Persistence in Prayer
Meditation for the day taken from Everyday Prayer with John Calvin written by Donald McKim:
Scripture: Luke 11:5-13
We live in a world today when people seemingly have everything they want instantly. The modern conveniences of our world have taught us to demand what we want and to get what we want now. Waiting? Patience? These virtues seem to be things of by-gone days. Accordingly, perseverance and persistence are lacking in the hearts and minds of many people. Laboring diligently and pressing forward even when things seem difficult are not things people are very good at, it seems. I am concerned that these virtues have been lost, by and large, in our world.
What is more alarming is how they seem to be lost in the church among professing Christians. Perseverance and persistence in the faith is something that all professing Christians are called to do. We are to do that in our lives as we strive after holiness and godliness using all the outward means whereby Christ communicates the benefits of redemption (Westminster Shorter Catechism Q85; Prov. 2:1-5). That is to say, that all of life is to be lived with persistence and perseverance. Therefore, that attitude and determination must be applied to the subject of prayer.
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Daily Prayer for July 27, 2021
Prayer: Grant, Almighty God, that as thou hast made us a royal priesthood in thy Son, that we may daily offer to thee spiritual sacrifices, and be devoted to thee, both in body and soul, -- O grant, that we, being endued with thy power, may boldly fight against Satan, and never doubt but that thou wilt finally give us the victory, though we may have to undergo many troubles and difficulties: and may not the contempt of the world frighten or dishearten us, but may we patiently bear all our reproaches, until thou at length stretchest forth thine hand to raise us up to that glory, the perfection of which now appears in our head, and shall at last be clearly seen in all the members, in the whole body, even when he shall come to gather us into that celestial kingdom, which he has purchased for us by his own blood. -- Amen. [From the prayers of John Calvin]
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The Morning Devotional: WSC Q34
The Morning Devotional for July 27, 2021
The Westminster Shorter Catechism Q34
What is adoption?
Adoption is an act of God’ s free grace, (1 John 3:1) whereby we are received into the number, and have a right to all the privileges of the sons of God. (John 1:12, Rom. 8:17)
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Daily Prayer for June 26, 2021
Prayer: Our God in heaven: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we thank you and praise you for another day that you have made. You have given us this day that we would glorify you in all that we do. As your people, we are committed to being glad that you have made this day that we might serve you and honor you and praise your name in thought, word, and deed. Therefore, please help us, Father. Forgive us for our sins and transgressions against you and help us to walk worthy of the calling you have placed on us. We thank you for the privilege of the preached Word that we heard yesterday and ask that you would cause us to meditate on it, confer with it, and seek to bring forth fruit from it in our lives. We know that we are often slow to hear, but please grant us willing hearts as we ponder the living voice of Christ to us, your redeemed children. Be merciful and grant us these things through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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The Morning Devotional: WSC Q33
The Morning Devotional for July 26, 2021
The Westminster Shorter Catechism Q33
What is justification?
Justification is an act of God’ s free grace, wherein he pardoneth all our sins, (Rom. 3:24–25, Rom. 4:6–8) and accepteth us as righteous in his sight, (2 Cor. 5:19,21) only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, (Rom. 5:17–19) and received by faith alone. (Gal. 2:16, Phil. 3:9)
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Daily Prayer for the Lord's Day, July 25, 2021
Prayer: Our God in heaven, you have redeemed a people to come apart from the world and be your chosen nation and treasured possession. Though we are not of the world, we still live in the world. As pilgrims, we are traveling to our heavenly rest, and you are pleased to give us one day in seven that we might come apart from our worldly employments and recreations and gather with our brothers and sisters in corporate worship. We thank you for this great privilege that is our in Christ. We know that you have no need of our worship but have given it to us that we might be reminded of your love for us as we exalt your name by singing your praises and hearing from you as your Word is read and, especially, proclaimed. Please help us, our Father, to take seriously the Lord's Day and especially the gathering of the saints. Do not allow us to make excuses to avoid your worship, knowing that as we miss worship, we miss Christ. Therefore, we pray for ourselves that we would have a zeal for your worship. We pray for our brothers and sisters who habitually miss worship. We ask that you would overwhelm our hearts with a desire to exalt you and that you would convict those who are absent for their disobedience. Please grant to us today a measure of your presence and give to us the eternal Spirit so we can worship you as you have commanded. These things we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Daily Prayer for July 24, 2021
Prayer: Almighty God, you alone are perfectly and infinitely holy, and, as your creatures, we find that our lives are so often far from you. Though you have redeemed us, there are times when our hearts are cold and distant from your ways. We are thankful that the heart of Christ is toward his people. During times of fear and wandering, he nurtures us and encourages us to walk with him. The bruised reed he does not break. The smoldering wick he does not extinguish. We thank you, Father, for your Son who is kind and gentle with us. We long to have our hearts always tuned to you in the pursuit of holiness. Teach us to number our days that we would use them for you and your kingdom. Please grant us a willing mind and heart to glorify you every moment of the day. You are worthy, Lord. These things we pray in the name of the one who rescued us from sin and misery, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
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Prayers for Daily Needs
Meditation for the day taken from Everyday Prayer with John Calvin written by Donald McKim:
Scripture: Luke 11:1-4
The passage under consideration today is familiar to most. This text is the parallel passage that we find in Matt. 6. We know it as the Lord's Prayer. Traditionally the church has used this prayer as not merely a form of prayer, but one used in the corporate worship of God and quoted verbatim. It is a helpful prayer in that it teaches us much about prayer. The danger, however, is that we approach it with too much familiarity, not giving due attention to the words and meaning behind the words. Today we are considering the fourth petition (request) as given to us in Luke 11:3, "Give us this day our daily bread." The Westminster Shorter Catechism teaches us what this means and what we should meditate on as we say this portion of the prayer. We read in WSC Q104, "What do we pray for in the fourth petition? In the fourth petition, which is, Give us this day our daily bread, we pray that of God's free gift we may receive a competent portion of the good things of this life, and enjoy his blessing with them." The fact is that all that we have in this life has come from God. He is the one who blesses us with the good things of this life. As you look around and take inventory of the many earthly possession in your life, do you frequently thank God for them, knowing that he is the one who has given them to you?
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Daily Prayer for July 23, 2021
Prayer: Almighty God in heaven, we praise your name today because you have granted us a new day to honor and serve you. This is the day you have made, and we will be glad and rejoice in it. We ask, our Father, that you would grant to us the zeal and perseverance to glorify you with the use of our time -- that we would redeem it, being careful to use the minutes and hours you have given us for your glory because the day and age in which we live are evil. Grant to us, holy God, a willing mind and spirit to spend each moment in your service and help us to resolve not to lose a single moment for the good of your kingdom. We ask that you would cause us to live with eternity in view and store up treasures in heaven and not earth. Please help us to remember that our lives are short and only those things done for you will last. Grant us these requests through Jesus our Lord. Amen.
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The Morning Devotional: WSC Q32
The Morning Devotional for July 23, 2021
The Westminster Shorter Catechism Q32
What benefits do they that are effectually called partake of in this life?
They that are effectually called do in this life partake of justification, (Rom. 8:30) adoption, (Eph. 1:5) and sanctification, and the several benefits which in this life do either accompany or flow from them. (1 Cor. 1:26,30)
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Faith Breaks Into Prayer
Meditation for the day taken from Everyday Prayer with John Calvin written by Donald McKim:
Scripture: Mark 11:20-24
The narrative under consideration today begins with an observation from the disciples about the cursed fig tree (see 11:12-14). It is on this occasion that Jesus launches into a lesson on the subject of prayer. As the disciples needed to be taught about prayer, we also need to be taught. So often, our prayers are prayerless. So often, we merely utter the words and do not connect and employ the great lesson Jesus offers in this narrative. That lesson is relatively simple, but it is hard to do. What is that lesson? That our prayers must be connected with faith and belief that the God to whom we pray can do "exceedingly, abundantly, beyond anything we ask or think." Prayer is not merely a moving of the air across our lips, nor is it simply contemplative thought. It is an expression of faith that states plainly that our God in heaven can do whatever it is we ask. Calvin wrote, "to have faith in God means precisely that assurance and expectation from God of whatever we need. As faith, if we have any, immediately breaks into prayer and reaches for the riches of the grace of God which are revealed in the Word, that we should enjoy them, so Christ adds prayer to faith...The true test of faith lies in prayer." (83). McKim adds, "Faith believes, with assurance that through prayer God will provide what we need. Faith gives way to prayer as it reaches for the blessings of God's grace, which are revealed in the Sc
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