Week of September 27, 2009, James 5:13-20

One of the Scriptures this week is from James, chapter 5, verses 13 to 20. The passage is about prayer, the importance of prayer, and what happens when people pray.
13Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. 14Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
17Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. 19My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, 20remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

Dear Jesus, thank You for the gift of prayer. Thank You for showing us all the many ways that prayer can be used in our lives. And thanks for the promise that You give us that our prayers, as women and men in a powerful relationship with You, are powerful and effective. And thank You for examples of powerful people of prayer like Elijah, one of Your prophets.

Help me, Lord, to pray with Your agenda in mind and not my own – my own desires and wishes. Help me to pray for Your perfect will to be done. When I pray for healing, Lord, heal – but in Your way and in Your time. Help me to remember that sometimes healing comes in ways different than I want. Most importantly, Lord Jesus, I ask forgiveness for my sins, and I ask for a fresh and clean start. Your Word says that when we confess our sins, You are quick to forgive and restore. Thanks, Jesus, that I can come to You, that You listen, that You do respond.

Thanks always, Lord, for Your love, Your grace, Your mercy, the gift of prayer – that relationship that we have with each other of talking and listening, bringing needs to You, and letting You handle them as You desire, and thanks for Your presence with each us. Jesus, may we become more and more aware of Your presence in every area of our lives. Amen.
May the love of the Lord Jesus draw us to Himself;
May the power of the Lord Jesus strengthen us in His service;
May the joy of the Lord Jesus fill our souls;
May the fire of the Holy Spirit bring comfort to you, guide you in your decisions, and fill you
with a fervent desire to serve Him better.
And may the blessing of the almighty and most merciful God - Creator, Word and eternal Holy Spirit - be upon us and remain with us always.
In the name of the Father and of the Son of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

You may leave a message or prayer request by emailing me at: peacewm@tds.net.

May you experience God in great ways this week.

Week of September 20, 2009, James 3:13-4:8

One of the Scriptures for Sunday is from James, chapter 3, verse 13 to chapter 4, verse 8. James gives wise counsel about wisdom and God’s presence:
James 3
13Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. 16For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
17But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.
James 4
1What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? 2You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
4You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely? 6But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."
7Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Dear Lord, I praise You. I need and want the wisdom that comes from heaven, the wisdom that is pure, and peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, the wisdom that is impartial and sincere. Lord, rid me of any envy and selfish ambition, of anything that may lead to fights and quarrels, give me humility, and bring me a great desire for spiritual things, for Your presence.

Help me, Jesus, to submit to You, to seek and come near You. Thanks for Your promise in Scripture that says that when we come near to You, You will come near to us.

Help me to purify my heart, to purify my motives, to turn from sin and friendship with the world, and seek You and come to You above all else. Thanks, Jesus, for Your grace and mercy, Your peace and strength, and Your presence with me always. Amen.


May the love of the Lord Jesus draw us to Himself;
May the power of the Lord Jesus strengthen us in His service;
May the joy of the Lord Jesus fill our souls;
May the fire of the Holy Spirit bring comfort, guidance and fervency;
And may the blessing of the almighty and most merciful God - Creator, Word and eternal Holy Spirit - be upon us and remain with us always.
In the name of the Father and of the Son of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

You may leave a message or prayer request by emailing me at: peacewm@tds.net.

May you experience God’s presence with you now and always.

Week of September 13, 2009, Psalm 116:1-9

One of the Scriptures for Sunday is from Psalm 116, verses 1 to 9:
1 I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy.
2 Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.
3 The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came upon me; I was overcome by trouble and sorrow.
4 Then I called on the name of the LORD: "O LORD, save me!"
5 The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.
6 The LORD protects the simplehearted; when I was in great need, he saved me.
7 Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the LORD has been good to you.
8 For you, O LORD, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling,
9 that I may walk before the LORD in the land of the living.

Dear Lord, I love You. I praise You. You heard my cry. You heard my voice. You heard my cry for mercy. I will call on You, Lord, as long as I live. I was overcome with anguish and trouble, and then I called on You, and You saved me. You Lord, are gracious and righteous; You are my God, full of compassion. You protect the simplehearted. When I was in great need, You saved me.

Lord Jesus, as I continue to be anxious and troubled at times, You are not far from me. Your compassion and graciousness fill me with hope. You are my Savior. You protect me. As I am a person with a simple heart before You, Your love surrounds me. You give me rest and peace, for You have been and continue to be a great God. You continue to deliver my soul from death to life, so that I walk before You, Lord Jesus, in the land of the living. My steps are guided each day by Your Spirit.

Thanks for Your presence, Jesus, Your love that surrounds me, Your peace that fills me. Amen.

The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you His strength and His great peace. In the name of the Father and of the Son of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

You may leave a message or prayer request by emailing me at: peacewm@tds.net.

May God, our great God filled with love and compassion, be with you now and always.

Week of September 6, 2009, Psalm 146

One of the Scriptures for Sunday is Psalm 146 – a great psalm of praise and comfort.
1 Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul.
2 I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
3 Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save.
4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing.
5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God,
6 the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them—
the LORD, who remains faithful forever.
7 He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets prisoners free,
8 the LORD gives sight to the blind, the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down, the LORD loves the righteous.
9 The LORD watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.
10 The LORD reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the LORD.

Dear Lord, I praise You. From the depths of my being my heart and soul and mind praise You – and I will praise You all of my life, as long as I live. I have learned not to put my trust in people or things, but instead to put all of my trust and confidence in You, O Lord. For You are the God of Jacob, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in the sea. You are faithful forever, Lord. You uphold those who are disadvantaged, the poor, the oppressed, the hungry, those in prison, the blind, those who are bowed down with the problems of their lives. You, Lord, are faithful, and You save. You love the righteous, and You watch over all those who have no voice. You do give hope to the oppressed. You do give food to the hungry. You do set prisoners free well beyond the physical bars, to the emotional jails that people live in. You do give sight to the blind. You do lift up and hold close to You all those who are bowed down. For You love the righteous, Lord.

Jesus, help us to respond to Your love, to know and call on You, to trust in Your protective wings, to look to You for all things. And then, Jesus, help me to praise You in every circumstance, with all that I have. Thanks for Your love, Your peace, Your presence, Jesus. Amen.

May the Lord bless you as you go on your way. May He go before you to show you the way. May He go behind you to encourage you. May He go beside you to guide and befriend you. May He always be above you to watch over you. And may He be within you to give you peace.

In the name of the Father and of the Son of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

You may leave a message or prayer request by emailing me at: peacewm@tds.net.

May God be with you now and always.