Daniel 6:22
“My God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in his sight. And I have not wronged you, Your Majesty.”

Confidence and humility are the ways the Holy Spirit works through us most often. We know we are going to be just fine, no matter what, in the long run. We also know this is because of who God is not who we are. We just made the connection and stopped getting in our own way.

Pray for confidence in the power of Jesus in your life.

Daniel 3:25
“Look!” Nebuchadnezzar shouted. “I see four men, unbound, walking around in the fire unharmed! And the fourth looks like a god!”

What does God look like? God can have an appearance (“glory”), but he is a non-physical entity. Yet, there are instances where God appears through his angels. Here is one of those times. Protecting his teachers (missionaries) in a land that does not recognize God.

The three servants of God are spared and the angel disappears. What if God could be with us all the time? What if every single step of the way nothing bad would ever happen? God is with us, but not always for immediate protection. If we lived in a sheltered bubble, we would never grow out of infancy. Yet, we are wise to pray for God to be with us always.

Pray for God’s glory to shine in any darkness you or a loved one is experiencing.

Ezekiel 37:27
27 My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people.

Have you invited God to live with you? If not, why not? Do you feel unworthy? You are not. Jesus makes you worthy as you connect with him. It’s really not about you.
Do you think you don’t need him? Are you fine on your own? Really?

Have you had bad personal experience with people who identify as Christians? Perhaps you need to get out more. There are probably a few people you could hang out with. Seems others have been able to do that in spite of Christians who disappoint. Even people who hang out with me!

Pray for faith.

Isaiah 63:11
Then his people recalled the days of old, the days of Moses and his people— where is he who brought them through the sea, with the shepherd of his flock?

When it seems God is far off even though he has been so powerful in our lives in the past, we have good company. God’s people in the Bible bring this up again and again.

So, when you are experiencing challenging times, do you figure God really doesn’t exist and try to find another one? Think about what that means in every other area of your life. If I am being challenged, I just give up. If I don’t understand something, it must not be right. You get the picture.

Pray for understanding.

Isaiah 45:15
Truly you are a God who hides himself, O God and Savior of Israel.

God chooses Cyrus the Persian, king and enemy of Israel, to do his bidding, defeating another enemy, the Babylonians, and bringing the Israelites back to their homeland. We don’t know when God is at work in human history but we know he is at work. How can so many good things happen in spite of human sin? Only God knows.

Pray for God to open eyes to his work.

Isaiah 43:1-5
5 Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. 6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’ Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth-

Christianity is the fastest growing faith in the world. Especially in the South and East. North Americans and Europeans have a hard time understanding this because they seem to be missing out on all the fun! Unlike any other faith or worldview (except, perhaps rock music) Christianity brings people from every culture together, with at least one thing in common. Trust in Jesus. This appears to be enough.

Pray for Christians in North America and Europe to share the love of Jesus.

Isaiah 41:10
9 I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, ‘You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you.10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

If you played games or sports at recess, you got picked to play. It could be a brutal experience to be picked last. I guess we all just have had to learn to get over it.

There is one team where we are always picked first. The team is followers of Jesus and the game is service. Game on!

Pray for youth sports leagues.

Isaiah 7:14
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

If God exists the way Christians claim, he has to be able to operate outside of our space and time dimensions. This explains his eternal existence. Outside of our time, God doesn’t need to be created because “beginning” co notates our time dimension. It is scientifically logical as well as spiritually that God can be eternal without a creation.

Now, for Christians that have a hard time with thinking there was a Virgin Birth, carefully read the above paragraph again. Can God move outside our dimensions and within them? Do you get it? Ponder.

Pray for expectant mothers.

Psalm 91:16
With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.

People worry so much about aging and spend billions trying to slow it down. Good health is a good idea; so don’t knock it. But, the obsession of staying young is a bit different. It can take on a quality of living as if this life is all there is. I realize some people think this, so do I have a solution for you!

When our lives are fully lived in God’s kingdom, there will be the fulfillment of the new creation, where Jesus rescues us for good. So, the time period of our human life now is nothing compared to our eternal life as part of the new creation. Long life is what every lover of Jesus has to look forward to. Forget cryogenics. Try the new genesis!

Pray for those with arthritis today.

Psalm 33:15
…he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.

How does God care so much for us that he considers everything we do? No parent with a video camera stuck in front of his/her face for the whole childhood of their special child competes with God who follows all his creation every second of every day. God is way more proud papa than angry judge when it comes to watching over us.

Pray for God to see you doing right today.