P-Praise
R-Repentance
A-Acknowledgement
I-Intercession
S-Supplication
(No, I did not forget the "E"--that's next week's topic!)
Supplication is praying for yourself.
The Hebrew and Greek words most often
translated “supplication” in the Bible mean literally “a request or petition,”
so a prayer of supplication is asking God for something. Unlike the prayer of
petition, which is praying on behalf of others, the prayer of supplication is
generally a request for the person praying.
We all excel at praying for ourselves. Often these prayers
are emergency help lines. We pretty much TELL God what we see our need is and
then how He should react to answer our prayer. (Give me strength. Give me wisdom. Give me health.)
Many of you have been very uncomfortable with the prayer
card rule to make it about you. Why are we reticent about this?
- Don’t want to feel vulnerable
- Pride—don’t want to show you need others
- Don’t want to bother others
- Embarrassed--it's my dirty laundry!
- People's reaction to my request
- I'm sinning, don't want to admit it to others
- Accountability--they may ask me how it's going and I will have to change
- I don't trust them: either I am slow to trust others or they are actually not trustworthy. (Am I a trustworthy prayer partner??? Need to examine myself.)
Our Christian sisters are family. We should be able to be honest and open about our lives with them. If we believe prayer works, we should be coveting other people's prayers for us!!
--Seven Ways to Pray for Your Heart by John Bloom
Delight: Lord, give me delight in you
as the greatest treasure of my heart.
“Delight yourself
in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be
also.” (Matthew 6:21)
Desires: Lord, align the desires of my
heart with yours.
“Our Father in
heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth
as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:9–10)"
- Psalm 139:24-25
- Psalm 19:14
"Dependence: Lord, increase my awareness
of my dependence on you in everything so that I will live continually by faith.
“I am the vine; you
are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much
fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)"
- Psalm 40:17
- Jeremiah 13:11-16
- Isaiah 12:2
"Discernment: Lord, teach me to discern
good from evil through the rigorous exercise of constant practice.
“But solid food is
for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by
constant practice to distinguish good from evil.” (Hebrews 5:14)"
- Romans 12:2
- Philippians 1:9-10
"Desperation: Lord, keep me desperate
for you because I tend to wander when I stop feeling my need for you.
- Psalm 42:1
- Proverbs 30:8-9
"Discipline: Lord, discipline me for my
good that I may share your holiness and bear the peaceful fruit of
righteousness.
“He disciplines us
for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline
seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of
righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12:10–11)"
- Hebrews 12:4-13
"Diligence: Lord, increase my resolve to
do your will with all diligence.
“Look carefully
then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time,
because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15–16)"
- Ephesians 5:15-16
- Colossians 3:17
- 1 Corinthians 10:31
- Proverbs 4:23
- Galatians 6:9
"These are just
suggestions. The Lord may lead you to pray in other ways. But however he
teaches us, whatever means we find helpful, may God cause us all to grow in
faith until we pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and never lose heart (Luke 18:1)."
That is so tough. I'm not sure I can do it. Ever. Why not? I guess it comes down to trust again...can I trust God to do what is right and good and the best?
This is a sample of what I want my “contract” with God to
look like:
CONTRACT
Agreement
made this 9th day of July, 2015, between Eternal Creator and
Sustainer (hereinafter called “God”) and Kitt E. Watley, hereinafter called
“Kitt.”
The
parties to this agreement, in consideration of the mutual covenants and
stipulations set out, agree as follows.
“God”
agrees to provide eternal life, blessings, and health for the duration of the
contract, which shall be until the demise of “Kitt” or such time as “Kitt”
deems this document in need of amendment.
“Kitt”
agrees to go to church regularly, tithe, and volunteer with the homeless (all
very good things) until such time as this contract shall be amended by the
aforesaid party.
Signed: Kitt
E. Watley
Signed: X________________________________________________________
God
This is a sample of what God hands back for me to sign:
CONTRACT
Agreement made this 9th day of July, 2015,
between Eternal Creator and Sustainer (hereinafter called “God”) and Kitt E.
Watley, hereinafter called “Kitt.”
The parties to this agreement, in consideration of the
mutual covenants and stipulations set out, agree as follows.
“God” agrees:
·
to supply every need Kitt has.
"And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from
his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus". (Phillipians
4:19.)
·
that His grace will be sufficient
for Kitt.. “Each time he said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best
in weakness.” (II Corinthians 12:9a).
·
that Kitt will not be overtaken
with temptation. "Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from
falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence
without a single fault.” (Jude v 24).
·
victory over death. "God raised Jesus from the dead,
and we are all witnesses of this." (Acts 2:32). "I passed on to you
what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for
our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from
the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said." (I Corinthians
15:3,4).
·
“And we know that God causes
everything to work together for the good of those who love God and re called
according to his purpose for them.” (Romans 8:28).
·
That, inasmuch as Kitt has
believed in Jesus, she will be saved. “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will
be saved, along with everyone in your household.” (Act 16:31)
·
eternal life “I give them eternal life, and they
will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me.” (John 10:28).
“Kitt” agrees: _______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Signed: God
Signed: _____________________________________________________________
Kitt E. Watley
Still working on this one...
Love,
Kitt.
No comments:
Post a Comment