Prayer does not fit us for the greater work; prayer is the greater work.  ~Oswald Chambers

Prayer Matters

Friends, prayer matters. Oswald Chambers says it so well in this quote.

We tend to use prayer as a last resort, but God wants it to be our first line of defense. We pray when there’s nothing else we can do, but God wants us to pray before we do anything at all.

When life is hard, we tend to turn to prayer – or turn away from it. It can go either way, can’t it? It’s easy to lose hope. The Bible tells us we will experience trials and tribulations in this world (John 16:33, Romans 5:3-4, 1 Peter 5:10) and we surely know it from walking these paths, don’t we? So what’s a girl to do when she feels as if she’s loosing hope?

Look to Jesus (who is our Living Hope – 1 Peter 1:3) and seek to know God in prayer. Knowing God means finding hope and Biblical hope makes a difference. This kind of hope is a bridge from disappointment and despair into God’s love, rest, and peace. This comes to us as we learn to lean into trusting God’s ways over our own. Biblical hope does not disappoint. (Romans 5:5) and is something we can hold onto in the most difficult of circumstances.

Biblical hope does not disappoint. Read Romans 5:5 Click To Tweet

If You Are Looking for Hope

If you are looking for hope, you’ll surely find it in the 6 verses included in the Hope Kit. You’ll spend a few minutes each day reading, writing, and learning key word meanings for each verse included. Afterward, you can use the verse and the key word meanings to write your own powerful prayer based on Scripture. It is so powerful to pray this way as it helps us find a framework for truth and for praying in God’s will. And that’s what prayer is about – finding His will and learning to trust in it so much that we truly desire His will over our own.

That's what prayer is about – finding God's will and learning to trust in it so much that we truly desire His will over our own. Click To Tweet

I hope you’ll find the Hope Kit meaningful and I would love to hear about your experience using it! Pick it up by filling out the form below! ⤵️

 

 

 

Focus Verses
Each verse above is linked to its appropriate page at www.biblehub.com where you can find free help for a deeper study. Just click on the verse reference to go there!

Let’s Talk
The Hope Kit is all about praying and studying Scriptures. Do you have verses that you like to pray often? How has praying Scriptures changed your prayer life? Please share in the comments below. Your comments will encourage those behind you!

If you Struggle with Perfectionism
Last week we talked about how hope and perfectionism are complete opposites. Hope is the expectation of something sure or certain. It is a positive state of mind. Perfectionism, on the other hand, is a refusal – the refusal of anything that’s not perfect. The expectations of perfectionism are unrealistic and full of self-sufficiency. The expectations that come from Biblical hope, however, are full of grace and help us depend on God. As we let go of perfectionism, we’ll find ourselves in a better place where we can find the rest and peace we need in the arms of Jesus. That letting go is very difficult, but in times of discouragement and frustration, the Bible offers answers and hope.  And hope, as we said earlier in this article, is a bridge. It’s a bridge that you can depend on to help you leave the discouragements and frustrations caused by perfectionism behind. Try studying and praying the verses in the Hope Kit and see if your perspective and focus begins to change. I’ve been there, and I found the more I prayed Scripture, the more my perspective changed. Prayer isn’t so much about asking as it is about listening and learning to have God’s perspectives.

Prayer isn't so much about asking as it is about listening and learning to have God's perspectives. Click To Tweet

Let’s Pray
Dear Heavenly Father, help us to understand that Your hope is something sure and certain. We can count on You to build a bridge of hope for us, that will provide steady footing to help us let go of what we need to leave behind as we walk into Your love and peace. Thank you for Jesus, who is our Living Hope. Without Him we would be lost. We thank you for all you have done for us, for renewing us day by day. In Jesus name, Amen.

What’s Next?
Come back in a few weeks and we’ll continue our discussion about hope. We’ll look further into some verses from 1 Peter and talk more about putting our hope in Christ.

*Find our previous article about Biblical hope HERE. 

The article Praying the Bible to Renew Your Hope first appeared at  www.journeytoimperfect.com.

*This post may be linked in the following places. Click through to find more hope and encouragement for your new year!  Moments of Hope / Tea And Word Tuesdays / Tell His Story / Cheerleaders of Faith /  Coffee for Your Heart / Sitting Among Friends / Chasing Community / Salt and Light / Heart Encouragement Thursday / Counting My Blessings / Grace and Truth