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5 Ways to Pray Like Peter Marshall

To some people, the name “Peter Marshall” is associated with the long-running television show host of Hollywood Squares, but to me the name evokes preaching and prayer. That is because few people have been as influential in my prayer life as Peter Marshall, the pastor and Senate chaplain (1947-49) whose wife’s account of his life became a best-selling book (1951) and feature film (1955), A Man Called Peter. I’ve profited from collections of his sermons and prayers, and I aspire to pray like Peter Marshall, in five ways at least:

1) Pray with Imagination
The following is a fine example of the imagination Peter Marshall expressed in his prayers, in which he used memorable word pictures to enliven his prayer:

Lord Jesus,
we come to Thee now as little children.
Dress us again in clean pinafores;
make us tidy once more
with the tidiness of true remorse and confession.
O, wash our hearts, that they may be clean again.
Make us to know
the strengthening joys of the Spirit,
and the newness of life which only Thou can give.
Amen.

2) Pray with Introspection
Marshall’s prayers often revealed deep and lingering introspection and humility, such as the following:

I do need thee, Lord. I need thee now. I know that I can do without many of the things that once I thought were necessities, but without thee I cannot live, and I dare not die.

I needed thee when sorrow came, when shadows were thrown across the threshold of my life, and thou didst not fail me then. I needed thee when sickness laid a clammy hand upon my family, and I cried to thee, and thou didst hear. I needed thee when perplexity brought me to a parting of the ways, and I knew not how to turn. Thou didst not fail me then, but in many ways, big and little, didst indicate the better way. And though the sun is shining around me today, I know that I need thee even in the sunshine, and shall still need thee tomorrow.

I give thee my gratitude for that constant sense of need that keeps me close to thy side. Help me to keep my hand in thine and my ears open to the wisdom of thy voice.

Speak to me, that I may hear thee giving me courage for hard times and strength for difficult places; giving me determination for challenging tasks. I ask of thee no easy way, but just thy grace that is sufficient for every need, so that no matter how hard the way, how challenging the hour, how dark the sky, I may be enabled to overcome.

In thy strength, who hast overcome the world, I make this prayer. Amen.

3) Pray with Insight
Marshall seemed to have a heavenly kind of insight into the lives and needs of others around him, an awareness that I crave in my own prayers:

Lord Jesus, bless all who serve us,
who have dedicated their lives to the ministry of others–
all the teachers of our schools who labor so patiently with so little appreciation;
all who wait upon the public,
the clerks in the stores who have to accept criticism, complaints, bad manners,
selfishness at the hands of a thoughtless public.
Bless the mailmen,
the drivers of streetcars and buses who must listen to people who lose their tempers.

Bless every humble soul who,
in these days of stress and strain,
preaches sermons without words.
Amen.

4) Pray with Integrity
Perhaps one quality that recommended Marshall to the position of Senate chaplain more than most others was his integrity in life, preaching and in prayer. He not only exhibited integrity, but with his prayers he called others to reflect that characteristic as well:

God, have pity upon us.
We want peace without pain
and security without sacrifice.
We want peace
but not the perils of peacemaking.
O God, may we learn what love is.
Amen.

5 Ways to Pray Like Charles Spurgeon

Charles Haddon Spurgeon was an English preacher of such long and wide influence that he came to be called “the Prince of Preachers.” He was the pastor of London’s New Park Street Chapel, which became the Metropolitan Tabernacle for 38 years, and preached to more people than anyone else of his generation. He preached nearly 3,600 sermons and published 49 books (commentaries, anecdotes, etc.) in his lifetime.

Most importantly, perhaps, he prayed. Oh, how he prayed. Many of his prayers were written and are still considered among the most beautiful and powerful prayers in the English language, perhaps revealing the secret to his success as a preacher and pastor.

But it’s an open secret. Even the most casual exposure to Spurgeon’s prayers provides ways to pray that are worth emulating. Following are five ways to pray like Spurgeon, followed by examples from his prayer life, that any of us can emulate:

1) Pray the Bible

Spurgeon’s prayers are saturated with phrases from the Bible. The man not only read and studied the Bible; he lived and breathed it. Here is an example, a short passage of prayer that draws from Psalm 145, Luke, Exodus, and Ephesians:

O Lord, Thy works praise Thee, but Thy saints bless Thee and this shall be our heaven. Yea, our heaven of heavens eternally to praise and magnify the great and ever blessed God. May many a maiden this day, may many a man break forth and say, with the virgin of old, “My soul doth magnify the Lord and my spirit doth rejoice in God my Savior.” May there be going up this day sweet incense, of praise laid by holy hands, privately upon the altar of God. May the place be filled with the smoke thereof, not perhaps to the consciousness of every one, but to the acceptance of God who shall smell a sweet savor of rest in Christ and then in the praises of His people in Him.

2) Pray Humbly

Spurgeon always seemed to approach God on his knees, so to speak, with a consciousness of and sorrow for sin, both his own and that of others, such as that displayed in the following:

Glorious Benefactor, we can meet Thee on good terms, for we are full of poverty, we are just as empty as we can be. We could not be more abjectly dependent than we are. Since Thou wouldest display Thy mercy, here is our sin. Since Thou wouldest show Thy strength, here is our weakness. Since Thou wouldest manifest Thy lovingkindness, here are our needs. Since Thou wouldest glorify Thy grace, here are we, such persons as can never have a shadow of a hope except through Thy grace, for we are undeserving, ill-deserving, hell-deserving, and if Thou do not magnify Thy grace in us, we must perish forever.

3) Pray Compassionately

Preaching and praying, as he did, in Victorian England, Spurgeon’s language is rather antiquated, but it is nonetheless always laced with deep compassion for souls, as the following shows:

May we love God. May we love Thee, O Savior. May we love the people of God as being members of one body in connection with Thee. May we love the guilty world with that love which desires its salvation and conversion and may we love not in word only, but in deed and in truth. May we help the helpless, comfort the mourner, sympathize with the widow and fatherless, and may we be always ready to put up with wrong, to be long suffering, to be very patient, full of forgiveness, counting it a small thing that we should forgive our fellow-men since we have been forgiven of God. Lord, tune our hearts to love and then give us an inward peace, a restfulness about everything.

4) Pray Fervently

Anyone who reads Spurgeon’s prayers is likely to be struck by the passion with which he prayed. He prayed like one who was calling down fire—and often he did! Here is a sample:

O Savior, reveal Thyself anew, teach us a little more, help us to go a little deeper into the divine mystery. May we grip Thee and grasp Thee. May we suck out of Thee the nutriment of our spirit. May we be in Thee as a branch is in the stem and may we bear fruit from Thee. Without Thee we can do nothing.

5) Pray Boldly

When construction began on the Metropolitan Tabernacle, which could accommodate crowds of 6,000, Spurgeon prayed boldly and publicly for the safety of the construction workers, that none would be injured, let alone killed. His prayer was answered, prompting London businessmen to plead for his prayers during their own construction projects.

You and I may not possess Spurgeon’s communication skills, but we can emulate his prayers by praying the Bible and by praying humbly, compassionately, fervently, and boldly.

5 Ways to Pray in a Cemetery

Some people find cemeteries depressing. Others find them interesting, even inspiring. But did you know a cemetery can be a rewarding place to pray?

Near my Ohio home are several beautiful cemeteries, some of the loveliest in the country. One of them, Spring Grove Cemetery, encompasses more than 700 acres, most of which are so beautifully landscaped and maintained that the cemetery is frequently studied by horticulturalists and cemetery planners from around the world.

Such a sylvan setting makes an ideal backdrop for a prayer walk or period of meditation, not only because of its beauty but also because the surroundings suggest and focus prayer in unique ways. For example:

1) Pray for grieving friends and family.
When you see a fresh grave, take a moment to pray for the family and friends whose loved one has been so recently buried. The sight can even prompt memories of those among your friends and family whose recent departure from this life is still felt and grieved.

2) Pray for loved ones whose lives may be ending.
Let the proximity of life’s end suggested by tombs and tombstones prompt prayer for the terminally ill and the aged who may be about to cross the bar, to use Tennyson’s image.

3) Pray for yourself, to make the most of your remaining days.
Being among graves and tombs reminds us that our lives “are like a breath of air; [our] days are like a passing shadow” (Psalm 144:4, NLT). So there may be no better place to give thanks for your life and also pray for the time you have left, that it will be plentiful and productive.

4) Pray metaphorically.
Ezekiel 37 records the prophet’s vision in a cemetery of sorts—a valley of dry bones. There, God used that sight to deliver the message, “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live” (Ezekiel 37:12-14, NLT). Similarly, a cemetery can stimulate prayer for revival and renewal, restoration and resurrection—of a church, business, family, marriage, nation, etc.

5) Give thanks for the promise of resurrection.
Give thanks that even in the midst of death, followers of Jesus need not “grieve like people who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). Give thanks for Jesus’ promise: “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying” (John 11:25, NLT). Give thanks for “the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory,” even as we “long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering” (Romans 8:23, NLT).

Whether you pass a cemetery on your morning jog, linger there after a committal service or intentionally go there to enjoy the scenic setting, you can, by prayer, turn an otherwise gloomy reminder of death into beautiful moments of prayer and meditation.

5 Ways to Pray a New Song to God

The Bible repeatedly encourages the people of God to “sing a new song”:

Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts (Psalm 33:3, ESV).

Oh sing to the Lord a new song (Psalm 96:1, ESV).

Oh sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things! (Psalm 98:1, ESV).

Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of the godly! (Psalm 149:1, ESV).

Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise from the end of the earth (Isaiah 42:10, ESV).

To some, this means being open to new music in worship services, but others practice—and recommend—singing spontaneous prayers to God, in both private and public settings.

Carrie, a friend of mine who lives in Missouri, describes learning to sing new prayer songs like this: “I would begin by singing a song I was learning then would find myself singing out of an overflow in my heart. Things I didn’t plan to say—and sometimes didn’t even know—would come pouring out of my mouth. I started to understand the Bible in ways I never did before. Connections between different stories and words in Scripture began to be apparent as I sang them. I found the Word intertwining with my heart and mind like never before. Later I would open to a psalm or to another Scripture that was on my heart, pick a few chords on my guitar, and just sing it as a launch pad. I would put up my sail and see where the wind would take me. Almost always I ended up somewhere I hadn’t planned on being. It was exhilarating.”

Judy, from Ohio, says a key for her is keeping it simple. “I open my mouth and just start singing. My songs are a thankful expression from my heart. Sometimes I sing Scriptures and songs from church…. Just as a child might say, ‘I love you, Daddy, more than the whole wide world,’ I sing the thoughts the Holy Spirit gives to me. And usually I can’t find the perfect words of adoration to express my thoughts, so I sing in the Spirit and rely on Him for the language and tune.”

Rachel, a worship leader from Florida, says she grew up in a church where singing spontaneous prayer songs was encouraged, so she began at a young age and has practiced it ever since. She offers a few simple pointers for anyone who wants to try singing a new song:

1. Ask God to put a song in your heart. Pray for the grace to “sing a new song” to Him.

2. Start with a psalm or Bible prayer and put a melody to it. If you play an instrument, play and sing. A simple three or four chord progression works well.

3. As you sing it, turn it into a prayer. Use your own words. Expand on the thought. Begin to dialog with the Lord about what He’s saying through that passage.

4. Don’t be afraid of simplicity and repetition. Sometimes repeating a single word or a short phrase helps you to let go and focus and give your heart over to the song. And something changes.

5. If it feels awkward at first, stay with it. Be patient. Don’t give up. The song itself isn’t the point; the presence of the Lord is.

5 Ways to Make Your Prayers a Conversation with God

I love the story of Abraham bartering with God over the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah. It is a dialogue between God and the patriarch. God reveals to Abraham his plans to destroy the wicked cities.

Abraham says, “What if there are fifty righteous people in the city?” God says, “I will spare it in that case.” Abraham says, “What about forty-five?” God says, “I will spare it for forty-five.” And so on, until God says, “For the sake of ten righteous people, I will spare the city” (see Genesis 18 for the whole story).

Few people pray like that. Most people who pray recite monologues to God. Like the Pharisee in Jesus’ parable who prayed, “God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get” (Luke 18:11-12, NIV). I like to imagine what God would have said in response if the Pharisee had stuck around long enough to listen.

Become an OurPrayer Volunteer and Change the World One Prayer at a Time

So how do you turn a prayer monologue into a dialogue? I suggest five ways:

1. Listen
If your prayer time is just talk, talk, talk, you’re unlikely to hear God’s voice. But if you spend some time in silence, you might be surprised at what you hear God say.

2. Journal
Writing your prayers transforms them. The act of writing slows you down and allows more room for reflection. You can also look back at what you have prayed in the past and see when and how God has answered.

3. Read
One of the main ways God speaks in prayer is through reading—but not just any kind of reading. I have learned to read the Bible more slowly and thoughtfully when I pray than at other times. I have also learned that certain books—such as A. W. Tozer’s The Pursuit of God and Teresa of Avila’s The Way of Perfection—foster interior conversations between God and me.

4. Ask Questions
Few people ask God questions in prayer, maybe because they don’t intend (or know how) to wait for an answer. But asking questions—whether aloud or in writing—is one of the best ways to cultivate a conversation. You might ask things like, “Where are you leading me today?” or “What would you like to bring to my attention right now?”

5. Wait
King David once wrote, “In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly” (Psalm 5:3, NIV). That’s a key to dialogue in prayer—waiting expectantly. Too often we lay our requests before God and then rush off to our next appointment or task. But dialogue includes waiting expectantly—giving God space to respond, listening for His voice, hoping for His answer.

Turning your prayer monologue into a dialogue isn’t as hard as you might think, but it does require a slower pace, especially in the beginning. But God not only wants to hear from you, He longs to talk to you, too.

5 Ways the Psalms Can Help Your Prayers

Flummoxed in your prayers? Can’t find the right words? Feeling lost in your thoughts? Looking for God’s answer? Try turning to the Psalms.

When I was a kid and we got our first Bibles, the Sunday school teacher pointed out how the Psalms were right in the middle of the book. The centerpiece, as it were, of our faith.

All these years later I turn to them every day. For guidance, for understanding, for wisdom, for comfort. Written (and sung!) hundreds of years before Christ, the Psalms can give voice to our prayers. Here’s how:

1)  Hold a line or two in your head. Some psalms are incredibly long, some are blessedly short. My mind can wander as I read them. But inevitably a verse or two will speak to me.

The other morning it was “O Lord, I call to You…” from Psalm 28. Running short on sleep and patience, I read that opening line. Just what I wanted to say. I closed my eyes and held the verse in my heart. Letting the Psalmist’s words work through me.

2)  Anything goes in prayer. Sometimes I feel like I should only say nice things to God when I’m praying. Just praise and thanksgiving, leaving out anger and despair. Forget it! Who do I think I’m hiding from? God knows the secrets of our hearts (as the Psalmist says).

There are lines in the Psalms about anger and fear, even prayers of vengeance, wishing the worst on our enemies. “What enemies do I have?” I ask myself. And then discover that worry and depression and doubt do indeed feel like enemies. Take them, God. Take them.

3)  Put praise in your prayers. The Psalms are full of words of praise. Sometimes I think, “Geez, God, are You so insecure that You need to be praised all the time?” Then I get it: praise is not just something we do for God. We do it for us.

Praise is a chance to see the goodness at work in your life, to give credit where credit is due, to open up, to be with the Creator. As Psalm 150, says “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Hallelujah!” Hallelujah!

4)  Sing a psalm. This feels so counterintuitive. We read words on a page. We think they should be said. But when the psalms were first created, they were sung. Think of how Jesus on the cross turned to the text of Psalm 22, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Imagine those words sung!

Singing opens us up to feelings we might not otherwise be able to reach. If a line from the Psalms reminds you of a hymn or praise song, hum along. Even if you’re afraid you’re out of tune. No matter. “Make a joyful noise to the Lord,” the Psalmist says. Not a perfect sound.

5)  Get silent with a Psalm. “Be still and know that I am God…” the Psalmist says. All those words give us a chance to get very still. To discover a silence that is rich, endless and profound.

5 Ways Chanting Can Help You Pray

Some people pray silently. Some speak their prayers aloud. Some sing—or chant—their prayers. And some do all of the above.

My first attempts at chanting some of my daily prayers were made at a monastery in Kentucky on a prayer retreat about 20 years ago. The monks chanted psalms and prayers many times a day using plainsong, which may be as old as (or older than) the Christian church itself.

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Gregorian Chant, which the monks at that monastery use, is a form of plainsong. The chants are simple (most have only four or five notes and little variation in each line) because their purpose is not to achieve musical elegance but prayerful concentration.

Though it felt weird at first, I tried it, chanting very quietly along with the monks. I copied a few of the melodies onto a 4×6 card to take home with me. After a few weeks of experimentation, chanting my prayers—especially my evening prayers—became an extremely helpful part of my prayer life, particularly in four ways:

1) Focus
Chanting helps me to focus on the words I am praying. Because the melody is simple and slow, I don’t have to think about the music but can concentrate on the words the music is helping me to pray. There is a beautiful synthesis between music and words that often produces a focus I don’t achieve when praying silently or even when speaking my prayers aloud. Chanting doesn’t make distraction impossible but it does increase my concentration.

2) Speed
Chanting slows me down. That is a good thing. I tend to rush through my prayers and Bible reading, especially when I encounter a familiar passage or prayer. But chanting helps me to slow down so that the prayer is less likely to escape my lips without engaging my heart.

3) Emphasis
Chant has often directed my attention to a specific word or phrase in a familiar prayer. The rise and fall of a chant’s notes sometimes opens my eyes—and heart—to something I hadn’t previously noted or sufficiently considered.

4) Memory
Almost as soon as I began chanting with the monks at the monastery, I discovered that the psalms and prayers and simple melodies reverberated through my mind and heart for the rest of the day (or until the next “hour” of prayer).

To this day, in fact, I cannot lay my head on my pillow without the tunes and words of Compline (“Our help is in the name of the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth,” “Praise the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, both now and forever,” “Lord, save us, save us while we are asleep,” “Lord, you now have set your servant free to go in peace”) singing me to sleep.

5) Mood
Chant calms me. Smarter people than I claim that chanting your prayers can lower blood pressure, reduce anxiety and depression, and more. Could be. I just know that chanting my prayers often takes me to a special “place,” an attitude and posture that I don’t often achieve otherwise.

These are just a few benefits I have experienced from chanting some of my prayers. Others could certainly list more. In any case, I encourage you to try it; start with the psalms, chanting line by line (you can find examples of chant melodies on the internet or on CDs from your library…or you can make up a simple tune of your own or imitate melodies you remember from your church background). After a few days or a couple of weeks, I’ll be surprised if you don’t experience some or all of the benefits above.

Ask OurPrayer to pray for you!

5 Tips to Develop a Powerful Prayer Life

Throughout the Bible there are a number of instances where God uses dreams to guide and protect.  From Joseph in Genesis to Solomon in 1 Kings 3:5, God speaks in dreams, in visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they lie in their bed (Job 33:15).  But what if you are someone who hardly ever remembers your dreams and when you do, you only remember confusing bits and pieces?

You can try these 10 tips to help you receive heavenly messages and problem-solving wisdom while you dream.

1. Turn off electronics at least a half hour before you go to bed.  Instead use this time to quiet your mind.

2. Close your eyes and turn your question into a prayer like this: “Dear God, I need your guidance and divine instruction. Please help me with this problem while I sleep.”

3. Relax and leave the situation in God’s hands. Be confident that He hears and will answer you.

4. Use the snooze. Often the best time to remember your dreams is early morning, that fuzzy time right before waking. Linger in bed for 5 to 10 minutes. Don’t concentrate or try. Simply be open to hearing and remembering God’s wisdom.

5. Keep a dream journal. An inexpensive notebook by your bed is perfect. Write down anything at all that you remember.  The more effort you put into remembering your dreams, the more dreams you’ll remember.

6. Be patient.  Don’t expect results overnight. Of course, you might wake up with the answer on the first try, but if it takes longer, that’s completely normal.

7. Make it a habit. Get into the routine of turning off your TV or phone and turning to God in prayer. The more you practice the stronger you will get at remembering your dream life.

8. Trust that God will help you remember what is important in your dream.  Even if you aren’t going through a tough time, or need guidance, your dream life can be a valuable and beautiful extension of your prayer life.

9. Remember that your dreams are very personal.  If a dream confuses you, ask yourself what you think it means or how the dream made you feel.  Look for ways that the dream can be used for healing and moving forward.

10. Thank God for His guidance and keep track of your answered prayer dreams in a special section in your journal.  Over time you’ll be amazed how His counsel has improved the quality of your life.

5 Prayers for Safe Travel

Whether it’s holiday travel or a busy workday, many people are traveling every day. By car, plane, train or subway, people venture out into the world to get to work, run errands, go on vacations or to visit their friends and loved ones.

Travel Anxiety

Traveling far from home can be a beautiful, eye-opening experience. Unfortunately, travel anxiety can make trips more stressful than enjoyable. The good news is that if you experience travel anxiety you are not alone, and you don’t have to stay trapped in an endless cycle of worry. There are techniques and tips to stay calm while traveling.

READ MORE: 5 Comforting Bible Verses for Safe Travel

Helpful Travel Anxiety Tips:

1. Exercise Before You Leave

It’s no secret that exercise can be a powerful antidote to anxiety. This is because cardiovascular activity releases endorphins, which can reduce feelings of stress. Even a ten-minute walk before your leave for your journey can be enough to release these feel-good chemicals and ensure you start your trip on the right foot.

2. Plan Ahead

Lack of knowledge is a surefire way exacerbate travel stress. Plan ahead as much as possible to minimize in-the-moment panic. Make sure you leave yourself plenty of time to get to the airport or bus station, and do research ahead of time to know what to expect about checking in and finding your gate. Knowing where you are going will eliminate unnecessary anxiety.

3. Pack Smart

Make sure you have everything you need to ensure smooth travels. For flying, an eye mask, calming essential oil and laptops might be helpful. For road trips, healthy snacks or an audio book might be just what you need to stay calm. Make a list and pack early to keep your journey worry free.

4. Practice Relaxation Techniques

When travel anxiety strikes, it can send your brain into overdrive. Relaxation exercises can be helpful to lower your heart rate and return your breathing to normal. Guideposts blogger Holly Lebowitz Rossi recommends a five-finger breathing exercise to help you calm down.

“Make a fist. As you inhale through your nose, slowly uncurl your thumb and index fingers,” Rossi writes. “As you exhale through your mouth, slowly open your middle, ring, and pinky fingers.”

The key is to exhale longer than you inhale, which will put you into a parasympathetic stat, where your muscles relax and your heart slows down.

5. Keep Your Mind Busy

The worst thing you can do for travel anxiety is stew. If you find yourself getting worried on the road, take immediate action to distract yourself. Read a book, listen to a podcast or take a walk during a layover. Occupying your brain will help distract you from your travel worries.

5 Prayers for Safe Travel:

5 Inspiring Guideposts Devotionals to Comfort You This Winter

As we settle into the winter season, it can be easy to feel anxious and alone. The remedy? Give yourself time to connect with God by reading one of these five devotionals from Guideposts. Read them over your morning cup of coffee to help start your day, or just before you tuck into bed for the evening to help you sleep. Buy one for yourself or give one as the perfect gift for family or friends! ​

1. Daily Guideposts 2022

It’s not too late to join the millions of Americans who start each day with this inspiring devotional. For over 40 years people have turned to this bestseller to grow closer to God through inspiring true stories, Scripture, and original prayers. Plus, enjoy a FREE SCRIPTURE BOOKMARK with any print edition purchase. Read a Free Excerpt!

​2. One-Minute Daily Devotional

A quiet minute with God every day can refresh and renew your heart and spirit. In Guideposts new devotional you can receive a daily dose of God’s joy, hope and comfort. Every entry includes a dynamic and compassionate devotion to encourage you, daily Scripture to bless you and beautiful photographs to remind you of God’s presence in the world. It’s undated, so you can start at any time of the year.

3. Every Day with Jesus

Guideposts has prayerfully transformed Jesus’ powerful words into 365 inspiring devotions. Read them each day or turn to these bite-size entries whenever you need His reassuring presence. This devotional includes personal stories, restorative prayers, inspiring quotes, and more!

4. Women’s Devotional Bible

This devotional Bible has a full year’s worth of devotions written by women of God for women of God. Women’s Devotional Bible thoughtfully covers topics such as family, faith and friendship. Learn to apply God’s Word to daily life with added features that make this Bible engaging, practical, and versatile.

5. Holding God’s Hand

Make reading this devotional part of your daily walk with God. Each story inside is filled with a powerful two-minute meditation, plus spiritual quotes, Bible verses, blessings, and prayers. It’s the perfect place to turn to when you need quick inspiration and spiritual renewal.

5 Great Times to Pray the Aaronic Blessing

A friend of mine told me that he and his wife carry on a family tradition of praying a benediction over their children each night at bedtime. My first thought was, Shoot, I should’ve done that when my kids were growing up. (We shared bedtime prayers together but didn’t pray a meaningful benediction over each of them as part of that routine.) My second thought was, Well, it’s not too late to bless those I care about with a prayer of blessing, is it? And my third thought was, No, it sure isn’t.

So, I resolved to incorporate the Aaronic Blessing, the Bible’s most well-known and oft-repeated blessing, as often as possible. It’s recorded in Numbers 6:24-26:

The Lord bless you
and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace.

As a worshiper, I’ve sung those words to a number of different melodies. As a pastor, I’ve prayed that blessing in child dedications, funerals and weddings, as well as at the conclusion of worship services. But now, spurred by my friend’s family tradition, I’ve identified five great times to pray those lines:

1) At Bedtime
My wife and I visit our grandchildren as often as possible. They range in age from seven to 14, and we jump at the chance to pray with them as they snuggle into bed. But I plan also to place my hand on their heads and bless them with the Aaronic Blessing before I tiptoe out.

2) On Parting
My wife always prayed with our children before they left in the mornings for school and still reminds me to pray before we part. From now on, I’ll include the beautiful blessing of Numbers 6:24-26 in those prayers.

3) Over a Patient
Though I’m no longer an active pastor, I still have occasion to visit someone in a hospital or a nursing home. Sometimes, they’re not even awake for my visit. But I can always hold their hand or touch their shoulder and pray this benediction over them.

4) For Strangers
Occasionally I feel prompted to pray for someone I don’t know—whose needs I’m clueless about. But I can pray “The Lord bless you and keep you,” etc., trusting God to bless them in the most appropriate and specific ways.

5) At Celebrations
The Aaronic Blessing also lends itself to birthday parties, wedding toasts, retirements and “bon voyage” occasions. It can even turn an awkward moment into a sacred space, as celebrants’ hearts and minds are lifted above and out of the mundane into a sweet moment of prayer.

These are not the only appropriate moments for this blessing, but they are some of the times when I hope to put it to good use. What about you? Do you—or will you—pray these words at opportune times?

5 Great Reasons to Pray Specifically

When Jesus taught his followers to pray, he could have said to pray, “bless us” or “help us.” But he didn’t. He said, “Give us this day our daily bread.” He urged his followers to be specific in prayer.

To his first followers, bread was central to life. It was a staple. A necessity. A lifeline. So Jesus said, “Pray for bread.” Praying for specific needs like that has several advantages:

1) Praying for specific needs clarifies our minds.
I can imagine Jesus responding to my prayers much as he spoke to Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52):

“Oh, Lord, have mercy on me.”
“What do you want me to do for you?”

“Please come to me.”
“What do you want me to do for you?”

“Please bless me.”
“What do you want me to do for you?”

“Help me.”
“What do you want me to do for you?”

“Well, what I really need is enough patience not to scream at my little boy who just spilled his juice all over the new carpet.”
“Ah, well, I can do that. I can also remind you to put a lid on his cup from now on.”

Maybe you don’t relate to God in quite that way. But I think Jesus’ instruction to pray specifically for our needs helps us to spell out and spill out what we really want to ask.

2) Praying for specific needs helps us define our needs.
Often in prayer I have asked God for something and soon have heard myself saying something like, “No, that’s not it exactly. It’s not that, but this other thing I really need.”

For example, “Lord, bless me” won’t lead me to recognize that I don’t need a raise as much as I need to say no to buying more stuff, or that maybe I don’t need a new co-worker but the wisdom, love and humility to resolve my conflicts with the one I have.

3) Praying for specific needs emphasizes our dependence on and intimacy with God.
If I really pray for God to provide the bread I need today, I may be tempted to forget that “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father.”

But if I pray for the things I need, I am not only reminded of that fact but am also drawn closer to my Father as I do “precisely what children do when they love and trust the one they call ‘Father’.”

4) Praying for specific needs makes us more alert to answers.
If I pray for “blessings,” God may answer but I may not recognize the answer when it comes. But if, on the other hand, I pray for “bread”—or someone similarly specific—I will be more attentive and alert to the answer when it comes.

5) Praying for specific needs increases our faith.
As a young pastor, I was awed by the men and women of faith who surrounded me. Their lives, words and prayers revealed depths and heights of faith that were simultaneously attractive to me and seemingly impossible for me.

Then one day, decades later, I realized that I truly believed and trusted God—probably not as well as those I looked up to years ago, but certainly in ways I had once thought impossible.

Why? Because in those years I had experienced—over and over again—God’s faithfulness in hearing and answering prayer. The more I learned to pray specifically, the more I saw and marked and remembered his answers. And each time that happened, my faith grew.

Adapted from The Red Letter Prayer Life by Bob Hostetler (Barbour Books 2015)