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4 Reasons You Should Pray Like Jabez

It is rare enough that a book about prayer becomes a bestseller, but when Bruce Wilkinson’s little 96-page book, The Prayer of Jabez, sold millions of copies some years ago, it surprised everyone. The book (and the prayer on which it was based) spawned numerous spin-offs, send-ups and sequels. Not to mention controversy.

The book focused on a short prayer tucked away in 1 Chronicles 4:10:

Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request. (NIV)

Not exactly the Lord’s Prayer, is it? Short—just 29 words in that translation. Yet it appealed to millions, possibly because it works. Not because it’s a magic mantra, some miracle cure, a biblical good luck charm. But for four reasons:

1) It’s daily.
If you haven’t been in the habit of praying daily, then starting that habit will bring about some wonderful changes—whether you pray the prayer of Jabez, the Lord’s Prayer or “Now I lay me down to sleep.” Try it; start praying every day, and watch what happens.

2) It’s simple.
Many people don’t pray because they don’t think they can. They’re shy. They feel self-conscious. They think they have to use “thee” and “thou” and make it sound like the Gettysburg Address. But the prayer of Jabez is simple enough to make many of us—even people like me—believe that prayer is something even we can do.

3) It’s specific.
The prayer of Jabez gives a person something specific to say when they pray. Very often—even when we want to pray—we have trouble expressing our thoughts. The Jabez prayer helps a person do that.

For the same reason, I frequently use a hymn (“Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise,” “I have no claim on grace,” etc.) or other words of Scripture (Psalm 5, for example, or Paul’s prayer for the Christians at Ephesus in Ephesians 3:14-21) to help me express the things I want to say in prayer. I also use lists of Scripture phrases to help me praise God or pray for my children as aids to prayer.

4) It’s a start.
The prayer of Jabez succeeds insofar as it opens the lines of communication between the person praying and the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. That’s a good thing. And, like most prayer, regularly praying the Jabez prayer is likely to whet a person’s appetite for more prayer.

Sure, some people might pray those 29 words day after day and be done with it. But a good number of people, while they’ve “got God’s attention,” so to speak, might feel encouraged to ask for forgiveness or guidance or healing for a friend. And that’s a good thing. A very good thing.

4 Prayers to Keep You Healthy

We pray for the sick. We pray for ourselves when we’re sick too. But how many of us pray for health when we’re healthy? For continued health? For increasing health?

One of my favorite prayers is the “Lorica” (or “breastplate”) attributed to Saint Patrick. It’s a wonderful prayer of power and protection and a great guide for how we might pray for health even when we’re not ill. He prayed “against every cruel and merciless power that may oppose my body and my soul,” including “against poison, against burning, against drowning, against wounding.”

So, why don’t we follow his example and pray for ourselves and others when we’re healthy? Here are a few suggested prayers for the healthy. Each will be phrased for oneself but can easily be revised or adapted into a prayer for someone else:

1) Thanks for Health

Heavenly Father, thank You for the health and vitality I enjoy today.
Thank you for functioning organs, working joints, strong muscles and sharp senses.
Let Your vitality flow into every cell in my body,
driving far from me all sickness and disease,
and remind me to give You praise and thanks for the health I enjoy. Amen.

2) Protection for Continued Health

God, grant that I may continue in health today.
Wherever I go, protect me from germs and viruses and bacteria.
Keep me safe from injury of body, mind or soul,
and bring me to this day’s end filled with health and energy,
that I may enjoy good health and that all may go well with me (3 John 2). Amen.

3) Petition for Increase in Health

Holy Spirit, my body is Your temple (1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19)
and my desire is to keep it healthy
and to increase in health and strength.
Help me to be a good steward of the health and strength you give,
in what I eat and drink and how I conduct myself each day.
Protect me from sickness, disease and injury,
granting me mobility, flexibility and strength. Amen.

4) Appeal for Healthy Functions

Gracious God, You knit me together in my mother’s womb;
I am fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:13-14).
My body is a wonder—and at times a mystery—to me.
Please keep it functioning well.
Keep my heart strong and my lungs healthy.
Keep my blood pressure and cholesterol in a healthy range.
Protect my memory and preserve my senses.
Oversee all the functions of my body that promote health and well-being. Amen.

I offer the above in the hope that these prayers will suggest others, and that regularly giving thanks and offering petitions for health and strength—for ourselves and for others.

4 Prayers of Hope for the New Year

For many of us, these past few years have been a year like no other—so much has been disruptive, stressful, disturbing and even traumatic. It seems as though we’ve been through one disappointment, derailment and disaster after another. We never asked for such a stormy year, but we weathered it. Now we turn a page, a corner. We may even turn over a new leaf.

So, what should we pray as we say goodbye—perhaps good riddance—to the old year? Here are four suggestions. You can fill in your own petitions and names to tailor these prayers to your life and needs.

1)  Pray to Process the Past
For many of us, these past 12 months came at us so fast that we had no time to think or recover before the next crisis hit. So, it may be wise here, at year’s end, to breathe a bit more deeply and think reflectively. A prayer such as the following may help:

God, clear my mind and help me to process all I’ve been through in 2020.
Give me wisdom. Enlighten me.
Help me, especially, to see Your hand in _______.
What were the moments when I drew closer to You?
When I strayed from You?
When I forgot that You were there, that You are always there?
What did I learn? What do I still need to learn in order to move on from 2020?

2)  Pray to Remember…and Forget
There are, of course, many things about this past year that we would like to forget. But let’s not be too hasty. Perhaps a prayer like the following may help make peace with regrets and nurture hope for a fresh start:

God, this has been a year filled with loss and pain.
Hold my hand as I grieve the losses and bear the pain, especially _______.
Hear my prayer as I confess my sins and surrender my regrets, especially _______.
Wipe from my memory the things that aren’t worth carrying into 2021, especially _______.
Help me to hold onto 2020’s lessons, blessings and victories, especially _______.

3)  Pray to Look Ahead in Newness, Hope, Faith and Love
Many of us saw our plans for the year demolished as 2020 got underway. But that doesn’t mean we can’t create new dreams for 2021:

God, I’m sure You understand my trepidation as I anticipate the new year. So little in 2020 went according to plan.
But those were my plans, I admit, and a new year unfolds before me.
Let this new year mark the beginning of newness of life for me and mine.
Let this year dawn in hope and proceed in hope; let the “deferred” hope of 2020 blossom into fruitful fulfillment in 2021 (see Proverbs 13:12). Give me hope especially for _______.
Let this year deepen and strengthen my faith in You, especially as concerns _______.
And let 2021 be a year in which Your love is shed abroad in my heart and the hearts of those around me, especially _______.

4)  Pray to Begin Anew
And with new plans and dreams on the horizon, here’s a prayer to open your heart to receiving God’s love and guidance as you begin to put them in place:

God, let this new year mark a new beginning for me and those I love.
Grant us, and especially _______, a new sense of Your closeness and care.
Give new strength and vitality, especially for _______.
Send a new level of hopeful trust to me, a new sense of your closeness and care, especially when _______.
Fill 2021 with new love, new joy and new peace;
with new outpourings of patience, kindness, goodness and faithfulness;
with new infillings of gentleness and self-control (see Galatians 5:22).
Let this coming year be ruled by whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and worthy of praise (see Philippians 4:8).

Let those prayers be only a starting point for the end of 2020 and the year to come. Pray that 365 days from now, you’ll look back with praise and thanksgiving on all of the ways God answered, even beyond what you thought to ask (see Ephesians 3:20).

4 Keys to Guilt-Free Praying

I’ve always known I “should” pray more. Determined to follow Jesus as a teenager, I tried to imitate such men as English missionary Hudson Taylor and Salvation Army Commissioner Samuel Logan Brengle, both who prayed long and hard and effectively. My efforts to be like them soon fizzled, however, and all I had to show for my labors was a healthy dose of guilt.

Later, as I trained for ministry, many of my instructors and some of my classmates displayed the fruits of strong, healthy prayer lives. I enjoyed occasional spurts of prayer myself, but again the greater harvest was feelings of guilt and inadequacy.

Even over years of ministry in the church, my prayers usually felt too far and few between. I prayed often–in the hospital, funeral home or church service. But I never felt like I had arrived where I wanted to be in my prayer journey.

I am not a lazy person. I get things done. But for many reasons, my prayer efforts for many years produced mostly disappointment and guilt. Maybe you can identify. Maybe, like me, you’ve been tempted to conclude that you’re just not cut from the same cloth as so-called “prayer warriors.” Maybe you’ve resigned yourself to an ineffectual and unrewarding prayer life. Maybe you have given up altogether. Don’t.

Ask the OurPrayer team to pray for you!

You can enjoy the benefits and blessings of a rich prayer life while escaping feelings of guilt and inadequacy.

Here are a few keys I have discovered in recent years that have opened the door to guilt-free praying for me:

1)  Pray according to your rhythms, not someone else’s.
You’ve heard or read the stories of people throughout history who rose at 4 a.m. and prayed for hours before breakfast, just as I have. But I had to learn that forcing myself to imitate someone else’s rhythms hurt far more than it helped.

So I spent some time experimenting, and figured out that (to quote the hymn) “When morning gilds the skies, my heart awakening cries, I just want to sleep for five more minutes, okay?” I do pray in the morning, usually, but not until I’m on my second (or third) cup of coffee.

2)  You don’t have to pray for a long time.
I used to measure the “quality” of my prayer time according to “quantity.” I wanted to discipline myself to pray for a half hour or an hour, because that’s what “good” pray-ers do, right?

But then I noticed that some of the most effective prayers in the Bible were pretty brief. Even the prayer Jesus taught His disciples takes no more than a half-minute to pray. So it’s not how long you pray that matters most, but simply that you pray.

3)  Your prayer doesn’t have to be fancy.
I was inspired at an early age by numerous people who prayed powerful, eloquent prayers. Turns out, it messed me up a little bit. I wanted to pray like that. And then I realized that Jesus depicted prayer as something like a child approaching a loving parent (or grandparent).

My prayers can be as primitive as one of my grandkids writing a birthday card for me; the words may be simple, even painfully so. But God treasures every one. As theologian Richard Foster wrote, “In the same way that a child cannot draw a bad picture so a child of God cannot offer a bad prayer.”

4)  Always remember that God loves you before or beyond anything you can do or say.
I used to obsess over “praying well.” I kept track of my prayers and answers to my prayers, wanting to pray in such a way that God would answer more and more. I wanted to become “a man of prayer,” so it felt important that I get it right, so to speak.

But one day something clicked, and I realized that God loves me, not my prayers. And He wants me to want Him more than answers to my prayers. And it has since been enough for me to enjoy my status as a “child of God” without fretting over becoming “a man of God.”

The point of my prayers ever since has not been accomplishment or answers, but relationship—intimacy with the God who loves me and invites me to love Him back!

Guilt and prayer are like oil and water. One will always repel the other. So try these keys to guilt-free praying and see if they do for you what they did for me.

4 Good Reasons to Pray Aloud

It’s happened to you. Please say it has. Please tell me I’m not the only one.

You’re spending a few moments in prayer. You close your eyes. Scrunch down a little in your seat. Fold your hands. You start praying, silently. And then, before long, without even realizing it, you’re thinking about the comment your coworker made yesterday.

What was that about? Did she realize how it sounded? Does she think I’m stupid? You remember, you’re supposed to be praying. You shake your head. Where was I? Oh yes… You get back on track, but your head sure is heavy. Moments later you open your eyes. Did I just fall asleep?

Maybe it’s just me. Maybe I’m the only one who is often distracted, even somnolent, in times of private prayer. If that’s the case, then…well, never mind. But if you’re anything like me, please accept my sympathies–and also consider praying aloud.

That’s right, aloud. In times of personal prayer, when it’s just you and God.

Why would you do that? I can think of four good reasons to pray aloud:

1. Praying aloud helps you focus.
Sure, God hears your silent prayers. He examines your heart; He knows your thoughts no matter where you are (see Psalm 139:1-2). Praying aloud doesn’t affect His hearing, one way or the other. But it does affect your thinking.

It is much easier to stay focused when you pray aloud; the act of speaking aloud helps you stay on track. And, while it is still possible to fall asleep while you’re speaking (my wife does it all the time), it is less likely.

2. Praying aloud helps you express yourself
I don’t know about you, but most of my silent thoughts and prayers have only one volume: Silence. But when I pray aloud, my prayers express my emotions and hopes and dreams with much more passion and variety.

I can’t imagine the prophet Jeremiah praying silently in the prayer session that inspired these words:

I called on your name, Lord,

from deep within the pit.

You heard me when I cried, “Listen to my pleading!

Hear my cry for help!”

Yes, you came when I called;

you told me, “Do not fear.” (Lamentations 3:55-57, NLT)

Sometimes, like the prophet, I call and cry my prayers. Sometimes I whisper, sometimes I “shout unto God with the voice of triumph” (Psalm 47:1, KJV). Sometimes my voice trembles. Sometimes it whines.

3. Praying aloud reinforces your memory.
Why do teachers and preachers often make people say things aloud? Why do we remember songs we sing better than songs we merely hear? Because vocalization reinforces memory. It aids retention.

So it is with praying aloud. I find it much easier to remember things I have prayed aloud–whether confession, thanks, petition or praise–than to remember my silent prayers.

4. Praying aloud combines heart, soul, mind, and body
The greatest commandment, Jesus said, is “love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength” (Mark 12:30, NLT).

Praying aloud is an act that engages the heart, soul, mind and body. It involves motion and action, if only of the tongue (though if you’re like me, you can’t speak without also moving your arms and hands).

There is nothing wrong with praying silently, of course. Abraham’s servant did it (Genesis 24:45). So did Hannah (1 Samuel 1:12-13). And their prayers were answered.

But there are also good reasons to pray aloud. In fact, I’m sure I’ve just scratched the surface. If you’ve been helped by praying aloud please leave a comment that will encourage others. Feel free to add your reasons to the list, as well as any tips you wish to share.

4 Emergency Prayers

Disaster strikes. An emergency looms. A crisis threatens.

Sometimes there is no time to stop and pray. Events are moving too fast, and we can barely form a cohesive thought, let alone pause to bow our heads or fold our hands.

What do we do at such times? How can we pray? In moments like those, it pays to have a few go-to prayers readily available, in our memories and vocabularies. Here are a handful of “911 prayers” that may help when panic threatens to set in and words seem to escape us:

1) Help (Psalm 12:1)
Anne Lamott, in her short book, Help, Thanks, Wow, boils down prayer to three essentials, one of which is “Help.” It is the most basic of prayers. We may get fancier or wordier, but God’s ears seem to be tuned in to “Help,” perhaps as much as or more than any other prayer.

2) Lord, have mercy (Matthew 20:31)
So many cries and groans come to our minds and hearts in the course of a day or week, and many of them are urgent. “Lord, have mercy” is among my most frequent and heartfelt prayers at such times. I don’t have to know the details of an emergency, nor do I have to get more specific. God knows, so I simply cry out, like the blind men described in Matthew’s Gospel, “Lord, have mercy,” and trust Him to answer according to His sovereign insight, wisdom and power.

3) Our help is in the name of the Lord (Psalm 124:8)
Sometimes all we can do is to remind ourselves that “when other helpers fail and comforts flee,” God abides with us still—and He, after all, is the source of any help we may receive. At such times the biblical prayer, “Our help is in the name of the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth,” makes a great 911 prayer.

4) We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you (2 Chronicles 20:12)
When a foreign army threatened Israel’s capital, the king prayed to God, “We do not know what to do but our eyes are on you.” It is a confession, affirmation and petition rolled into one.

It helps to keep these four biblical prayers in mind when emergencies arise, but they can be a valuable resource, applicable to virtually any situation—especially when the need is deepest.

4 Bible Verses to Help You Cast Out Fear

“Fear not. Just believe.” You don’t have to take it from me. Take it from Jesus. When word came back that Jairus’s daughter, whom He had promised to heal, had died, people were understandably upset. “Do not be afraid any longer,” He said. “Only believe.” (Matthew 5:36)

Evidently “Fear not” or “Do not be afraid” is one of the most frequent refrains in the Bible. Jesus says it, God says it, the angels proclaim it. Why? Because people back then, like people today (me, for instance!) get caught up in waves of fear.

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We desperately need that heavenly assurance. How do we get it? See what the Good Book says:

1) When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. (Psalm 56:3). The Psalmist has it right. The Psalmist knows what it is to be afraid and what to do about it. Sometimes I’ll just repeat that key word here. Trust, trust, trust. Trust God, not all those naysayers.

Avoid the news for a day or two. What’s the best way to get someone to log on and read about the latest developments? Scare them. That seems to work pretty well for digital traffic numbers. Guess what? The Good News is not like that at all. Put your trust in that.

2) Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (Philippians 4:6-7). Let God know about those fears. Don’t edit them out of your prayers. And then add that extra element that Paul suggests here: thanksgiving.

Try writing down those things you’re grateful for. Don’t stop. Keep writing. Once when a fit of depression had gotten the worst of me, I took out a pen and a piece of paper and wrote a list of things I was grateful for. By the time I got to 20 or 30, I was in a better frame of mind.

It’s called praying with a pencil. Or pen. Even better than typing on your computer.

3) There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. (1 John 4:18). What is the opposite of fear? Love. It doesn’t help me much to tell myself, “Stop worrying, Rick. Fear not.” I need to add this extra element, something to replace the fretting, fearful mind.

That’s exactly what Jesus seems to urge when He tells the people, “Only believe.” He’s giving us a key to banish the fears. Belief. Faith. Love. Contemplating God’s love. Let it embrace you.

Seem too abstract? Look at the good people God has put in your life to show you love. To give you love. To model love. Hold that love in your heart. It can help you cast out fear.

4) Be strong and courageous. Do not fear…for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. (Deuteronomy 31:6). There is something bigger than your fears. God isn’t far away in the clouds. The Lord your God is right here by your side.

And everyone who reads these Bible verses, we are by each others’ side. Never alone.

3 Ways to Pray for Healing from the Bible

We pray for healing. For ourselves. For those we love. For people we barely know, and even for strangers whose needs come to our attention.

Sometimes we cry out in desperation. At other times we simply present the need for healing before God and wait in hope and expectation. In every case, though, the prayer itself is a confession, an admission of need and a statement of faith—and God hears every one.

Still, it can be helpful to know that some prayers for healing not only won the attention of the Great Physician but also resulted in miraculous answers. Here are three such prayers that can shape how we pray:

1) “Just say the word.”
A Roman centurion once sent messengers to Jesus on behalf of a servant who had fallen ill. Jesus responded by heading for the centurion’s home. As Jesus approached, the man sent more messengers, who conveyed his message: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it” (Luke 7:6-8 NIV).

Jesus commended the man for his faith in believing that He could heal without a bedside visit or physical touch but with just a word, from a distance. The servant was healed.

It’s a frequent prayer of mine: “Just say the word.” Sometimes I’ll specify, “Just say the word, and I will be healed” or “Just say the word, and [name] will be healed.”

2) “Crumbs from your table”
On another occasion, a non-Jewish woman begged Jesus to heal her daughter, who was “suffering terribly” from demon-possession (Matthew 15:22 NIV). He didn’t respond immediately to her cries, so she came and knelt before Him, saying, “Lord, help me.” He rebuffed her, though we might infer a gentle tone as He said, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

She countered, “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table,” at which he said, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted” (Matthew 15:26-28 NIV). The woman may have hoped for Jesus to go with her, to visit her home and touch her daughter, but instead she made the return trip alone and found that her daughter was healed.

The incident was an early indication that the healing and salvation Jesus brought extended beyond “the lost sheep of Israel” (Matthew 15:24 NIV), and it reminds me that His power is available even to me and mine. So, I sometimes pray for healing, asking Him for “crumbs from your table,” as a way of reminding myself that He can use even my humble prayer and my little faith to work a miracle.

3) “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief.”
Once, upon coming down from the Mount of Transfiguration where Jesus had conferred with Moses and Elijah, with Peter, James and John as witnesses, He was confronted with a desperate father. The man explained to Jesus, “I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not” (Mark 9:17-18 NIV).

Jesus engaged the man in conversation and said, “Everything is possible for one who believes,” to which the man answered, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24 NIV). Moments later, the boy was healed, and even Jesus’ closest followers were amazed.

As often as I’ve seen God work, even miraculously at times, to heal me and those I love, I still need that prayer: “I believe; help my unbelief.” It’s an honest prayer, reminding me that I believe, but still need a lot of help to overcome whatever doubts may remain or return.

These three prayers aren’t the only prayers for healing we find in scripture, but they’ve sure made a difference for me. I hope they help you to pray for yourself, for those you love and even those you barely—or don’t—know.

3 Ways to Pray a Prayer of Mortality

You may consider the words morbid. They may sound strange to your ears. That’s all right. You’re not supposed to like them. But you are supposed to take them to heart.

Not all followers of Jesus observe Ash Wednesday, and not all observe it in the same way.

But for centuries now, the imposition of ashes on that first day of Lent has been accompanied by the reminder, based on Genesis 3:19, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” (An alternative phrase–“Repent and believe in the Gospel”–is sometimes used).

To some, of course, it can be an invitation to depression. But theologically speaking, it is an invitation to prayerful awareness. That our lives are fragile and fleeting. That we are not guaranteed tomorrow. That those around us–those we love, those we like and those we don’t–are also quite temporary. And it is an invitation to forgive quickly and to live gratefully, humbly and mindfully.

By now, of course, if you received the ashes, they’ve worn or washed off. But you can nonetheless continue wearing them throughout Lent by praying, at every opportunity, a prayer of mortality.

1) You might preface each prayer with the imposition formula: “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return,” and follow it with “Nevertheless ‘I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.’” (Galatians 2:20, ESV)

2) Or you may say, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return,” and follow it with “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21, ESV)

3) Or, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return,” followed by “Yet ‘we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.’”(2 Corinthians 5:6-9, ESV)

Or you may decide on another “prayer of mortality” to pray through the season of Lent. In any case, let me suggest four occasions to do so:

1) Anytime you pass or view a cemetery.

2) When you see or hear the popular acronym, “YOLO” (You Only Live Once).

3) As a funeral procession passes.

4) When you see a newspaper obituary or hear news of someone’s passing.

It may be no stretch for you to pray a prayer of mortality. Or it may be a totally new experience. It may even seem more than a little gloomy to you. But if it helps you to forgive someone or to be kind to someone or to live more gratefully yourself, it can be a wonderful way to pray…and to observe Lent.

How do you react to this suggestion? Does it seem strange to you? Or are you willing to try it? Or do you plan a different prayer practice this Lenten season? Please take a moment to share in the comment section below.

3 Prayers That God Answers Immediately

In recent years, many big amusement theme parks have introduced a perk for some visitors. They call it “Express Pass” or “FastPass,” and those customers who are willing to pay the extra fee bypass the long lines for the most popular rides. For many, it’s worth it to avoid the wait and squeeze more thrills and excitement into their visit.

It’s easy to see the benefit of a “no wait” option. But did you know that some prayers offer immediate results—with no additional cost? I can think of three prayers that God answers instantly.

1) Forgive me.
Author F. B. Meyer wrote, “God does sometimes keep us waiting for an answer to other prayers, but He never keeps us waiting one single second for an answer to our prayer for forgiveness.” It may take time for us to believe and own our forgiveness, but the promise of God is that “he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 NIV).

2) Take my life.
Another prayer that God delights in answering immediately is the prayer of surrender and consecration. When we sincerely pray, like the hymnwriter, “Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee,” we receive a speedy answer from the One who promised, “whoever comes to me I will never drive away” (John 6:37 NIV). Like the prayer for forgiveness, it may take us time to believe that the Lord has done in us what He promised to us, but we can trust that the answer comes without delay.

3) Be glorified.
On the first Palm Sunday, after His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Jesus prayed aloud, “‘Father, glorify your name!’ Then a voice came from heaven, ‘I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.’ The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him” (John 12:28-29 NIV). The answer took apparently no time at all. Similarly, when we prayerfully invite God’s glory, He will immediately set His answer in motion.

Perhaps you’ve prayed these prayers. If so, you’ve experienced the power of “no-wait praying.” If not, why wait? Try them today.

3 Biblical Words to Help You Pray

Ever sit there, ready to pray and wonder what can help you get that connection to God? In the morning, munching my oatmeal, I read three Psalms and a chapter from the Gospels—better to start the day with the Good News rather than all that dreary and/or scary stuff in the newspaper.

Certain words pop up over and over again in Scripture. They might mean one thing in everyday speech but in a Biblical context—and prayer context—they offer so much power. Try them out as you pray. A single word that you can hold on to or pray all day long.

1)  Mercy
You don’t hear this word much. Maybe my mom would say it, exclaiming, “Mercy me!” But see what an important word and concept it was to Jesus. “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy” He says in the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:7).

Remember the parable of the publican and the Pharisee praying on their way to the temple (Luke 18:9-14). The Pharisee bragging, “God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers or even this tax collector.”

Whereas the tax collector is standing far off, beating his breast. He can barely look up to heaven. “God be merciful to me, a sinner,” he prays. He is the one Jesus calls out. The simplest prayer in the world: “Lord, have mercy.” It puts you in the right relationship with God.

2)  Delight
We don’t normally think of delight connected to faith. But there it is, again and again, especially in the Psalms. “Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4) or “But their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law they meditate day and night” (Psalm 1:2).

God wants us to delight in His presence. We can delight in the creation as it brings us closer to the Creator. We delight in the godly people we meet and see. Make your prayers with delight.

3)  Peace
The word “peace” I generally think of as it relates to the resolution of some global conflict or the good work people do in the Peace Corps. But as Jesus uses the word, it is a message directed straight to the world and our fears.

When the disciples are in their boat and a great storm comes up, waves crashing against the sides, Jesus is asleep in their midst. When they wake Him up, He says to the wind and sea: “Peace! Be still!” (Mark 2:39).

Or when the woman suffering from a terrible hemorrhage just touches His robe and is healed instantly, Jesus feels the power that had gone out of Him. He turns to find her, and she comes to Him in fear and trembling. “Daughter, your faith has made you well,” He says. “Go in peace.”

Three words to help give you peace in these times.

3 Bible Verses to Help Us Pray for Others

Not a day goes by that I don’t pray for others. Don’t think I’m so holy for doing it. Truth to tell, I don’t do it just for them, I also do it for myself. It’s a way of restoring a right relationship with God and the world, one day at a time. Here are three Bible verses that help me do that:

1) Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. (James 5:16) To share in someone else’s pain is often a chance to acknowledge your own. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in your own misery. If you’re like me you have an inner voice talking to you, offering both self-congratulations and mental flogging. “Why did I do that? Why do I feel this way? Why can’t I be nicer?”

Then I’ll think of someone else who’s going through troubles. Loss, sorrow, sickness, despair. Pray for them. Feel compassion for them. I find that in doing so I can access God’s love for me, feeling God’s compassion for me. “Pray for one another,” as James says, “so that you may be healed.”

2) First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone. (1Timothy 2:1) I find that sending a text or an email, even making a phone call, are perfect adjuncts to intercessory prayer. It’s what a friend used to tell me was “putting shoe leather on prayer.” An action to reinforce a prayer.

I remember what my father used to say when he heard of some trial a friend was facing: “I’ll hold a good thought for you.” Some people will picture the need and use that imagery to make a prayer. For me, feeling the expanse of compassion and understanding where there might have been none is very much the prayer. Holding that good thought.

3) And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he had prayed for his friends… (Job 42:10) God willing, none of us should have to suffer the way Job did. In quick and monstrous succession, he lost everything: his children, his wealth, his health. All he had left was his life. He might have cried out in anguish, but he did not reject God. Did not curse God.

And after his trials were over, all that he lost was restored, more than restored (although I’ve never understood how the lost children could simply be replaced). But first he had to pray for his friends—friends who had blamed the blameless Job for all his misfortunes.

Like I said, to pray for others is to claim and restore a right relationship with the world and God. In the process, may we never have to suffer as Job did.