
anyone has in life, You encourage them to come to You believing that if they
ask it from You, if it honors You and is best for them, You will guide them to
it. Help them remember oh Lord, when the grass is greener on the other side of
the hill…the water bill is higher!
Father, for our families, first we pray for the family of
human kind. Our prayer is that all would come to the understanding that we need
to learn to agree to disagree about our beliefs, not kill each other over them!
Help us face the reality that not all can be right, but if we believe we are,
we can respect others and allow them that same right to think they are; knowing
that all of us, including me, will have to deal with the Truth when we face You, our
Maker. No matter how committed we were, it will not change that
Truth. However, illuminate our understanding that if You allow all to believe
as they choose in this life, we should all do the same. Convict our leaders to
become honest, refusing to call any “belief system” that condones killing
others for their beliefs a “peaceful” one! Give us leaders that care more for
what is right and true, than for votes and power. Father, You alone have the
right to judge all for what they believe.
Father, for those that claim to belong to the family of
Jesus Christ, our prayer is that we will be united in His love and care for
each other with the same love You care for us. Keep us from spiritual arrogance
and pride. Cause us to stand firm on what Your Scriptures state while never
being judgmental or demeaning to other’s beliefs. Let us also never apologize
for what the Scripture states, believing that if we truly love others, we
desire them to live close to You, which can only be done by obeying the
Scriptures. Lead us to live our lives in way that would let all know that they
also can experience this great relationship You offer.
Lastly, Father we pray for our own families. Enable us to be
Christ like toward one another as spouses, parents and children. We pray all
husbands can be what Christ desires them to be in their family, encouraging
their wife and children to be in love with Jesus and each other. Fill our wives
with a desire to love their husbands and nurture their family. Lead our children
to learn how to walk with Jesus in all they do.
We thank You Father for what 2015 will bring forth,
believing that if we seek You continually, this year can be the most fruitful
so far of our lives! Dee and I ask this in the precious name of Your Son.
