By Tricia Goyer
One of the special treasures of an Amish family is their prayer book, Die Ernsthafte Christenpflicht. Its earliest printing was in 1708. Can you imagine that thousands of families who have prayed the same prayers over the centuries?
Amish author Beverly Lewis compiled many of the prayers in the small book, Amish Prayers. I gave a copy to my grandmother one Christmas, and she loves it!
Here is one of those prayers:
The eyes of all believers are on you, Lord God and Heavenly Father, since you are the Provider for all. Open your gentle hand and pour out your gracious blessings over those who hope in you and open their eyes to you. Give us, Lord, spiritual eyes trustingly directed toward you. May we graciously enjoy the blessing and benediction of your divine grace, and may we take in moderation that which you have given to us, and use it to honor you and fulfill our needs. Above all else, nourish our souls unceasingly with the bread of your holy Word, through through dear Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
“The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore I will hope in Him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh Him.” Lamentations 3:24-25
Do you ever think about praying for God’s blessing in your life? If so, do you feel guilty about doing so? I know I do.
A few years ago Bruce Wilkinson wrote a short book called The Prayer of Jabez. It was a huge hit, and personally I loved the book. In it, the author dared us to pray for God’s blessings. After all, Jabez did. His prayer went like this:
“Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, ‘I gave birth to him in pain.’ 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.” 1 Chronicles 4:9, 10 NIV
God isn’t a magic genie, but He does want us to look to Him. He wants us to expect good things from Him. He wants us to remember His goodness . . . and expand our territories so we can have a greater impact for Him!
Solomon prayed for wisdom. Hannah prayed for a son. Jehoshaphat prayed for Deliverance. Jesus prayed for God’s kingdom to come.
What will you pray for today? God longs for you to turn to Him with a trusting heart . . . and without guilt in doing so.
And as you pray today, friends, may the Lord grant your requests!
*Photo credit: Image courtesy of ba1969 / stock.xchng
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