Strategic Prayers in Perilous Times

Strategic Prayers in Perilous Times

When my eyes behold what is transpiring in our world, I can’t help but think that we are living in the perilous times mentioned in 2 Timothy 3.  I find myself wanting to pray, but at the same time, I am at a loss for words because my heart is so overwhelmed.  That feeling of helplessness and frustration has become an impetus to me as I read the Word.  I am always on the hunt for scriptures that make great prayers.  It helps me to add words to those overwhelming emotions that are flooding my soul.  I have even read some of the Psalms out loud, adding the emotion that I picture the psalmist feeling as they poured out their own emotions.  It is quite therapeutic!

I want to share some of those treasured scriptures with you to encourage you and perhaps even help you when you find your own heart is feeling overwhelmed.

“Lord, as I live out Your commands, help me to do so from a pure heart, a good conscience, and from sincere faith.” (1 Timothy 1:5)

“Lord, I ask that You make me complete in every good work to do Your will, working in me that which is pleasing in Your sight, through Jesus my Lord.  To Him be glory forever and ever.” (Hebrews 13:20-21)

As we stand on truth, we know opposition and persecution will come.  To help me stand firm in those times, the following scriptures have become part of my arsenal of spiritual weapons.

“Lord, take note of the threats that face me.  Help me to speak your Word with all confidence.” (Acts 4:29-30)

“Lord, help me not to be afraid of sudden danger, nor of trouble from from the wicked when it comes.  For You will be my confidence, and You will keep my feet from being snared.” (Proverbs 3:25-26)

When I start battling fear, or feel like my faith is becoming a bit shaky, these scriptures have encouraged me.

“Lord, establish my footsteps in Your word.  Don’t let any wrongdoing have power over me.” (Psalm 119:133)

“Protect my life from the fear of the enemy.” (Psalm 64:1)

“Lord, lead me in Your righteousness because of my enemies;  Make Your way straight before me.” (Psalm 5:8, NASB)

“Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, To practice deeds of wickedness with people who do wrong; And may I not taste their delicacies.”  (Psalm 141:4, NASB)

“Keep me from presumptuous sins and don’t let them rule over me.  Help me to be innocent and blameless of any wrongdoing.”  (Psalm 19:13)

“Be to me a rock of dwelling to which I may continually come; You have given the commandment to save me, For You are my rock and my fortress.” (Psalm 71:3, NASB)

“Help me to remember You alone are my rock, salvation, and refuge.  Help me not to be shaken.”  (Psalm 62:6)

“Teach me Your way, Lord.  Help me to walk in Your truth. Unite my heart to fear Your name. (Psalm 86:11)

Sometimes I simply need to focus on the Lord and His ways.  When I remember His character, it reminds me of how truly awesome He is!

“For the word of the Lord is right, And all His work is done in faithfulness.” (Psalm 33:4, NASB)

“The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, A refuge in times of trouble. And those who know your name will put their trust in You; for You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.” (Psalm 9:9-10, NKJV)

“The Lord upholds the righteous.”  (Psalm 37:17, NKJV)

“But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord.  He is their strength in the time of trouble.  And the Lord shall help them and deliver them.  He shall deliver them from the wicked and save them because they trust in Him.”  (Psalm 37:39-40, NKJV)

I hope this motivates you to search for your own treasures in the Word to help you navigate the stormy seas of life.

© 2024, Stacy R. Miller

A Lesson From Peter

A Lesson From Peter

The book of John has become a fascinating study for me.  Our women’s class just finished an entire study of it last year.  Recently, Marco Quintana started a verse by verse teaching on that book which has been insightful. He mentioned a few things that brought some freshness to studying John again.  He suggested paying attention to the many times it mentions the word believe, which is a very common word throughout the book.  Another one was to pay attention to all of the titles used to describe Jesus.  The last one was to pay attention to all of the “I AMs” mentioned.

This last one I found particularly interesting as I read through John 18.

Jesus therefore, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, came out into the open and said to them, “Whom are you seeking?”  They answered Him, “Jesus the Nazarene.” He said to them, “I am He.” And Judas also, who was betraying Him, was standing with them.  Now then, when He said to them, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground.  He then asked them again, “Whom are you seeking?” And they said, “Jesus the Nazarene.” Jesus answered, “I told you that I am He; so if you are seeking Me, let these men go on their way.” (John 18:4-8)

As you can see, “I AM” is used three times in these verses.  Now let’s look a bit further into the chapter.

Then the slave woman who was the doorkeeper *said to Peter, “You are not also one of this Man’s disciples, are you?” He *said, “I am not.”  (John 18:17, NASB)

Now Simon Peter was still standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “You are not one of His disciples as well, are you?” He denied it, and said, “I am not.”  One of the slaves of the high priest, who was related to the one whose ear Peter cut off, *said, “Did I not see you in the garden with Him?”  Peter then denied it again, and immediately a rooster crowed. (John 18:25-27, NASB)

I found it quite telling to see that Peter had his own “I am” statements.  However, he added another word to them.  “I am not.”

Here is a man who has been up close and personal with Jesus for three years.  Here is a man who boldly stated he was willing to die for Jesus.  Now we see him denying the Lord for Whom he declared he was willing to die.

In a time where we see much persecution arising, these things stand out to me.  My thought is, “If Peter caved and denied the Lord, when Jesus was there in person, how can I stand today? Will I stand?”  

As I have pondered and prayed about this, a few things came to mind.  First, I remembered the warning from Jesus that love would wax cold in the end times.  I don’t want to be one of those people!

What am I to do?

First, I must remember the words of Jesus from Revelation 2:4.  Don’t lose your first love!  How do we do that?  We must follow Matthew 22:37 — Love the Lord with all of our heart, soul, and mind.

Next, we need to heed the admonition of 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 that tells us to let everything we do be done in love.  In case we need a refresher on what true, biblical love is, we can review 1 Corinthians 13, which will likely convict all of us because I don’t think any of us have fully mastered that list!

For those who tend to live under guilt trips when you fail, I want to encourage you.  Jesus knew the myriad of thoughts and feelings Peter was battling after the denial.  He extends grace to Peter in Mark 16:7.   But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He told you.’” (NASB)  He was letting Peter know He still considered him a disciple.

As the pressure of persecution mounts, we must devote ourselves to the Word and prayer.  However, if we cave to fear, as Peter did, we need to remember the same grace that was extended to Peter is also available to us.  Repent, and get up, soldier!  There is more work to be done!

© 2023, Stacy R. Miller

The Common, Every-Day Things of Life

The Common, Every-Day Things of Life

After Jesus rose from the dead, He appeared to His disciples multiple times.  I found one occasion particular interesting as I read it this morning.  It is found in John 21.

The disciples were common, ordinary people, just like us.  They were trying to make a living.  At times, they worked hard, with no success. Yet, Jesus showed up and helped them.  

It is the same for us today.  We live in a world gone mad, with inflation that hasn’t been seen in decades, and businesses continue to close due to the fallout from Covid and the lockdowns.  Yet Jesus is here with us.  Just as He guided the disciples to cast their net on the right side of the boat, He can guide us in casting our own “nets.”  

I can’t help but recall when the Lord led me to look at the internal job postings.  As soon as I saw the job in the cancer center, I knew He was calling me to cast my net in that direction.  Within days of taking that new position, they started getting rid of the jobs in my previous department.  I am so thankful I listened to Him!

While I took a massive cut in pay to move to the new position, I have been amazed at how the Lord has used me to minister to people.  While I may be making thousands less in this current job, I am reaping much in heavenly rewards that won’t spoil or fade!

A few verses later, we find Jesus cooking, serving, eating, and conversing with them.  Even after all of them deserted Him when the soldiers came to take Him away, He still desires fellowship with them.  He also desires to have fellowship with us in our common, ordinary, every-day life.  He invites us to allow Him into those moments.  Those ordinary moments become extraordinary as we invite Jesus to join us.

Shortly thereafter, He has that famous conversation with Peter, asking him not once, but three times, “Do you love me?”  I can’t help but think of the shame Peter must have felt when he denied Christ three times, then heard the sound of the rooster.  I have always wondered if his eyes met the eyes of Jesus in that moment, and what that must have been like for Peter.  I see the mercy and grace of Jesus in this conversation.  He is showing Peter how He is faithful, even when Peter was not.

It is the same for us today.  Perhaps in a moment of fear, much like Peter, we do something contrary to what we profess to believe.  Rather than beat ourselves up over it, we must come to Jesus and allow Him to strengthen us, establish us, forgive us, and encourage us.

Finally, we see Jesus telling Peter about the coming persecution, and how he would eventually die for his faith.  Peter begins to focus on the others, asking, “What about them?”  Was this Peter being his usual, impetuous self?  Or was this Peter being deeply concerned for his brethren?  I cannot say for sure.  What I can say is that the response from Jesus is the same for us:  Follow Me!  

In these scenarios, Jesus, our Shepherd, shows us that He is more than enough.  He is loving, merciful, forgiving, and kind.  Even when we are faithless, He remains forever faithful.  He still desires fellowship with us, even in our human frailties.

© 2021, Stacy R. Miller

God Sees The Bird That Falls

God Sees the Bird That Falls

When Jesus mentioned God seeing the birds when they fall to the ground in Matthew 10:29, I thought it meant dying.  However, I discovered it means something entirely different.  In the original language, “fall” means to “light upon the ground.”  Picture the mother bird, trying to get baby bird to leave the nest.  She pushes the baby out, in hopes that it will flap its wings and fly.  However, that isn’t always the case.  Sometimes the bird will simply fall to the ground, “lighting” about on the ground.  Yet, God sees this……Every.Single.Time.

Since Jesus tells us in verse 31 that we are more valuable than sparrows, I knew there was a much deeper meaning here.  When we feel as if we have fallen from our “nest,” God sees us.  When we are “lighting” upon the ground, much like a sparrow, He is intimately aware.  

We have gone through a year that has been unlike any other.  Pain, anguish, turmoil, and grief are frequent visitors to many of us.  That type of anguish in our soul can make it hard to put one foot in front of the other.  We feel as if we are walking with boulders attach to our feet.  Yet, God sees, and He cares.

When I spoke at my dad’s funeral last month, I mentioned a verse that has become a mainstay to help me during this agonizing year of trials.  God is good and what He does is good. (Psalm 119:68)  On days when I felt I couldn’t go on, I would pace the floor in my office, praying and reciting that verse.  I had to cling to something I knew to be true because my emotions were so frail that I dare not trust them.

As I would focus on reciting to the Lord many verses that reminded me of His wonderful character, and how He promises to be with us always, I noticed something.  Those invisible boulders, attached to my feet, would fall like unfettered shackles.  Once again, I was able to walk as a bird, “lighting” upon the ground.

The same God who carries me through arduous trials is there for you.  Reach out to Him.  

© 2020, Stacy R. Miller

Essential

Essential

Essential became a commonly used word during this pandemic, referring to the essential workers who were allowed to continue doing their jobs when the rest of the nation was locked down.

I am one of those “essentials” who worked through the whole lockdown.  We lost three staff members during that time, which resulted in months of mandatory overtime.  After months of working all of those hours, I can tell you it is essential that I have a vacation!  

Ok, back to the topic at hand.

Essential means absolutely necessary.  Think of building a house.  It is absolutely necessary for the house to have a firm foundation.  The same is true for us.  We are God’s house.  Hebrews 3:6 tells us that we are His house if we keep our courage and hope in Christ.  Spiritually speaking, we need to keep our foundation strong and firm.

Water is another essential we must have.  With joy, we can draw water from the wells of salvation. (Isaiah 12:3) While pondering on this verse, I noticed that the Lord doesn’t do this for us.  He provides the water, but we are given the responsibility to draw it from the well (our Bible).  This is active participation, not just passive inactivity. Secondly, it says we will do it with joy.  I have never met someone dedicated to the reading of scripture who did not exude a joyful countenance.  Even during this long, drawn-out pandemic, we can have joy while others continue to battle fear and depression.

Verse 6 tells us to cry out and shout to the Lord.  This isn’t referring to the manufactured enthusiasm so prevalent in many churches today.  Rather, think of times when you have been thrilled with some news you received.  Did you cry tears of exuberant joy?  Did you shout an exclamation of absolute joy?  This is what the Lord wants to hear from us.

I recently shouted to the Lord in a way I had never done before.  When my father died just a few weeks ago, there was such relief in knowing he was with the Lord.  The relief overwhelmed me with such delight that I couldn’t help but shout, “Thank You, Lord, that I know my daddy is with you!”  If he had died just a few years ago, that wouldn’t have been the case, thus the reason for such exuberant shouting, even in the midst of grief.

Another essential for us to have is a heart at peace.  One of my mainstays during the pandemic has been to remember that God is good, and what He does is good. (Psalm 119:68)  That gives me peace, even when I may not see anything good about losing another loved one to Covid, hearing of someone losing their job due to the cutbacks that have been so prevalent in the last year, or a myriad of other trials.

2 Peter 1:2 says, “May God give you more and more grace and peace.” (NLT)  That sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? However, that isn’t the end of the verse.  To receive more grace and peace, we must grow in the knowledge of the Lord.  In other words, it is essential for us to grow in the knowledge of the Lord if we want to have more grace and peace.  It reminds me of those early days of the lockdown.  Grocery store shelves were bare.  People were diligently searching for the treasured item of that time:  toilet paper!  Do we search to know God as deeply as we searched for toilet paper?

In Greek, the word knowledge means exact, complete, and thorough.  In a world where wrong is right, and right is wrong, it is essential that our knowledge of the Lord is exact, complete, and thorough so that we aren’t deceived and led astray.

Peter adds some major essentials in this same chapter.  His divine power has given us all we need for life and godliness.  How?  Through our knowledge of Him!  (2 Peter 1:3)  He has given us great and precious promises. Why?  So that we can partake of His divine nature, having escaped the corruption of this world. (2 Peter 1:4)  

During this pandemic, I have discovered it is essential for me to partake of God’s divine nature on a daily basis.  If I don’t, my thoughts run amuck and I rapidly fall prey to negativity, fear, and panic – all of which can quickly overwhelm my soul.

How are your spiritual essentials?

© 2021, Stacy R. Miller

My Treasure Box

My Treasure Box

In my last devotion, I wrote about finding treasures in the Word of God. I want to share some deeply personal experiences, and how I found treasures relating to those circumstances.

After losing my brother, scriptures on comfort and loss stood out to me. One that was especially helpful was the reminder that God’s mercies are new every morning.  I prayed that one so many times in those early weeks when the wounds of the loss were so raw.  

Being that Matt was a runner, the scriptures about running a race took on a brand new meaning for me.  It made me reevaluate my own priorities.  I have said many times that I never want my trials or my pain to go to waste.  Part of using that trial to help others was by writing a series of devotions on the things I learned during that season. Being able to write about the pain also brought healing.

Several years ago, as I was reading in the Old Testament about the myriad of details that went into the priest’s robe, I saw how the Lord is into details – even seemingly insignificant details.  This lesson also helped me see God’s detail into my brother’s memorial service.  The Lord gave me something to share at that service.  Focusing on that gave me a mission in my pain.  However, that isn’t all it did.  The Lord knew my passion was teaching.  However, with working every other weekend, teaching Sunday school was no longer an option.  He knew that providing me with that opportunity to speak, sharing things from the Word, would fuel my passion, but again, bring healing – and not just healing to me, but to those who were there.  Two minutes before I was to speak, He gave me a very personal insight that changed the entire atmosphere of the room.  That is how much our God is into details!

When trying to overcome a decades-long habit of cussing, scriptures that spoke strongly about the cost of sinning stood out.  Verses that spoke of words, and the potential they have (for good or evil), seemed to jump off the page, greatly convicting me.

Anger and cussing seem to go hand-in-hand.  When I was trying to overcome those issues, Psalm 119 was like a treasure box to me!  Whenever I would feel anger starting to rise, I would begin to fervently pray many of the phrases that are found in that Psalm.  I would say things like, “Help me, Lord, to keep Your statutes.  Help me to obey Your decrees!  Let no iniquity have dominion over me.  Strengthen me according to Your Word.  Lord, I tremble before Your judgments, so help me not to sin with my mouth.  Let me be blameless with my words!”  After all, the hotter the temper, the easier it is to spew sinful words.  Another verse that really stood out to me was Psalm 119:165. “Great peace have those who love your law, and nothing causes them to stumble.” (NKJV)  This encouraged me because it gave me hope that I would overcome that awful stronghold in my life.

That Psalm has become such a precious jewel to me that I read one section of it every day, turning the verses into a prayer.  It never gets old because each time I go through it, the Lord seems to be working in a different area of my life, so new things will stand out to me.  There is one verse I read many times, yet it never registered with me until I heard my pastor mention it in a sermon.  It says that all things are God’s servants. (Psalm 119:91)  I found great comfort in this because at the time, we were in the middle of the pandemic and the riots were just starting to erupt.  It was a comforting reminder in the midst of the chaos that God was still in control, still watching every single detail.

As I have watched the rise of the apostate church, I have noticed there are many scriptures that speak of love and truth. (2 John 1:6, 7, 9; Jude 20-21)  Again, we see how the Lord is into details.  He knew this would be an issue.  He knew one side we be saying, “We just need to love one another.”  Yet, another side would speak truth to the point of being legalistic.  He wanted to ensure that the true church sees how we need both of them.  What an awesome, amazing, and loving God!  Seeing the details on this issue became quite a treasure to me because it showed me, once again, how He really is into details.

With the coming persecution, what is currently standing out to me are the prayers many prayed in the Bible when they faced their own enemies and persecutors.  As I have been reading the Epistles, I am paying closer attention to how the early church faced the persecution.  I have turned those stories into prayer, asking the Lord to help me have the same reaction when great persecution comes my way.  Psalm 71:3 is a great reminder that God can be our habitation where we can continually resort, for He is our rock and fortress.  What comfort to know that even when standing before our persecutors, our habitation is still in the Lord!

© 2020, Stacy R. Miller

Still On The Throne

Still On The Throne

In Isaiah 6, we find Isaiah was discouraged and mourning the loss of a great king. King Uzziah had accomplished many great things during his life. (2 Chronicles 26:1-15)  However, in verses 16-23, we see a downward path for this once, great king.  King Uzziah’s heart became filled with pride, and the price of that pride was costly.  He died a leper.

Isaiah was feeling downcast over these events.  He must have wondered where God was in the midst of all this.  It was during this difficult time that Isaiah actually saw the Lord on His throne.  He realized that while King Uzziah was no longer on his throne, God was still on His!  This awesome revelation quickly changed Isaiah’s demeanor!

During these difficult times, you may find ourselves with the same kind of questions that Isaiah had.  We may be experiencing the same kind of emotions that Isaiah battled.  What can quickly reframe all of the thoughts and feelings we have is a fresh vision of our God!  Granted, we won’t likely have an amazing vision of the Lord like Isaiah had.  However, when we diligently, earnestly seek Him, we will find Him. (Jeremiah 29:13)

What is the result? “The work of righteousness will be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever. My people will dwell in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.” (Isaiah 32:17-18, NKJV)

As we are watching horrific events transpiring in our nation, may we find comfort that our God still reigns! (Psalm 11:4) God is still in the same place He was when Isaiah saw Him — He is still on His throne!

© 2020, Stacy R. Miller

They Worried Too

I got this from a friend, and have no idea who wrote it.  It is very fitting for these trying times.

They Worried Too
As we have faced this season of uncertainty, we have sometimes been disappointed by our own anxious thoughts. However, as we’ve taken our worries to the Lord, we have realized that there are no strong men or women in the Bible—there are only weak men and women and a mighty God. The Lord reminded us this week that the great prophets and Bible heroes whom we all admire so much didn’t always handle their situation well:

• Peter was afraid and denied Christ.
• Sarah doubted God’s promise and trusted in her own strategy in having a son.
• Aaron and the people grew anxious about the return of Moses and built an idol to worship.
• When confronted with persecution in the garden of Gethsemane, all of Jesus’ disciples fled.
• After seeing one of the most powerful, recorded instances of God demonstrating His might and authority, Elijah feared Jezebel and ran for his life.
• In the Psalms, David is very honest with the Lord about his doubts and fears.

The list goes on.

All my life, I have pretty much viewed my worry and anxiety as evidence of failure. The other night however, as we were up at 2:00 a.m. feeding the baby and praying together, I realized that our loving Heavenly Father knows we will have worry and anxiety. That’s why He put so many reminders in the Scriptures about what to do with our worry, fear, and anxiety. The failure comes when we choose to try and handle our worries on our own. We are told to fear not, cast our anxiety on Him, be anxious for nothing, and not worry about tomorrow. “I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.” Psalms 34:4  Just like I as a mother am quick to calm the tears and fears of my daughters, our tender, loving Father delights in us coming to Him to have our anxious thoughts smoothed away.

Preparing for a Time of Trouble

This message is from 2015, but is so very timely.   I pray it speaks to you and encourages you.

God is my Source

I heard a phrase several years ago.  It resonated with me so much that I decided to write in my Bible, where I could easily find it.  I hope it resonates with you.

If I am ever unable to work, then God will have to meet my needs, because ultimately, He is my source, not my job.