Category Archives: Scripture

Nine ways to pray for your soul

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Earlier this year, John Piper posted this brief list of nine biblical ways to “pray for yourself so that you’re praying in sync with the way God works.” Note the Scripture attached to each item. Don’t just read the list — pray it!

1. For the desire of my heart to be toward God and his Word.
Incline my heart to Your testimonies and not to gain. (Psalm 119:36)

2. For the eyes of my heart to be opened.
Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from Your law. (Psalm 119:18)

chp_shadow3. For my heart to be enlightened with these “wonders.”
[I pray] that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened. (Ephesians 1:18)

4. For my heart to be united, not divided, for God.
O Lord, I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name. (Psalm 86:11)

5. For my heart to be satisfied with God and not with the world.
O satisfy us in the morning with Your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. (Psalm 90:14)

6. For strength in this joy, and endurance during the dark seasons.
[I pray that God] would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man. (Ephesians 3:16)

7. For visible good deeds and works of love to others.
[I pray that you] will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord…bearing fruit in every good work. (Colossians 1:10)

8. For God to be glorified.
Hallowed be thy name. (Matthew 6:9)

9. In Jesus’ name.
He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, will he not also give us all things with him? (Romans 8:32)

AMEN!
pdb

A pathetic sight….

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Here’s a great combination of biblical insights from Arthur Pink, (“The Rest of Christ”)….

“Come unto Me all you who labor and are heavy laden–and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

“I will give you rest.” What a claim to make! To impart rest of soul to another, lies beyond the power of the most exalted creature. Neither Confucius, Buddha, nor Mohammed ever made such a claim as this!

As Christ is the only One who can bestow rest of soul–so there is no true rest to be found apart from Him. The creature cannot impart it. The world cannot communicate it. We ourselves cannot, by any efforts of our own, manufacture it. One of the most pathetic sights in this world, is to behold the unregenerate, vainly seeking happiness and contentment in the things of time and sense–and finding that these are all broken cisterns which can hold no water. They are like the poor woman mentioned in Mark 5:26, who “had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better–she grew worse!”

What is the nature of this “rest” which Christ gives to all who truly come to Him? It is a spiritual rest, a satisfying rest, “rest for the soul” as the Savior declares later in this passage. It is such a rest as this world can neither give–nor take away.

garbage1It is a rest from that vain and wearisome quest, which engages and absorbs the sinner, before the Spirit of God opens his eyes to see his folly–and moves him to seek after the true riches. It is indeed pitiful–to behold those who are made for eternity–wasting their time and energies wandering from object to object, searching for that which cannot satisfy them–only to be vexed by repeated and incessant disappointments. And thus it is with all–until they come to Christ, for He has written over all the pursuits and pleasures of this world, “Whoever drinks of this water–shall thirst again!” (John 4:13)

Forcibly was that fact exemplified by the case of Solomon, who was provided with everything which the carnal heart could desire, and who gratified his lusts to the full, only to find that, “Behold, all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind!” (Eccl. 1:14). It is from this vexation of spirit, that Christ delivers His people, for He declares “whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him–shall never thirst!” (John 4:14)

pdb