Precious King, help me to love others as you do.

“I am love,” said the King . . . and the very first characteristic of true love . . . is the willingness to accept all other human beings just as they are.  

~~Hannah Hurnard  

This morning’s prayer and meditation for Sally’s healing comes from Take Heart, Oh God: Riches from the Greatest Christian Women Writers of All Time.

Acceptance is such a basic human need. Babies crave it. Adolescents seek it. And puppies wag their tails at it. But for some, acceptance from others comes at a very high cost.  Or it doesn’t come at all.

In God’s eyes, however, we are all worthy. We are all loved. And we all the same. This is what Hannah Hurnard was trying to illustrate: no matter how much another person hurts us, mistreats us, irritates us, or ignores us, his or her soul has the same eternal value as ours. God sees that person’s eternal worth the same as ours. So since there are no half-priced humans in the kingdom of God, we are to love (and accept) them—even if their offensive ways stay the same.

Challenging? Yes, but well worth the effort to please the One who is love itself.

Prayer for Meditation

Precious King, help me to love others as you do.

Scripture for Meditation

What blessings await you when people hate you and exclude you and mock you and curse you as evil because you follow the Son of Man. When that happens, be happy! Yes, leap for joy! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, their ancestors treated the ancient prophets that same way. Luke 6:27-31 

Music for Meditation 

His Eye is on the Sparrow

If you feel led to do so, please post a note of encouragement in the comment section below, or send your note by email to PrayersForSally@gmail.com

God sees the big picture, and he cares about the details

Sometimes we become so mired in the small pieces and petty frustrations of our days that we forget the bigger picture . . . We have a present promise and future certainty.

~~Sheila Walsh

This morning’s prayer and meditation for Sally’s healing comes from Take Heart, Oh God: Riches from the Greatest Christian Women Writers of All Time.

Every thread of a tapestry is important to the whole piece. Up close, the tiny threads don’t make a lot of sense, but when we step back, we see how all of those tiny fibers combine to make a detailed mural.

Our lives can sometimes feel like endless loose threads. We try to follow God’s plan, but still feel mired in meetings, soccer practice, and a thousand other things during our days. We can’t see how the threads of our lives make any sense at all.

Then one day, God will tell us to step back and take a look. Those tiny filaments, those small pieces and petty frustrations, have come together in a beautiful mural no one else could create.

God sees the big picture, and he cares about the details. He is at his loom weaving the threads of your life into something amazing.

And that’s a promise.

Prayer for Meditation

Make me faithful in my small “threads” Lord, so the mural comes out perfect!

Scripture for Meditation

Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill you. They can only kill your body they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Not even a sparrow worth only half a penny can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to him that a whole flock of sparrows. Matthew 10:29-31

Music for Meditation

His Eye is On the Sparrow

If you feel led to do so, please post a note of encouragement in the comment section below, or send your note by email to PrayersForSally@gmail.com.

Prayer Partners with God

Our prayer and meditation this morning for Sally’s healing is an excerpt from Hope for Each Day: Words of Wisdom and Faith by Billy Graham.

The Spirit Himself makes intercession

for us with groaning which cannot be uttered

~Romans 8:26

Have you ever faced a situation that was so overwhelming or so confusing you didn’t even know how to pray about it? Have you ever been so overcome with grief or burdened by heartache you couldn’t put your emotions into words—much less pray about them?

What a comfort these words should be: “The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us . . . in accordance with God’s will.” (Rom. 8:26-27 NIV)

Think of it: Even when we don’t know how to pray, the Spirit knows our needs, and He brings the deepest cries of our hearts before the throne of God. In ways we will never understand this side of eternity, God the Holy Spirit pleads for us before God the Father.

Turn to God in every situation—even when you don’t feel like it. The Spirit is interceding for you. Its accordance with God’s will.

Music for Meditation 

His Eye Is On the Sparrow

If you feel led to do so, please post a note of encouragement in the comment section below or send your note by email to PrayersForSally@gmail.com.