Praying Scripture

Welcome to the New Year!!   I know that a lot of people are coming up with New Year's Resolutions.  I posted a video from David Platt that speaks my heart about New Year's Resolutions.

      “If we are not careful, resolutions—the best resolutions—if we’re not careful in the way we approach them, they can only drive us into deeper dependence on ourselves. What we are going to try to do harder this year, how we are going to change ourselves.

     But remember that the essence of following Christ, the essence of what was initially displayed in your baptism was the renouncing of yourself; a death to yourself. A death to your every effort to improve yourself, to obey God in your own strength in your own power in your own resolve. Don’t do that. Trust in Christ. Trust in Christ more this year and ask Him to do these things in you, whether it is in your marriage or in your relationships with others or in your time in the Word. Ask Him to produce faith in you to bring that kind of fruit about. Only He can do it and we want—don’t we want?—this next year to be a year in which we inaudible 0:42:59] we do things that we can manufacture in our own flesh in our own strength. We want to live lives that are clearly compelled—impelled—by the very Spirit of God in us. Doing immeasurably more than all we could even begin to ask or imagine this next year.”

Do I make resolutions?  No, I don't.   I do review and recommit the verses that guide my daily walk.  May I share them with you.

First and foremost is 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12:

“… make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.”

Second on my list to review is James 1:19-22

19  My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20  because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 21  Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

22  Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

And finally, I review Philippians 4:6-7

“Do not be anxious (worry) about anything, but in everything, with prayer, petition and thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  Then the peace of God which passes all understanding will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.”

     In 2014 I added three more life verses that guide my thoughts, my life and my actions.  I wish I could say with confidence they guide me all of the time, but we all stumble.  However, they are guideposts to bring me back to the Truth.

The first new verse I converted into a prayer to make it personal.  I am not going to put it into quotes, since I am paraphrasing for the prayer.  Here it is from Philippians 3:12-16:

Lord help me to press on to possess that perfection for which you first possessed me.  Help me to focus on one thing:  forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.  Lord help me to press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize, for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling on me.  Lord help me to hold onto the progress I have already made.

       Verses that became  very real for me in 2014 are added to my tool kit of daily Scripture encouragement.   First is Isaiah 43:10

“You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me.

I know this verse was spoken by God in the Old Testament.  However, we are his witnesses.  Ephesians 1 tells us that we are chosen, blessed, adopted, accepted, redeemed and forgiven.   This verse reminds me of my purpose and how my life can bring praise to God.  It also reminds me of who God is.

     Finally, Isaiah 61 has become very special to me, and an encouragement.  It also reminds me of the goal toward which I strain.  Although this passage was written to Israel, I believe that it is a very accurate description of our role as Christians in this present word.

1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,

because the Lord has anointed me

to bring good news to the poor;

he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

to proclaim liberty to the captives,

and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,

and the day of vengeance of our God;

to comfort all who mourn;

3to grant to those who mourn in Zion—

to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,

the oil of gladness instead of mourning,

the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;

that they may be called oaks of righteousness,

the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.

One of the versions I have read of this passage uses “Sovereign LORD” rather than LORD God.  That word “Sovereign” reminds me that he has control (or should have control) over every aspect of my life (physical, spiritual and mental).  It is a reminder that I need to sacrifice daily to give Him control.

          These are not magical verses or incantations.   The only thing special about these passages is their reminder to me that I serve God, He is sovereign, and my purpose in life is to serve Him and bring Him praise by serving others.  In this I am like Paul in Philippians 3, I have not already obtained this, but I strain the High Calling of Christ in God.