Praying the Bible and Psalm 119:1 (and 2 Chronicles 7:14, an everyday prayer)

Note 1 to readers and friends: Every day, I will try to include some blessings counted (with the hopes it inspires you to count your own), additional prayer, thoughts on prayer and the Bible, a devotional of sorts, and the verse to pray the Bible. I will share my areas of sunshine and storm and the lessons I have learned as well. I think you will see there is (or will be) depth to this blog as I hope to inspire you to pray the Bible as well. God bless you.

Note 2 to readers and friends: Each of these prayers are meant to be prayed over and over. They are not meant to be one and done prayers. Hence, this blog can be read in any order and at any time. Each blog post is meant to be timeless for the most part. There are a couple of timely prayers here and there, but I am sure if you read them in the future, they will inspire you to pray for your own prayer and that time regarding the current events of your day.

Lord, thank You for: yesterday, tomorrow, this moment, this day, this week, this month, this year, this decade, this home, this family, and this life. Thank You for every single blessing that surrounds each and for the blessings I will receive today. Help me, Father God, to not miss counting one blessing. The more I count, the more I see You, and the more I am able to see You working my life, around my life, and through my life. It is through Your blessing and favor I see You glory and get to know You all the more.

Thank You for Jesus Christ being born so He could die on the cross and be resurrected, for the forgiveness of my sins, and so I can live in and for eternity with Him.

Thank You for the Bible, Your Word, O Lord.

Thank You for prayer.

And, thank you for teaching me how to pray the Bible more and more each day, and how to get the most out of it as well. To You be the glory.

Father God, You my Rock and Redeemer, my Friend, the Way, The Truth, the Light, the Life, my Father and Daddy, the One Most High, the One and Only. I praise and worship You.

Thank You for a good cup of coffee or tea.

Thank You for breakfast.

Thank You for the feel of sheets as they cocoon me at night.

Thank You for waking to a snuggling grey kitten. Help me to snuggle up to You and Your Word.

Thank You for an orange cat who is hanging out close to me on the sofa and that he is resting so well. Help me rest in You and Your Word.

Lord, teach me how to pray.

Teach me, Father, how to pray the Bible.

Give me the desire and the want to pray and pray the Bible... and to do so all day and night.

Lord, tell me what to pray and when. Put the prayers on my lips, heart, and mind.
Please, Father God, help me to not get sidetracked and to stay on task of praying through Bible 24/7/365 without exception.

I want to begin with this verse first:

A VERSE TO PRAY SEVERAL TIMES A DAY EVERY DAY FOR OUR HOME, NATION, THE CHURCH, AND THE WORLD

2 Chronicles 7:14 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
14 and My people who are called by My name humble themselves, pray and seek My face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.

I will let you form your own prayers around 2 Chronicles 7:14 first. Then, later, I will write a blog post on the verse.

I was serious, by the way. We really need to pray this verse all day long and save our friends, families, homes, neighborhoods, nations, the Church, and the world.

PRAYING THROUGH PSALM 119

As You know, Lord, there is a chapter in the Holy Bible which has been on my heart and mind for years now. I have tried repeatedly to prayer journal about, to blog about it, and pray it through. However, I usually stop. I unfortunately get sidetracked. Needless to be say, I think it is time to pray through the Psalm and learn everything I can about Your Word and prayer. So, here it goes.

Lord, help me pray this Psalm 24/7/365 AND learn as much as I can from it.

PRAYING THE BIBLE AND PSALM 119:1

Father God, help me understand, live/apply, and remember the verses of Your Word. For, if I do, my way will be blameless and I will be happy.

Help me follow Your teachings and instructions, God, so I can be blessed from living a pure and blameless life.

How fortunate, blessed, and happy am I, if I am undefiled, pure, blameless, and mind upright I and minds when I live and walk according to the Bible.

Lord, this verse shows the importance of being in Your Word and praying through it.  If I do, then I will be happy, blessed, and and fortunate. Let me be honest here. I do not think I could ever get enough of any of those, particularly the blessed part. Your favor is everything. Your blessings are what I can count and they will last for eternity.

Father, help me pray the Bible and counting my blessings all day and night long. (I also pray this for all of the areas of prayer on my prayer list.)

Pray about the U.S. presidential elections

Forgive me, friends, for posting two blog posts in one day. However, I think you will learn this about me. If I do, it is for a very good reason and I try not to make a habit of doing so. Please give me grace for this today. However, with what happened last night, I thought it was important for me to address the 2016 U.S. Presidential Elections and what happened last night.

Senator Ted Cruz dropped out of the race.

Donald Trump is now the heir apparent, so to speak.

My husband and I received several emails and texts about this and people wondered how we could be so calm about this. Here is how:

We are voting for a platform, not a person. The Republican platform is the only one that lines up with biblical principles. They do not believe in abortion or socialism or fascism. They call terror terror.

We vote for our president and commander-in-chief, not our pastor-in-chief.

Voting is not about emotions, it is about principles.

We know who is really in charge. God is and no one else. We either trust God or we don't. And, here is a hint. If we say we trust God, and follow with a but, however, or if, or any kind of discourse, then we really don't trust  Him.

None of this is a surprise to God.

Voting for the woman who lied about Benghazi, who refuses to fight terror, and who did not properly handle classified information with her email, and who believes in abortion is not the one we should vote for biblically. If she cannot properly handle our national security, she cannot (and should not) be trusted.

Pray that Trump wins and that he lives and presides over the country with biblical values. Pray this every second of every day. Prayers can and will and do make a difference. We can pray for him so much that he can be the best president ever, regardless of how he appears, if we all take praying seriously, and we should. Then, he could be the best man of God and biblical values in the office. Our prayers can make him that way.

So, stop worrying and fretting and complaining. Pray instead that he becomes a God-fearing, Bible-centered man, who leads with those values and that he makes the U.S. Truly one nation under God again.

This is our obligation. Pray. And, vote for him, not for Hillary, and not a blank ballot. The latter actually give Hillary the vote. Not going to the polls is something we will have to answer to one day. Part of rendering to Caesar is voting. Part of our biblical obligation is voting. So, pray and vote. These are the only two things that can save our nation.

Praying the Bible and Psalm 119:28

Lord, You and your Word have perfect timing. I had no idea I was battling the familiar grief until...

Lord, as You know, I started out praying another verse today. However, I was stopped in my tracks after I read a Christian blog post about Mother's Day. The next thing I knew, I was a sobbing mess, which is rare for me these days, and I had something dawn on me. And, it seems in my times of tears You teach me so wonderfully. I think it is because of the verse I want to pray today.

This thought makes me smile. One that is easily found because I have Your Word tucked in way deep inside so silly emotional moments are short-lived while Your Word, and its impact, are eternal.

Gotta love it when I sit at our dining room table, windows and blinds wide open with multiple houses could look in as I cry. Sheesh. I was too transfixed to move. The blog post got my attention. It was for those who have lost a child or who are childless.

Ugh. I have pulled myself together, Abba. The tears start again. I still sit at the same dining room table. Maybe if I don't sob and just let the tears fall, no one will tell what I'm really doing. Or, why should I care?

Lord, You know how hard Mother's Day around Father's Day is for us, for B (my hubby) and me. It's the days we wish we could lack ourselves away a reminded pretend like it isn't happening. We do not go to church. We try not to make any plans. We just get lost in our own little world.

We do not regret not having kids. We couldn't. And, in many ways, we are at peace we didn't have them. But, there are times we miss what could have been. What should have been. If it wasn't for Eve and that fruit, this would never had been a problem.

I still think it is kind of funny, Lord, how both of us are infertile. Not one. Both. It kind of helps since neither one of us have to feel the guilt since we cannot. We both cannot, so no guilt ever known here. Thank you for that.

There was a verse that got me through the second time IVF didn't work. It comes to mind from time to time still.

It is what held me up after the realization we would never have children of our own. Other than four-leggeds. And, oh how we have invested in them!

What makes Mother's Day particularly difficult this year is how we lost two of our four-leggeds. One at the end of September 2015 and the other at the end of January 2016. Two losses in four months, Lord.

So, Father God, we are childless and have lost two.

Ouch.

I haven't cried about Kara cat, Zack Beagle, or not having children in quite some time. Not a cry like I cried today.

But, that verse, Lord.  That verse came to mind and I realized it is the perfect verse to pray. Particularly  today. Particularly since I am also grieving the pain terrorism has caused. A U.S. Navy SEAL was lost in battle today in Iraq. It is terrible to have to fight war, but terrorists cannot be allowed to torture, rape, and slaughter people like they are. It is necessary to fight this war, but the wounded and deaths that result are terrible losses. I thank You, Lord, for them and their sacrifices so I can sit here blubbering at my dining room table. This loss puts mine into proper perspective.

Lord, I cry for his family, friends, and team. I cry to You to bring comfort and resolve that this war is a just one and that his sacrifice was truly worthwhile and will not be forgotten. I will uphold everyone associated with him in my prayers. His loss. Before Mother's Day... Lord, be with those left behind and bring them this verse...

PRAYING THE BIBLE AND PSALM 119:28

Your Word says how David was weary and heavy and he wept from sorrow and grief. He asked You, Lord, to strengthen and encourage him from and through Your Word and its promises.

Lord, my heart is heavy. Encourage and strengthen me according to the promises of Your Word.

This verse is a prayer and is about the Word. It is a perfect verse to show and display how to pray the Bible and it tells why it is so important to pray the Bible to begin with, God.

Strengthen me by the promises of the Bible, Lord.

My strength is insufficient at best.

I seek real strength. Strength of an all-powerful, all-loving,  ever-present, all-knowing God is truly real strength. And, I get that strength through praying Your Word.

Praying Your Word is like weight training. It's good strength building.

Lord, help me keep turning to the Bible, to You alone, for strength. Your strength, given through praying the Word, is infinitely better than my strength.

Praying the Bible is the answer to everything and everyone.

Thank You, Daddy, for all of this. To You be the glory forever and ever.

Please give Your strength to all associated with the fallen U.S. service member.

Also, give Your strength to all families and friends who have lost loved ones because of terror.

God, encourage and strengthen all of those who have lost a mom, lost a child, or cannot have children.

Anyone hurting today is this crazy, mixed-up world, please let Your beautiful Word encourage them and give them strength.

Strengthen us and encourage us through You Word, Lord. All the time.

Help us to continually seek the Bible to pray all day long so we can continually, moment by moment, be enriched by Your Word.

Praying the Bible and 1 Samuel 12:23

I sit here at our dining room table watching the doves eat underneath the bird feeders as our six month old kitten, Seda, recovers from being spayed and watches them as well. It's a partly cloudy day, but the sun still breaks through. The snowcapped mountains stand in the distance and I note how our grass is a little greener. We are still waiting for it to come alive after being dormant all winter. The snow from the weekend has melted for the most part and I smell the wheat bread I just baked on the counter. It is the bread I promised to bake my husband and almost forgot. (Whoops.) The turtle tank beside me sounds like after calming water fountain and I count my blessings on this day.

I pause and pray,  "Thank God."

The truth is I am starting to feel some stress. I shouldn't. But, I do. I am attending Write His Answer and the Colorado Christian Writers Conference in Estes Park, Colorado and it starts next week. The To-Do List keeps growing as I try to push off the disappointment I feel. For months, I have been planning on attending. For months, I tried, Lord, to figure out what to write. I hoped to have a book to present this year. However, I will not. This brings up mixed emotions and thoughts. Hence, I feel a little raw about it, Abba.

The idea of a book finally came to me on April 19, 2016, which sure didn't leave time to write a book. Needless to say, I started to wonder if I am wasting my time and our money. Have I failed again to be a good steward of our time and money, Lord? How many books have I tried to write, and how many genres, and nothing has stuck? Ugh. Yes. More disappointment wells up from within.

Late last week, though, You gave me the vision of what You see for me for my blogging, my writing, and the writing conference. Needless to say, I am quite thrilled. I am going to the conference to learn and to network. No stress here. Seriously. I can just sit back and listen to You and where You lead me, Father God, and what a joy it is to think.

So, why am I feeling a little stressed today, Lord? Is it my To-Do List? Or, am I putting too much pressure on myself to begin a new writing platform?

I just had to stop prayer journaling and just watch for a few minutes as the female dove walked about twenty-five feet from our birdfeeders in the middle of our yard to our birdbath which is on our patio. I saw her fly to the birdbath and watched her drink. She kept her eyes gazing inside our house and I couldn't see through the table to see if Seda had stopped bathing or if she saw the dove as well. I sat there frozen so I could just watch and pray for the pair that visits our yard each day, multiple times per day.

Lord, keep the doves safe, strong, healthy, and help them know their Creator. Give them good lives, Father.

Talk about a beautiful sight, Lord. Thank You.

My stomach growled and I just decided to go get a testing of the bread. My husband loves the heel, while I do not, so I cut that off first and as I do, I realize the loaf will be terrible. I grin. It fell apart as I cut. So, no. It isn't terrible at all. It's just as I thought. The piece I cut for myself fell apart even worse and I have what was a slice of bread, but is now about eight chunks of bread the total size of a slice. I shrug my shoulders and debate on butter or not and decide it doesn't need it after a sampling.

This is My body, comes to mind (Luke 22:19).

It is wrong to say His body was broken for us. His body was not broken at all during the crucifixion. Not one bone was broken. His body was pierced, though.

But, the bread represents His body.

Of course, I cannot chew another bite in the same way as I ponder and pray this.
Lord, thank You for this bread and for Your body, which shows how You are real and really walked on this earth.

There is a slight breeze outside and I make a mental note to bake another loaf of bread next week for my husband so he can eat it while I am gone.

I realize part of the stress I feel about the conference is the wanting to have quite a bit written between now and then. Silly, really, since I and not going to present anything at the conference since I just started writing the blog posts, which I will turn into a book in the future.

I take a sip of the iced decaf green tea which sits in front of me. It makes me pause, think, and pray.

I just hung upside down in my chair to see Seda sitting there in the sun bathing herself again. I call out to her. She trills her call out to me, makes eye contact with me, and waits to see what I'm going to do. I and am again reminded of how, Lord, I should look at You... with anticipation.

Then, I hear a strange sound in the turtle tank and see how Harry is rearranging his tank again. He thinks he is an interior designer. I sigh and go fix the tank as I ask him what he is doing. I sit back down and glance at my To-Do List for tomorrow and I realize how I need to remember praying the Bible 24/7/365 is meant to happen in the midst of life, as we do this thing called life, God.

But, what is different in my case is how You have called me to pray the Bible 24/7/365 for the rest of my life as a full-time profession.

And, I cannot help but think of how I do what I call, pray the news, where I pray over every article that captures my eye from several news sources. This is what has me stressed more than anything, I think.

Usama Bin Laden was killed five years ago to today, and on May 02, 2011.

As I typed that last sentence one of the National Guard's C-130 planes just flew overhead and I can see them heading to their home, at the airport in town.

Yes. I realize how I am not stressed about the conference at all, or the list of things I need to do to get ready or pack between now and then. Rather, what has me stressed is terrorism. ISIS to be exact. No. Not stressed. Edgy. On edge. I am emotional about it. ISIS is still going strong and keeps torturing and killing more people. In fact, there were more attacks in the first quarter in Iraq and Syria than there have been since 2014. Hence, I am on edge because I am prayerful about this.

Lord Jesus Christ, please stop terrorism. Eliminate it altogether. Help people to stop falling for the lies about this side of Islam. Help every single Christian out there to pray for the stopping and total destruction of all terrorism and of ISIS.

Now that I have slowed down to analyze things, it is time to Pray the Bible.

There are four doves outside. I have never seen four out there before. I have seen one two, and three, but never four. Lady Seda is so wound up with twitching and flinging her tail that she is slamming it against the glass. I am surprised she hasn't scared them off. Lord, protect all of them, keep them healthy and content. Give them good and long lives, Lord.

Now, I want to pray through a verse.

PRAYING THE BIBLE AND 1 SAMUEL 12:23

Lord, I learned here how it is a sin against You to pray for others.

Not praying for others is a sin.

Help me, Father God, to remember and to live this verse.

How many times do I get so caught up with my latest challenge that I spend far more time praying to You about me than I pray about others?

Lore, help me learn how to pray for others. Give me the want and desire to do so. Moreover, tell me what to pray for others. Put it in my mind and on my heart.

This is a verse to commit to memory and do my best to not forget it and to help me to apply it in my life.

This verse shows how important it is to pray for others.

To You be the glory forever and ever.

Introduction #2: Praying the Bible for the world

Have you noticed how it seems our world is coming undone spiritually personally and collectively, nationally and globally?

We do not even need to turn on the news. All we need to do is walk around with our ears, hearts, and minds open, and we will hear a multitude of reasons why this is true.

We have gone around trying to ignore or it deny it, sticking our heads in the sand, not wanting to ruffle any feathers. How has this worked out for us? Has it helped? Is the world a better place through our inaction.

There are a couple of individuals and groups who have tried to address and are, the current state of affairs in all of our lives: spiritually, personally and collectively, nationally and globally. Dutch Sheets and An Appeal to Heaven, Franklin Graham and Decision America Tour, and Intercessors for America and GetOutThePrayer.com are a few examples. (I have links for all of these on the main page of my blog if you are interested. Check out the right column and go about one-half to two-thirds down and you'll see my Link List.)

Each of those groups is doing a wonderful thing. All of us need to all sign up for each of them, along with several other prayer groups we can find online. They are important in our current state of affairs. They are bringing a national prayer revival here in the United States of America.

I would like to add another dimension to the prayer revival, nevertheless. We need to have a Praying the Bible 24/7/365 Revival, which adds more depth and more power to the other prayer revivals. After all, if we do not back our prayers with the Word of God, the Holy Bible, then they will not be nearly as effective. Let us be honest here. Each of us, plus our nation and world, sure needs as much effective prayer as we can receive.

Futhermore, I do not know about you, but I want each of my prayers to be as effective as possible. When we pray the Bible as we pray for all of the things God puts in our hearts and minds to pray, then our prayers will be quite powerful and effective.

Rather than keep going on with life as normal, and pretend like everything is alright in our world, I want to face the truth. I want to face the facts. I do not want to live in a world of make-believe. I want to live in reality. And the truth is, our nation and world needs prayer. Never mind how our state, city, neighborhood, church, block, and home needs prayer as well.

The truth is, I haven't prayed for everything like I should (see the last paragraph for different areas of prayer, but it most certainly is not an extensive list). I have failed to live up to my responsibilities biblically. I don't know about you.

Therefore, it is time for me to get serious about praying for our world today, and every dimension of prayer that comes with it. This blog is my attempt to do precisely that.

Welcome to a blog about praying the Bible 24/7/365 for our world.

In this blog, I will share my daily prayers for praying the Bible 24/7/365 for the world and for the areas of prayer listed here:

AREAS OF PRAYER
Pray these in the order God puts on your heart and in your mind
1 Me
2 My home and everyone and everything in it
3 My block
4 My neighborhood
5 My city: homes, government, churches, businesses, schools, etc.
6 My state: homes, government, military, churches, businesses, schools, etc.
7 My nation: homes, government, military, churches, businesses, schools, etc.
8 Our world: homes, government, military, churches, businesses, schools, etc. Each and every nation, particularly the ones God puts on my heart
9 The Church as a whole
10 The U.N.
11 NATO
12 My nation's allies
13 My nation's foes
14 Against terror
15 The news and current events of today

I hope this gives you a good list to use as you pray for each of those areas. I know it sure helps me. These are the areas of prayer I try to focus on a few times per week at least, if not daily. I try to pray for my home, block, city, state, nation, the Church as as whole, against terror, and the world each day, however.

In time, I hope to pray every verse of the Bible for our world today and list them here.

By the way, on my twitter.com account, I tweet about prayer requests from the news stories each day. They are not meant to be items of my opinions, but as prayer points for us to pray about and through. My account is: @RYPStories and can be found at this link:
https://twitter.com/RYPStories

Or, if you prefer, my Google+ account:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/103261940213090097010

Hence, my plan with this blog is to first pray the verse or verses. Then, pray for the areas of prayer each day. Moreover, in time, I will turn these prayers and blog posts into a book one day as well. I will edit them and add material to them and then offer them in a book format, in paperback and in an e-book, which will sure make it handier to use for your prayers rather than off of this blog.

I hope this blog will be advantageous for you to help you to learn to pray the Bible 24/7/365 for this world.

God bless.

Now, let's get started.

Prayer for a new day, week, and month

Lord, thank you for this moment. For this day. For this new week. For this new month. Let me only do with my time what You want, not what I want.

Help me to pray the Bible and to learn how to do it 24/7/365. I know it will change me and my life. Your will, not mine, be done. Help me to put You and Your Word first, now and always.

Lord, I want to learn how to pray the Bible because it is the answer for everything and is what You ask of me (and all of us). Help me to learn as much as possible and to listen far more to You than what I say as I pray the Bible.

Use me, Lord.

Praying Through Psalm 1:1-6

Lord, let me start with a reminder of where we left off last time as I pray through Psalm 1:1-4.

You taught me how praying through the Bible is holding my thoughts captive. When I pray the Word, I am holding my thoughts captive and am making them obedient to Christ, who is the Word. Wow, Lord. Thank You. I will think on that and pray that thought through.

Praying Through Psalm 1:4:

Father God, Psalm 1:4 says how the wicked are not like this, which means are not like Psalm 1:2-3.

Pause.

The wicked. I’m letting this roll around in my head for a moment, Lord.

Those who do not live verses two through three are wicked. God?

Gulp. The implications of that are pretty staggering. I used to think I wasn’t wicked. Before today, that is, as a matter of fact. Not praying through the Bible 23/7/365, and taking our thoughts captive by being in the word, by not praying, leads to temptation, to sin, to long-term sin, to multiple sins, which are wickedness.

I’m going to do a word study of “wicked” in Psalm 1:1 and 1:4. “Wicked” = rasha (raw-sha) = wicked, criminal, evil, guilty, ungodly, offender, deserving punishment, hostile, sinful, rebellious, wrongdoer, morally or actively, etc. It occurs 262 times in the Bible, according to Strong’s and Englishman’s Concordance.

I must admit how easy it is for me to say I am not or cannot be wicked. However, I have a pulse. Which means I can be. If I am not praying without ceasing, not always giving thanks, and are not meditating on the Bible 24/7/365, I will at the very least have moments of wickedness. The longer I am between not praying through the Bible only adds to the chances of my acting and being wicked, if I were to be totally honest. Which only means… I am wicked at times. Talk about a wakeup call.

The further I am in-between of praying through Your word, Lord, the more my temptation can turn into sin, which can turn into wickedness. Yes. The longer I am not doing what I am supposed to be doing, the more wickedness will sink its teeth into me and not let go, whether in my emotions, thoughts, and/or behavior. Moreover, I may not even realize it, Lord. This is dangerous.

Praying through the Bible is absolutely essential. Being in the Word protects me from myself, others, temptation, sin, and wickedness. It is an inoculation. It’s like a preventative shot in the arm. Praying through Your Word is the first line of defense and offense (since the Word is the Sword of the Spirit—an offensive weapon—see Ephesians 3:17).

Wow, Lord. I keep shaking my head and have a grin on my face one moment and weepy eyes the next moment. Oh, how You have enlightened me, taught me, answered my prayers, and amazed me this morning, Lord! Glory! Thank You, God.

Father God, looking at Psalm 1:4 some more… When we have a wicked nature (which all of us have and should not ignore or deny), we then do not live Psalm 1:2-3. If we do not live verses two through three, we act wicked and act as chaff, which is useless and is easily scattered by the wind. And here in Wyoming, the wind rarely ceases. I would rather live like a big, strong, thriving, solid, fruitful tree (verse 3) than live like a dead leaf which is easily moved.

I just heard of a former neighbor who has to pay three thousand dollars to have a 30-year old willow tree removed because it died. It is now a danger to all around it because it could fall over and smash all underneath it. It is like chaff now. And, this willow warns me what happens if I thrive through praying the Word, and ever stop, everyone around me will be and could be impacted by my lack of self-discipline of praying through the Bible 24/7/365. The more I thrive in the Bible now, if I fall and stop doing so, I will cause more damage to self and others and even other things.

Hah! I have been scattered for years, I realized just now. Furthermore, I haven’t been blown just by the wind, but by even a small, gentle breeze. Wow. I see it and get it, Lord. You have opened my understanding to Your will this morning, Lord (see Isaiah 50:4).

I have been chaff and have caused damage because of my lack of praying through the Bible. This is another big, light bulb moment for me, Lord. I must be firmly planted in praying through the holy Word. I have thought and felt as though something was missing. I have not felt whole. I haven’t been able to write. Not like I could or should, never mind want.

Well, no wonder… I need to pray through the Bible. This is what I was missing. THIS is my purpose—and is all of our purpose, without exception.

Praying Through Psalm 1:5:

The wicked will face condemnation at the time of judgment. Moreover, a sinner will not have a place with the godly. Oh, the importance of praying the Word of God!

Praying Through Psalm 1:6:

The Father watches and observes the way of the godly. But, destruction is where the wicked travel. A fork in the road… Which way do we want to travel? Lord, help us all choose the road which leads to thriving, abundant life—not destruction. Little.  Which road would you rather take? One path is easy. One path demands constant, relentless focus and determination. One path requires no work. The other path requires no breaks and constant work and attention to detail. One way is easy. One way is hard. One requires little. The other way requires much.

I stop and look around at the view as I journey and pray through the Bible, Lord, and I see one path of light and thriving fruit trees and another path of a desert in drought in mid-summer. If I chose life, it requires much of me. But, I will live and prosper. The other road is easy and requires little to none from me, but has no life. I have learned the past two days how praying through the Bible requires 23/7/365 attention and commitment, But, it is more than worthwhile and means I will thrive. Why would I want to be lifeless chaff easily scattered when I can thrive and be fruitful at all times and in all seasons?

And, then, Lord, we wonder what is wrong with us—and with the word. We feel dead, lifeless, empty, pointless, purposeless, and bored if we are not constantly praying through the Bible, Lord. And, we do not just feel it. We are dead. And we wonder why our latest pursuits do not make us feel happy, content, and joyful. We cannot be if we do not personally live Psalm 1:2 24/7/365.

I think I want to pray through all of this a while more, Lord.

To be continued in the next blog post.

(Originally written on Tuesday, April 19, 2016.)

Lord, teach me how to pray through Your Word

Lord, teach me how to pray through the Bible day and night.

Give me the want to do so.

Tell me what to pray. Put it on my mind and in my heart.

Teach me the meaning of each verse of the Bible and how I can pray it through for everyone and everything.

Praying through Psalm 1:1-3, Part 2

Lord, as I pray through the Bible, whenever I pray for I or me, unless it is highly personal, I also pray for: My husband, our marriage, our home, our family and friends, our block, our neighborhood, our city, the churches and government in our city, the businesses in our city, our county, the churches and government in our county, the businesses in our county, our state, the churches and government of our state, the businesses in our state, our region in our country, the churches and government in our region, the businesses in oir region, our country or nation, the churches and government and military of our nation, the businesses in our country, the nation's of the world, the churches and governments and militaries of all nations in this world, the businesses of the world, the U.N., NATO, against all terrorism worldwide, for our allies, for the news and current events worldwide, for all believers, and for nonbelievers worldwide (for the Great Commission to be fulfilled every year).

These are the we and us, not just the I or me. It will take me far longer to write out each of those out each time I pray something than just to say I, me, us, and we. Please forgive the abbreviation, Lord, but I think You understand. I, of course, will pray specifically when led by You to do so.

I pray for all of us.

Praying Through Psalm 1:3: The Word makes us thrive and it means we will always have what we need, in abundance, so we will never want because it is already provided for. In advance. Ahead of time. Before we ask, because we pray through the Holy Bible 24/7/365. Period. How marvelous, awesome, amazing! How You, God. This is so You. Glory! You are holy, holy, holy times holy, holy, holy. Wow! Wonder of Wonders.

We will only thrive if we pray through the Bible morning, noon, and night, day in and day out. Then, we will not only thrive, but we will bear fruit in each and every season. Meaning all the seasons. All four of them. Meaning all the time. We will bear spiritual fruit all the time, in every season, even in scorching summer or snowy winters, as well as rainy spring and cooler autumn. We will love an abundant life and will never want or need. Afternall, of we pray through Your Word 24/7/365, then we are on Your path and You, Lord, will be able to work through us, in us, and around us, for we are without need or want, are thriving, and are bearing fruit and having abundant lives.

Moreover, our leaves will never wither, dry up, or die.

After all, we meditate on Your Word, and pray through the Bible, all day and all night, and are like trees planted besides streams of water.

We will not falter, as in verse one, and it is because of verses 2 and 3.

Lord, I have gotten all of this out of reading and praying through Psalm 1:1-3 alone, without Bible commentaries, Bible textbooks, Bible studies, or sermon notes. It has been from praying through Your Word alone.

Praying Through Psalm 1:4: Lord, verse 4 shows the exact opposite of living of verses two and three. But, I imagine verse 4 is true because the wicked do not live verse two. Father God, I am going to pause and let that sink in for a moment.

How easy is it, without even realizing it, to move from temptation to sin to being a wicked mess and multiple sinning when we are not in the Holy Bible. Again, Lord, I am letting this sink in. I do not want to gloss over this and miss it's importance in my life.

A couple of weeks ago, I realized something important. I have never been able to have two thoughts at once (at the same time). I only am able to think one thought, then the other. Sure, the thoughts might come fast and are strung together, but are never at the same time. It is like walking. I cannot stop with both feet at the same time, unless I hop. I have to put one foot in front of the other in order to walk. Needless to say, I cannot think two thoughts at once.

Hence, if I am praying through the Word, it is hard for my thoughts to lead me to sin or wrongdoing because I am already thinking and praying the Word. I cannot pray through the Bible and think wicked thoughts at the same time and then I will jot act on those thoughts if they do come to mind, because I am already thinking, reading, and praying the Word of God.

Is this not why the Bible tells us to always pray, always meditate on the Bible, always be joyful, and always give thanks? Praying through the Word should always be our primary thought because it keeps us out he right path and keeps us from temptation and wrongdoing.

The wicked in verse 4 are not living verse 2. If they were, their primary thoughts would be on praying through the Bible. Praying through the Word of God is keeping our thoughts captive (see 2 Corinthians 10:3-5) and makes us think on godly things (Romans 12:2 and Philippians 4:8).

Wow. This is another big and important light bulb moment. Praying through the Word is holding our thoughts captive is making them obedient to Christ Jesus, who is the Word. Wow, Lord. Thank You.

Praying through Psalm 1:1-3, Part 1

Note:

Today will be the first blog post of actually Praying Through the Bible. I hand wrote this post a couple of days ago and my life has not been the same since. It’s quite a lengthy prayer. I guess we will see if it is one blog post or two. Time will tell. The prayer journaling I hand wrote was over eleven pages long, but I may add to it as I type it up on my computer. We shall see. Time will tell.

Prayer:

Lord, I just read all the way through Psalm so I could familiarize myself with the Psalm again. The initial reading made me a little weepy as I realized, Father, how it was the perfect chapter to start praying through. I realize now how You have really given me my purpose. My purpose for living in general. My purpose for my prayer, Bible reading and study, giving thanks, life in general, my prayer journaling, my blogging, my writing. It is praying through the Bible, no doubt.

I also realize how you have given me this purpose all along, or at least since I was nineteen years old, and here we are over two decades later and I see it come around full circle. This was why You made me. I am to pray through the Bible and share my journey as I do so. What I share on my blog, and later in book form, can inspire others to pray the bible for themselves by using these blog posts as a stepping off point.

Amazing, Lord. Simply amazing.

I cannot wait to create on my blog the Praying Through the Bible resource of every chapter, ever verse of the Bible in time. It will also be a resource on prayer in general. The blog, in time, will also be able to be used as a Bible reading and Bible study resource, as well as a daily devotional. In short, it is everything You ever put into my heart spiritually and professionally rolled up into one—and Psalm 1 is the perfect stepping off point. Thank You, Lord.

What an answer to prayer, God, You showing me how everything through my life has come together to bring me to this point. To You be the glory forever and ever. For, this is all about You and is not about me. If it were left to me, I would still be shriveled up in a corner twiddling my thumbs, trying to figure out how to heal from my hurts and fix my writing. Thank You for working in me, through me, and around me up to this point and I cannot wait to see where You take me and us (readers of the blog) on this journey.

I was made for this, Lord. I can see that now. Then again, looking back on this a couple of days later, I can honestly say I believe wholeheartedly every single human being on the planet was made for this. Thank You for opening my eyes to this.

Last night, Lord, I shared Your vision of my personal prayer journaling being typed up and turned into a blog post, and the blog posts then being turned into a book over time to my husband. He got a faraway look for a moment and said, “This truly is. I will do everything I can to support you so you can fulfill the vision God has in your life.” And, bless his soul, I know he meant every word. Thank You, Lord, for such a fine husband, and for confirming things through him.

April 19^th was Day 1 for me in my personal prayer journal, but April 20^th was the first blog post. Therefore, this will be the anniversary date, Lord. I look forward to looking back in a week, in a month, every three months, and over a year and see what all I/we have prayed through. I am pretty sure it will be absolutely amazing, Father.

Oh, dear, Lord. This blog post, as I pray through Psalm 1 again as I type, is growing by the second and I am afraid I have been quite babbly in prayer. I would say forgive me, but I am pretty confident You would rather have me babble for a minute or two than be silent for a minute or two.

Lord, verse 2 shows how I avoid verse 1. I have always wondered how it is possible to meditate on the Word night and day (verse 2), pray without ceasing (Philippians 4:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:17), and always be thankful (give thanks, 1 Thessalonians 5:18)—at the same time. Now I know how. It is by praying through the Bible every day, all night and day long.

Abba, how should I proceed? Should I pray one book at a time? Should I pray one chapter or one verse at a time? I am, obviously starting with Psalms. Wait. Or, am I? I will hush and will follow Your lead as to what I pray through in Your Word next. Lead me, Father. Help me hear You every clearly as to what to do and when, and how and what to pray. But, first, I should get back to Psalm 1, Lord.

I just read through Psalm 1 again.

Your Word seems to ask: Want joy? (Joy is found in verse 1.) Then, do verse 2. Want delight? Verse 2 is also the answer. Want both joy and delight? Verse 2 is still the answer. Do you want to learn how to have true joy and true, absolute delight in the Holy Bible? See verse 2. If we meditate on the Word of God, the Holy Bible, Lord, and do so night and day, we will have joy and will then develop delight in the Bible. But, neither joy or delight develop until then… until we meditate, ponder, contemplate, think on, and pray through the Bible morning, noon, and night.

God, I cannot help but think how if I am praying through the Holy Bible all night and day, it becomes harder to be tempted and sin. It makes it difficult to live a sinful lifestyle of Psalm 1:1. See, Lord. I am liking the sound of that already.

Verse 3 is the answer to prayer and is an answer in advance, ahead of time. If we pray through the Bible morning, noon, afternoon, evening, and night… then verse 3. Then, we will be like trees which are planted by the bank of a river… never of need. Never thirsty. Thriving. Tall. Wide. Built up. Strong. Wow. Weepy again. This is what Your Word offers. Thank You Lord.

To be continued…

Introduction to praying through the Bible 24/7/365

A time of change and healing: How hurts and trying to heal have impacted my writing

They say that the Bible is the answer to and for everything. I couldn’t agree more, particularly as I type this. I will get back to this thought in a moment.

What I am about to share is a story I think everyone can understand to some degree and has been at this place in life as well. I cannot wait to share the journey of healing and how it’s changed me enormously already, for the good. More of this will be reflected in the next blog post, by the way.

You see, I am using a new system now with my blogging and writing. I am handwriting my prayer journaling, then typing it up as a blog post. Once I get enough blog posts, I will turn them into a book by editing and adding to them. This is a drastically different approach than I have ever used and I want to make it one I keep using from now on since the truth is I write better on the page by hand and then as I type it up, I am able to edit it and make it all the better. It works well so far. I pray that trend continues.

I stopped blogging and writing for a while so I could pray and see truly where the Lord is leading me with each, never mind my life. I had to. I was desperate. After all, I realized nothing in my life, other than my marriage, was working as it should or could. I am out of sync somehow. What I am about to share is proof of my state of transition.

I am an adult. I have a brain and I know how to use it. This means I can change. I have the ability to change. If I choose to do so. I also realize it takes months of hard work, where it takes a constant deliberate mindset to change. It does not come easily by any stretch of the imagination. I have to change, and so did my blogging and writing because of what I am about to share.

A little over a week ago, I had a wakeup call as I allowed someone to hurt me deeply. It was someone I knew I should not have given the power to do so, since they have bit me before, but I did. I thought, by mistake again, that they had changed. Well, they have. They have the same spots, the spots just moved a little and acted as camouflage so I didn’t see it coming. The truth is, I don’t think they expected it either and it surprised them just as much as it did me. They didn’t do it intentionally, but it still happened. Also, I still have no idea how to pick up with them from here. I love them, but I am no doormat. But, I cannot be a callous individual either. I keep praying God shows me His biblical way and that I do not act merely out of what I desire, which is self-preservation at this point. 

I have forgiven, but it’s the forgetting part I am finding a little challenging. (Okay… Maybe a lot challenging. Lord, help me.) However, it says in 1 Corinthians 13 how love keeps no record of wrongs. Ugh. I know that is essential. It’s nonnegotiable. That is why I have pulled away from them for now because they don’t deserve any of my hostility as I try to forget and heal. They don’t need me confused as I try to have a relationship with them. I will say and do something stupid, by accident, and possibly intentionally at the time, if I am completely honest with myself… and they sure don’t deserve that. Two wrongs have never made a right. (Sorry about the cliché, but it conveys so much.) Nor will I put myself in that predicament.

Needless to say, I am in the process of trying to heal, but frankly have no idea where to turn or how to go about that. Or, maybe I should have said that in the past tense. I had no idea where to turn and how no idea to go about the process of healing. I do now, but again, I will get there in a moment.

The fact I allowed myself to be hurt like that, when it is in their nature, gave me a muchly needed wakeup call. That was when I realized how my blogging and writing are proof that something is off with me, and allowing the hurt is more proof. I have not been able to commit to one style of writing. I even started to ask, am I supposed to even be a writer? Have I been spinning my wheels, getting nowhere, for nothing? Have I been fooling myself? Was it wishful thinking? Consequently, I took a step back.

That was when I started to do something I should have done all along. I analyzed my life and where I am and where I will end up if I keep heading in this direction. I’m talking as a person, as well as a Christian, as a blogger, as a writer, and as a journal keeper. I didn’t care for what I saw. I am a scatterbrain who commits to not much but my marriage. I want to commit to my blogging and writing, but nothing ever lasts. I get an idea and the moment the wind shifts, I give up the idea and switch to the latest, greatest, this is it idea. None of this is fair to any of the readers of the blog or my writing.

So, what can I commit to anyway? What is holding me back from making the commitment?

One thing I realized is as much as I try to pray, I really don’t. I hope that makes sense, or will after a few blog posts (or should I say blog post confessionals). I pray, but again, I haven’t really, truly, totally, completely committed. (Yes. I used all of those synonyms to stress how lost I am with my praying life.) Like my blogging and writing life. Like my Bible reading and study as well.

Short of wanting to bury myself in a hole, or at least under the covers of my bed in shame, I realized that it was with my prayer and Word life I needed to start to commit. Really commit. Never give up or stop commit.

If my prayer life and Word life are nothing they should be, wouldn’t it stand to reason that the rest of the facets of my life would be out of kilter as well? After all, nothing is more important than my prayer and Bible life. And, I mean nothing. But, my life sure has been a sorrowful poor example of this, if I were to stop and be honest. Sure, I might do well for a couple of days or weeks, but it wouldn’t last. It never did. And, it never will unless I do something I have never done before.

So, what on earth does that look like? I couldn’t help but wonder.

And, I ever dreamed the answer would be what it is. (I sure do love it when He surprised me like He has the tendency to do.)

I realize now that I look back on things, God has been trying to point me in this direction all along, but I never imagined it would be in this manner.

I realized how I put too many expectations on prayer. Do all of us do this or is it just me? And, in my effort of placing all of these expectations on prayer, it would stop me from praying. It would stifle me and make me not want to pray. Too many expectations on prayer would stop any of us from praying as we should or could.

Now, it starts. (Just wait. You will see what I mean. I just made the switch form narrative to prayer.)

I realize the main thing about prayer is to turn our hearts and minds toward You, Lord… and talk with You, and listen, and pray Your Word. Praying Your Word is the main answer to every question, problem, dilemma, confusion, expectation, etc. with prayer.

No. Scratch that. Praying the Word is the answer for everything… not just prayer.

Literally.

Don’t know what to pray or how, pray what you read in the Bible, which is Your Word, Lord. Think your prayers are silly or immature? Pray the Holy Bible. Want to pray more powerful prayers? Pray the Word. What to pray without ceasing? Pray the Bible. Want to count your blessings and worship God by giving thanks? Pray the Word of God.

Just open the Bible and pray whatever you read. Pray the Bible. It really is that simple.

Thank You, Lord, for simplifying things. I oftentimes make things far more complicated than they need to be. This makes it something I can do, even when I am not thinking straight, and even when I am.

This is what I am focusing my entire life on now, is praying through the Bible. I will also focus all of my blogging and writing on this. And, this will not change. It cannot. There is too much at stake.

Just wait until the next blog post. That’s when things will come together and it will bless your socks off! I guarantee it. God is good that way.

Pray through the Bible. This is the answer. It is the only answer, actually.