Here is a wonderful morning prayer from the Psalms:

“Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love,
for in you I trust.
Make me know the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul.
Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God!
Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!”

Psalm 143:8, 10

“Soon the pursuers arrived and arrested two of the servants there, one of whom, under torture, showed them to Polycarp’s quarters. It was night, and they found him lying in an upper bedroom. He could have moved to another house, but he had refused, saying, ‘God’s will be done.’ When he heard that they had come, he went down and talked with them in such a cheerful, serene manner that they were astounded in view of his old age and confident air and wondered why there was such anxiety to arrest an old man of such character. He ordered that a table be set for them and invited them to dine with gusto, asking only for a single hour to pray undistrubed. This granted, he stood up and prayed, filled with the grace of the Lord, to the astonishment of those present, many of whom grew distressed that so dignified and godlike a man was going to his death.”

Prayer “often takes the form of importunity, passionate pleading to God, even wrestling with God. Such an attitude presupposes that God’s ultimate will is unchanging, but the way in which he chooses to realize this will is dependent on the prayers of his children. He wants us as covenant partners, not as automatons or slaves. In this restricted sense prayer may be said to change the will of God. But more fundamentally it is sharing with God our needs and desires so that we might be more fully conformed to his ultimate will and purpose.”

- D. G. Bloesch, “Prayer,” in Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 867.

This site is a tool for the body of Christ around the world. It is designed to equip individuals, churches, organizations, families, and communities with a very simple but powerful way to increase the amount of prayer that is lifted up for the things they care about and for the things that God cares about.

One of the most powerful aspects of this site is the ability that it gives anyone to create their own prayer forums about anything they care about. A prayer forum is a group of related prayer topics. For example, you might create a prayer forum for your church under the “Churches” forum in the “Prayer Room” forum. Once you have created a prayer forum for your church, you could add topics for prayer related to your church within that forum.

This may be a useful tool for you in your church, ministry, missions projects, particular crises or anything else for which a community might want to pray together.

We heard their stories and prayed for each of their situations (we also played basketball, ate snacks, and had good fellowship). We were challenged by how much suffering goes on in the world that we are not aware of and encouraged to be available for God to use us to demonstrate his love and truth to other.

What struck me deeply as I heard the story is that we all have issues of the flesh, lesser issues of addiction. Those things with which we struggle with for years and about which we pray for help from God. I have come to believe that those issues are not habits with which to wrestle with, they are habits to kill by surrender and faith. So I observed my own to identify where to begin. What weaknesses of my flesh do I flop around with, thinking I am fighting some kind of battle? When in fact, I am simply failing to surrender that area of my life to God in faith that he can empower me to live in obedience?

“I suspect I have sometimes used spiritual disciplines as smoke signals to get God’s attention. Now I am learning they are ways of letting him capture mine.”
- Carolyn Arends

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for yoursouls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matt 11:28-30

I will live with a restful soul because my yoke is that which I carry with Christ himself. I had such a refreshing time of prayer this morning. I realized that although I have been consistently having my time with God each day, I have failed to really take the time to pray, interceding for others and discussing with God all the issues of life. I have been busy working for God, but heavy laden because I have not been allowing Christ to carry, lead, and empower me. This is rest for my soul. And this rest, at least partially, comes through time with God in prayer.