Our Petitions Are Worship

Even our petitions to God are worship. A prayer for healing is an acknowledgement that He is powerful, He can heal, and He is good (whether or not He heals). A cry for His Presence is an acknowledgement that our desires are not satisfied without Him—that He alone is the fulfillment of our secret longings. A prayer for aid in our job or studies shows that we believe He is strong to help us and we believe He is good enough to want to do so. We worship God even as we ask.

By John Allan

Your Smile

With a smile You hung the stars and gave each a unique name.

Like a child on the beach You ran Your fingers through the earth, creating rivers and valleys.
You poured water into Your thumbprints.

Your whisper told the flowers when to bloom—
and how to arrange their delicate petals around their praising faces.

With a grin You gave breath to chickadees, elephants, wolves and penguins…
and delighted in their wordless praise.

And it was with joy that You bestowed man with Your heartbeat and lips to exalt You.

You are amazing, Creator Father. Your wisdom and creativity take my breath away.

My dreams, my hopes, my fears and desires—I lay them in Your wise hands.
Make something beautiful out of them.

I can’t wait to see Your smile.

By Jessica Yoder

You Did It Again

Dear God,

You did it again. Do you ever get tired of being yourself and doing what you do? It seems you can’t quit!

You take words that seem insignificant and you give them supernatural power. You take crumbs and you multiply them, maybe not to feed a multitude but to satisfy the deep cravings of one man’s soul.

You make paths cross, passing Your life from one man to another, until it reaches the one You were seeking to touch. No one is sure where your work starts or stops, and no one can tell just how far or just what places it goes. That’s why you are the only one who can take credit.

You give divine wisdom in the moment of need. It’s not that you’re late. It’s just that you’re so incredibly personal and well scheduled that you can give the answer in the perfect time. It’s so good to meet You like that, God!

You are so good at what you do! Our only request is that we could give you more of our lives and more of this world, so that you could share more of Yourself.

We love you because you loved us first, and because of this, I sign:

Your son,

Matthias

Close of Another Day

It’s the close of another day. It was full of Your faithfulness. The sun You made rose, and it warmed the world. Why do we take that for granted? It is a daily miracle. The friends You gave me showed me love. I ate well, and my hunger was satisfied. Your Bible helped me understand myself and who You are in Me. These are just a few ways You have blessed me. I echo the words of David, “Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”

Thank you.

By John Allan