Roller Coaster Prayer
“Aaaaaeeeeeeeeeee!” You are approaching the Sky Roller, the world’s largest roller coaster. Butterflies tumble around in your stomach as you draw near the entrance to the ride. You stop to read the WARNINGS before going any further.
The following is a roller coaster prayer. Be sure to read the warning sign before getting aboard. It might scare you, but it also might be the best ride of your life. Sit down, buckle up, and hold on.
WARNING: This prayer is not for those individuals who:
- are faint at heart.
-are afraid to see themselves in a true mirror.
-have bad knees and cannot get on them.
-need to have their hands on the controls.
Lord Jesus,
You are the I AM. You are an amazing and awesome God. You alone are all powerful. I want to see evidence of You today. Open my eyes to see the works of Your hands. I ask Lord that you forgive me when I fail you. Lord forgive me when I want to take credit for work You have done. Remove my pride. Expose my heart Lord. Help me to see myself and recognize unconfessed sin I my life.
Create in me a pure heart, O God and renew a steadfast spirit within me. (Psalm 51:10 NIV)
Thank you Lord for the blessings you pour on me daily. Help me to be more aware of each and every thing You have given me and let me live with a grateful heart. Lord, there is hurting all around me. Show me where I can be used today. I want to live a life in complete obedience to you. I give myself totally to You, Lord. I admit that everything I have is from You. Let me give because I have been given much.
Shake me up and wake me up. I don’t want to journey with my eyes shut. When I come to the fire, Lord, pull me through. Make me stronger. Help me to see the power of one. Start a revival with me. Make my every step be one closer to You. Use me, Lord. Use, me! Let me live a life renewed, Lord. I have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. Oh, God that your spirit would burst forth from my heart so that all who come near might be splashed with you.
Help me to live boldly for you, O God my Father. Amen.
Raise your arms, watch your knees, and exit to the left, please.
God’s mercies begin afresh each day!
Lamentations 3:23
“Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each day.”
Praise God for this! Right? 
No matter how today goes… tomorrow is a brand new day.
Some days are hard and you just plain can’t do it all. You try, but you are human and nothing is ever going to be just perfect.
Sometimes it gets to a point you feel like a failure. You wonder, “have I messed things up so badly that it can’t be turned around?”
All of our answers are in God’s word!
His mercies begin afresh each day.
So, when you are struggling and you go to bed that night thinking of all you wish you had done differently, remember, tomorrow you get the chance to start all the way over, brand new!
Where else in life can you find that? No where that I know of!
God loves us so much that He wants to forgive our sins. He waits patiently for us to come to Him and repent. He doesn’t make us go for days or weeks on end in misery. No. Each and every day is a new start.
I have seen the commercial, where they talk about a “re-do button.”
That’s basically what God has given us… the opportunity to start again.
As time goes by and we keep turning to Him and having each day anew, we will begin to walk in the Spirit and we will build our faith through going through these times. Our habits and routines of doing things the way God intended will come more often. We will see ourselves become a new creature.
So, no matter how today has gone, or how this week has gone, just remember: Tomorrow is a new day. God’s word is never void and He gives us the gift of having each day anew.
What a wonderful gift, one we should thank Him for daily!
Blessings!
The Start of Something Good
“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.” Zechariah 4:10 NLT
Now that’s a verse I need to keep in the front of my mind.
Because, as someone who likes to see things get done, and see them get done quickly, I’m not always the most patient person. And I don’t always appreciate the start of something, no matter how great it turns out in the end.
When I set goals—whether personal or related to my career–I tend to be very focused on the end result. And sometimes I forget that so much of life is about the journey. If I’m being honest, that verse in Zechariah is hard for me to relate to sometimes.
But one thing that helps me to understand it a little better is thinking about my kids and how I rejoice at their beginnings.
When my son and daughter started walking, I didn’t wait until they could make it from one end of the room to the other to get excited. I cheered them on from the very first step, and it didn’t matter if they fell or how far they went. When they learned how to ride a bike, all it took was one or two pedals on their own to have me jumping up and down and clapping. And when I see them close their little eyes at night and hear them say their bed-time prayers, I’m filled with thankfulness and joy at the beginnings of their faith.
That’s how God feels about beginnings, too. From the very first second we turn to Him, He rejoices. He doesn’t wait until we become “better people” or “more holy”. And when He sees us moving in the direction of fulfilling the purpose we were created for, He cheers us on. He rejoices even when the work is just beginning.
We should all try to do that a little more, I think.
Instead of being hard on ourselves or others because the results that we want aren’t yet realized, how about rejoicing that we’re moving in the right direction? Good things are worth waiting for and sometimes they take time. So whether we’re striving to improve relationships, make positive changes in our lifestyle or health, or realize a career or personal goal, let’s all pause and take a minute to be happy about the beginnings.
And to celebrate the start of something good.
