Tag: God is Forgiving

Worthy of Praise

Featured Joy Bennett

Praise the Lord

Lord, we exalt You for Your forgiveness and that You do not hold Your anger forever but delight in mercy.  We also rejoice in Your lovingkindness toward Your people. Thank You that You are great beyond anything we can imagine, gracious in Your compassionate gifts, and always good in Your actions.

Prayer for Teachers

We humbly ask You, Lord, to keep our eyes on the truth of Who You Are for Your people as we go about our daily tasks. Many of our students have struggles that affect us and we need to cultivate genuine hearts of praise toward You Who alone are all that is good and worthy of glory. Guide us to remember, especially in our worst moments, that we are forgiven by You. Give us a firm grasp of Your everlasting love for us and how You draw us to Yourself with lovingkindness. Open our eyes to how You are at work in love even during difficulties. Let us rehearse Your greatness as we take one step at a time through complex decisions and experience the effects of sinful people. We know that we will have peace that passes all understanding when we consider all that is praiseworthy in Your character. Help us to seek You in good times and bad, recalling Your lavish gifts of grace to us as Your beloved children. May we never doubt Your goodness and plans for our benefit throughout our challenges.

Deut 3:24; Ps 31:19; 116:5; Is 30:18; Jer 31:3; Micah 7:18-19; Phil 4:8

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Peace in God Who is Worthy of Praise

Featured Joy Bennett

Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!” ~ Ps 34:8

Praise God

Lord, in You alone are riches, honor, glory, goodness, light, joy, and peace. You are loving in all Your actions. Indeed, we praise You for the entirety of Your character.

Prayer

We step into Your peace when we focus on Your undeniable goodness, Father. Lead us to the refreshing waters of Your truth so we can enjoy the serenity that comes from meditating on Your praiseworthiness. Because You know our lives and the sin that is in the world, You have provided renewal for our souls. We exalt You, for no matter the stresses we have at school, with our health, in relationships, with finances, or in any other area, We see that You are working for our good.

Move Your Word to the front of our minds so we focus on Your goodness, forgiveness, and love. Your nature is to desire the highest good for Your creation. You have generously forgiven all of our sins, and Your unfailing love is displayed in all you have done, and continue to do. Thank You for loving us with an everlasting love, and drawing us to Yourself. Even now we can be calm in our circumstances with this knowledge.

For Your glory, guide our thoughts so that we elevate Your greatness. You are beyond comparison to anything we can imagine or measure. Show us how great Your power is on our behalf, regardless of our situations, and bring us peace. You are always working mightily on behalf of Your people, and in ways we cannot comprehend. Oh Lord, may we rest in the knowledge of this.

With these many gifts, Your heart of grace is magnified. You are gracious, righteous, and compassionate, waiting for opportunities to show this compassion to Your people. It is in Your justice that You bless those who long for You, even raising us to the heavenly places in Christ Jesus so that You can bless us with Your kindness all the more. Lord, keep us in this mindset, trusting You, resting in You, and confident of Your love because of our position as Your beloved children. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.

Ps 31:19; 73:23-26; 104:1; 106, 116:5; 118; Is 30:18; Jer 31:3; Mic 7:18-19; Eph 1:4; 2:6-7

Loving Actions Make the Difference

Featured Joy Bennett

Dear Lord, we worship You as all-wise, for wisdom is Yours (Daniel 2:20). We ask You to guide teachers who regularly have difficult decisions to make as they work with students, parents, administrators, or staff. Your principles are the best guidance we can ask for and we pray that You keep the minds of teachers set on righteousness for Your glory.

Lord, remind each one that, when it is within their power, and as they have opportunity, they should seek to do good to everyone (Pv 3:27, Gal 6:10). We know that good decisions can be a variety of things so we also ask You to help each one seek that which is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God, not according to the patterns of this world but by the guidance of Your Word (Rom 12:2). 

Especially for Christian teachers, we thank You that when we seek You in Your Word, we find that Your will is that we love You and love others (Mat 22:36-38).  Help each teacher gain the wisdom to determine the most loving actions they can provide toward others at any given moment. Especially when working with students, for a child to reap the greatest benefit, guide the teacher to come to You for wisdom knowing that if they lack wisdom, they should ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and they will receive it (Jas 1:5). 

In each situation, You call us to model the love of Christ. Lord, help these teachers imitate You by laying their preferences at Your feet and setting their minds on the things of Christ (Col 3:2) so that they may put on compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with and forgiving others. Above all these, let them put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. Let the peace of Christ rule in their hearts, and let them be thankful to You for Your guidance. Let the word of Christ dwell in them richly, and whatever they do, in word or deed, let them do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him (Col 3:12-17).

Lord, You are our God of second chances and we pray for wisdom to recognize how often we need to give second chances to our students and others. Help us be filled with all the fullness of God, satisfied in You, and obedient to accomplish Your will here on earth (Eph 3:14). Open our eyes to the needs of our students and allow us to make progress where progress can be made, holding every decision before You, knowing that You are our loving, sovereign, trustworthy God Who delights in guiding us in each situation.  In Your Name and for Your glory, Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen.

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Feeling Displaced and Uncertain

Joy Bennett

Dear Lord, we pray for Christian teachers who may feel displaced today. We pray against loneliness, uncertainty, and fear because You are our keeper (Ps 121:5), ever-present and ministering to our souls (Ps 139:7-10). 

For those who feel like they are strangers or suffer from Imposter Syndrome, let them be assured in their identity in Christ, remembering that they are no longer strangers and aliens with You, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God (Eph 2:19), called to their place of ministry (Eph 2:10) and empowered by You Who made heaven and earth (Jer 32:17;27).

For those who do not have fellowship with other believers because they are new to an area or because there is no local church to sustain them, let them find they have the ultimate fellowship with You which provides all they need (2 Cor 13:14; Phil 2:1). Build them up through Christian radio, theologically sound books and podcasts, and conversations with people of faith in other locations. In this time of suffering, encourage their hearts that this can cause them to cling to God as never before and result in spiritual growth (Rom 5:3-5) and deeper fellowship with You. Lord, minister to these believers, reminding them that they possess an immovable union with Christ, that they are led by Your Spirit and they have communion with You at all times (1 John 1:3; 1 Cor 6:17). During solitary meals or isolation in their classrooms, remind their hearts that they are at home in You and let them find rest for their souls in Your Word (Ps 62:5; 1 Pet 5:10; Ps 119:114,162).

Lord, in this time of isolation or uncertainty, we pray that You reveal to our displaced brothers and sisters that they are blessed by You because they will discover Your goodness and grow in their ability to trust in You (Pv 16:20b). Let our Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom You send us in Christ, remind them of everything You have said to them in Your Word, leading to a rich and rewarding peace from You alone (John 14:26-27). 

Finally, Lord, remind them of these ten blessings from Romans 5:1-5: (1) We stand before You in purity, just as if we had never sinned (2) You give us peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (3) You give us access by faith into this grace, helping us stand (4) You set our minds to rejoice in the hope of the glory of God to be displayed in our everyday circumstances (5) You let us rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance (6) You work endurance which produces character (7) You create character in us which produces hope in our daily walk (8) Your hope does not put us to shame here on earth (9) Your love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit (10) The Holy Spirit has been given to us, indwelling us, marking us, preserving us, empowering us, setting us apart in holiness, and counseling us. 

Let each one rest in You through these great promises. Praise You, Lord. Amen.

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