Prayer For Ordinary people
Stanley, I introduced Dr. Youssef as Dr. Michael Youssef when I first mentioned his name and as Dr. Youssef in the prayer. In addition, I wrote a very favorable review of this life-changing book. I teach writing, and I followed the APA style of mentioning authors. Karen
Prayer for ordinary people
Note: For our annual Hope for New York Sunday event at partner churches, this Prayers of the People was shared at Redeemer Lincoln Square.Father, we praise you for your goodness. You are the source of all that is true, good and right in this world. You have created this earth and all that is in it to flourish and be a reflection of your glory and we praise you for that. And, you chose to make people in your image, to reflect your likeness in the earth.
Father, remind our hearts that there are no ordinary people, that there are no mere mortals, but that every person is an image bearer of the most high, deserving of honor. Father, would our thoughts, words and actions toward others be free of contempt, envy, resentment, arrogance and indifference; give us an attitude of honor toward those that you have made and placed in our path, in your sovereignty.Jesus, we thank you for the humility you showed when you left heaven to come and live among us for some time. We praise you for the example that we now have. In particular, Jesus, we think of your care and love for children. While others pushed them aside, you drew them near, and spoke harshly to those who would harm them. Jesus, there are many children who are suffering in this world, in this country, and in this city. Children who are in unsafe home situations, who are being exploited, abused or neglected. Children who have been separated from their families for any number of reasons.
If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this Precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. 2 Corinthians 4:7 (MSG)
When us ordinary people pray, we release the extraordinary power of God to work in us, through us and for us. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with! When you pray, you become a force to be reckoned with, and that is extraordinary!
While the ship was at sea, a storm arose. The sailors tried to lighten the ship by dumping their cargo, but they soon suspected that this was no ordinary storm. They determined that the reason for their distress was Jonah.
If you have been through a storm in your life, if you have found yourself in the belly of the beast, if you are suffering as a consequence of disobedience or even through no fault of your own, then the prayer of Jonah is for you.
Michael Youssef is the founder and president of Leading The Way with Dr. Michael Youssef, a worldwide ministry that leads the way for people living in spiritual darkness to discover the light of Christ. His weekly television programs and daily radio programs are broadcast in 25 languages and seen worldwide, airing more than 12,000 times per week. Youssef was born in Egypt and lived in Lebanon and Australia before coming to the United States. In 1984, he fulfilled a childhood dream of becoming an American citizen. He holds degrees from Moore College in Sydney, Australia, and Fuller Theological Seminary in California. In 1984, he earned a PhD in social anthropology from Emory University.
Lord Jesus Christ, who are called the Prince of Peace, who are yourself our peace and reconciliation, who so often said, "Peace to you," grant us peace. Make all men and women witnesses of truth, justice, and brotherly love. Banish from their hearts whatever might endanger peace. Enlighten our rulers that they may guarantee and defend the great gift of peace. May all peoples on the earth become as brothers and sisters. May longed for peace blossom forth and reign always over us all. - Pope John Paul II Back to top
Lord God, No one is a stranger to you And no one is ever far from your loving care. In your kindness, watch over refugees and victims of war, Those separated from their loved ones, Young people who are lost, And those who have left home or who have run away from home. Bring them back safely to the place where they long to be, And help us always to show your kindness to strangers and to all in need.
Our church calendar tells us that we are back again in Ordinary Time. Advent passed through its four weeks. We celebrated the birth of Jesus with angels singing and shepherds visiting and magi following a star from the East and bearing gifts. Yes, we have finished this holy season. Still, somehow, this time does not seem ordinary; it is anything but that.
Perhaps, Lord, no time is really ordinary. Where you are, the extraordinary tries to lift us up, to let us see beyond the everyday and catch hints of what can be, of who we could be if we gave room to our best selves, of what we could do if we banded together in common purpose and resolve.
Part of ordinary time is the dedication of health care workers. Part is families sharing resources to get through economic breakdown. Part must be the guardians of public safety who risk their lies and health, even give up that life, to keep order and peace.
We come to you, loving God, with hope in our hearts and prayer on our lips. We pray that care and compassion, watching and accompanying be part of our ordinary lives. We pray that our eyes be open to see the needs of those who struggle to provide for their families and that if we can help, we do help in ordinary ways. We pray that we try to understand each other in our struggles to make sense of the forces that are beyond any one of us, that we see beyond threats imagined or real, that we hear beyond shouted anger or mocking taunts or cursing threats and note the cries for help that rest mostly silent in ordinary times.
Brian Alarid is President and Founder of America Prays and World Prays, and the Founding Pastor of Passion Church. Brian has 26 years of experience in pastoral ministry and executive leadership. He has equipped and inspired thousands of people in 17 countries through conferences, television and radio.
A growing body of literature describes the benefits of practicing centering prayer. Since the principal arena for living a spiritual life is not prayer but rather everyday life, the benefits of centering prayer reveal themselves not during periods of prayer, but over time in the way we live our lives.
Leaders of Contemplative Outreach (www.centeringprayer.com), an organization dedicated to the practice of centering prayer, predict that this prayer form will continue to grow because it is a simple, effective, and powerful way to access a deeper relationship with God and because it addresses a hunger within the hearts and souls of individuals who long for peace and a deep experience of God in a fast-paced, impersonal, competitive, and often hostile world.
I have a dear friend named Peggy who loves the Lord with all her heart. She is one of the most blessed believers I know. Yet one morning, she woke up with a completely paralyzed vocal cord. She had to communicate by "shouting" with all her might, and yet barely a whisper emerged. When she sought medical intervention, Peggy's doctor told her that it could take 12 weeks for her vocal cord to heal, or she might need surgery, which wasn't even guaranteed to work. Her doctor warned her that her voice would never be the same. She stood in faith and publicly asked for prayer. When more than two months passed by with no improvement, Peggy finally scheduled surgery. Less than one week before the surgery, with zero improvement, she felt compelled to cancel her surgery. Then, exactly 90 days after her vocal cord became paralyzed, Peggy woke up and could speak! Not only did her voice return, but it was as good as new. Peggy says that she believes that God wanted her to lean on Him, and to stand in faith, even when she saw no physical change. And the thing that impressed her most about all this? That God worked this miracle, not for someone who was famous or super spiritual, but for her - "regular ole Peggy Jo."
Peggy's experience reminded me of a movie that I saw a while back about a family of believers who received an extraordinary miracle for the healing of their young daughter. At the very end of the film, there was a brief testimony from the real mother in the story, and she said that what impressed her most about the incident was that God intervened in a miraculous way, even though she was "just an ordinary person." She simply could not get over that.
I hear from "ordinary" Christians on a regular basis who have witnessed God moving mountains on their behalf. And I have been the recipient of some extraordinary answers to prayer myself. And you know what? It's entirely scriptural for believers to pray for - and expect - God's miraculous intervention. The Bible says, "The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." (James 5:16 NIV) Who is "righteous" according to Scripture? Those who have trusted Christ as their Lord and Savior. The following verses in this passage tell us: "Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops." Don't miss what the Spirit of God is trying to teach us here. As followers of Christ - as the "righteous" - our prayers are immensely powerful. We aren't perfect, but then neither was Elijah. The Amplified translation says of him, "Elijah was a man with a nature like ours [with the same physical, mental, and spiritual limitations and shortcomings], and he prayed intensely for it not to rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months." (James 5:17 AMP) We like to think of Elijah as a powerful man of God - and he was - but we also must see him with the same "limitations and shortcomings" that you and I have, if we are ever going to fulfill our God-given purpose and potential on this earth.