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Inspirational Gems for Each Day -- VOLUME 4.

           Written by Marilee Miller

Copyright (c) 1995 & 2009 by Marilee Miller.

PLEASE READ THIS!

Copies may be given privately to about six friends, providing that text is not changed, and
that this full notice accompanies each document or part thereof.
One GEM or parts of two, per Volume, allowed for a public review or article, under the fair use clause.
No other public circulation, no mass copying or commercial or for-profit use without consent
of the author -- e-mail to: kingfisher crossing at gmail com (close up the spaces, etc.).

See the complete archive of 365 thoughtful Christian devotionals -- Gems -- at:
www.wordforlife.com/kingfisher/gems-complete/gems-menu

(#1-20 are taken from a booklet previously edited by Marilee Miller)

Scripture texts are from the King James Version.

1. PRAYER IS --

PRAYER IS:
          Worshipping God.
          Seeking to be open to his
presence, strength, hope.
          A time to enjoy being a "King's
kid", talking to "daddy" (the Heavenly
Father).

PRAYER IS:
     A Dialog with God.
    1. You talk to God (just like you
would to the neighbor next door).
    2. You listen. ("Wait on the Lord")
    3. God talks to you. (How? Maybe
through the words of a friend, or a
Scripture from the Bible. Maybe in the
peacefulness of a silent moment.   Maybe
through signs such as the beauties of
Nature. Or maybe he'll speak in a
personal way, as he did, and does, with
some of his children who have really
learned to listen.)

PRAYER IS NOT:
       Telling God how you want him to
               run your life.
       A monologue of your needs
         and accomplishments and how much
       you deserve from him because you
                are working for him.
       A Christian DUTY to hurry through.

            "Be careful for nothing, but
       in every thing by prayer and supp-
       lication with thanksgiving let
       your requests be made known unto
       God."   (Phil. 4:6)
(c) 1995 & 2009 by Marilee Miller

2. GETTING READY TO PRAY

     It's easier to get in a "God-mood" if
you have a quiet place to go.

     (However, I read of one busy mother
of children who simply threw her apron
over her head. The kids knew nothing
short of a real emergency would take
mother from her "ten minutes" with God.
Some people lock the bathroom door in
order to find a place to pray. (Sometimes
it's the quietest room in the house.) You
may want to begin your prayer time by
reading Scriptures. A notebook to write
down thoughts, is a help to some people.
The willingness to quiet your mind is very
necessary. (Ask God to help you
accomplish this.)
(c) 1995 & 2009 by Marilee Miller

3. THE PRAYER TIME:

Begin a prayer time by giving thanks to
God.
     Thank you, God, for this beautiful
day. Thank you for your unconditional
love. What a wonderful God you are.
Blessed be the Name of the Lord.

            "O Lord our Lord, how
       excellent is thy name in all the
       earth! who hast set thy glory
      above the heavens...
            "When I consider thy heavens,
       the works of thy fingers, the
        moon and the stars, which thou
        hast ordained;
            "What is man, that thou art
        mindful of him? And the son of
        man, that thou visitest him?
            "For thou hast made him a
       little lower than the angels, and
       hast crowned him with glory and
       honour.
            "Thou madest him to have
      dominion over the works of thy
       hands; thou hast put all things
       under his feet:
            "All sheep and oxen, yea, and
      the beasts of the field;
            "The fowl of the air, and the
      fish of the sea, and whatsoever
       passeth through the paths of the
       seas.
            "O Lord our Lord, how
      excellent is thy name in all the
       earth."   (Ps. 8:1, 3-9)
(c) 1995 & 2009 by Marilee Miller

4. THE PRAYER TIME (cont.)

After thanking God -- What to do next:
     Read Bible verses, or a meditation
from a suitable Christian book. Or think
of words someone has said to you, which
have seemed especially meaningful. Some
persons place a chair next to theirs, then
picture Jesus as sitting in the other
chair. They will talk to him just as they
would if a close friend were sitting in
that chair. Some like to meditate on the
reminders found in a painting of Christ,
or in a beautiful Nature scene.

     The important thing is to let your
mind get quiet. Shut out distractions.
Turn your mind toward God. Invite him to
be with you.

            "Be still and know that I am
      God...The Lord of hosts is with us;
      the God of Jacob is our refuge."
          (Ps. 46: 10a, 11)
(c) 1995 & 2009 by Marilee Miller

5. THE PRAYER TIME (cont.)

Confess:
    Sins, faults, guilt -- yes. But tell
God you can't handle life's problems and
responsibilities on your own. You need
help -- from him.

Your Needs:
     Tell God simply about your needs,
your concerns. Tell him how you feel
about hurting, being disappointed, losing
a job, not knowing him very well. Also
tell him when you've been happy, when a
friend has shown love.

            "Continue in prayer, and watch
       in the same with thanksgiving."
          (Col. 4:2)
(c) 1995 & 2009 by Marilee Miller

6. THE PRAYER TIME (cont.)

     After thanking God and getting quiet,
after confessing any areas where growth
must take place, or telling God about your
needs, the next thing is to...

Ask. What do we ask for?
     If we ask for something the Bible
says is wrong, for something which would
hurt another, this is not "asking in
Jesus' name." However, the Bible says if
we ask in Jesus' name, he will answer.

     Jesus healed the sick; we can ask for
our bodies to be healed, also our tired or
confused minds, our broken hearts, our
saggy spirits. Jesus loved everybody,
cared for everybody; we can ask him to
help us change, so we may be more like
him.

     God wants to give us our hearts'
desires. We have a right to ask for a
better life for our families, and to use
our talents for him and to help others.
(But we don't ask to be "better than
somebody else".)

     But we also recognize that God is
God. That he has a plan for life. Above
all things, we give him permission to
carry out that plan in our life. We trust
that when we ask God for his help, he will
answer us. And we accept the fact that he
has or will answer, even if what we
receive doesn't look like what we wanted
or thought we needed at all.

            "And we know that all things
       work together for good to them that
       love God, to them who are the
       called according to his purposes."
          (Rom. 8:28)
(c) 1995 & 2009 by Marilee Miller

7. THE PRAYER TIME (cont.)

About Asking:
     Jesus did not make persons beg
repeatedly for help. Or say to them, "Ask
if it is God's will before you pray."
Neither do we also need to add this phrase
-- "if it is your will" -- to our prayers.
In saying he would answer what we asked in
his name, he took care of the "will." But
we would not be arrogant or presuming. So
we try to pray "in his will", not "of my
own will."

            "And whatsoever we ask, we
       receive of him, because we keep his
       commandments, and do those things
       that are pleasing in his sight.
            "And this is his commandment,
       That we should believe on the name
       of his Son Jesus Christ, and love
       one another, as he gave us
       commandment.
            "And he that keepeth his
      commandments dwelleth in him, and
     he in him. And hereby we know
       that he abideth in us, by the
       Spirit which he hath given us."
          (I Jn. 3:22-24)
(c) 1995 & 2009 by Marilee Miller

8. THE PRAYER TIME (cont.)

Thank God again:
     HE is your answer. He has promised
to hear you when you pray. You can thank
him that he keeps on caring for you, and
that your prayer requests, prayed "in his
will" and in his name, are already
answered. (Even if you don't see any
results for years.)

Listen:
     Sit comfortably in silence. Reach
out to God; try to feel how near he is to
you. Just wait. Put out of mind things
like the grocery list, or whether you
forgot to feed the cat. Rest in the Lord.
"Be still and know that I am God," we read
in the Scriptures.

            "Now it came to pass, as they
       went, that he [Jesus] entered into
       a certain village: and a certain
       woman named Martha received him
       into her house.
            "And she had a sister called
       Mary, which also sat at Jesus'
       feet, and heard his word.
            "But Martha was cumbered
       about much serving, and came to
       him, and said, Lord dost thou not
       care that my sister hath left me
       to serve alone? bid her therefore
       that she help me.
            "And Jesus answered and said
       unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art
       careful and troubled about many
       things:
            "But one thing is needful:
       and Mary hath chosen that part,
       which shall not be taken away from
       her." (Luke 10:38-42)
(c) 1995 & 2009 by Marilee Miller

9. THE PRAYER TIME (cont.)

Let God Talk:
     When you are in a peaceful mood, ask
God to talk to you. Only a few persons
ever hear an audible voice. But he will
talk through your thoughts. If a list of
things to do today comes to mind, write it
down quickly, or push it back in your
mind. Then say, "Father I give all things
to you; let this be done in your time."
(Then you go back to listening.)

     Let God bring to mind the name of a
friend who needs prayer, or the memory of
a beautiful sunset, a lovely solo, the
miracle of a trusting child. While your
mind is at rest, he can help with
solutions and decisions. Pray for, or
thank him for, each thought that comes to
mind. If worries come to mind, however,
say, "Not now!" Then listen again.

     Ask God to show you what lessons he
has for you because of the thoughts and
memories you've had. Don't be dis-
couraged if you don't "hear" from God.
But go on being faithful to schedule
listening times to be alone with God.
Learning to hear his voice only comes with
long practice.

            "Behold I stand at the door,
       and knock: if any man hear my
       voice, and open the door, I will
       come in to him, and will sup with
       him, and he with me." (Rev. 3:20)
(c) 1995 & 2009 by Marilee Miller

10. THE PRAYER TIME (cont.)

Ending a prayer-time:
     Be positive. Think about a Scripture
verse, or a word you have heard. Or think
about the thoughts that God has "told" you
during your prayer time. Or repeat a
Scripture promise or an affirmative
statement of faith. "God is so good..."
"I will love somebody today..." "I will
lift up my eyes to the hills where my
help, in God, comes from..." "My life may
seem crummy, yet I thank you, God, that
you are still in control."

     You may add the formal prayer ending,
"Amen," if you feel good about using that
form. But don't be upset if your prayer
is "open-ended."

     Remember, also, that your prayers may
get interrupted. (You may fall asleep in
the middle of your prayer list! Or you
may start doing something else, completely
forgetting you were supposed to be "at
prayer".) Do not think of these occasions
as "failures". Instead, see in everything
an opportunity to pick up your prayer time
as you go about your daily work. Sing a
hymn while you wash dishes. When you get
out the tools to repair a leaky faucet,
say -- "Thanks for these strong hands to
work with you, Lord." Involve God in all
of your life.
(c) 1995 & 2009 by Marilee Miller

11. THE PRAYER TIME (cont.)

For always:
     We learn to pray, by praying.
Praying takes practice. With much
practice, we will be on our way toward
fulfilling the Biblical hope: to "pray
without ceasing." (see I Thess. 5:7)

            "Blessed be my God, which hath
       not turned away my prayer, nor his
       mercy from me."   (Ps. 66:20)

           "Bow down thine ear, O Lord,
       hear me: for I am poor and needy.
            "Preserve my soul, for I am
       holy: O thou my God, save thy
       servant that trusteth in thee.
            "Be merciful unto me, O Lord,
       for I cry unto thee daily.
            "Rejoice the soul of thy
       servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do
       I lift up my soul.
            "For thou, Lord, art good,
       and ready to forgive; and
      plenteous in mercy unto all them
       that call upon thee.
            "Give ear, O Lord, unto my
       prayer; and attend to the voice of
       my supplications.
            "In the day of my trouble I
      will call upon thee: for thou wilt
       answer me."   (Ps. 86:1-6)
(c) 1995 & 2009 by Marilee Miller

12. WORD STUDY

     We have been studying love. We found
out "love" is a verb -- showing action.

get in habit of
      kindness        love
don't pretend         don't curse
hate evil             be happy
stand                 share sorrow
take delight          work happily
honor                 do not be conceited
serve                 live peacefully
don't be lazy         do not take revenge
serve the Lord        be honest
be glad               feed your enemy
be patient            pray
help
             -- by the High School class
(c) 1995 & 2009 by Marilee Miller

13. A PRAYER

     Thank you, God, for love -- the love
you give us so unconditionally --
forgiving us when we have done wrong (and
loving us in spite of that). Help us to
have your kind of love and give it to
others. We know this is possible only if
we are "walking in your Spirit."
              -- by the High School class
(c) 1995 & 2009 by Marilee Miller

14. TABLE GRACES

We thank you, dear Lord, for the many
blessings you have given us.

We thank you for our home and for each
other.

Bless this food for our use, and help us
to be better Christians.   Amen.
                             -- by H.M.
(c) 1995 & 2009 by Marilee Miller

15. TABLE GRACES (cont.)

Dear Lord, thank you for this day, and for
helping us get our work done. We are
thankful for our good health. Please help
people who are sick, and take care of
people travelling.

Thank you for the food we have. And also,
help us to be better Christians.
                     -- by H. M.
(c) 1995 & 2009 by Marilee Miller

==
[Devotionals in Volume 4, Part 1, are copied or
adapted from the published booklet, "Wanting to
Pray" (edited by Marilee Miller). Appropriate
Scripture texts have here been added by the editor.]
=

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