Mercy Road Daily Prayer & Bible Reading ~ Wednesday, February 8, 2012

~ Read Genesis 12-13 Text, Audio

Lord God,

Make me a blessing to today. Help me to demonstrate your kindness and grace. Give me a greater desire to serve. Fill me with your caring, compassion, your mercy, and love. Help me to be helpful to anyone in need, without the expectation of repayment. Make me a blessing today, Lord God, and bless me as I serve you, just as you promised that you would do.

I don’t want to be famous. I don’t need to be rich. So long as I’m able to do your will; I don’t even care if I’m powerful. Just make my life fruitful and multiply my work for your glory. Help me to spread your truth and demonstrate your grace wherever I go. Whether I’m at home, school, work, or out in the community, make me a faithful witness to the gospel.

Lord, I will go wherever you call me, and do whatever you ask. Though I know it won’t always make sense to me, or turn out the way I’d planned, I will try to be faithful, and follow wherever you lead. I will try to obey whatever you command; but I know I’ll need your help; for I just can’t do it alone.

You know I’m weak. I know it too. I see my faults and failures, my selfishness and sin. I know they get in the way of my service to you, and I repent of them all. I confess, I am an approval junkie. I want to be liked by others. I want their approval, and not their disdain. Though I know I shouldn’t feel that way. I know in my heart that it’s wrong. I know your approval is all I need, but I’m weak, and I need your help to resist the temptation to be a “people pleaser.”

Help me to be a blessing to others, just as you are to me. Help me to be faithful, and true, even amidst the constant pressure to temper your gospel. Help me to accept when it offends my sensitivities, or challenges my selfishness and sin. Help me to see how it confronts the idols of my heart that tempt me to put other things before you in my life.

Your word challenges me when I fail to make you the first priority in my life over all the other things that I love. It confronts me when I allow others opinions to temper the truth of your word. It pushes me when I let my own feelings, and emotions keep me from demonstrating your grace to others because I’m not ready to forgive. Your word is offensive to my selfishness and sin, and I can’t ignore that fact.

At the same time, your word has the power to soothe and heal the wounds that lie deep in my soul. It has the ultimate cure that I need: your message of truth and grace. It shows me how much you care for me and how you provide for my needs. It explains your great plan of redemption, and tells me of your mighty power to save. It soothes the pain of sins that were committed against me, and convicts my soul of the sins I’ve committed against others. Your word is flawless, right, and true, because you are faithful in all that you do. It tells me how you saved me from sin because of your great love through Jesus Christ, through whom I pray.

Amen