PRAYER PRACTICE
Prayer Journal – To begin your daily worship today, grab a pen and paper and write out a prayer to God. Not sure what to write? Try using ACTS to frame your prayer. Begin with adoration for who God is. Then move on to confession – being real about where you have fallen short in the last day or two. Give thanks to God for all that He gives (including forgiveness for the sin you just confessed!). And then finish with supplication – with your prayer requests to God. When you are done, tuck this away somewhere (so you can read it later and see how God has answered your prayers) and then move into hearing from God through His Word.
For more help use this Bible Study method
REFLECTION
He Loves the Sound of My Voice
by Jennifer Jerrome
Over the years, I’ve heard many times that a person can never “earn” God’s love and mercy. These are given to us because we are His children. There’s no number of good deeds we have to perform or boxes that need to be checked in order to secure our place in heaven. By faith we are family and given access to our Father’s house.
Now does that mean our relationship with Him is a passive one? That we just sit around waiting for him to shower us with grace? Nope! We are called into an active relationship. He wants to hear our voices proclaiming praise. He wants us to approach his temple with reverent offerings. He wants us to cry out in prayer.
A relationship is a two-way street. If only one person is doing the work, then it really doesn’t mean much. What do we gain from that? But like a healthy marriage or a long-lasting friendship, there will be times when one is carrying the burden for the other. The wonderful thing about our relationship with God is that he’s the one doing the heavy lifting. He’s never going to let us suffocate under the weight. He’s always there to preserve our lives and keep our feet from slipping (v. 9).
Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me (v. 20)!
Will there be tough times? Most certainly! We will be refined like silver and go through fire and water, but He always brings us to a place of abundance (v.12).
In our relationship, there is an exchange of love and respect, of sacrifice and commitment. But we know the ultimate sacrifice comes from Christ. His love always endures, even when ours falters.
How thankful I am to be in an active relationship where my prayers are heard and answered. I don’t have to open my mouth and He hears me, though he loves the sound of my voice.
Thank you, Father, for all your awesome deeds! May we remember that our admiration for you isn’t what earns us a place in your kingdom, but it sure is nice to sing your praise. Amen
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