A Prayer to be Unshakable
By Meg Bucher
“Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshipping him with holy fear and awe. For our God is a devouring fire.” - Hebrews 12:28-29 NLT
Unshakeable strength, gratitude, grace, forgiveness, acceptance, and all other human capabilities remain impossible for us to uphold. The truth is we need God to be strong, grateful, gracious, forgiving, accepting, and all other human capacities. In order to live in the way He designed us, we need to lean on Him.
“There is a big difference between the flame of a candle and the roaring blast of a forest fire,” the NLT Life Application Bible notes, “We cannot even stand near an intense fire. Even with sophisticated firefighting equipment, a devouring fire often rages beyond human control. We cannot control God either. We cannot force him to do anything for us through our prayers. He cannot be contained. Yet he shows us compassion. He saves us from sin, and he will save us from death. But everything temporal, worthless, sinful, imperfect, or destructive will be devoured by the fire of his wrath. Only what is good, true, sacred, and righteous will remain. What a catastrophe for anyone considering turning away from God!”
Only God is unshakeable. But the good news is, in Christ, we are righteous. The miracle of our salvation is the grace and forgiveness. Honestly, who God is should spark gratefulness in us that cannot be squelched by any raging firestorm this world throws at us.
Let’s pray:
Father,
You are a devouring fire. We worship You with holy fear and awe. Develop in us a proper countenance and understanding of what it means to live in holy fear and true humility. Give us the gift of understanding who You are, a little more each day. God, we are grateful for Your strength. You promise to strengthen us. Thank You! You promise to work all things for our good. Thank You! Your promises are rock solid, God, unlike the fleeting hopes and wishes we often entertain in this world. Your Word is a lamp to guide our feet and a light for our paths. Thank You! Without Your wisdom, we would be shaken by every opportunity the world has to pierce our armor and shake our faith. Help us to understand what it means to be grateful, God. Give us an unshakeable faith in Christ Jesus as we seek Your will in our lives. There are so many promises we are grateful for, God. Thank You for hearing our prayers and answering them. God, You promise, if we care about it …You care about it! The prophet Isaiah wrote:
“I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!” – Isaiah 65:24 NLT
Thank You, God, for providing for our daily needs. You know the number of our days, God, and You are faithful to uphold us through each and every one. Because of this truth, we can be thankful in all circumstances! The worries of the world have no power over us, who are in Christ Jesus. We pause to pray for all those who deal with the very real diseases of the mind that cause anxiety and worry to have a leg up on their lives. We pray for their total healing, God. And for those of us who struggle with the sin of worrying too much, which is different from the disease of anxiety, depression, and other mental illnesses, help us to know You better so that we can trust You more. The Apostle Paul wrote, “Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it but receive it with thanks. For we know it is made acceptable by the word of God and prayer” (1 Timothy 4:4-5 NLT).
God, because You work everything for our good, the blessings You rain onto our lives are endless. Blessings we don’t always recognize as blessings at the time. Blessings which are literal miracles. Blessing of provision, talents, community, friends, and family …God, there is no limit to Your hand of blessing on our lives. 1 Chronicles 17:34 reads: “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever” (NLT). Father, help us pray in a way that allows our hearts to express our needs because Your Word says to tell You what we need. Give us the gift of praising You, God, genuinely. Psalm 7:17 sings, “I will thank the LORD because he is just; I will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High” (NLT). We pray for so many moments when our hearts sing, “Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words!” (2 Corinthians 9:15 NLT)
Father, connect us to the people You have so purposefully placed in our lives. Small groups, Bible studies, and a place to serve in our local church. Friends, family, and our communities. But we especially thank You for the fellow believers in our lives, who help us to grow in our faith, and walk alongside us in the trials a life following Jesus brings. You promise it will not be easy. There is pain in this fallen sinful world we cannot escape. Help us to face the harsh reality of sin in the world, God, and cling to the people You have given us to soldier through it alongside. Father, we pray for Christ-centered friendships, because we know they provide relief and encouragement to inspire us on days when raging fires threaten to steal our attention from the goodness of God and the precious love of Jesus. Father, we don’t understand how people make it through the fires of life without Jesus. Help us to stay centered in gratefulness, God, for all You have done and promise to do in our lives. We love You.
In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/kieferpix
Meg writes about everyday life within the love of Christ at megbucher.com. She is the author of “Friends with Everyone, Friendship within the Love of Christ,” “Surface, Unlocking the Gift of Sensitivity,” “Glory Up, The Everyday Pursuit of Praise,” “Home, Finding Our Identity in Christ,” and "Sent, Faith in Motion." Meg earned a Marketing/PR degree from Ashland University but stepped out of the business world to stay home and raise her two daughters …which led her to pursue her writing passion. A contributing writer for Salem Web Network since 2016, Meg is now thrilled to be a part of the editorial team at Salem Web Network. Meg loves being involved in her community and local church, leads Bible study, and serves as a youth leader for teen girls.
Editor's Note: We're proud to announce we've just launched a new nighttime companion to Your Daily Prayer: the Your Nightly Prayer devotional. You'll soon be able to subscribe to receive Your Nightly Prayer via email, or as a podcast, but for now you can find it on the website at crosswalk.com/devotionals/your-nightly-prayer. We hope it's a relaxing and soothing way to wind down your day with rich meditations on who God is.
Related Resource: Jesus Calling - Stories of Faith
Kerry Washington. Andrea Bocelli. Reba McEntire. Mark Wahlberg. Tony Dungy. Matthew McConaughey, What do all of these people have in common? They are all people of faith who have leaned on God in both the good and challenging times—and they’ve shown up to tell their story of faith on The Jesus Calling Podcast. The Jesus Calling Podcast provides a place for people from all walks of life to share the heartaches, joys, and divine moments that keep them going.
Inspired by Sarah Young's classic devotional book, the Jesus Calling podcast has brought encouragement and peace to millions. New episodes drop every Thursday! Listen today on LifeAudio.com or wherever you find your podcasts.
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