Pray for God to Protect You

Photo by Thirdman on Pexels.com

Jacob had a problem.

He had stolen his brother’s birthright.

Jacob was a habitual trickster and swindler.

He had gotten it naturally from his own mother and her brother Laban. It was part of his nature and his upbringing and experiences, especially with family. Blogger Sandy Kirby Quandt equates the relationship between Jacob and Laban to shifting goalposts.

He wanted to protect his family from danger.

But, aside from Jacob being human with frailties just like us all, he was a special kind of believer.

Jacob had a problem and he prayed to God about it.

Not only did he pray but he prayed for God’s protection.

Elohim Shomri or Jehovah Nissi

Elohim shomri = “God is my protector”

JEHOVAH-NISSI – Our Banner, a Banner of Love and Protection

I know that I need His protection.

I stand in the need of the protection only He can provide.

I need God to be My Protector.

I need Him to be that in my personal walk with Him, in my personal relationship with Him.

Prayer for Your Own Needs

SPOILER ALERT: God already knows what we need before we even ask for it.

@Prayer

God knows your needs.

He’s omniscient. He’s all-knowing.

God knows best.

He doesn’t need you to share what you need.

After all, Jesus shared how God knows how to meet our needs better than anyone else. He supplies all that we need.

Even if we have done wrong and stand in need of His protection, God can help us.

He just desires to hear from us. He just desires that we spoke openly with Him about our need for Him as our Father. The Father desires to hear His children say it and get it off their hearts.

Look at how He helped Nehemiah with the destroyed walls.

Pray for God’s protection today.

Pray that He guides you safely to and fro.

Pray that He watches over you throughout your comings and goings.

---

I haven’t just been twiddling my thumbs while praying about my ministry and business. I have been actively engaging and embarking on taking further steps with both.

I recently had a chat with Allan G from Motherland located in San Diego, California, and we discussed some things about business and building community through collaboration. Check out the video via YouTube or listen to the podcast below. Share comments or thoughts on either platform to let me know how we’re doing.

Coffee and Chat with Rev Bruce S4E1 Guest Allan G from Motherland – Coffee & Chat with Rev Bruce

Coffee & Chat with Rev Bruce returns with a conversation with Motherland on hosting its upcoming local community event in San Diego.   MOTHERLAND MARKET September 25th @marketon8thst from 10-4pm  https://www.instagram.com/motherland.us/  The video of this interview is available via the Coffee & Chat playlist on YouTube. — Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bruce-jackson3/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/bruce-jackson3/support

1. Coffee and Chat with Rev Bruce S4E1 Guest Allan G from Motherland 32:05
2. Season 2, Episode 00, Coffee & Chat with Rev Bruce Season 2 Trailer 01:34
3. Season 2, Episode 01, Sharif Booker (Art as a Coping Mechanism) 37:22
4. Season 2, Episode 00, Coffee & Chat with Rev Bruce Back Again 21:37
5. Coffee & Chat Episode 8 Aldo Chavez Part 3 21:47

Pray for God to Provide

Jehovah Jireh is the Old Testament name that speaks of God as the Provider.

Jehovah Jireh means “God will provide.”

Photo by Maria Orlova on Pexels.com

Abraham said, “God will provide himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they both went together. – Genesis 22:8

God as the Provider (Jehovah Jireh) appears first in Genesis. It stems from the part of Genesis where Abraham had to show his faith in God when called to sacrifice his chosen son Isaac. According to Wikipedia: “In the Book of Genesis, Jehovah-jireh or Yahweh Yireh was the location of the binding of Isaac, where Yahweh told Abraham to offer his son Isaac as a burnt offering. Abraham named the place after God provided a ram to sacrifice in place of Isaac.”

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

You open Your hand And satisfy the desire of every living thing. – Psalm 145:16

As believers, we must continually ask for and accept what God provides us in our lives.

He doesn’t have to give us anything. Yet, He continuously gives us what we don’t deserve, blessing us beyond our own belief.

I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. – Psalm 37:25 (KJV)

Pray earnestly for God’s provision. Pray that He continues to supplies your daily needs and necessities. Pray that God’s provision allows you to prosper and grow closer to God as you use His provision to bless others. Pray that God stands out in your life as your provider, as your Jehovah Jireh. Pray for Him to provide for you and your needs, but also pray that He provides you with the stewardship to handle His provision as one trusted with such a blessing.

God truly will provide.

Alone with God in Prayer

The Gospels in the New Testament give us some insights into the prayer life of Jesus. Other than the model of prayer Jesus taught to His disciples and the prayer time Jesus had with His disciples the night that He was betrayed, we have multiple accounts of Jesus in prayer within the Gospels. In particular, the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) give us some key verses and passages on Jesus spending time alone with God in prayer.

And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, – Matthew 14:23 (ESV)

Early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up and slipped out to a solitary place to pray. – Mark 1:35 (NIV)

But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray. – Luke 5:16 (NASB)

Photo by Tara Winstead on Pexels.com

Private Time with God

Jesus showed us by example that there is value in spending private time with God. He showed us by example that there is an importance to doing it. He showed us that private time with God can strengthen us in our spiritual walk with God along the journey of life.

The Bible says it in simple terms:

• a solitary place to pray
• by Himself to pray
• to the wilderness to pray

He got away from it all to go to God in prayer.

He got away from everybody else to go to God in prayer.

Consider His example and how that might look in your daily life.

Is it a secluded part of your home, away from family and pets for a moment with God? Is it a private space at a park or on a mountainside?

Find your place for private time with God in prayer.

Personal Time with God

Your private time with God is your personal time with God.

Take a moment and think about what Jesus could have been praying about while alone with God. Think about what He might have been sharing with God after healing and feeding many people, teaching about the kingdom of God to the multitudes, and sharing lessons with His own disciples as He was tested by Pharisees and others.

Photo by Thirdman on Pexels.com

Use your private time with God to get in touch with God. Get deep and personal with God. Allow yourself to get vulnerable with God. Speak openly with God. Ask what you have to ask of God. Confess what you need to confess to God.

Confess to Him.

Call upon Him.

Cry out to Him.

Commune with Him.

It is your personal time with God and make the most of it.

Seeking Power by Prayer

". . . we must earnestly, sacrificially, and prayerfully strive to be empowered with that same power that came upon them."
- A.W. Tozer, Life in the Spirit

Earnest, Sacrificial, and Always Prayerful

Tozer spoke of the need for constant prayer from the teachers and members of the “redeemed Body of which Christ is the Head” in an earlier passage. He was adamant about such prayer in practice in order for “any church to be a church of Christ.” He said that such a pursuit in practice must be earnest, sacrificial, and constant with prayer.

Earnest

In layman’s terms, earnest means sincere and intense conviction. According to the Bible, for one to be considered earnest means to be ardent in pursuit of an object or goal. In other words, to be earnest is to be zealous.

Photo by Oladimeji Ajegbile on Pexels.com

“And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up” (John 217, KJV). The zeal of the faithful believer is consuming. His or her heart is filled with an intense level of conviction for God’s agenda. Such an individual desires to see the kingdom of God come about. This type of earnest individual is driven by a deep internal conviction to work towards the kingdom of God coming to fruition.

We need to be more earnest in our lives as we serve the Lord daily.

Sacrificial

What types of sacrifices have you made for the sake of the Lord?

He sacrificed for your salvation. He paid the penalty for our sins with His own life. As Isaiah reminded us through his prophecy recorded ages before the Messiah’s advent, His sacrifice healed us.

God desires you to make sacrifices. He has shown us the way.

God desires to see you make sacrifices in your life for His namesake.

Always Prayerful

I used to always wonder how in the world could Paul really expect anybody to “pray without ceasing” (1 Th. 5:17). It always baffled me how that three-word sentence just sat right there in the middle of this spiritual to-do list for believers. I just didn’t see how that could be a reasonable expectation for believers, especially for those who were just coming into the faith and a personal understanding of what it meant to be a Christian.

Then life happened.

Through the trials and tests of personal experience, I became more accustomed to having to remain in constant prayer. While under spiritual attack, you have to pray constantly.

“Pray without ceasing.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (KJV)

It is not as difficult as I once thought. It is a simple practice.

It is not too much to ask. It is a personal commitment.

It isn’t a burdensome thing. It provides us communion with God.

It is a simple three-word command.

It provides us a personal connection with God.

“Pray without ceasing.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (KJV)

Pray and Give it Over to God

Get it Off Your Chest

When you go to pray, just let it all out.

Empty yourself of all that is plaguing you and bothering you. Pour out the burdens weighing down your soul. Open your mouth and unleash the very things that have you holding back tears and stuck in an emotional valley of sadness and worry.

Just get it all off your chest.

Tell God the things that you won’t tell your loved ones. Tell Him what is deeply rooted within your heart. Tell Him how much you fear what’s coming up. Share with God how much you dread the feeling of the aftermath of anything that has transpired lately.

Open your mouth and get it off your chest.

Get it Off Your Mind

Once you get it off your chest, get it off your mind.

Don’t drag that dread into the rest of the day.

You did one of the best things that you could do with such situations. You’ve taken it to God and told it to God. Now, what you truly need to do is trust it to God. Trust God to handle it like He knows best. He knows better than us how to handle any situation.

You’ve gotten it off your chest.

Now do your very best to get it off your mind.

Give it Over to God

Don’t try to hold onto what God can handle better than you.

It’s off your chest.

It should be off your mind.

It is in God’s hands.

Truly He knows how to handle it the best. He knows how to deal with it the best.

You gave it over to God in prayer.

Now totally give it over to God in faith.

Believe that He will deal with it as He sees fit.

Give it totally over to God.

---

God’s help is available.

Prayer is a means for tapping into God’s power as well as a mechanism for telling God what’s on your heart and mind.

• The Christian Tech-Nerd offers prayers for teachers at a new school
• 121 Days of Prayer for All Reasons is exactly that and offers a way to pray through all seasons
• Danielle Maxwell shares a DIY Daily Prayer Journal for Women
• Jennifer at Feeding on Jesus shares encouragement while telling us all about the Holy Spirit as an available Prayer Coach

What we need to see is that there are resources out there among the people of faith. These resources are provided to help us. These resources are here to help us get better at getting closer to God.

…

https://payhip.com/embed-page.js?v=24u68984

Use a Psalm as Your Prayer

In your hands lie your destination
The book of true life you hold the key
Mystical powers to you unfold
Seek ye the half that has never been told
Get behind me satan
Get behind me satan
I’ve got chant (Chant a psalm a day)
I want to chant (Chant a psalm a day)
I’ve got chant (Chant a psalm a day)
I want to chant (Chant a psalm a day)

“Chant a Psalm” by Steel Pulse

The Prayer Book of the Bible

The Book of Psalms has been called many things. It has been considered the Hymn Book of the Bible by some. However, the Book of Psalms has also been seen as the Prayer Book of the Bible as well.

Book of Psalms Devotional

The Book of Psalms is full of prayers. It contains numerous prayers by multiple authors. David isn’t the only one who wrote psalms in the form of prayer. But authorship isn’t the only indicator of the strength of psalms as prayers.

---

Pray a Psalm (Chant a Psalm)

Reggae artists Steel Pulse shared “Chant a Psalm” and their album “True Democracy” in 1982. The lyrics shared here in this post show the power contained within the psalms. It wasn’t a major hit in the U.S. upon its release. It wasn’t a major hit among evangelicals either. Yet, the song still echoes the sentiments of one who finds the psalms found in the Bible to serve as motivation for staying true to developing a relationship with God through His Word.

It is through such devotion and spiritual connection to God’s Word that we as believers uphold our daily commitment to come before God with open hearts. Such a daily devotion to seeking God can serve as a catalyst for us to remain rooted in God’s Word while engaging in prayer.

---

As E.M. Bounds once said, “Prayer is humbling work.” We cannot get beside ourselves and lose touch with God. We need to stay connected to God through both prayer and His Word. Even the Serenity Prayer gives us a perspective of how to be humbled by our own time with God in prayer.

Open up the Book of Psalms. Read aloud one of the prayers found in the Book of Psalms with all the strength that you can muster. Stand on the sandy shores of the ocean or the rocky edges of a mountainside, taking in the majestic handiwork of God, letting the words of a prayer from Psalms cross your lips and enter into the atmosphere.

Ask with Belief

Matthew 21:22 can be misunderstood as to say that we automatically receive whatever we desire when we ask God for it. That is not what Jesus said.

Asking is the petition made to God from our hearts. Just simply asking isn’t the answer. Asking alone doesn’t lead to us receiving blessings from God.

Belief is the key factor in prayer.

Ask and believe.

Don’t allow your prayers to go up without believing in your heart that what you’re seeking from God is of God and within His will.

God’s answers are available. His ability is awesome and mighty. He’s awaiting our unbelief to be turned into true faithfulness churned by a high degree of belief in Him.

Pray for Power to Stand Firm

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

Ephesians 6:10 (KJV)

Paul was in prison. It was around AD 62 while he was in prison in Rome when he wrote to the believers in Ephesus. It is one of his Pauline Epistles. It is one of his Prison Letters. It was around the same time that he wrote to believers in Colosse (Colossians) and to an individual believer (Philemon).

He was in prison, but he was writing to these folks in Ephesus in order to encourage them.

I know. I know. It seems backwards. It’s like they should have been rallying the congregation to launch Paul’s Pen Pals as a prison outreach ministry or stirring up the community with the hashtag #FreePaulNow or something like that.

But that wasn’t the case.

Paul sought to offer these believers encouragement in their time of spiritual need.

Hindsight and Headlights

Having the Scriptures at hand offers us hindsight. It is said that hindsight is 20/20, and it is especially so with God’s people when we look back upon the figures of the Bible. People say that Aaron should’ve known better than to make that golden calf at the behest of the people. People see the acts of Judas in the Gospels and say how much they would never do such a thing if they were in the presence of the Lord in the flesh. [Oh, Really? But we all can join like a choir when we talk about how ALL have sinned and fallen short according to Romans 3:23. I just can’t with our holy hindsight at times. It makes us sound so self righteous.]

That holy hindsight has us looking down on folks in the Hall of Faith. That holy hindsight has us speculating on the saints of God of the past. That holy hindsight does not allow us to look deeper within and see where we, too, are not worthy enough to drink of the cup. It doesn’t make us keep a realistic perspective on our own status.

Headlights help us to see what’s up ahead. Hindsight is like the rearview mirror. Ot helps you see the past. Headlights help you to see what’s ahead as their light penetrates the darkness and provides a view of the upcoming pathway.

But we have these headlights shining upon the pathway ahead while we’re looking in the rearview. They shed light on our way so that we can walk. But we’ve got our necks cocked to the side, still pointing out that moment in the past where Joseph’s brothers made a mistake or even Solomon had a mishap. We can’t go too fast on the journey through the darkness if we try to look back too long or if we try to look beyond the headlights.

Help from Prison

Paul was writing to these believers in Ephesus on how to use their headlights. He wanted them to tap into “the strength of the Lord and the power of his might.” He understood that they would need those two for where they were headed.

Spiritual warfare requires spiritual weaponry.

He told the Ephesians that we are not up against flesh and blood. He warned them that the devil has his own weapons of warfare in use. He offered them some armor for their protection and to prevent them from being overtaken by what we call satanic attack.

Ten Days In (One-Third Through)

On this 10th day of our 30-Day Prayer Challenge for 2022, I realize how much the demonic forces want to prevent and prohibit us from experiencing God’s power. Don’t fall prey to the satanic attack or the demonic devices.

We’re one-third of the way through with this prayer challenge and this leg of a long journey with the Lord if we do not grow faint. And that makes us targets for such an attack.

Stand firm “in the strength of the Lord and the power of his might.”

Do not allow yourself to be defeated by these demonic devices.

Do not allow yourself to these satanic schemes.

Be strong in the Lord and the power of His might.

Stand firm.

Tap into His power through continued prayer and stand firm against all attacks coming your way.

Let God Hear Your Prayers

The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right,
    and his ears are open to their prayers.
But the Lord turns his face
    against those who do evil.

– 1 Peter 3:12 (NLT)

Our Prayers Have Power

Our prayers are said to have power.

We need to understand that power of prayer.

Our prayers have the power to get God’s attention.

Imagine that.

Peter was seeking to correct misunderstandings and misconceptions about prayer. He put an emphasis on quoting a key passage from Psalm 34. I actually like the way that another blogger lays this out via Psalm 34:12-14. In all honesty, we get a big boost to our look into the power of the believer provided by God in both the passage from the Book of Psalms and the epistle written by Peter.

We can get God’s attention.

Now that’s powerful.

Amazing things happen when you pray.

Norman Vincent Peale

Our prayers also have the power to elicit God’s answers.

I recently posted about praying with expectation. and what we truly are to expect from God is some kind of answer. Countless others have shared messages and posts regarding this power of prayer.

You should expect God’s answers, whether you receive them directly or indirectly. You should expect to see God putting things together on the basis of His will and His Word. You should expect God to fulfill His plan and His purpose through His answers to us.

We can tap into that power and that’s amazing.

Expect an Answer

"I pray, expecting an answer."
- Andrew Murray

---

Pray with Expectation

The quote from Andrew Murray says it all in a nutshell.

We need to pray to God with expectation.

When we pray to God, we should expect an answer from God. In fact, we should anticipate an answer by God answering us according to His will. We should ask, believe and expect to receive God’s answer in accordance with both His purpose and His plan.

#PrayerPower long sleeve tee via Zazzle

Expecting is Not Directing

What we tell God is about our needs and our desires. We give God our petitions and requests. We submit our supplications to God.

We don’t direct God on what to do or where to go, not even how to perform what we ask.

That’s not our calling.

That’s not how that works.

Tell God and Trust God

Once you’ve prayed, remain open to receiving God’s answer.

Once you have prayed, ready yourself with expectation of God’s answer.

In anticipation of God’s answer, be ready to accept God’s will.

Acceptance is key when we look at our expectation of God answering us. Like I said, God has a purpose and and a plan. Your prayer might not fit with His plan or His purpose.

Yes, God has the power to do whatever he chooses to do. See Psalm 115:3. But even three Hebrew youths were cemented in their faith that they would hold fast to their devotion to God even if He did not rescue them from a fiery furnace in Babylon.

Come to the point in your faith where you can accept that. That’s God’s expectation of us.

Keep praying and keep expecting God’s answers with acceptance.