A Psalm of Praise and Gratitude from Your Servant, Shonda

Dear Lord...

I don't know what Your plan is, or what the purpose of all I have been through this year serves...but I trust You.

I keep coming to the brink of disaster, only to feel your loving touch on my life once again...EVERY TIME. You save me. You stand me back on my feet. And, each time I fall back down, I cry to You and You come to my rescue.

I know I am dirty. I know that I am unclean. I know that I don't deserve the wonderful Grace that You keep giving me, but I also know that I have been purified, sanctified and made whole by Your Son who died on the cross to pay for all of my sins.

I try so hard, Lord. I work so hard. Yet, You keep reminding me that no matter how much I do or what I want, You will have Your way, and that way is to Bless me, in spite of my failures and wrong-doings, because - well - simply because You chose me to be Your child.

When I fall down, I do what all young children do, I cry. I get angry. I throw fits. Then, You pick me up and I forget all about what hurt me and I smile and hug the One who holds me.

You are my Loving, Merciful, Strong, Rich Father who wants nothing more than to see me smile. You make me want to please You more. And, I know I can never do enough or be enough.

Thank You for, once again, coming to my rescue. Thank You for teaching me responsibility. Thank You for teaching me gratitude.

I would ask You to help me obtain a position that I no longer have the need to call out to You for help, but then I would miss out on all the times that Your help has filled my heart with Joy!

Lead me. Guide me. Show me the way; and, whatever Your purpose is for me, Lord, let me be in it.

In Jesus' Holy Name,

Amen

Praying for Success on New Job

Hello, Father!

As You know, I have just embarked on a new independent contractor adventure. You have given me the ability to do pretty much anything I want to do in order to pay my bills. You have opened doors I never thought I'd ever walk through. You have presented the opportunities and given me choices.

Lord, I pray today that You walk with me on all of it. I pray that You lead me where I am most needed, and that success continues to follow me.

I may never get rich, Lord. But, I do ask that You continue to make it possible for all of my needs to be met. And, that You see fit to give me more to give to others as the need arises.

Your will be forever done, in Jesus's Holy Name, AMEN

Pray for the Family of Rush Limbaugh

Rush Limbaugh has passed away at the age of 70 from a recent hard fight with lung cancer.

Limbaugh was a pioneer in Conservative Talk Radio and recently was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Donald Trump during the 2020 State of the Union Address.

He did his part to try to change the world for the better.

No one will ever be able to fill his shoes, but we can pray that someone with as much talent and determination can take his place at the microphone.

For now, we should pray for comfort for his family and friends, and the millions of listeners who lost an advocate for Freedom in America!

Pray for Jimmy Ray Wilson

Jimmy was recently in a car accident.

His family is requesting all the prayers they can get!

He may be paralyzed, but we are hoping for the best and that this is not so!

Prayer for Restoration

Jesus,

I am not perfect. I fall down and get dirty quite a bit. Each time, I reach out for a hand up, and you are gracious and merciful to give it to me. For that, I love You more.

Jesus, right now I am recuperating from a broken heart, once again. I blame no one but myself. I thank You that you have kept my vision clear and my heart in the right place. I ask for your forgiveness where I have failed, even though I know deep down that I do not deserve it.

I ask for Your strength, Your guidance, Your love, Your companionship and Your friendship as I do an about turn and attempt not to look back. I want to be where I was spiritually 2 years ago, when it didn't hurt.

I am praying for a miracle, Lord. I want to do things the right way. I am asking you to help me restrain myself and not try to get ahead of You in anything from now on -- because I have learned the hard way that to do so is painful.

Lord, I know You will take care of me. You have always provided for me and given me the care I needed when I needed it most. I am at Your will.

I am asking You to provide for my health right now. You know my issues. You know what I need -- mentally, spiritually and physically, financially.

I need Your courage, Lord. Your ambition. Your love. Your motivation. And, I thank You for the restoration that is at my fingertips.

In Jesus' Holy Name I pray, Amen

Unfinished

Dear Father,

Thank You! Today I finally realized what You have been doing for me lately. You have not left me. You have been watching, waiting, letting me get dirty and wallow in the mud and gasping for air as I struggle not to drown in knee-deep water -- so to speak. You've let me struggle just long enough to realize that I truly do need You. Without you, there is NO struggle I can overcome on my own. And, it is time I realize that that includes the small things as well as the big ones.

They are ALL big things to YOU. At the same time, all of the problems that are mountainous to me is but a small hill in Your eyes.

Sometimes the miracles You perform are not the miracles we pray for, but the ones that are in our best interest.

You have, today, reached out your hand and set me before someone who needed from You the same things I need from You. And, You asked me to minister to them. In so doing, I heard everything You said to me as You spoke through me to them. I heard You loud and clear.

I want You to know that it doesn't make the struggle stop for me; but, it does make it easier to deal with. It gives me something else to focus on.

Thank You, Jesus, for Your wisdom and comfort. And, for the Hope You give.

I know You can still give me the miracle I want if You want to. I still pray for that, but I am no longer yearning for it. Thank You.

In Jesus' Holy Name I pray,

Amen

He Understands My Tears

Father,

I need You. You are the only constant in my life. You are the only part of my life that, no matter how long I am away, no matter how big my mistakes, and no matter how low or in the dark I feel, I know I can turn to You and feel as much love, with as much passion as I did when my life was full of brightness. You are my light -- sometimes the only light I see at the end of a dark tunnel.

You once showed Paul that in weakness You are made strong. You allow the weakness because it shows us how much we need You. It is so with me, today.

I need Your strength today, Father. I need Your loving hand to pull me back on my feet. I need Your lap to curl up in. I need Your loving arms to hold me and make me feel as if nothing else matters.

I am tired of being strong, Father. My heart feels like the un-cracked Liberty Bell on the 4th of July, ringing so loudly, as if to say, "I am here! Remember ME!" until it cracked, and turned into a strong symbol of what it once stood for. It has nice memories, but is incapable of being more than that in it's present form.

I am broken.

And, once again I am looking to You to fix me. And, I am broken even more knowing that the thread You use to sew me back together isn't made to handle what broke me again.

But, You are a God of miracles, and I am begging for You to use something besides that golden thread this time. Even so, be it, if You do. Perhaps I need the thread to remind me that I am not made for that struggle -- so I won't engage in it willingly again. And, in that way, Your strength is made through my weakness.

You are my boxing gloves and my knee pads as much as You are that tiny beam of light in the far off caverns of the dark cave I am winding through. I need that light to guide me on out.

Thank You Father, that I still hope for a happier day, even when I don't feel it right now. Let my tears water the garden, Lord.

In Jesus' Name, Amen