I look to Scripture to guide my prayers. Here are some of my favorites for the candidates who won — including those who did and did not get my vote:
May it be so, Lord.
I used to pray,
Lord, make my candidate win!
I’m learning to pray,
Lord, who would You have me vote for?
My vote is an act of obedience, not a guarantee of the candidate’s victory.
Romans 13:1 (ESV)
And all those who rule now were given that power by God.
God’s power is at work in my life. God’s power is at work in government. At any moment in time, the two may not look the same. God still has it under control.
“54% of U.S. adults 16-74 years old – about 130 million people – lack proficiency in literacy, reading below the equivalent of a sixth-grade level.”
Forbes, 9/9/2020
Writers, Bible study leaders, pastors,
Remember this: for millions of folks, reading is not fun. It’s hard work. Make each word worth the effort. Keep it short and simple.
My car comes equipped with a lane departure warning system. When I cross the lane line, a light on my dashboard flashes, and I hear a warning alarm.
God has given me a boundary warning system. The Bible is my boundary departure light. The Holy Spirit sounds the alarm.
Do I ignore these warning systems? You bet.
Are the systems set up for my own good? Yep.
Should I pay closer attention? Absolutely.
Some folks think God’s rules take the fun out of life. Not so!
Psalm 16:6 (NIV)
The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.
“The sense of our Father’s love is like honey at the end of every rod; it turns stones into bread, and water into wine, and the valley of trouble into a door of hope . . . and when we are upon the cross for Christ, as if we were in paradise with Christ.”
Timothy Cruso (1657–1697)
“The Treasury of David” by Charles Spurgeon
God’s boundaries = good boundaries.
Others trespass on my space
From the Lord’s Prayer:
Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive
those who trespass against us.
From God’s Word:
Luke 6:31 (NIV)
Do to others as you would
have them do to you.
God calls me to forgive others as I would have them forgive me.
God has boundaries I shouldn’t cross. Yet I do.
I step over the line:
What to do? Pray!
Forgive me my trespasses.
My soul is a space set apart from everyone else. It’s separate from my parents, my best friends, even my spouse. I have thoughts I don’t want to share with anyone: things about them that annoy me, self-doubts I’m trying to process, mistakes I’m not ready to admit, dreams I keep to myself.
“Trials . . . may come in abundance, but they cannot penetrate into the sanctuary of the soul, and we may dwell in perfect peace even in the midst of life fiercest storms.”
Hannah Whitehall Smith (1832-1911)
Only God can cross the boundaries of my soul.
In a hopeless situation? Remember the –ly‘s of Ephesians 3.
Ephesians 3:20-21 (NKJV)
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
God may have an answer you’ve never imagined.
“Beware in your prayers, above everything else, of limiting God, not only by unbelief, but by fancying that you know what He can do.”
Andrew Murray (1828-1917)
Prepare to be surprised by God.
Live together in harmony:
