Lord, I am in awe of you tonight. You have met me where I am. Your spirit rests on my shoulders and your peace has settled on my heart. Father. I call out to you tonight. This is my desperate plea, God, these words that I am about to say have been rising up from the deepest part of who I am. Lord in Psalm 42:7, there is a phrase that I cannot get off my mind this past week God, and that is "deep calls out to deep." Lord everything you are is deep. God your love knows no bounds and depth cannot even begin to describe your grace because there is no end. You are the alpha and the omega. You were, you are, and you forever will be. The key part of this phrase; however, is that deep calls out to deep. Lord you are forever deep, and you surround us with a passion that goes beyond anything that we have ever known. But how rare is it that we go deep with you God. How rare is it that we allow ourselves to be 100% completely open to your wisdom, to your strength, and to your conviction? That is what tonight is God. This is about pursuing you with a depth that reflects the depth that you show us on a moment by moment basis. Tonight Lord, I am pursuing you at a sprint. I am coming after you because I know the power in prayer. I know that when I pray with expectations, that you answer. Father, tonight is about worship. Tonight, I am daring to look back at the Gaze you have had on my soul since before I was even born. Tonight, I am returning to the Mountain of Zion. Tonight, I am wholly satisfied and still in your presence.
Father, I pray that you would calm my mind and my thoughts Lord. It is so easy to get caught up in the chaos and business of this world. God you are my calm. You are the calm to the seas Lord and by the power of your NAME nations will bow before you. Nations. So who am I to go about my daily life, not relying on that power Lord? Who am I to put my faith in my own accomplishments and talents. Lord you gave me my talents. I am fearfully and wonderfully made in your image God, and that means that I cannot claim anything that you have given me as my own. And you have given us everything. Even down to the last breath God. You are our everything, and yet I am so quick to turn my focus on myself. I am so quick to worry and to freak out about the smallest of things. But the same power that parted the Red Sea, the same power that tore down Jericho, the same power that raised Lazarus from the dead, the same power that tore the Curtain in two on that day at Golgatha, Lord that same power rests inside me, and I don't even think about it. Lord I stray so so far away as to try to handle situations on my own. How does that even make the slightest bit of sense? Why do I do anything without you God. Anything that I do on my own power or on my accord will fail God because it is not of you and it is not with you God. So I pray that I would take of advantage of the power of the Holy Spirit that you have laid inside my heart and in my soul. I pray that I would be bold, to step out of the path of the world, God, and to turn my whole focus directly on your Radiance.
Jesus, I pray tonight that my worship would not be hollow God. Each and every breath that I take, every time that my heart beats or my eyes blink is a testimony to your goodness and your love. But do I ever think about this in the moment? I could even go as far as saying that this probably one of the farthest things that is on my mind at any given second throughout my days. God you call us to worship you, but true worship does not require a building or a certain day. No Father, true worship of you is conducted on the second by second basis. Father allow me to walk with you as Adam once did in the garden God. Allow my feet not to stumble, and guide me with your soft whispers from behind me. One of my favorite song lyrics of all time is: "The art of losing myself in bringing you praise." How true is this tonight God. I lose myself at the foot of your cross. I lay down the burdens that the world or myself have heaped on my back, and I take up the cross and follow you. I understand that when I lose myself for you God, then I am found. I also understand that the world does not understand this point. The world is constantly telling us to find ourselves, to unlock who we really are, to become who we were meant to be. Well, Father, I have found that. Who I am is found in Jesus's blood, and who I am is defined by your salvation God.
I pray tonight God that you would "restore to me the joy of your salvation." Father, how powerful are those words alone. The joy of your salvation. You alone satisfy my heart God. You alone are the reason for my joy. And let it made clear that there is a difference between Joy and Happiness. Joy is everlasting. Be my everlasting Joy God. Help me to realize God that the time to stand up is now. But I dont just stand up Lord. I stand when my knees are bent, awestruck by your Holiness. I stand when I am at my lowest point, when I am weakest, and when you carry me Father. I stand when I have completely surrendered. When there is nothing left in me that is of this world Lord, but there is only you. Then God, then I stand for you. I stand in your power. I stand in your promises God, and I stand in your Glory. I stand in the promise that one day, I will be before You, and You will say, "Well done my good and faithful servant. Welcome Home." I stand Father, because as your Son Jesus hung dying on the cross, he looked forward into these 2000 some years God, just to be able to look me in the eye and "I have done all this for you." And when He cried out "IT IS FINISHED!" He broke every chain that will every bind me to this earth. He broke every shackle that surrounded my heart and kept me from You. He overcame sin and death, just so that we could walk with you Lord.
I pray God that I would satisfied in You and You alone. No longer do I care about what the world says. No longer am I ruled by comparison, or tied down by success and achievement. Father, I live my life for what matters after I leave this place. God, I pray that you would fill me with a boldness; a boldness to be on fire for you and to claim this fire. So many times God you have emblazoned my heart, but I allow that fire to be eventually doused by the world. Not this time Lord. Your fire burns so bright within my soul tonight God that no power of Hell or scheme of man could ever put it out. And this fire is not something that I could ever contain nor is it something that is meant to be. Spill outward from me Father. Singe the people that are around me God. Start a revival here on Purdue's Campus. I pray that Purdue would be a flame for your Glory Christ. That you would be at the center of everything that we do. Help me to realize Father that my identity is not in what I achieve, rather it is is what you have achieved for me God.
Father, with prayer like this, we know that there will be battles. We know that just as you are at work in our everyday lives God that the enemy is also at work. You are my preparation for the battles God, and your word is my sword. I pray that Your word would rest in my heart and on my mind. I pray that I would take up the armor of God, that I would be clothed in the Armor of Light God, because I daily feel the attacks of the enemy. God my prayer for this is two-fold. First Lord I pray that I would be able to discern these attacks. That I would be able to recognize when Satan and his demons are whispering into my soul God. Provide me a sense of wisdom and spiritual clarity to see through the deception. Secondly, I pray that I would act on this spiritual clarity Lord. I pray that I would not only recognize the works of the Father of Lies, but that I woud "Be still, and know that you are God," in those times. That I would know that you are above all and that you will always be there. With this mindset God, I pray that I would realize the true power behind the phrase, "what can man do to me?"
God, I thank you for all of the incredible ways that you have blessed my life. I cannot praise you enough for the wonderful opportunities that you give me on a daily basis, whether through relationships, school classes, or just random conversations. I pray that you would continue to speak through me Father. Some of the most intimate times that I have shared with you God is when you speak through me to other people. Half the time I do not even know what I am saying, but you are actually speaking through me. Continue to reveal Yourself in this way. Continue to guide me and to continue to watch over me in everything that I do. Thank you for answering this prayer.
"I'll stand, with arms high and heart abandoned,
in awe of the one who gave it all.
I'll stand, my soul Lord to you surrendered,
all I am is yours."
They'll Know We Are Christians By Our Love,
Signing off,
JD
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