Then Job answered the LORD and said, “I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted” (Job 42:1-2).

Studying Job during this difficult season has been very enlightening and convicting! Job kept saying that he trusted God, all the while whining and complaining about his circumstances…until God reminded Job that ultimately, He was the Almighty Creator of all things and the Overseer of all of our situations, good or bad. Job, with a repentant heart, confessed his lack of understanding and renewed his belief in God’s complete power and supremacy. For Job, the choice was easy after his eyes were opened – God’s purposes could not be thwarted – even if it meant physical and emotional suffering for him. He just needed to be reminded.

J. Vernon McGee has a quote I love that can help us to relate to Job’s (and our own) situations: “This is God’s universe, and He is doing things His way. You may think you have a better way, but you don’t have a universe.”

It’s amazing how little we, the people of God, trust His purposes to be accomplished in the midst of uncertain times. We try to do everything in our own strength to “fix” our circumstances. We have difficulty resting in His promises and having faith that He is in control of our situations, finances, jobs, schooling, celebrations, relationships and everything else that concerns our minds and hearts.

God is grieving with those who are grieving, just as He was very present in the midst of Job’s suffering. If we are His, we should also be grieving with and for those who have lost loved ones, friends, coworkers, classmates and neighbors, for those who have lost jobs, for kids who can’t go to school, for healthcare workers who are afraid to bring sickness home with them, for those who can’t see and hug their loved ones…and so much more. If we are only mourning for ourselves and our inconveniences, we are lost in our selfishness rather than coming alongside of the Living Jesus to be His hands, feet and heart to others. And, to lift one another up in deep, heartfelt prayer!

God is watching us…His eye is upon His Church. Are we asking Him to search us and cleanse us? Are we a repentant people, allowing the Father to make us holy as He is holy? Or, are we wishing we could go where we want to go and do what we want to do? Are we filled with anger and frustration against our leaders, our families, the grocery store who can’t deliver our orders fast enough, and the people who bought up all of the sanitizer and toilet paper?

If His eye is upon us, what is He expecting? He is looking for those who will know that God can do all things and that His purposes will not be thwarted. Perhaps this season is more about watching to see what God will do with a people who keeps their eyes focused upon Him, trusting Him to accomplish something so big and deep and powerful in His Church that the world will never be the same. He has stripped away all of the traditional patterns of our gatherings and moved us to engage in new ways and to look at people we haven’t spent much time with before…to meet needs and to think outside the box creatively about how to care for the least of these and the lost. Can we have great faith to believe that God is at work in and through us?

Jason Meyer said, “Faith doesn’t just bring your soul to heaven; it brings heaven to your soul.” So – how do we pray in such a way that we are changed by God and not by our circumstances? Prayer that brings heaven to our souls? Here are four simple prayers to help our hearts shift toward remembering that God can do all things and that His plans cannot be thwarted:

1. The Prayer of Confession: Father, I confess my lack of faith in Your ability to work in the midst of everything I am facing. I confess that I haven’t trusted You for _____________. I confess that I have depended upon my own ability to ­­­­­_____________ rather than release it into Your care. ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Thank You, Father, that You are faithful and righteous to forgive my sins and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness when I confess those sins to You (1 John 1:9).
2. The Prayer of Repentance: Lord, I have confessed to You those sins that separate my heart from Yours. I am Your child, called by Your name. Your word declares that if I humble myself in repentance and seek Your face and turn away from my sinful ways, that You will hear from heaven, forgive my sin and heal my land (2 Chronicles 7:14). Now I declare that I will turn away from these things, and turn toward You once again! Your word says that if I do this, my sins will be wiped out and that times of refreshing will come from You once again (Acts 3:19). And, Lord Jesus, please help me to produce fruit in keeping with repentance (Matthew 3:8)…fruit that will last (John 15:16), not only in this season, but throughout the rest of my days. May I emerge from these days changed in ways that will bring glory to You alone!
3. The Prayer of Submission: Lord Jesus, when the outcomes of life are hidden, uncertain, or unclear, give me the humility and the strength to simply submit to Your purposes and plans. Help me to remember that You humbled Yourself before the Father and submitted Yourself to death on a cross (Philippians 2:8) for me! That humbles me and creates a deep desire in me to be obedient to Your will forever. Your word says that these troubles and sufferings of mine are small and won’t last very long, and You promise that this short time of distress will result in God’s richest blessings forever and ever (2 Corinthians 4:17 TLB). Surely, I can submit myself to inconveniences and troubles without whining and complaining!
4. The Prayer of Acknowledgment: Almighty God, I acknowledge that my adequacy comes not from myself or my own abilities, but only from You (2 Corinthians 3:5). I acknowledge that I can do all things through You, because You are the One who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13). And, Lord, in all of my ways I will acknowledge You, for You have promised that if I will do this, You will make my paths straight (Proverbs 3:6).

May the God who is everywhere, and who created everything, be very present in your life in this season, and from this moment forward! May your faith swell to heights you never imagined as you dwell with Him in the midst of hard times, but also allow Him to lead you to a much deeper understanding of His ability to create calm in your storm, peace in your uncertainties and joy along your journey of life with a Father who, as Job acknowledged, is not only the Creator of the Universe, but the One who can do ALL things…and whose plans can never be thwarted!

©2020, Harvest Prayer Ministries

Father, the day of celebration is upon Your people! As we anticipate Your Son’s birth, we ask that you would stop our rushing around, and our frantic preparation to help us consider that Jesus the Christ, our Lord and Savior…is already here among us! He is God with Us – Jesus, our Emmanuel.

E – Expectation

Emmanuel, show me how each one of my days, not just Christmas, should and can be filled with the expectation of all You want to do in and through my life. May I be filled with the anticipation of Anna and Simeon when they first laid eyes on the infant, Jesus! Restore to my heart the constant wonder and anticipation of Your life living in me!

Luke 2:22-38

M – Mercy

Emmanuel, the Father’s great gift of mercy, was given to me through Your birth, life, death and resurrection! I am no longer living as a condemned person, but as one who has been fully forgiven and redeemed! How thankful I am for the sacrifice You made so that I might live in freedom and victory every day of my life on this earth!

Romans 8:1-4

M – Mindfulness

Emmanuel, I want to be intensely aware of Your presence each and every moment! Help me to sense Your nearness at all times and in every circumstance whether good or bad! May my ears be attentive to hear Your voice alone so that I don’t fall for the lies of the enemy who would like nothing better than to distract me or cause me to fall into sin. Draw me close, Emmanuel! I will fix my eyes upon You!

Isaiah 30:21

Hebrews 12:2

A – Adoration

Emmanuel, You are the One my heart longs for and I give You praise and honor and glory and offer up my whole self as a living sacrifice. My lips will sing Your praise every day…not just this day. “Yours is the mighty power and glory and victory and majesty. Everything in the heavens and earth is Yours, O Lord, and this is Your kingdom. I adore You as being in control of everything!

1 Chronicles 29:11

N – Nations

Emmanuel, You are the King! You rule the nations of the earth! You came for every single person on this earth, and God promised You in Psalm 2 the ends of the earth as Your inheritance – every nation on this planet! You have commissioned me to be a conduit for Your gospel to go throughout the nations! Use me for Your purposes to seek and save those who are lost and without hope so that I might be part of the fulfilling of God’s promise to You, Lord Jesus!

Psalm 22:28

U – Understanding

Emmanuel, I long for an even deeper understanding of all that You are! Show me how to dig more deeply into Your heart and to long to know You more intimately than ever before. Help me to more fully grasp the love of the Father! I want to have a greater awareness of Your character, and to be more yielded to the working of Your Spirit within me as You mold and shape my heart for Your purposes.

2 Thessalonians 3:5 

E –  Eternity

Emmanuel, because You have set eternity in my heart, I am already living in eternity and will live with You forever and ever! What an amazing gift. Help me to live today in the light of eternity! May I continually be praying and acting so that “on earth as it is in heaven” becomes a reality in the midst of those who interact with me. May Your kingdom come and Your will be done here on earth, and in my life, as it is in heaven…and throughout eternity!

Ecclesiastes 3:11

L –  Love

Emmanuel, You are the gift of love sent from God, the Father to me and all of humanity. Your greatest commandments are to love God with all of my heart, soul, strength and mind…and to love others as myself. May this be a continual reality in my life as long as I draw breath here on earth. I ask that You would help me to comprehend the love that the Father has for You is also in Your people!

John 17:20-26

May the love and favor of the Lord Jesus Christ, our Emmanuel, rest upon you! (1 Corinthians 16:23)

Here is a creative prayer idea to do individually, as a couple, a family, small group or Sunday School class, etc. You can tweak it to fit your needs in many ways, as you will soon see! Here are two ways to utilize this as a means of expressing thankfulness/gratefulness to God using the Living Bible translation (feel free to use whatever translation you wish…or even multiple translations to do this on a repeated basis).

• Read through Psalm 103 and notice all of the ways David expressed his thankfulness to God. Pray through this Psalm being sure to “bless the holy name of God with all of (your) heart” at the beginning and end, as David demonstrates for us.

• Write your own Psalm based on David’s format in Psalm 103 by being specific about ways God has transformed your life and your own gratefulness for His blessings. Perhaps go verse by verse as the Psalm is laid out below.

Either of these ideas would make great family or personal activities for Thanksgiving, and year round! It’s important to cultivate gratitude for all of God’s blessings.

Psalm 103 TLB

I bless the holy name of God with all my heart. ² Yes, I will bless the Lord and not forget the glorious things he does for me.

³ He forgives all my sins.

He heals me.

⁴ He ransoms me from hell.

He surrounds me with loving-kindness and tender mercies.

⁵ He fills my life with good things!

My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!

⁶ He gives justice to all who are treated unfairly.

⁷ He revealed his will and nature to Moses and the people of Israel.

⁸ He is merciful and tender toward those who don’t deserve it;

he is slow to get angry and full of kindness and love.

⁹ He never bears a grudge, nor remains angry forever.

¹⁰ He has not punished us as we deserve for all our sins, ¹¹ for his mercy toward those who fear and honor him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.

¹² He has removed our sins as far away from us as the east is from the west.

¹³ He is like a father to us, tender and sympathetic to those who reverence him. ¹⁴ For he knows we are but dust ¹⁵ and that our days are few and brief, like grass, like flowers, ¹⁶ blown by the wind and gone forever.

^17-18 But the loving-kindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting to those who reverence him;

his salvation is to children’s children of those who are faithful to his covenant and remember to obey him!

¹⁹ The Lord has made the heavens his throne; from there he rules over everything there is. ²⁰ Bless the Lord, you mighty angels of his who carry out his orders, listening for each of his commands. ²¹ Yes, bless the Lord, you armies of his angels who serve him constantly.

²² Let everything everywhere bless the Lord. And how I bless him too!

If you are married or have been in a romantic relationship, you likely can recall some special times or seasons when you were overwhelmed by the way your loved one planned the perfect setting with great care and attention to detail. Perhaps it involved music, a special event, a quiet dinner, or just a peaceful evening watching a glorious sunset at your favorite spot. What made this experience significant in your mind is the time and effort taken by another person to please you and to express his or her heartfelt love.

When was the last time you took such care and made such a profound effort to meet with the One who loves you more deeply than any human on earth has the capacity to do? He is the One who has given you eternal life, blessed you and cared for you spiritually, emotionally and physically…and who has promised never to leave you or forsake you…in good times or in the midst of suffering. Jesus is worthy of our deepest love and affection. He is worthy of the time we spend creating an atmosphere that welcomes His presence no matter the situation or season of life we are in…whether in our most joyous thankful moments or when our hearts are broken and our lives are shattered.

What if we, as believers, spent as much time preparing our hearts to create a place where Jesus feels welcomed and cherished as we would for a family member or friend…a place where we can have an intimate conversation, hug tightly when life is hard, or simply enjoy each other’s company? Prayer is that space for every believer!

I can assure you, that if you will take the time to create a sacred space in your heart and life with God, your seasons of prayer will be deeper and richer and more powerful than ever. He is the One we adore and He deserves all of our affection and attention. So, before you next spend time in prayer, consider asking and reflecting on these questions during a quiet season of preparation:

1. Is my heart in right relationship with God and others?Have you renounced any idolatry to things that take up more time than you are willing to pour into your relationship with God (social media, sports, television, etc.)? Have you emptied yourself in order to make room for Jesus? Is there anything you need to confess or anyone you need to make things right with before praying? “But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive you your sins too (Mark 11:25 TLB).”
2. Am I focused upon entering the throne room of heaven to stay for a while, or am I intent on rushing through my prayer list for the day? How have you ordered your day so that the best part is given to Jesus? Will He have your full attention, or are there distractions to pull your attention away from His face? Can you picture the Father sitting on His throne attentively focused upon you as you enter His throne room…and into His very presence? Consider how you might “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) throughout your day, just as your thoughts might be drawn to a human relationship continually.
3. Do I worship Him because of my deep love for Him…adoring His beauty and majesty?Sometimes it is easy to forget our First Love and let other things and other people in life take greater importance. If we will take the time to worship in spirit and truth (for this kind of worship is true prayer), the other things we have our hearts set on begin to fall away and become lesser in our hearts. “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers” (John 4:23). Sometimes we have to lay our lists aside because we forget what we wanted to ask for in the midst of His beauty and majesty. Are you ready to worship Him? Do you long to spend time focused upon His loveliness?
4. Do I draw near to Him with the kind of anticipation and expectation that is fueled by a childlike faith? Jesus made much of the faith of children and urged us to come to Him this way. Are you excited to meet with Jesus, anticipating what He might show you or say to you? Do you delight in His presence and believe He will hear and answer? Are you willing to humble yourself and perhaps even posture yourself in a position to experience Jesus in whatever way you imagine a child would?
5. Do my prayers bring honor and glory to Jesus? This is a vital question to ask ourselves as so often we become more intent upon our own selfish desires. If our prayers are not focused upon the kingdom of God and His plans and purposes being accomplished for His glory alone, then there is always a danger of the focus being taken off of the Father and put onto us. Praying with an open Bible often keeps our prayer focus upon the things that God desires.
6. Are my prayers focused on His will being done on earth or my will being done in heaven? Even Jesus had to bow His will to the will of the Father and submit to death on a cross; however, His prayer was, “…not my will but yours be done (Luke 22:42).” This is particularly difficult when we pray for healing or for things that seem good to us, but the outcome is beyond our understanding. We must learn to trust that His will is always perfect and that His ways are not our ways. Scripture tells us that the Holy Spirit knows the mind of God (1 Corinthians 2:11), and that we have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). What power is at our disposal to discern the Father’s will!
7. Am I yielded to hear what He might say to me? We often spend most of our time in prayer talking to God and not spending a lot of time listening to what He may have to say to us. The priest Eli told young Samuel, when the Lord called him, to say: “Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3:9 NASB). This is good instruction for us all. Quietly wait for Him to call your name, or to give you instructions for your day…or even just for the moment you find yourself in. Sometimes all you will hear is an affirmation of His great love for you…but you will miss it if you don’t take the time to wait for such an encouragement. Perhaps you will hear nothing…and that is okay too, for you are spending time in His presence. If you have ever just sat quietly with someone you love, you know that sometimes nothing needs to be said…and yet, you know what is in one another’s heart.
8. Am I able to “pray without ceasing”?Think about creating an atmosphere that allows your thoughts to turn towards the Father continually throughout your day much as would happen with a human “love interest” that one would wish to call or make contact with as often as one’s thoughts turned towards this person. What needs to happen in your life in order for Jesus to take first place in your thoughts, so that communing with Him becomes as natural as breathing? Consider prayers of continual gratitude, which is an incredibly powerful way to keep your thoughts fixed upon God.
9. Are my prayers a sweet sacrifice with an aroma pleasing to the Father? God is pleased when His people come to Him in prayer. “God, come close. Come quickly! Open your ears—it’s my voice you’re hearing! Treat my prayer as sweet incense rising; my raised hands are my evening prayers” (Psalm 141:1-2 MSG). Imagine your prayer life as incense rising up to the nostrils of God. How will that change the way you seek Him?

If you will sincerely take time to create a spiritual atmosphere that will attract God’s presence, He will draw near and your communion with Him will be meaningful and rich. “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8).

After being in prayer ministry for many years, I have been in hundreds of prayer rooms in churches of every stripe. There are three basic types or prayer rooms I would like to address today:

• The Prayer/Storage Room– this is a “prayer room” that shares space and is not fully dedicated to the purpose of prayer. In many cases, it is used for sound equipment, stage props, Christmas decorations…well, you get the idea. This tells me that a church is definitely not “all in” about becoming a praying church. To be fair, many churches simply don’t have any discretionary space, as prayer rooms usually aren’t in the initial plans when churches build. Church leadership hasn’t yet recognized that prayer is the strategy for the life and mission of the church. People who want to pray in these spaces are often resentful about sharing with those who would use the space for storage and vice versa. Hurt feelings and disunity can be a result of this arrangement.
• The Pretty Prayer Room– this room has been designated as the “place for prayer” in the church. A team of people have put in nice furniture, lovely artwork, etc. But…it isn’t used except on Sunday mornings before church or special and infrequent times of prayer. This room is often confiscated for meetings other than prayer because it is a nice, quiet setting and not utilized very much. Churches feel good because they “have” a prayer room. To this I have to say, “What good is a pretty prayer room that isn’t being used for prayer?” One or more people in the church have created a space for their community of believers to come and pray, but find that the congregation and sometimes even the leaders are enticed to other activities in the church building other than prayer. This can be very discouraging for those who have prepared the room as they are often the only ones who use it. Very few other than those who are already gifted in intercession place value in spending time here.

Both of these first two rooms are usually only accessible when the church building is open or during special times of emphasis on prayer. The life of God working mightily in the midst of His people here may be less than it could be because His people are not yet focused upon the critical necessity of seeking His presence both individually and corporately.

• The Power Prayer Room– kingdom activity happens in this prayer space! People are continually coming and going, creativity is being cultivated, all generations are engaged, and God is receiving much glory as He launches people into His purposes in homes, in the church, the community and around the world. This prayer space is open and available often…sometimes even around the clock for intentional worship and intercession. It can even be a room with an outside access available by keypad or some other arrangement so that people can seek God 24-7. I have seen small prayer rooms built on church property or some other designated location rather than located in the church building. It is in such spaces that God is pouring out blessing and answering prayer. His people are His hands and feet in their homes and community, and actively sharing the love of the gospel. These people are being transformed by Jesus because they are drawing near and pressing into His presence.

By the way, very rarely is the Power Prayer room “pretty” although it certainly can be! It may actually be a bit messy because people are doing the work of prayer. You might see prayer stations that engage the different senses, maps of the nations on the wall, people drawing or painting their prayers, places to kneel, people worshiping (worship IS prayer)…children are welcome in this space and there are age-appropriate prayer stations for them to seek God…and that just scratches the surface.

Is a prayer room an absolute necessity for a church to become a praying church? Absolutely not! But it is often an entry place for many people to learn to stretch and grow in prayer. There is something about coming to a designated place of prayer that invites people to draw apart from the world in order to meet with God. It is a place where individuals, families, small groups or prayer teams can gather to learn how to seek His face and where God is welcome to breathe into the lives of those who desire His presence: “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8a); “…these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations” (Isaiah 56:7).

A good way for the leadership of a church to allow people to grow in their life with God is to provide a space where they can learn how to intercede for more than personal needs and issues and be stretched towards God’s kingdom purposes through prayer.

For more information about creative prayer rooms and for ideas, check out my Pinterest pages:

Prayer Room Ideas

Creative Prayer Ideas

Prayer and Missions Ideas

Kids and Prayer Ideas