#768 - PSALMS 38:15 // PROVERBS 7:1-3

But for you, O Lord, do I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer. Psalms 38:15

My son, keep my words and treasure up my commandments with you; keep my commandments and live; keep my teaching as the apple of your eye; bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart. Proverbs 7:1-3

Heavenly Father, It’s you who I wait upon. It’s you who has the answers I need and want. It’s you. Not my wife. Not my friends. Not my family. Not those who I desire to respect me. Not the people in my church. Ultimately, I do not wait on any of these people to give to me or be for me what only you can give and be. They don’t have the answers you have. They don’t have the insight you have. I praise you Lord that I don’t have to be disappointed in whether or not the people in my life are doing, thinking, being, or responding how I think they should in the timing they should. I wait upon you. Your sovereign hand. Your sovereign timing. Your sovereign plan. I wait on you, and I praise you for being worthy of being waited on, no matter how long it may take. I wait on you for timing. I wait on you for resources. I wait on you for opportunity. I wait on you for insight. I wait on you for guidance. I wait on you for next steps. I take responsibility for everything I know to do and am convicted by you to do, and I wait on you for everything else. I love you Lord, and may my waiting on you be worship unto you.

Lord, these proverbs that you are exposing me to and speaking to me through are so life-giving and helpful. I do desire to keep, bind, and write them on my heart as you instruct. Please give me a strategy. Please give me a conviction. Please help me to memorize the Proverbs that you would lead me to memorize. I want to keep them close. I want to keep them accessible. I want to be able to access the goodness of your commands and precepts whenever the time calls for it. I praise you for the words from your Word that I do have written on my heart. Give me a desire for more. I love you Lord and l love your Word. Saturate me with it. Give me a supernatural ability to remember and recall more of what I read. I pray all of these things in Jesus name, Amen.

#767 - PSALMS 37:4-5 // PROVERBS 6:9-11

Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. Psalms 37:4-5

How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man. Proverbs 6:9-11

Heavenly Father, I love, praise, adore, and thank you for the ways that Psalms 37:4-5 has come to pass in my life. I thank you for how you have been true to this word all throughout my life. I have seen time and time again that as I pursue you, as I commit my ways to you, as I seek first your Kingdom and your righteousness, you act. You respond. You give. You bless. You have been so kind to bless me with the desires of my heart over the years. Desires for friendship. Desires for influence. Desires for opportunity. Desires for financial increase. Desire for Kingdom impact. Desires for rest, relaxation, and rejuvenation. You have given me all these desires. In your grace. In your mercy. You’ve given me all of these things as I’ve sought to delight myself in you. Thank you for your faithfulness and kindness to me.

Lord, keep me from laziness. Keep me from an attitude about rest that is not of you. Keep me from an approach to rest and “taking care of myself” that is, in reality, bad stewardship of my time, talents, resources, and responsibilities. You know that I am prone to more rest than I need. Forgive me for the times when I have not been more faithful with my time. I do not want poverty to come upon me. I do not want destruction to come upon me, my family, and my church. I do not want to accomplish anything less than what you’ve fashioned me to accomplish and produce for you. Keep me from the laziness that will sabotage your purpose for my life. I love you Lord and I thank you that these Proverbs continue to give me the warnings I need. I pray all of this in Jesus name, Amen.

#766 - PSALMS 36:5-6 // PROVERBS 5:22

Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; your judgments are like the great deep; man and beast you save, O Lord.

The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him, and he is held fast in the cords of his sin. Proverbs 5:22

Heavenly Father, I praise you for a love that is a deep, wide, high, and massive. Help me to see your love, faithfulness, righteousness, and judgements as David did. Everything about you is immense. There is an immensity and enormity to who you are and what you do. Help me to never put you in a box. Help me to perceive you as you are. Strong. Mighty. Powerful. I worship you for your immensity. I worship you for the depth, height, and width of your being and attributes. Keep me amazed. Keep me enthralled. I love you Lord and worship you. You are worthy of my highest praise.

Lord, keep me aware of the danger of sin. Keep me aware of the entrapments. Keep me cognizant of destructive sexual sin can be to my life. Sin will bind me, hold me captive, and keep me from your best for me. Please help me not to take sin lightly. Keep me on my toes. Help me to remember that sin is crouching at my door at all times. Thank you Lord for all the ways in which you have done this over the years. Thank you for untangling me when I have been tangled in sin. Thank you for loosing me from sin when I have been held captive by it. You have been so kind in that way. So faithful. I love you Lord and I pray all of this in Jesus name, Amen.

#765 - PSALMS 35:27 // PROVERBS 4:26

Let those who delight in my righteousness shout for joy and be glad and say evermore, “Great is the Lord, who delights in the welfare of his servant!” Psalms 35:27

Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Proverbs 4:26

Heavenly Father, there are many people who love me, support me, desire your best for me, and see your righteousness in me. Thank you for these friends. Thank you for these family members. Thank you for these brothers and sisters inside our church and outside our church who you’ve surrounded me with. I am blessed. May you be more beautiful to these friends because of what they see and support you doing in my life. May you become more glorious. May you become more worthy of praise. May others support of me and what you’re doing in my life result in greater praise of YOU! You, alone, are worthy. Anything you do in and through me is not, ultimately, so people will love me, it is so that people will see you! Be magnified in and through my life now and forevermore. I love you Lord God! For your glory alone. For your glory alone do I live and move and have my being.

Lord, help me to take heed the wisdom of pondering my paths. Help me to think deeply about the decisions I make, the paths I take, and the possibilities before me. May my pondering include prayer, the seeking of wise counsel, consideration of the consequences of my decisions and how they will impact everyone involved. I desire my ways to be sure. Help me to not be hasty in my decisions. Help to honor you by thinking though them thoroughly. I love you. I praise you. I thank you for the wisdom of your word. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

#764 - PSALMS 34:8 // PROVERBS 3:9-10

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Psalms 34:8

Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine. Proverbs 3:9-10

Heavenly Father, for so long, my relationship with you wasn’t something that was characterized by “tasting good.” For so long, it was religious duty. For so long it was burdensome, boring, and heavy. Over the last 10 years or so, I have “tasted” and I have “seen.” It has gone from a cerebral understanding to an experiential knowing of your goodness. Thanks for this gift! Thanks for this desire from you to know that you are good in this way! Keep me persistent in this pursuit. Help me not be satisfied with a version of you that I cannot taste or see. Keep my affections strong. Keep my affections “white hot.” You are worthy. You are the only truly “tasteful” thing worth me feasting upon.

Lord, help me to honor you with my financial resources. Help me to worship you with my money. Help me to put you first with my financial resources and not last. Help me to give you my best and not my leftovers. There is a promise of always having enough and even more when I emphasize honoring you with my money. Help me to see the wisdom in this. Help me to lead others to see the wisdom in this. You are the giver. You are the provider. Help me to not behave with my money like that’s not the case! It’s all yours. I am merely a steward! I love you Lord. I thank you for this time today in your Word. I thank you for relationship with you. I am so fulfilled in it and by it. I pray all of this in Jesus name, Amen.

#763 - PSALMS 33:10-12 // PROVERBS 2:6-8

The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage! Psalm 33:10-12

For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints. Proverbs 2:6-8

Heavenly Father, it will be your counsel that stands. It will be your precepts that endure. It will be your plans that will prevail. I praise you for your strength. I praise you for your power. I praise you as the only one who will overcome in every way! Even the brightest rulers, advisors, scientists, and future planners can have their plans thwarted by you if you decide to do so. Their counsel is temporary. Your counsel is eternal. Their counsel is helpful. Your counsel is powerful! Your plans will endure! I praise you Lord for this truth.

I thank you Lord for the hope and truth in this proverb. I thank you Lord for the promise that as I pursue living upright, you will have wisdom stored up for me. I cannot exhaust the wisdom that you have for me. You will always have more. You have storehouses of wisdom in store for me! I praise and thank you that as I seek it out, you will provide it for me. I look forward to the wisdom that you will bless me with in the coming years and months as I become more intentional about pursuing it. I love you Lord. I thank you for this precept and promise. I pray this in Jesus name, Amen.

#762 - PSALMS 32:3-5 // PROVERBS 1:24-27

For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Psalm 32:3-5

Because I have called and you refused to listen, have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded, because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you, when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. Proverbs 1:24-27

Heavenly Father, I know what it feels like to have unconfessed sin. I know the feelings David describes above. I know what it feels like to be dying on the inside because I have not yet been honest about how I’ve sinned against you with you or with others. I praise you God for delivering me from this type of hiding and covering up. I thank you Lord for revealing to me how I could be free if I just confessed and received your grace and mercy. The level of inner turmoil that comes along with unconfessed sin is heavy. I remember seasons of living with unconfessed sin like walking around with a ball and chain. Thank you for setting me free. Use me as a voice in this generation to set others free from this “wasting away” through faith in the good news. As I have been revived, renewed, and reinvigorated through confession of sin and reception of grace, help me to renew others.

Lord, help me to heed the voice of wisdom. As I read and re-read proverbs, help my heart not to grow numb to the voice of wisdom. Help me to be convicted where I need to be convicted and help me to respond in obedience to those convictions. Or, wisdom will mock me when I fall. Wisdom will laugh. Wisdom will not have mercy. If I choose to live a foolish life after seeing clearly the path of the wise, wisdom will not feel bad for me. Thank you for this sobering truth. Thank you for this reality check. Give me an urgency for heeding your wisdom. Lest, wisdom mocks my foolishness. I pray this in Jesus name, Amen.

#760 - PSALMS 30:4-5 // PROVERBS 30:5-6

Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. Psalm 30:4-5

Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar. Proverbs 30:5-6

Heavenly Father, I thank and praise you for your “momentary anger.” On many occasions, I have felt this anger towards me, but I am so thankful that you do not stay angry with me. In Christ, I am forgiven. In Christ, I am cleansed. In Christ, I am rescued from your anger and your wrath. And instead, I have your favor, blessing, and approval. I could not live under an anger from you that was prolonged. I could not have joy. I could not have peace. I could not have rest. Thank you Lord that your favor is what I should feel more than your anger. You have more favor towards me than you have anger. Thank you Lord! Though seasons of darkness and despair are inevitable, seasons of joy and gladness are equally inevitable and eventually, they will be eternal! I praise your name!

Your word is sufficient. What you have spoken is enough. What has been revealed through your Word has all everyone needs for a life of godliness and contentment. Every word you have spoken has come to pass and will come to pass. It was completed before you spoke it! Lord, help me to see your word as sufficient as it is. Give me the confidence to wholeheartedly believe in the sufficiency of your word that it shows up in my preaching and teaching. May my words only be used to bring to greater clarity and light your words. May my words help to show people the importance of your Word. I praise you Lord for how you’ve called me to use words, but help me to never add to your words. Help me Lord. Help me. I love you Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.

#759 - PSALMS 29:1-2 // PROVERBS 29:11

Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness. Psalms 29:1-2

A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back. Proverbs 29:11

Heavenly Father, I ascribe to you glory. I ascribe to you dominion and power. I ascribe to you honor. I ascribe to you worth. I ascribe to you perfection. You alone. Lord, make me into a man who desires to ascribe to you your attributes and describe to others your wonder. There is none more worthy. There is none more deserving. There is none like you. Nothing. No one. I praise you God.

Lord, I thank you for this proverb. I thank you for this distinction between the wise and the foolish. May I never forget that it is the fool who feels free to say whatever he wants to say whenever he wants to say it. It is the wise that are more prudent with their words. It is the wise who think before they speak. It is the wise who refrain. Give me this wisdom. Give me this self-control. Give me this discernment between what should and shouldn’t be said. Your son Jesus is the perfect example of this. On so many occasions he could’ve said so much more. On so many occasions he could’ve give fuller vent to his spirit, but he exercised self-control. But he only said what you wanted him to say. Help me to live the same. Help me to only utter words that you would have me to utter. Nothing more. Nothing less. Thank you for hearing this prayer. Thank you in advance for forming me into the type of man who is known more for what I chose not to say than what I actually said. I pray all of this in Jesus name, Amen.

#758 - PSALMS 28:7 // PROVERBS 28:9

The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. Psalms 28:7

If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination. Proverbs 28:9

Heavenly Father, I trust you. Your heart. Your plans. Your ways. Your will. Your timing. Your sovereignty. Your omniscience. I trust you Lord. You alone are the trustworthy one. For generations you have been faithful to your word. For generations you have done what you said what you would do. You are the only one with perfect integrity. Therefore, you are the only one worthy of being trusted with all of my being. I trust you God, and I thank you for how you have helped me over the years as I have put my trust in you. Financially. Emotionally. Relationally. Vocationally. In every area that I have trusted you, you have helped me. I praise your name! I give thanks to you! You are my helper!

Lord, for someone for who prayer has become such an important part of my life, I fear my prayers being an abomination unto you. Help me to heed your law. Help me to respect your law. Help me to not turn away from your words as outlined in the scriptures. Help me to not scoff at your word. Help me to not neglect your counsel. Instead, help me to run first to your law. Help me to run first to the scriptures. Help me to regard them as they should be regarded…as your very words! I praise you for how you have left your words to me. I praise you for how you have left your words to your church. You have not left us alone. You have not left us without instruction. Help your word then to be the lamp unto our feet and light unto our path that you intended it to be. Help me to prioritize it as such all the days of my life. I pray all of this in Jesus name, Amen.

#757 - PSALMS 27:8 // PROVERBS 27:2

You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, Lord, do I seek.” Psalms 27:8

Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips. Proverbs 27:2

Heavenly Father, I desire to give you what you want! If you want your face to be sought, I desire to seek it! I seek your ways. I seek your character. I seek your will. I seek your plans. I seek your purposes. I seek your intentions and motivations. I seek your heart. I seek the why, the way, and the when of what you want. I seek your statutes. I seek your wisdom. I seek you. I seek you. And because your word says when I seek you, I will find you, I look forward to how you will reveal yourself to me in my seeking. Thank you for showing me yourself on so many occasions as I have sought you. Thank you for supplying all my needs as I have sought you. Thank you for being the only one worth seeking in this life. I love seeking your face, and I look forward to a lifetime of being loved, ministered to, and guided by you as I do.

Lord, I repent for the times when I have felt the need to praise myself. I repent for the ways in which my insecurity has led to me bestowing glory upon myself rather than you. Or, rather than waiting for it to come from someone else. What you have declared over me, in Christ, is all I need. Anything I would want to praise myself about or have other praise me for, pales in comparison to what the infinite affirmation you have over me in Christ Jesus. Lord, help that to be enough. Help that to satisfy. Help that to satisfy me in such a way where I can reserve my praising for you and others. Help me not to waste another breath on my acknowledging myself when it could be better invested praising you and affirming others. Make me so secure in you that I have no need to “praise myself.” I love you Lord and I thank you that your affirmation is sufficient. And not just sufficient, satisfying. I pray this in Jesus name, Amen.

#756 - PSALMS 26:6-7 // PROVERBS 26:24-26

I wash my hands in innocence and go around your altar, O Lord, proclaiming thanksgiving aloud, and telling all your wondrous deeds. Psalms 26:6-7

Whoever hates disguises himself with his lips and harbors deceit in his heart; when he speaks graciously, believe him not, for there are seven abominations in his heart; though his hatred be covered with deception, his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly. Proverbs 26:24-26

Heavenly Father, I praise you for your wondrous deeds. For the ways you’ve blessed, sustained, honored, provided, increased, loved, cared for, promoted…your acts of goodness in my life are innumerable. I praise you. I thank you. All glory, honor, praise, and thanksgiving is due to your name alone. Lord help me to be the kind of man that does not shrink back from proclaiming my thanksgiving aloud. Make me into the type of man that testifies often to your goodness in my life, the life of my family, the life of my church, and the life of the Body of Christ as a whole. You are doing wondrous, gracious, good things all the time. Help me to see these things. Help me to perceive these things. Then, give me the courage to thank and praise you publicly! You are worthy!

Once again, Lord, I ask you for discernment. Discernment between those disguising themselves with their lips and harboring deceit in their heart and those who aren’t. Help me not to be this type of person. Help me not to be so easily fooled by flattering words. Help me to see the heart behind people’s words. I need this wisdom. I need this understanding. Thank you for pointing me in this direction. I know it will save me from being hurt. I know it will keep me from unnecessary pain. I love you Lord and I, once again, thank you for how you love and lead me through your very words! Thank you for the Word of God and for how it is truly living and active in my life. I pray all of this in Jesus name, Amen.

#755 - PSALMS 25:12-14 // PROVERBS 25:6-7

Who is the man who fears the Lord? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose. His soul shall abide in well-being, and his offspring shall inherit the land. The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant. Psalm 25:12-14

Do not put yourself forward in the king's presence or stand in the place of the great, for it is better to be told, “Come up here,” than to be put lower in the presence of a noble. Proverbs 25:6-7

Heavenly Father, I fear you. I fear your greatness. I fear your wrath. I fear holiness. I fear your power. I fear your might. I fear your justice. I fear your impatience. I fear you treating me as my sins deserve. Help me to maintain this fear Lord. Help me to maintain a strong sense of awe and wonder for who you are and how you allow me to, by your grace, relate to you. Help me to be amazed by you. Enthralled. Awestruck. You are worthy God. You are worthy! And as I grow in my fear of you, Lord, please, give me your friendship. Grant me your instruction. Extend to me your covenant. Deliver on your promises of fearing you! I praise you Lord for these truths.

Lord, I’m so thankful for how you’ve placed this proverb so deep in my soul. For someone who for so long, longed to be told by people of importance, “Come up here,” thank you Lord for providing me this instruction and wisdom. Thank you for helping me to trust that you see me. You have every ability to “promote” me when the time and place is right. I need not promote myself. I need not put my name in the hat. I need not fight and wrestle for opportunity. It is better to be invited than to ask for an invitation. Thank you Lord for helping me to see this as clear as day. And, most of all, thank you for giving me opportunities over the years where you have, in your way, said, “Come up here.” I love you Lord and praise your name. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

#754 - PSALMS 24:4-5 // PROVERBS 24:10

He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. Psalm 24:4-5

If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small. Proverbs 24:10

Heavenly Father, oh how I desire clean hands and a pure heart. So often, my hands aren’t clean and my heart isn’t pure. Forgive me for these times. Cleanse me of my unrighteousness. I repent for the times when I’ve minimized sin in my life as anything less than “cosmic treason” against a Holy God. I want my motives, my intentions, my deeds, my words, my actions to be pure before you. Purify my heart God. I desire the blessings that come along with being this type of man. I desire the favor. I praise you Lord for how you have cleaned my hands and purified my heart over the years. Do more. Go deeper. Make me purer. Make me more righteous. Make me more holy, for your glory. No matter what it takes. No matter what it requires that you prune. Clean hands and a pure heart, this is my desire.

Lord I praise you for holding me up over these last couple of years. The only reason I did not faint is not because I have great strength, but because in spite of my small strength you saw fit to strengthen me with your perfect strength. Thank you. I praise your name. I never would’ve make it without you. I never would’ve lasted. I never would’ve maintained my love for you and your Church if it were not for your sustaining strength. I would’ve been bitter. I would’ve quit. I would’ve been resentful. But God. But you God! Thank you Lord. I pray that you would give me an even greater strength in the days ahead. Strength for persecution. Strength for criticism. Strength to battle through insecurity. Strength to overcome financial insecurity. Lord make me stronger so I can testify to the strong God who strengthens me! I love you Lord. I praise you. Thank you for being my strength. In Jesus name, Amen.

#753 - PSALMS 23:3 // PROVERBS 23:6-8

He restores my soul. Psalms 23:3

Do not eat the bread of a man who is stingy; do not desire his delicacies, for he is like one who is inwardly calculating. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, but his heart is not with you. You will vomit up the morsels that you have eaten, and waste your pleasant words. Proverbs 23:6-8

Heavenly Father, I praise you Lord for being a God who revives, renews, and restores. I praise you Lord for not only reviving me physically, but more importantly, thank you reviving me spiritually. Thank you for seasons of refreshing. Thank you for silence. Thank you for solitude. Thank you Lord for people, places, opportunities, affirmations, and experiences that restore my soul. Thank you for using your Word on many occasions to restore my soul. Thank you for being a restorer! It’s who you are. You restore people. You restore relationships. You restore us to yourself. I praise you Lord for your restoring nature. Thank you for being a shepherd who longs to restore me inside and out. I praise you God as my restorer!

Lord, give me wisdom. Help me to keep a healthy distance from those who are “inwardly calculating” and from those who “heart is not with you.” Sometimes, I can be so gullible. So wanting to believe that someone is for me that I can actually place myself in harms way. Give me wisdom Give me discernment. Help me to stay away from those who don’t have your will for my life in mind. Please keep me from people with ulterior motives. Protect me Lord. I will not discern these things all the time. Please protect me. Protect my wife. Keep evil, manipulating people away. I love you Lord, and I thank you for hearing my prayers. I praise your name. I pray all these things in Jesus name, Amen.

#752 - PSALMS 22:27-28 // PROVERBS 22:2

All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. For kingship belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations. Psalms 22:27-28

The rich and the poor meet together; the Lord is the Maker of them all. Proverbs 22:2

Heavenly Father, I praise you for your global vision. I praise you for being the God of all creation. I praise you for having on your mind all of the nations and not just the United States of America. Forgive me for my, often times, limited view of the depth, breadth, and width of your love for all of the nations. Give me more of a global vision. Give me more of your heart for all people. Help me not to be so self-centered. Help me to love and have an awareness for all of your children from every race, creed, and tribe.

Lord, help me not to only have a deeper love for more of the globe, but also to have a deeper love, awareness, and care for people of all socio-economic statuses as well. You are the Maker of them all! Each are precious in your sight. Rid me of prejudice. Rid me of preferential treatment. Rid me of arrogance. Create in me a clean heart God. Renew a right spirit within me. It is only by your grace and mercy that I have and enjoy the socio-economic status that I do. Rid me of my hubris. I love you Lord and thank you for your Word and how it molds me and makes me more into your image each day. I praise your Holy name. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

#751 - PSALMS 21:2 // PROVERBS 21:1

You have given him his heart's desire and have not withheld the request of his lips. Psalm 21:2

The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will. Proverbs 21:1

Heavenly Father, I praise you for being so kind and gracious to give me my heart’s desire. My desire for a mental, emotional, and spiritual break from the burden and responsibility of being a Lead Pastor. My desire for a new start. My desire for greater influence, impact, and opportunity. You know and have seen the desires of my heart and you have not withheld them from me. I praise your name and magnify you for giving me both what I need and much of what I want at exactly the right time!

Lord I thank you that you hold the heart of the king in your hand. You are sovereign over it all. You can change things on a dime. You can “let things go” for longer than we think is right, but ultimately, nothing is out of your reach or control. In a moment, you can turn the king’s heart to be more in alignment with your will. Any moment. You are strong. You are mighty. Help me to live as if this is true. Help me not to be overly swayed by the “rights” or “wrongs” of the king. Help me not to be overly frustrated or flustered. Help me to trust that every power is under the power of God. I love you Lord and praise you as the all-powerful One! In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

#750 - PSALMS 20:1-6 // PROVERBS 20:5

May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob protect you! May he send you help from the sanctuary and give you support from Zion! May he remember all your offerings and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah May he grant you your heart's desire and fulfill all your plans! May we shout for joy over your salvation, and in the name of our God set up our banners! May the Lord fulfill all your petitions! Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with the saving might of his right hand. Psalms 20:1-6

The purpose in a man's heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out. Proverbs 20:5

Heavenly Father, Answer. Protect. Send. Remember. Regard. Grant. Fulfill. Save. This is what you DO! I praise you Lord as a mighty God with a mighty hand who does not sit passively watching the universe and earth pass the time. Instead, you act. You move. You bless. You heal. You work all things out for the good of those who love you and are called according to your purpose. You are constantly working to bring your purposes to pass in the world and in our lives. You are the ultimate chess player. You know the end from the beginning. You know exactly what pieces to move and when to move them to accomplish your ends. I praise you Lord for your mighty, strong, perfect powerful hand!

Lord, I thank you for the purposes you put in my heart. I thank you for the purposes you put in the heart of others. Lord, I ask that you would please make me a man of understanding. By your Holy Spirit help me to understand not only the purposes of my heart, but help me to serve others by helping them to understand the purposes you have placed in their heart as well. Give me good questions to ask. Give me heavenly insight to share. Give me supernatural discernment to pass along. Apart from you I can understand nothing of eternal significance. Give me understanding Lord. Give me understanding. I love you. I thank you for the understanding you have graciously given me. Give me more. Help me grow deeper and wider in my understanding. Give me insight beyond my years and experience. For your glory Lord. For your glory Lord. I pray all this in Jesus name, Amen.

#749 - PSALMS 19:7-9 // PROVERBS 19:6

The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. Psalms 19:7-9

Many seek the favor of a generous man, and everyone is a friend to a man who gives gifts. Proverbs 19:6

Heavenly Father…Perfect. Sure. Right. Pure. Clean. True. This is who you are! This is the God I serve! This is the God I worship and I surrender my life to! Lord I praise you for your Holy attributes. I praise you for your perfection. I praise you for being so much higher, greater, stronger, purer, truer, and cleaner than me! The smallness I feel in your bigness and greatness is refreshing! I am so thankful that every part of.who you are is holy! My heart needs something as perfect and pure as you to extol and worship! I praise you Lord. I praise you Lord! I bow before your majesty. I kneel before your perfection. I honor you. I glorify you. I magnify your name. Your attributes. Your character.

Please forgive me for the times I’ve magnified me. How foolish! How stupid! How ignorant! Why would I magnify something lesser when there is something so much better to extol. Forgive me Lord. I repent of my foolishness.

Lord, continue to cultivate a generous spirit within me. Continue to cultivate a gift-giving spirit within me. I praise you for the promise of friends and favor that come from this generosity, but I ask that you cultivate this spirit primarily so I can be a more accurate reflection of you! You give generously. You bless lavishly. You go over the top. You give more than we need. You supply both our needs and, often times, our wants also! You are radical in your generosity towards me. Thank you Lord. Help me to reflect your generous heart for me in increasing ways with the people you place in my life. When I give may they feel your love, your kindness, your spirit. I love you Lord, and I pray all of this in Jesus name, Amen.

#748 - PSALMS 18:19 // PROVERBS 18:16

He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me. Psalms 18:19

A man's gift makes room for him and brings him before the great. Proverbs 18:16

Heavenly Father, I am so thankful that you delight in me. I am so thankful that your delight in me precedes your rescue of me! You love me. You care about me. You cherish me. You think about me. Your eye is set on me. Your mind is on me. And the thoughts you have towards me are loving thoughts, caring thoughts, good thoughts, pleasurable thoughts. Not evil thoughts. Not condemning thoughts. Not disappointed thoughts. Thank you Lord for your delight in me. Thank you for Jesus who makes it possible for you to have an eternal delight in me! For the rest of my days here on this earth and long after I am not on this earth, you will delight in me! Praise you God!

Lord, I also praise you for how you have taken the gifts you have given me, and used them to bring me into spaces and places that I otherwise would not be invited into. You have “made room” for me before people who are more educated than me, wealthy than me, godly than me, mature than me, and experienced than me. You have allowed my words to be heard by great men and women of God. Thank you for doing this work. You know the desires of my heart. Some fleshly and some godly,. Thank you for honoring them even in their impure forms.

I boldly ask that you continue to use my gifts to make room for me and bring me before great men and women. Enlarge my territory! Bless me indeed! Yes, for my joy. Yes, for my satisfaction. Yes, for my delight. But ultimately, so your gospel can be heard. So your good news can be received. So your Word can be taught, So lives can be transformed. ALL towards the end of your glory.

But, I do ask that as you answer this prayer, you would give me the accompanying humility to steward the “rooms” that you make available to me with grace and a very present awareness that apart from you I can do nothing. Strip me of any accompanying pride, hubris, ego, or entitlement. Keep me low. Keep me really, really low.

I love you Lord. I praise you. I adore you. I pray all of these things in Jesus name, Amen.