When I was studying during deployment, I was moved by my reading, and my spirit was impressed to pray, " ... Father, we ask that You would keep us from sin and that we would not even desire its pleasures, that You would teach us to discipline our bodies, that You would teach us to walk in Your ways, and derive our pleasure completely from You. We ask that You would change our hearts that we would mourn over sin, and that we would be so close to You that we would be sensitive to the sin around us, and we would run from it. I especially pray this for myself, Father. Keep me pure.”
Nightly Morning Prayers
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And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. — Ephesians 6:18
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. — Philippians 4:6,7
A few years ago our church decided to reach out by email to our deployed couples with a nightly prayer–read in the morning in time zones on the other side of the world. We decided to use Oswald Chambers’ daily prayers from his own personal journal. They are short in length, but long in meaning.
Oswald Chambers is most widely known for his daily writings in the devotional My Utmost for His Highest. As a missionary, a seminary superintendent, and later as a World War I chaplain stationed in Eqypt, Chambers’ personal prayers are recorded in the 1938 publication A Little Book of Prayers, later revised in 1957 and entitled Knocking at God’s Door.
So each night I type up one of Chambers’ prayers and email it out to our military couples experiencing deployment—overseas and at home—to encourage them in their walk with the Lord, and in their marriages. We have heard how these little, but mighty, prayers have helped to end the day—or start a new day—with a touch from those in their Christian fellowship who love and care for them.
David Lambert, an editor for Chamber’s books, wrote of these prayers: “In this Little Book of Prayers we are overhearing one of God’s servants at prayer. These are some of the prayers that he breathed out to God, penning the very words in exactness of his intention, in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving to let his requests be made known unto God. They can teach us much about the simplicity, the range, the power and the perseverance of Spirit-born praying, and there is no service more worthy of our deepest attention.” (p. 636)
The prayers are not categorized in Chambers’ book—just compiled for a full calendar year. But for today’s devotion I have chosen several under the ACTS headings which Christians so often use as a guide for prayer—beginning with adoration of God, then confession of sin, thanksgiving, and ending in supplication for others.
A=Adoration
“O Lord, I praise Thee for the Throne of Grace, and that in Jesus Christ I can draw near with boldness to receive mercy, and grace for this day’s glorifying of Thee.” May 4th
“O Lord, how wonderful are Thy Ways! When I recall the way Thou has led me and borne with me, I am lost in wonder, love and praise.” March 14th
“Lord God Almighty, Thou art holy; but more wonderful than praise can tell, Thou dost undertake to make me holy by Thy grace.” February 1st
C=Confession
“O my God, I lie in Thy fire burning and purifying—so much dross I seem to discover today, so little of Thy sweet and lovely grace in my dealing with others’ faults. Lord, forgive me.” March 8
“Lord, I come to Thee this morning with a sense of spiritual failure. Cleanse me by Thy grace, and restore me to the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” October 14th
“O Lord, dawn on us and draw us into Thyself today; begin with me. Cleanse me, O Lord, from all the imperfections which are clear to Thee though not to me.” April 29th
T=Thanksgiving
“Lord, I feel myself longing for Thee and Thy life, and I am turning to the 91st Psalm for assurance—‘Surely He shall deliver thee.’ Lord, I am assured of it, and would thank Thee for the sweet sense of Thy protecting care.” August 15th
“Lord, I thank Thee for the past night’s sleep; I bless Thee that Thou dost neither slumber nor sleep, but dost keep us by day and by night.” October 28th
“O Lord, there is no Time with Thee for ‘a thousand years in Thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past’; but with me it is necessarily different. How Thou hast restored the years the canker-worm hath eaten and created me a new creature in Christ Jesus! Accept my thanksgiving.” June 12th
S=Supplication
“Lord, through all the multitudinous duties of the day keep me calm; ennoble me by Thy touch and tenderness. Settle and quieten me down in Thee.” May 10th
“Lord, today let Thy praise abound, let joy and gladness resound everywhere. How I long for joy—great bounding liberating joy: joy in God, joy in the Holy Ghost, joy in life, and joy in love. Cause this to be a joyous house today, all day.” January 30th
“O Lord, so many to pray for, so many in need of deliverance. Unto Thee how hungrily I look up.” April 18th
Time for prayer is vital in the life of a Christian. Time for prayer together (even by email) is vital in the life of a Christian couple. Whether at home, or overseas, prayer brings a church—and a marriage—together with each other and our Heavenly Father who loves us so much.
Work Cited:
Chambers, Oswald. The Complete Works of Oswald Chambers (Grand Rapids: Discovery House Publishers, 2000), pages 635-652.
Questions to Share:
1. Choose one prayer from each heading and pray for yourself today.
2. Choose one prayer from each heading and pray for your spouse today.
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