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coram_deo 15-Sep-21, 20:17	Prayers to God Unlike, I suspect, many religions and even denominations of Christianity, I think praying to God should be highly individualistic. If you were going to meet a close friend, would you have what you were going to say pre-planned? Probably not! I think it’s the same with praying to God. I think there are *elements* of prayer that should always be present, most importantly thankfulness and gratitude for all God has done and is doing for you. And if you think, “Well I’m in a tough time, so that’s not much!” think of all God has done for you in the past and what He has done for you in the future - an eternal home in Heaven. That’s worthy of thanks and praise! Jesus Christ gave a model prayer to His disciples in the Gospel of Matthew: “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.” (Matthew 6:9-13) Jesus had other advice on prayer, most notably in the same chapter of Matthew: “And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.” (Matthew 6:5-8) The teacher of a Bible study group I used to attend (before I moved to a different town) was a believer in the “ACTS” formula of prayer - Adoration, Confession (of sins,) Thanksgiving and Supplications (requests to God.) I generally follow the “TS” method - thanking God for all He’s done for me (and this takes roughly 20 minutes) and then asking God for help. And mostly, I’m asking God to enable me to walk in His Holy Spirit (and not in the flesh) and for His salvation, blessings, mercy, provision, protection, healing and grace to be upon my family, my sponsored children (I sponsor seven children through Compassion International) my friends and acquaintances and their loved ones. I also pray for missionaries and members of His flock who are in distress. Everyone, imo, has their own way to pray, and no way is correct and better than another way. God wants a real relationship with you. If you’re mad at Him, tell Him. If you think He’s unfair, tell Him. But don’t lose sight of all the blessings He’s given you in your life, and remember to thank Him for them. “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.” (Psalm 68:19)
coram_deo 17-Sep-21, 05:21	A great prayer to pray over yourself and your family and friends! From Joseph Prince Ministries: At the beginning of this year, Pastor Prince encouraged us all to pray a special prayer over ourselves every day. It is found in Ephesians 1:17–19 NKJV: "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might." The Holy Spirit gave the apostle Paul this prayer to pray over the Ephesian believers. This prayer is Spirit-inspired, which means it is not confined to that particular culture and age but is relevant for us here and now! Will you take some time to pray it over yourself and your loved ones—even now? As you pray this power prayer, God will open the eyes of your heart to receive His hazon vision (prophetic vision). You will see divine answers, insights, and wisdom beyond your natural understanding that will cause you to walk in God’s best blessings for your life! youtu.be
coram_deo 18-Sep-21, 08:56	This is the most amazing prayer of all time. It’s recorded in the Gospel of John and is a prayer from Jesus Christ to God the Father toward the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry and hours before His crucifixion and Resurrection. “These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.” (John 17)
coram_deo 18-Sep-21, 09:11	Here is a commentary on Jesus Christ’s prayer in the Gospel of John, chapter 17: From gotquestions.org: John 17 contains the longest recorded prayer of Jesus in any of the Gospels. Jesus prays this after He finishes His final instructions to the disciples and before He is betrayed, arrested, and crucified. First, Jesus prays for Himself, then He prays for His disciples, and He closes the prayer by praying for all believers. This intercessory prayer is commonly called Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer. The office of high priest was instituted at Mount Sinai when God gave the Law to the Israelites through Moses. Aaron and, subsequently, his descendants were chosen to be priests who were responsible for interceding for Israel before God (Exodus 28 – 29). One priest was selected as the high priest who would enter the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement to offer the sacrifice that would temporarily cover the sins of the people (Hebrews 9:7). When Jesus came, He offered His life as the ultimate sacrifice that would not only cover the sins of the people but completely cleanse His people and save them. Jesus is the ultimate High Priest, and His intercession for us in John 17 is a wonderful, multilayered example of His love. As Jesus begins His High Priestly Prayer, He reveals that His purpose in coming to earth was to glorify the Father by giving eternal life to those who believe in Him. Although Jesus is God and was with the Father before the world began (John 17:5), He humbled Himself and came to earth as a man so people would know “the only true God, and Jesus Christ” whom He sent (John 17:3). Now, the hour had come when Jesus’ work on earth would be finished (John 17:1), and Jesus asks the Father to glorify Him as He prepared to finish the work that would “give eternal life” to those who believe in Him (John 17:2). Jesus continues His High Priestly Prayer by praying for His disciples. The eleven who remained with Him had accepted Jesus’ words, knew that He is God, and believed that the Father sent Him (John 17:8). Jesus talks about the Father giving the disciples to Him and the disciples belonging to the Father; Jesus and the Father have everything in common (John 17:6, 9–10). Jesus mentions that glory has come to Him through the disciples (John 17:10). Jesus prays that the Father would protect the disciples since He will no longer be present in the world. He prays not that they will be removed from the world but specifically that they would be protected from the evil one (John 17:15) by the power of Jesus’ name (John 17:11). Jesus says that the world hates the disciples because they are not of the world, just as Jesus is not of the world (John 17:14, 16). But Jesus has given His followers the Word and sent them into the world, just as the Father sent Jesus (John 17:18). Jesus prays that His disciples would be sanctified by the truth, which is God’s Word (John 17:17) and that they would be unified (John 17:11). After praying for His disciples, Jesus also prays for everyone who will believe in Him through their message (John 17:21). Jesus’ desire, expressed in His High Priestly Prayer, is that all of His followers would be in complete unity, just as He and the Father are in perfect unity (John 17:21). Jesus prays for believers to be in God so that the world will believe in Jesus (John 17:21). When believers are united and abide in God, the world will know that God loves them and that He sent Jesus for them (John 17:23). Jesus loves the world, and His sacrifice that brings eternal life is for anyone who believes (John 3:16–17). Jesus says He has given believers His glory that they may be one as He is one with the Father (John 17:22). Jesus also prays that all who believe in Him will be with Him and see His glory (John 17:24). Jesus affirms that, whereas the world does not know the Father, He does, and He has made the Father known to His disciples. Jesus will continue to reveal God to His followers so that God’s love will be in His disciples and that Jesus Himself will be in them (John 17:25–26). Jesus says that He prayed the High Priestly Prayer because He was going to the Father soon and He wanted His disciples to “have the full measure of my joy within them” (John 17:13). As our Great High Priest, Jesus continues to intercede for us (Hebrews 7:25), and His High Priestly Prayer is an example of what His intercession looks like. Jesus “is able to save completely those who come to God through him” (Hebrews 7:25). His High Priestly Prayer, with its themes of unity, indwelling, glory, and giving, shows the profound extent of that salvation. www.gotquestions.org Is it a coincidence that Jesus Christ’s High Priestly Prayer is in chapter 17 of John’s Gospel? I don’t think so, because the number 17, in the Holy Bible, symbolizes overcoming the enemy and complete victory. And Jesus Christ accomplished both - on our behalf! ✝️ 👍👍
coram_deo 18-Sep-21, 09:33	Good video on Jesus Christ’s High Priestly Prayer to God the Father: youtu.be From Jesus.net, the website that posted the above video: Study… In John 17, Jesus turns from talking to the disciples to talking with His Father. He invites us to eavesdrop on His prayer so that we might know what He prays for us today. If you did not remember to pray this morning, He did. He remembered you. In this beautiful chapter, Jesus prays for Himself (vs.1-5), He prays for His disciples (vs. 6-20), and He prays for His church (vs. 21-26). First, Jesus prays for Himself. Far from being selfish, praying for ourselves is essential. The hour had come for Him to pay for our sins, for the world to see the love of God lavished on that cross. What is eternal life? It’s to know Him, “the only true God” (v. 3). Faith doesn’t save you (it’s just the instrument). Jesus, the object of your faith, saves you. You can believe in the wrong thing. The real Gospel is that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose again. If we know that and respond in faith when we trust Christ as Savior—that is eternal life. Jesus essentially hands in His final report to the Father. He says, “I finished the work You gave me to do.” He’s done all that is necessary for us to be saved. The Gospel and salvation is never what God asks you to do to be saved, but instead it’s God telling you what He’s already done for you. Do you believe that by faith? Next, Jesus prays for His disciples. He relates with the Father the beautiful relationship He’s had with this team. They now know that God sent Him. And now, with the love of the greatest teacher for His students, He intercedes for them. This Great High Priestly prayer of Christ is for us today and for us personally. He prays for the unity of believers, an organic unity only God can accomplish. Our joy is only fulfilled in God. God’s Word is the most revolutionary book there is in the world. Its radical message is that you can’t save yourself; only Jesus Christ can. That runs counter to the world’s do-it-yourself philosophy. Jesus wants to keep us in the world so we can be His witnesses and He will get more glory. Finally, Jesus prays for the church. God loves us today just like He loves the Lord Jesus Christ. How great is that! Because of that love, Jesus prays for us to love each other. This is the real Lord’s Prayer! jesus.net
coram_deo 01-Nov-21, 08:35	This devotional, which is on the power of prayer, includes an important point: “We shouldn’t only pray in times of trouble or when we need something.” From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham Q: How can I teach my children to understand the power of prayer? – P.C. A: Parents set the example in the home. Children watch, listen, and learn more than adults realize. When they see the family praying together, when they are taught to look for God’s voice in their lives, they begin to comprehend that God hears the prayers of those who seek Him. It is also important that children understand that prayer is not just something to do when things go wrong. Some people pray only when they are stressed out or in danger. It is good for us to pray in times of trouble. In those moments, we realize our helplessness and that only God can change things. But we shouldn’t only pray in times of trouble or when we need something. There are many others times to pray, and children need to see the example of praying with thanks because of good weather, or because the rain is nourishing the plants outside the window, or how God protected them from injury. God loves to hear the prayers of His people, and the most important prayer that can be spoken is when we ask Him to forgive us of our sin and cleanse us and make us useful in this life. Children respond when asked to make lists of all they are thankful for, and it teaches them that prayer is not just about asking for things. Parents need much wisdom — and prayer — in relating to their children. Children likewise have much to learn about these important resources that will help them grow strong and look to the Lord as they face the joys and challenges of life. What a wonderful opportunity parents have to demonstrate the power of God through prayer.

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