A prayer based on Daniel 1:19. When we feel that we are different and loved beyond measure by God it is incredible, but it also calls us to do difficult things—to uphold integrity, to be truth tellers, to swim against the current. The world will be pulling at us to fall in line and follow suit. We are asked to stand up and stand alone—to not let th…

A prayer based on Psalm 3:3. I hung up the phone in disappointment. Though I hoped for protection, the attorney couldn't help. I was vulnerable and at risk of dishonor. It felt so unfair to be targeted by evil intent, left craving safety and security. I dropped my head in defeat and disappointment. How have you experienced unfairness or disgrace? W…

A prayer based on Psalm 13:5-6. It was one of those, “terrible, horrible, no good, very bad” days. From the moment I woke up to find our air conditioner wasn't working during a hot Alabama summer, it was clear this day wasn't going in the best day ever column. Harsh words, disappointing news, and miserable heat blended together into what could, at …

A prayer based on Proverbs 12:18. There is one thing in our lives that holds great power that can be easily used for both great good and great evil. I have seen it bring people together and tear others apart. I have used it for both wonderful and terrible purposes. It is something none of us can escape. I'm talking about the power of the tongue. Wh…

A prayer based on Ecclesiastes 10:4. "If your boss is angry at you, don't quit. A quiet spirit can overcome even great mistakes." Ecclesiastes 10:4 Have you ever had one of those relationships? The ones in which you find it impossible to please the other person, no matter what you do? It can be difficult and demoralizing, but it's survivable if you…

A prayer based on Proverbs 22:11. I have a boy with big feelings—HUGE feelings—and anxiety that tricks him into thinking some of his feelings are true when they actually aren't. To keep his heart pure, the Holy Spirit continually helps him focus on the truth, we often recite Philippians 4:8 together, “Finally brothers whatever is true, whatever is …

A prayer based on Psalm 31:3. Most of the time, I am able to accept frustrations and difficulties as a part of the transformational work that God is doing either in my own life or in the lives of my children. Parenting is not easy, but it is the struggle and difficulty that cause me to run to the cross faster than anything else. But there are days …

A prayer based on Proverbs 14:29. We live in a time when it is easier than ever to share the first thing that comes to our minds with hundreds or thousands of people. I have worked in the world of social media and know all the wonderful things that can happen because of it, but the most prevalent thing I find is people speaking (or typing and hitti…

A prayer based on Daniel 6:10. He spent the night wondering. Would the faithful man's God deliver him? Distressed king Darius witnessed the excellent spirit of Daniel, the noble prisoner he elevated to leadership because he was faithful. But faithfulness comes with a cost. God's man inside a godless Kingdom found himself on the wrong side of the la…

A prayer based on Ecclesiastes 7:11-12. My daughter and I drove by Dinah's place of business one Tuesday night and there was a line out the door. “Tuesday must be half price night,” she said, with a slight laugh in her voice. The people in line were seekers. They wanted something they believed Dinah could give them. Ultimately they wanted a short c…

A prayer based on Proverbs 30:5. I sat across from my son who was struggling with math, took his paper and pencil, and wrote these words at the top of the page. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. That's Philippians 4:13. I underlined "all things," circled "through Christ," and then I told him about the first time I flew by my…

A prayer based on Luke 6:45. Yesterday, as I drove my son and his best friend to baseball practice, I overheard them talking about what they would do if they received one wish and could ask for anything they wanted. They batted around some interesting ideas like, I'd like to get good grades for the rest of school, or I'd like to never be wrong agai…

A prayer based on Luke 6:12. This verse pretty much summarizes Jesus’ way of life: His decisions and choices were made only after He spent time in communion with His Father. He relied on His Father to accomplish every single thing He was called to do. Are you in consistent prayer? Do you spend time in prayer before you make decisions? Listen to tod…

A prayer based on Psalm 18:2. In the Psalms, God is often described as a shield. Where else would we need a shield but on the battlefield? When the battle for our soul rages around us, we desperately need our shield. Are you in a battle today? Listen to today's podcast episode from Christie Thomas. Would you like to have today's episode in written …

A prayer based on 1 Timothy 4:16. He was my daddy. I grew up watching him seek to live his life above reproach. For him, that meant a highly disciplined life, a strict routine, and staying far away from even the appearance of evil. At times, his lifestyle seemed overly rigid to me, but as I have grown and matured, I can see why he chose to live the…

A prayer based on John 10:7-11. The e-mail didn't sound right, so I forwarded it to our tech director, asking, “Can I trust this?” “No! Don't click it!” he quickly replied, and then pointed out telltale signs of a scam. We live in a day of deception. For example, the other day I googled the word hope, and found over 45 million options. Which ones c…

A prayer based on Psalm 10:17-18. You and I may not need to worry about the threat of a jail sentence for our faith, but that doesn't mean life is easy. Cancer, death, heartbreak, chronic pain, and brokenness plague our families, and we ask the same questions that Gulner's son asked. Why doesn't God fix the problem? Why does he let innocent men sit…

A prayer based on Luke 5:18-19. There were several times during my college years that I questioned my faith and wondered if God was real. During an especially hard time when my parents were separated, I wondered, “Why do I hurt so bad if God loves me so much?” Instead of answering that question directly, God spoke to me through my friends. How has …

A prayer based on 1 John 4:11. But as I look back, I recognize that moments pass very quickly. It's made me look back on the years we have had with my daughter in our home. All the years, and there have been many, and all the good times, and there have been many of those too, play through my mind and I wish I could slow time down. Since I can't, I'…

A prayer based on Psalm 30:5. I often feel guilty about my need to fight, struggle, and strive to believe God when what I can see seems to contradict his truth. I have felt like I should be further along than I really am in my faith journey, and wonder if it lets God down that I'm not. I want to be one of those devoted women of God who says earnest…

A prayer based on Daniel 2:17-18. This morning I received an email from a friend asking for prayer. Her husband was getting ready to meet with another man for breakfast who was struggling in some pretty big ways…a difficult marriage, lost job, and major car wreck that totaled his only vehicle the night before. Stressed beyond his ability to cope, t…

A prayer based on Psalm 24:3-4. It seems like such a tall order–clean hands and a pure heart. Knowing we are dust, how can we have clean hands and a pure heart, and how can we encourage our children toward such a lofty goal? Today’s verse doesn't stop with the requirement but tells us how to approach the kind of purity that makes our lives a living…

A prayer based on Ecclesiastes 11:5. Certainly, the physical world has many God-given pleasures; gifts to be counted like sunshine on soap bubbles, my child's laughter, and the wind rushing by as I swing with him on the playground. God gives us all things to richly enjoy, yet a life consumed for self doesn't count for much in the end. Is our focus …

A prayer based on Mark 5:20. Around the time of my 50th birthday, I began to feel the need to study the word and find out specifically what God desires from me as an “older woman.” I'd raised two children and had been spending time with younger women for several years, but as my children were entering a season that took them away from our home more…

A prayer based on Acts 14:21-22. In the movie Miracle on 34th St. the main character convinces herself to believe in Santa. Sitting in her bed, she says, “I believe, I believe…it’s silly, but I believe.” We often approach our Christian faith the same way. We simply close our eyes, tighten our fists, and chant, “I believe, I believe.” But faith isn'…

A prayer based on Hebrews 12:14. When I was in my early 20s, I had a falling out with a friend I loved dearly. Things were said and done that were difficult to come back from, hard to take back. We were both in the wrong. Now, about five years later, I sat behind my computer screen knowing I had to reach out. Would she respond? Would she even talk …

A prayer based on Proverbs 10:9. Our son has always been willing to take the dog outside to do her business, but recently we started noticing that the dog was having frequent accidents in the house. We asked our son if he was waiting for her to actually go when he took her out, and he responded with downcast eyes, “No, I don't want to wait for her …

A prayer based on Luke 4:43. I am in a new season of life. Both of my children got married within a year of each other, and so I am having to learn a new way of living. My life once looked very much like yours does—a busy life that revolved around the needs of our family of four—but things have changed. My life now consists of quiet evenings at hom…

A prayer based on Proverbs 11:2 It's hard to admit we need help. Coming to the end of ourselves humbles us. It goes against our self-reliant culture. We want to power, hustle, and fight our way through the hard things. We are proud—we've got this. And yet, sometimes it's not the big thing that humbles us, but the smallest How have you seen God humb…

A prayer based on Psalm 119:97-98. Some of us treat God like we do our friends online. We read about him. We might pick up a key verse here and there. We may even listen to the preacher on Sunday, but we don’t have a personal relationship with him. Are you seeking God wholeheartedly, even amongst your busy schedule? How do you spend time with the L…

A prayer based on Matthew 26:31-35. Mai Sing was near death, in a septic state, after a 2 day journey to Memorial Christian Hospital. Staff fought to save this mother who came from an idol worshiping village, and during six weeks of recovery at the hospital, she and her husband decided to follow Jesus. The family would never be the same. They hunge…

A prayer based on Proverbs 1:7. Should we fear the Lord? And how does that lead to knowledge and understanding? The type of fear this verse speaks of isn't what we feel for snakes, spiders, or even our worries coming true. It isn't the fear that cripples us, that nails us to the place where we stand, unable to speak. No, this type of fear is more l…

A prayer based on Ephesians 3:19. My prayers as a child were of the silent kind, the rote kind, the unbelieving kind. They dangled like the Jewish leaders’ tassels from their robes. They hung in the air, a long string of names of people I feared would go to hell. I was afraid of many things and this is why I got baptized in my father’s church, and …

A prayer based on Matthew 25:21 All my boys grumbled as I called them downstairs. How dare I ask them to help sort the enormous pile of clean laundry? It wasn't like they had put the pile in the middle of the floor. Instead of forcing them to get moving or yelling at them, I reminded them that daddy put the laundry on the floor and was planning to …

A prayer based on Proverbs 15:21-22 As my boys have gotten older, I've spent a lot of time talking to them about the kind of men they want to be when they grow up. I was blessed to be surrounded by good men as a young girl, men who loved their families hard, served others faithfully, and stood for something greater than themselves, men who sacrific…

A prayer based on Daniel 3:16-17. King Nebuchadnezzar was in a furious rage when he asked Daniel's friends why they wouldn't worship his image of gold. They had the audacity to refuse to bow down and worship the statue made in the King's image. Did they not know who he was? Were they not aware that he had conquered their land and brought them into …

A prayer based on Proverbs 20:3. The world around us rewards those who speak up, don't back down, go down swinging, and rise again. We can simply step into the ring of social media to contend for our opinions without even leaving our homes. Stand at the edge of a fight, and you'll hear the cheers of energy and exhilaration as onlookers enjoy the cl…

A prayer based on Psalm 27:5. The day of trouble is inevitable; For moms, it sometimes seems like every day has its own share of trouble. In fact, some days take the cake‑‑with trouble oozing out and running over! According to Psalm 91, if we dwell in God's presence, we will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. Not only is it geographically a safe p…

A prayer based on Psalm 86:15. We look at things, people and places for grace. We try to chase grace, we forget to embrace grace, and we think we can earn grace when all we really need to do is open our hands and receive it. Let the true grace that only God can give wash over our bodies and settle deep into our bones. But we often keep record of wh…

A prayer based on 1 Timothy 6:11. The path to contentment is clearly blazed, Paul says, but the world places the signs all backwards. Thinking gain IS godliness, we follow our natural desires and feed unhealthy cravings. If we could do things our way… if we only had more money… if we had more obedient children… then we'd be content. It's always jus…

A prayer based on Matthew 20:15-16. When Jesus invited people to follow him, his invitation wasn't an opportunity for advancement. In fact, it was quite the opposite. He wasn't offering a chance to become famous or to build a following, Jesus gave his followers a different challenge. His call was one to be last, to serve, to honor others ahead of t…

A prayer based on Mark 1:17-18. What things in this world do you find comfort and security in? Maybe you look to a spouse or children for your sense of purpose. Or maybe you feel valuable or important because of your education or accomplishments. Perhaps you find feelings of security in your money or possessions. When Jesus says to us, “Come, follo…

A prayer based on Matthew 9:21-22. Faith itself does not heal. God does. Have you asked God to move in the hearts of your children, and been confused when He didn't? Has a "no," or, "not now," answer from God left you confused about what it means to have faith? If you've struggled to trust in God's timing for your children, listen to today's podcas…

A prayer based on Luke 14:27. We know what happened to Jesus on His cross. His entire life led up to that point—His death. Not only death, but because it was public and painful, the cross would also bring shame, sorrow, and suffering. Jesus knew this even before He came to earth. In Isaiah’s prophecy about Jesus in chapter 53, he wrote, “He was des…

A prayer based on Daniel 2:27-28. God has a plan. Our ignorance of the plan does not mean it doesn't exist. Only sometimes do we get glimpses of the master plan, but with great knowledge comes greater responsibility.God is God, and I am not, and there are good reasons to be in the dark about the plans. They might look scary and confusing to my huma…

A prayer based on Matthew 10:39. Have you ever heard someone say, “I took a year off to find myself”? It seems like a noble goal, to find out who you truly are, to live your most authentic and best life. But what if this was actually the opposite of how God intended for you to live? What if, instead of finding your life, you're actually supposed to…

A prayer based on Matthew 5:14-16. Hosea was an Old Testament prophet whom God asked to marry a prostitute. Crazy, right? God literally required his prophet to marry someone who not only was already a prostitute when she came on the scene, but also continued to offer herself in exchange for favors after their marriage. It's unthinkable, really, tha…

A prayer based on Matthew 13:15-16. As children we tend to be very open. When we get older, we learn to dull our ears and hearts, close our eyes, judge others and forget the precise, powerful teachings of Christ. We say all the right things we think God wants to hear, but we miss the simple things he wants us to know. There can be an erosion of fai…

A prayer based on Matthew 4:3-4. Do you struggle to find time in the Word? The Bible is so much more than a sentimental piece of memorabilia—it's the living and active Word of God. It's the place where we find God's revelation of himself to us, where we learn of his plans and purpose for us, and where we discover the depths of his love and sacrific…

A prayer based on Ecclesiastes 5:6-7. Our words should be framed with His Word, seasoned with scripture that points to God. The more we meditate upon God’s Word, the more it indwells us and flows over into our everyday speech and actions. Praying God’s Word helps focus us during prayer and reminds us of the One we’re spending time with. Praying the…