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7 Prayers for Guidance in Times of Uncertainty

June 4, 2020 By Kim Butts Leave a Comment

7 Prayers for Guidance in Times of Uncertainty

7 Prayers for Guidance in Times of Uncertainty

We have all been told to pray for guidance when we are unsure of what to do. But, how many of us actually know how to do this in a powerful and effective way? God’s word offers us the key to approach the Father with the confidence we are looking for when we face times of uncertainty.

God clearly tells us that He desires the best for us. His best! “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11). Stepping into our future apart from seeking the Father’s guidance can derail, delay or completely disrupt His best for us.

Scripture also teaches us that it is not up to our plans and our ideas to figure out what we should do in times when we need guidance. Instead, we are to: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). There is no way to figure out what is best for us to do as we make decisions apart from our God who created us and designed us for His purposes. If we put our faith in His abilities instead of our own, guidance will come with more certainty in the best outcome. Lack of trust in the Father can lead to poor decisions and to fear.

Here are 7 prayers you can simply pray just as they have been written for you and prayed by others throughout the centuries. Use them as a jumping off place for your prayers asking God for His guidance:

  1. “Make me know Your ways, O LORD; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You I wait all the day” (Psalm 25:4-5).
  1. “Let me hear Your lovingkindness in the morning; for I trust in You; teach me the way in which I should walk; for to You I lift up my soul” (Psalm 143:8).
  1. “Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground” (Psalm 143:10).
  1. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105).
  1. “For You are my rock and my fortress; for Your name’s sake You will lead me and guide me” (Psalm 31:3).
  1. O send out Your light and Your truth, let them lead me; let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your dwelling places” (Psalm 43:3).
  1. Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I” (Psalm 61:1-2).

Hopefully these scriptural prayers have given you a deeper confidence in the Father’s ability to guide and direct you! Remember, apart from Him we can do nothing: “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

If we will take to heart these powerful, scriptural petitions, we can know that God will hear and answer because the prayers we are offering up to Him are in His perfect purposes and will for us!

(c) Harvest Prayer Ministries

 

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Biography

 

Kim’s passion is to see God’s people recognize that prayer is a creative, continual moment by moment lifestyle as we align our hearts with the plans and purposes of God for His glory and the sake of His kingdom. Her ministry involves writing, teaching and consulting. She also compiles and edits HPM’s free daily devotional, Connection! and blogs regularly on the HPM website).

Kim graduated from Whitman College with teaching credentials and a BA in Psychology. She has a Masters degree in Spiritual Formation and Leadership from Spring Arbor University.

Some of Kim’s Books

 

Scheduling Contact:

Email: kim@harvestprayer.com

Phone: 812-230-3130

Filed Under: Kim's Blog

June 1, 2020 By Dave Butts Leave a Comment

3 Prayers for a Nation in Crisis

3 Prayers for a Nation in Crisis

During these days of division, anger, and uncertainty, most of us aren’t quite sure how to respond. What we must not forget is that we are not powerless. Our voices are heard in heaven! We can and need to ask God to intervene and to give us insight for ways we can respond with the love of Christ.

Here are some simple prayer points that we can pray together on behalf of our hurting neighbors and our nation.                                                      

  1. Protection 

“Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him. You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance” (Ps. 32:6-7).

It seems that the waters across our land are rising quickly and threatening to consume our cities.

Father, we ask for Your hand of protection to be upon our nation during these days of unrest and anger. Protect the lives of the angry as well as the officers and military personnel who are trying to restore order. Calm hearts and minds and bring restoration through justice and acts of repentance, humility and extraordinary love. Sing Your song of deliverance over our hurting nation, Lord.

  1. Presence.

“I will put my dwelling place among you, and I will not abhor you. I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people” (Lev. 26:11-12).

The Presence of God changes lives and meets the deepest needs—not just those of individuals, but also the needs of a culture. Welcoming the Presence of the Lord into our nation should be an essential part of our prayers.

Make Your Presence known Lord! In the midst of darkness, confusion and despair, may the light of Your glory shine. We welcome You and ask You to walk among us. Change lives, bring unity and stir Your people to be the image bearers of Jesus in this troubling hour! We long for Your presence to permeate our culture and transform our nation.

  1. Peace.

 “Peace, peace to them, both near and far, for I will heal them all” (Isaiah 57:19).

In the midst of a badly divided nation from top to bottom, we desperately need God’s peace. He has placed His Church in a position of godly authority to stand for righteousness and justice…and to be instruments of His healing in our world.

Prince of Peace, come and walk through the streets of our cities. Rest upon the hurting, the angry and those who are bent on destruction. Awaken Your Church! Give us courage and kindness in order to be the peacemakers You designed us to be! Help us to demonstrate justice for all people and the unity of a people who is one in You, because You created us equally. We long for Your peace to come to our nation, Lord!

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Dave Butts Biography

David is a much sought after conference speaker both nationally and internationally. He serves on several Boards of Directors and committees focused on prayer, revival and evangelism including:

  • President, Gospel Revivals, Inc. (Herald of His Coming)
  • Chairman, America's National Prayer Committee
  • Treasurer, Denominational Prayer Leaders' Network
  • Chairman, Pioneer Bible Translators Board of Directors
  • Board Member, America Prays/World Prays
  • Executive Committee - Awakening America Alliance
  • President 2014 - International Conference on Missions (ICOM)

Some of Dave's Books

Scheduling Contact:

Email: dave@harvestprayer.com

Phone: (812) 230-3130

Filed Under: Blog, Dave's Blog

May 24, 2020 By Dave Butts Leave a Comment

Prayer in a Season of Waiting

Prayer in a Season of Waiting

We are in a season of waiting. In the physical we are waiting to see what develops with the Covid-19 virus as the process of re-opening our country takes place. It is a waiting time filled with hope, but also uncertainty and perhaps even danger for some.

One of the perils for the Church is potential division over the timing and ways in which we again begin to meet together in buildings. Great wisdom is required for leaders, and only deep humility will cause us to lay down our preferences in honor of one another. Physical waiting causes angst, anger and frustration for many; however, to those of us who love Jesus, it is a time to listen, and to pay attention to what the Father wants to teach us in this curious and complex moment in time. It is a time to demonstrate the life of Christ as we offer hope through faith to others and as we intercede for the world.

This is also a season of spiritual waiting. For Jews this was the period following Passover and leading up to Shavuot. Christians also embrace this time of waiting from Easter to Pentecost. After the Resurrection of Jesus, He spent 40 days with the disciples. He ate with them, taught them, and demonstrated His resurrected life. But after 40 days, He ascended to the Father and told them to wait in Jerusalem for the promised Spirit.

It’s rare to find someone who likes to wait. Perhaps though, that is an attribute for which we should strive. We are certainly commanded often in scripture to wait on and for the Lord. Waiting paid off for those first disciples. Ten days of prayer, worship, and waiting on the Lord led them to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. They would never be the same as they received the promise of the Father.

We are in a season of waiting. Press into that. Make it a time of prayer and anticipation. What is God about to do? Our waiting upon the Lord is an active time that places everything in the hands of the Lord. Though we live post-Pentecost and the Spirit has come to us, we still wait on the Lord and fresh fillings of His Spirit. The timing of the Lord’s work and purposes are still in His hands and we pray with increased passion and anticipation during these days of waiting. Look up, your redemption draws near!

How to Pray in a Time of Waiting

  • Lord, in my waiting, help me to be strong and filled with courage.

“Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord” (Psalm 27:14).

  • Lord Jesus, in my waiting, lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation.

“Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; For You I wait all the day” (Psalm 25:5).

  • God Almighty, in my waiting, help me to have patience as Your return is near.

“Now as for you, dear brothers who are waiting for the Lord’s return, be patient, like a farmer who waits until the autumn for his precious harvest to ripen” (James 5:7).

  • Holy One, in my waiting, may Your integrity and uprightness preserve me.

“Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for You” (Psalm 25:21).

  • Father, Your word says that if I will wait for You I will gain new strength, mount up with wings like eagles, run and not get tired and walk without becoming weary! Help me to trust You for these promises.

“Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary” (Isaiah 40:31).

(c) Harvest Prayer Ministries

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Dave Butts Biography

David is a much sought after conference speaker both nationally and internationally. He serves on several Boards of Directors and committees focused on prayer, revival and evangelism including:

  • President, Gospel Revivals, Inc. (Herald of His Coming)
  • Chairman, America's National Prayer Committee
  • Treasurer, Denominational Prayer Leaders' Network
  • Chairman, Pioneer Bible Translators Board of Directors
  • Board Member, America Prays/World Prays
  • Executive Committee - Awakening America Alliance
  • President 2014 - International Conference on Missions (ICOM)

Some of Dave's Books

Scheduling Contact:

Email: dave@harvestprayer.com

Phone: (812) 230-3130

Filed Under: Blog, Dave's Blog

May 5, 2020 By Dave Butts Leave a Comment

Dwell, Gaze, Seek: Finding God’s Presence in His Word

Dwell, Gaze, Seek: Finding God’s Presence in His Word

For many years now, I have found myself daily praying to dwell in God’s house. Based on David’s great prayer in Psalm 27, I regularly ask to be able to gaze on the Father’s beauty and to always seek Him wherever He might be found. It is with some embarrassment that I confess a lack of faith in my own prayers, and even more so, in the power of God’s word to let me know of His will for me.  For a long time it seemed like I was always waiting for something big to happen to answer this powerful prayer. Therein was my lack of faith. I was looking for something I imagined would happen and in the process missed much of what was already happening.

 I was praying based on what was clearly God’s will for me. He desires my presence even more than I desire His Presence. He has opened His house to me as an eternal dwelling place…not just someday in heaven, but right now. I certainly was praying His will based on His word, believing He would answer. My problem was that I wasn’t paying attention to how He was already answering that prayer. When we begin to pray God’s word, we must also remember to begin looking for His answers. 

 With fresh realization today, I see that I have been receiving the answers to my prayers for many years now. Dwelling in God’s house is a mindful awareness to experience His presence moment by moment, day by day. Today, in the midst of the Covid-19 shutdown, I find myself on my back porch, listening to English composer Vaughn Williams’s Fifth Symphony based on Milton’s Pilgrims Progress. I am very happy. But I think back three years when I was in the hospital receiving intense chemo for stage four lymphoma. I was very happy then, too. God was present in that hospital room. 

 God’s house is a place of His Presence and in His presence there is the happiness that the Bible calls “the fullness of joy”. You might be going through tough times. You might be going through times of great abundance. Regardless of your circumstances, what brings joy and peace is the awareness of the presence of God. When you are experiencing His presence you are dwelling in His house.  

 I still pray every day that I might dwell in the Father’s house all the days of my life, gazing on His beauty and seeking Him wherever He might be found. But I also thank Him for opening up His house to His people through Jesus. The last phrase of Ps.27:4 keeps me praying. We are to continually seek Him. We always press in – praying for more of His presence. But I’m now learning to look daily for the answers to my prayers as I bring God’s Word back to His throne.

(c) Harvest Prayer Ministries

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Dave Butts Biography

David is a much sought after conference speaker both nationally and internationally. He serves on several Boards of Directors and committees focused on prayer, revival and evangelism including:

  • President, Gospel Revivals, Inc. (Herald of His Coming)
  • Chairman, America's National Prayer Committee
  • Treasurer, Denominational Prayer Leaders' Network
  • Chairman, Pioneer Bible Translators Board of Directors
  • Board Member, America Prays/World Prays
  • Executive Committee - Awakening America Alliance
  • President 2014 - International Conference on Missions (ICOM)

Some of Dave's Books

Scheduling Contact:

Email: dave@harvestprayer.com

Phone: (812) 230-3130

Filed Under: Blog, Dave's Blog

April 27, 2020 By Dave Butts Leave a Comment

The Power of Silence

The Power of Silence

The health crisis that has marked 2020 has brought about an amazing silence across the earth. Sports events are silenced and concerts have gone away. The shouts of children at playgrounds have grown quiet. I watched the news in amazement the other day as it showed the streets of downtown New York City almost empty and quiet.  

 I know it’s temporary. We are by nature a noisy species. Even in this lockdown, we eagerly attempt to escape to our former activities and all the noise that would bring. I’m afraid the noise will return.

 I’m enjoying the quiet. It’s really very biblical. Stillness brings with it the opportunity to quiet our souls before our Maker. You can certainly do that with noise all around you, but it is so much easier when your environment has grown quiet. It is in stillness that we sense more of the Presence of God and are better able to discern His quiet voice. 

 Quiet yourself for a minute and pay attention to what God’s Word is saying about silence. Here are four powerful admonitions from the Lord:

 “The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him” (Hab.2:20).

 “Be still before the Lord, all mankind, because he has roused himself from his holy dwelling” (Zech. 2:13).

 “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him” (Ps.37:7).

 “Be still and know that I am God” (Ps.46:10). 

 Here are some simple ways to use your “holy imagination” or your “mind’s eye” to experience these scriptures as you spend time in silence before Him:

  • As you pray, imagine you can see the Lord in heaven.

There are crowds of angels before Him in complete silence. You feel a deep need not to break into that silence with any noise. “But the LORD is in His holy temple. Let all the earth be silent before Him” (Habakkuk 2:20).

  • Picture the Lord sitting on His throne.

You carefully watch and then, to your amazement, He begins to arise from His throne. He is getting up and that means something is about to happen. Imagine what that might be right now! “Be still before the LORD, all mankind, because He has roused Himself from His holy dwelling” (Zecharaiah 2:13).

  • Wait on the Lord in prayer.

Place yourself in a position of waiting on the Lord. It would be like being in a class where the teacher said, “Now pay careful attention to what I’m going to say next,” and then paused. You would be leaning forward, waiting to hear what comes next. “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him” (Psalm 37:7).

  • Draw near to the Lord in prayer.

Imagine sitting close to Jesus, or even on His lap, as a child would do. Does the immensity and grandeur of the One to whom you are speaking overwhelm you and bring you to absolute silence before Him? What does the peace of His presence feel like? You are coming to know your God. “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).

National shutdown or not, it is very clear that God places a high value on silence. Will we?

 (c) Harvest Prayer Ministries

 

 

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Dave Butts Biography

David is a much sought after conference speaker both nationally and internationally. He serves on several Boards of Directors and committees focused on prayer, revival and evangelism including:

  • President, Gospel Revivals, Inc. (Herald of His Coming)
  • Chairman, America's National Prayer Committee
  • Treasurer, Denominational Prayer Leaders' Network
  • Chairman, Pioneer Bible Translators Board of Directors
  • Board Member, America Prays/World Prays
  • Executive Committee - Awakening America Alliance
  • President 2014 - International Conference on Missions (ICOM)

Some of Dave's Books

Scheduling Contact:

Email: dave@harvestprayer.com

Phone: (812) 230-3130

Filed Under: Dave's Blog

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