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

Finding a Balance

Finding a Balance

As I have been navigating these waters of leaving my previous church when they embraced false teaching, I have wrestled with how to act toward the pastor and his wife if, or when, I should encounter them in public. Since there are many churches embracing compromise, I wanted to share some of my thoughts on this topic. After all, I’m sure I’m not the only one with these kinds of questions. 2 Corinthians 1 speaks of how God comforts us in our troubles, so that we can help others who go through the same thing. My hope is to help you as you navigate through the bumpy waters of dealing with those who embrace false teaching.

Romans 16:17 tells us to avoid those who cause divisions by embracing things contrary to the scriptures. So on the one hand, it appears I am to avoid them. Does that mean I need to snub them?

In 1 Thessalonians 5, I see that we are not to be hateful to people just because they are hateful to us. Rather, we should be good to people. A few verses later, we are told not to quench the Holy Spirit, nor are we to have anything to do with evil.
How do we find a balance on this difficult topic?

As I have pondered and prayed on this, I remembered the love chapter in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. Biblical love is kind and rejoices in truth, bears all things, and is longsuffering. It doesn’t envy, boast, rejoice in iniquity, act proudly, behave rudely, or act in a selfish manner.

When I look back at how Jesus treated those who persecuted Him and mocked Him, He never treated them rudely. He may have been bold in speaking truth, but He always did it with love, never separating the two. You can’t have biblical truth without love, nor can you have biblical love without truth.

Based on what I have studied on this topic, I don’t believe the Lord would be happy if we snub them. Rather, He wants us to love them. Yet, we do so without compromising truth. If we snub them, we are no better than they are.

While we may still feel the sting of their bad behavior toward us, there is a wonderful resource in 1 Thessalonians 5 to help us not respond out of those wounds. We are told in verse 17 to never stop praying. Something amazing happens when we pray for those who have hurt us. I noticed this as I have prayed for my former pastor and his wife. My heart is tender toward them. My eyes well up with tears for the spiritual blindness that has encompassed them, leading them to allow false teaching. When I think of the judgment they face for letting their flock be infiltrated with what is false, I feel an intense grief for them. When you begin to pray like this, you will begin to sense some of the sadness the Lord feels when He sees those who claim His Name, yet embrace that which is false.

The result of keeping your heart soft and humble before the Lord is that you begin to have a love that is kind, rejoices in truth, bears all things, and is longsuffering – the very qualities that are listed in 1 Corinthians 13.
© 2019, Stacy R. Miller

When The Heavens Are Brass

When the Heavens Are Brass

We all have times when it seems the heavens are brass. We pray, and it just feels like God doesn’t hear us. We seek comfort, compassion, wisdom, and peace, yet all we get is His silence. The psalmist had one of those times in Psalm 119:82. He said his eyes failed from searching God’s Word. He asked, “When will you comfort me?”

It is important to remember not to give into all of the emotions we feel during those times, and to ignore the negative, doubtful thoughts which enter our minds. We need to focus on that which we know to be true about the Lord. The only way to do that is to be a student of the Word.

The psalmist reminded himself in verse 86 that all of God’s commandments are faithful. He declared his choice to remain faithful to God in spite of his feelings when he states in verses 83 and 87 that he would not forget the Lord’s statutes or precepts.

When I am going through those times when the heavens feel like brass, as I am praying, I begin to thank the Lord for what I know to be true. I may say something like, “Lord, though I don’t feel your presence or your peace, I thank You that You are forever faithful and will never leave me, in spite of what my feelings are telling me. Lord, if you are trying to teach me something through this, help me to see it and learn from this.” I will remind the Lord of His Word and His promises, in spite of how I feel. I don’t do it because the Lord needs to hear it. I do it more as a declaration to myself. However, I do believe it pleases the Lord when His children recite His Word to Him.

Since I just bought a new bible, I am taking a blue highlighter and using it to mark verses that comfort me. Blue is a color of comfort, so it makes it easier for me to find those verses when I need them. I will also post bible verses on my desk so I can meditate on them throughout the day. In recent months, I have started reading and praying one section of Psalm 119 every day. As I have gone through trials or times of temptation, I have been able to easily remember different phrases in that Psalm, turning them into a prayer.

Another comfort for us in those ‘brassy’ times, is Psalm 18:6. “In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.” (ESV) We can remind ourselves that we know God hears us, even when we do not hear Him. God’s eyes are on the righteous, and His ears hear our prayers. 1 Peter 3:12

We find a word of encouragement is in Psalm 119:68. We can remind ourselves that God is good, and all He does is good – even when it feels as if He isn’t there. He wants us to realize that His promise of never leaving us is more real and more dependable than any visible evidence we could ever have. He wants us to walk by faith, not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7)
© 2018, Stacy R. Miller

Waiting in Expectation

Waiting in Expectation

Psalm 5:3 speaks of laying your requests before the Lord and waiting in expectation. I have done this concerning my daily bible reading.  I do not want to just read the Word to have something to cross off my to-do list.  I want the Lord to speak to me through it.  After all, His Words are life. In fact, much of what I have written in recent months is a result of that expectation, and allowing Him to speak to me through His Word.

For those of you who are parents, think back to those ‘firsts.’ Do you remember the joy you had when your baby smiled for the first time, took that first step, said “mama” or “dada” for the first time? Do you remember how you just beamed with joy?

I remember when we were home schooling in those early years. I was trying to teach my daughter how to read. It was a glorious feeling when she was able to start reading on her own. And I was the one who taught her! It was a proud moment for both of us!

As parents, whenever our children have their ‘firsts,’ or understand new concepts, there is such delight for us!  Those are big moments for us!

Now picture God, our Perfect Father. Surely He enjoys and delights in those moments when we see new things in His Word!  So go ahead, get into your bible, wait for the Lord to speak to you, and delight His heart!

© 2018, Stacy R. Miller

 

A Genie God

A Genie God

Many people, even professing Christians, have a habit of not talking to the Lord until they are in a bind. They neglect His Word, not taking time to pray or worship Him. But when there is trouble, watch out! They will begin to fervently pray.

Have you ever known someone who only called you when they wanted something? How did it make you feel? How do you think it makes God feel when we do the same thing to Him? After all, He sent His Son to die for us!

We often treat Almighty God as if He were nothing more than a genie – there to grant our every wish, then put back on the shelf until the next time we need something.

Scripture has much to say about people who treat the Lord like this. Proverbs 28:9 says that for the one who turns his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination. The law is God’s Word. This means that when we refuse to take the time to read, study, and meditate upon the Word, our prayers become an abomination to God.

When we take time to read, study, meditate, and pray, we honor the Lord. 1 Samuel 2:30 tells us that God will honor those who honor Him, but those who lightly esteem Him shall be vile. Those are strong words for when we take His Word lightly, refusing to see the necessity of spending time in it.

Psalm 119:21 tells us that God rebukes the proud, the cursed who stray from His commands. I used to always think of the ungodly when I read this verse. However, I saw a new insight into it recently. When I refuse to read, study, and meditate upon the Word, I am proud. Why? It’s because I think can do just fine on my own. However, the Word calls me cursed.  Ouch! What a strong warning!

Psalm 31:23 tells us that God abundantly repays the one who acts in pride. Proverbs 13:13 tells us whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself. This is all the more reason we need to stop neglecting His Word! He knows how much we need Him. That is why He gives us these warnings in scripture.

We find some more strong words in Psalm 50. Speaking of those who flippantly toss the Words of the Lord behind them, He asks, “What right do you have to recite my Words, or speak my covenant?” When I read this, I thought of those who profess to be Christians, but neglect His Word….until they are in trouble. He goes on to describe them as people who hate His discipline, speaking ungodly words, and speaking against others, committing sin, and keeping bad company. Because God sometimes remains silent, people who act like this begin to think that God approves and is just like us. However, He gives strong warning that this just isn’t the case! He rebukes those who forget Him, lest He tears them apart and there be no one to deliver them. In the final verse, He reminds us that those who offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving glorifies Him, and as a result, He will show His salvation to those who walk uprightly.

If you think I’m taking it too far, let’s take a look at Deuteronomy 6:6-9.
“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (NKJV)

Luke 12:34 tells us that where our treasure is, our heart will be also. What are you treasuring? Could it be said of you that you are a man or woman of the Word? Or do you treat God like a genie god?

We’ve looked at some very strong words for those who treat the Lord like a genie god. Let’s take a look at some of the benefits we reap when we are faithful to read His Word.

Psalm 31:23 tells us the Lord preserves the faithful. Proverbs 13:13 tells us when we revere the Word, we will be rewarded. Jesus tells us in Luke 11:28 we are blessed when we hear the Word and obey it.

Psalm 34 has several benefits listed:
The Lord delivers us.
He saves us out of our troubles.
We are blessed when we take refuge in Him.
We will lack no good thing.
His eyes are toward us, and His ears are open to us.
He is near to us when we are broken hearted.
Our faces will be radiant. – Have you ever met someone who glowed with the glory of the Lord? That is a beauty of which nothing can compare!

If you have been guilty of treating the Lord like a genie god, I urge you to repent. God is waiting on you. He desires to be gracious, compassionate, and forgiving toward you. Don’t let guilt hold you back from receiving the wonderful benefits which can be yours when you start diligently reading, studying, meditating, and praying!

© 2018, Stacy R. Miller

Exodus 14:14

My pastor is having open heart surgery early this week.  One of the young ladies from church got a stand-up easel and wrote the scripture below on it.  She did a beautiful job on it.  In fact, I took a picture of it on my phone, then I set it as the background on my phone.  Now every time I open my phone, I will think of Pastor.  It will be a constant reminder to pray for him during his surgery, as well as during his recovery time.  

Standing in the Gap

What a wonderful, powerful, encouraging word!

How to Pray When You Can’t

Intimacy With God – David Wilkerson

This is a fabulous and sobering message.  One we all need to hear.

Approaching the Throne of a Laughing God

This is one of the best messages I’ve ever heard!  Get a box of tissues before listening because you may need them!