Monday, Week 4

I cried out to Him with my mouth and praised Him with my tongue. If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.
— Psalm 66:17-18 (BSB)

We are too busy to pray, and so we are too busy to have power.
— R.A. Torrey

Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be Your name. May Your kingdom come. May Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. This is our prayer this morning. We would have Your kingdom come into our own hearts so fully, that everything in us shall submit to Your sway. We would indeed have You as the King of our lives, seated on our heart's throne, and ruling over our affections, feelings, and desires! So we pray that Your kingdom may come in our own lives. May everything in us that opposes You, be brought to submit to You. May our ways that are not right, be changed to conform to Your holy ways.

Sometimes we chafe and fret when we do not find things to our liking, when our work is hard for us, when we are not prospered in our plans as we had hoped. Father, You forgive all this discontent and rebellion. We know You are training us, and that we are in Your school all the time. We know that when we complain and annoy ourselves about our circumstances, we not only grieve You — but also mar Your work in us. Help us, therefore, to humbly submit to all Your ways, and learn well the lesson of submission and trust in Your sovereign plan for us. We want to be truly able always to say, "May Your will be done." Give us grace to say it every day and every hour. Help us to look up into Your face . . .
when the path is rough,
when the tasks are hard,
when it hurts us to go on —
and to say with love, "Not my will — but may Your will be done."

We now commit ourselves to You for the day. It may not bring us all sunshine, gladness, and ease. It may have clouds, and pain, and hardship. But, Father, we want to make it a sweet, beautiful day — whether it shall be bright or dark. Give us much of Your Spirit, and may we live near You all day. We ask all in Jesus' precious name. Amen.