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Today’s Reflection
WHAT HELPS CAN WE OFFER for those who struggle to find time alone with God? Consider these ideas. Choose a consistent time and place. If you know that you have a quiet place of retreat for prayer, your time with the Lord can be more inviting and meaningful. In addition, build times of Sabbath or personal retreat into your schedule. Take time, perhaps once a quarter, when you know you can break out of your everyday routine and spend concentrated time in prayer and Bible reading. This practice can really accelerate your growth in prayer and give you new insights from the Lord. Give yourself permission to have regular times of retreat for prayer. . . .
Remember that the Holy Spirit works within each of us to create change. We don’t operate on the world’s philosophy of, “try a little harder, do a little better.” Instead, we submit and surrender to the Holy Spirit daily. Make your time alone with God a priority in prayer. Ask God to carve out time each day for you to meet with him. Then, watch how God answers that prayer!
– Margie Burger
Lord, Teach Us to Pray
From pages 26-27, Lord, Teach Us to Pray: A Study of Personal Prayer by Margie Burger. Copyright © 2009 by Discipleship Resources. All rights reserved. Used by permission. http://bookstore.upperroom.org/ Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Question
Describe your alone time with God. What practices are important to you as you pray? Share your thoughts.
Today’s Scripture
Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications!
Psalm 130:2, NRSV
This Week: pray for students starting back to school. Submit your prayer to The Upper Room Living Prayer Center or share it in the comment section.
Did You Know?
In need of prayer? The Upper Room Living Prayer Center is a 7-day-a-week intercessory prayer ministry staffed by trained volunteers. Call 1-800-251-2468 or visit The Living Prayer Center website.
This week we remember: Ignatius of Loyola (July 31).
Lectionary Readings
(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)
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12 Comments
My quiet time comes when the UR daily reflection arrives in my email inbox. I start my day with the reflection, read it, the scripture for the day and one of the scriptures listed. I give thanks for the blessings the Lord has given, look at the reflection from the day before and pray for UR family, prayers for my church family, my immediate family and friends follow. I try to respond to the question or activity of the day. When comments cae in my email I tried to respond to them, but they no longer come. Today I respnded to the question before checking yesterday’s reflection posts so I will have to post a second time.
Prayers for JE and the loss of a son. My heart goes out to you hearing of this tragic news. I believe you are right to pray as you do, I can not say what God will do. Jesus brought people back to life. I pray that God answers your prayer, but I also think it may not be what you expect. God does not always give us what we ask for, but does do right by those who trust, believe. God does what is right and best.
Prayers for Connie all this week. Thankful the Lord is with us always.
Prayers for Julie, Marcy, and all who have medical, health, well-being concerns. Thankful Julie’s stitches are out, that medical insurance covered the surgery. Prayers for good and positive progress is resolving the stressful situation at home. Prayers that Marcy has the help she needs to deal with breathing, heart, and migraines, and that there is support for life. Thankful always for her prayers for all of thge UR family and beyond.
Thankful for cooler, les humid weather, for rain yesterday, a memorable concert played by community bands, time at the gym, and progress with a model. Saddened to learn of the passing of a railroad photography icon. Continued progress with Erich and a potential job. He interviews tomorrow.
Prayers for CA, for refugees, immigrants, endangered species, national parks, libraries, a free press, and the safety and well being of the world’s people.
The Lord is with you – and also with you!
Giving praise and thanks to God are important practices as i pray. So is praying for others, commiting the day to God as well as commiting my life to God, asking Him to lead and guide me every step of my life journey. I also ask for help when facing challenges. I have a page on ‘help me God…’ and another page on ‘thank you God…’
Blessings and grateful for our nation, Singapore, as we celebrate our national day tomorrow.
In our nation, be glorified, O God!
Bet you see “thank you Gods” that connect with “help me God”.
May the nation of Singapore be blessed.
Yes and thank you Connie!
May God bless you abundantly!
My alone time with God is the beginning of the day. I get Roger his breakfast, grab my big glass of water and plant myself in my blue chair. In the winter, I wrap myself in a heated electric throw. Usually, at some point, Roger joins me, on the throw. I pray, read Scripture, spend time at this site and sometimes read from a devotional or a book. Time on the weekend and during the summer affords me more liberty to linger. On school days, I am more mindful of the time, as I want sufficient time for my run and then getting myself ready…showered, dressed and off to school.
Grateful for my best friend – she found a kitten for my mother. My mother refuses to take it. I spent some time with my friend last evening – the kitten is beautiful…she is going to try to find a home for her. She took her to the vet, got its first round of shots, a treatment for fleas and ear mites. My mother seemingly refuses anything that could possibly bring her out of her mire. I am becoming increasingly frustrated by this. I am so grateful for dad’s sustained spirit, as he lives day in and day out with this, and desires nothing other than to abide with my mom. Father – thank You for sustaining him and for the amazing love he has for mom. Please continue to grant him strength he needs.
JE – I am so very sorry for your loss. Unspeakable. Not sure I am qualified to address your post from yesterday, but I will try to carefully address it. May God give me the words. Just yesterday morning at my women’s Bible study, a lady brought up the topic of God’s answers to prayers…yes, no and not yet. One of the leaders said there are two answers to prayers…yes and My grace is sufficient for you. I had never heard that before, but how it struck me. God desires us to come boldly in prayer before Him. I would say I have found, especially this year with the health concerns of my family, I have tried to indeed pray my heart, as He knows it better than I, and to ultimately land at “not my will, but Thine be done”. And with that, Father – help me to desire Your will. Align my request with Thy will. Here is what I ask for, more mercy. Increase my faith to trust and accept Your Sovereignty. As for the last part of what you wrote…none of us are worthy of God, of His Love, of His gift of salvation. Yet, He mercifully extends all of this to us – because He is relational and He loves us. He calls us worthy because of the sacrifice of His Son. It isn’t logical, comprehensible – it is completely other, like our Great God. He is full of mercy and grace – freely given to us. I pray you will find someone who can talk with you about Him, can lead you to some Scripture pertinent to your hurt. I appreciate your honesty in your post and pray you will receive comfort for your loss.
Thankful for:
The posts today.
Blue blooms on my For-get-me-nots that I started from seed.
Hungry Hummers that love their nectar that I prepare for them.
The 54 years that God gave me with my daughter. Oh, how we loved each other!
Prayers for Erich and his job search. May it be a perfect fit when it comes.
I spend a large part of my mornings with the Upper Room. I read the daily devotional and the Reflection and receive the sight psalm. I read the scripture from the devotional in a study Bible which includes many insights. I read the comments made here on this site by many who are further in their faith journey and try to internalize their wise words.
Prayers for Mary and her parents. I pray they have recovered from their physical issues and that Mary’s job is less stressful. I pray for Singapore as it celebrates its national day.
Prayers for Robert and Erich. I pray for Erich’s success tomorrow during his job intervew. Prayers for Robert’s sorrow over the passing of a valued artist.
Prayers for Jill as she prepares for a new school year. Prayers for Gloria as she continues to choose to spend her remaining days mired in pain and anger. Prayers for Larry as he chooses to spend this time honoring his love and his marriage.
Prayers for Connie during this week filled with sorrowful memories. May she also remember the love and times of joy.
Prayers of thanks for all of the warm prayers, the ability to pay for the botox that will be injected into my hands for the Reynaud’s and for my daughter who drove me to get the stitches out in case more was done to my fingers.
Prayers and blessings for and thank you to all of the UR family of believers
Thank you dear Julie!
Glad that your stitches were removed and your daughter drove you. May you enjoy your time alone with God each day and be so blessed by God’s word and His presence!
My job is not less stressed. There are other added issues like helping my new colleague with her work, etc. May God help me with the new challenges!
My alone time begins early in the morning, like many of you. I take my coffee, my prayer journal and iPad to the chair on my back porch or the overstuffed couch in my favorite room when the weather turns cold. I record prayer concerns and praises, and pray for those of you here by name. I also read some scripture and often from a favorite devotional. I finish by visiting all of you at the UR site where I rest in the daily devotion and read your concerns and thoughts. It is comforting to know we all are connected in this way.
Thanks to you all for sharing honestly of your desires and needs with me. We can all share in the power of prayer by lifting one another up in God’s name. Julie, Marcy, Mary, Robert, Jill, Connie and many others who visit here regularly; I lift you and all others up in prayer. Amen
Thank you dear Betsy for your prayers!
May God bless you abundantly!
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