Author: Christine Wyrtzen

Prayer To Discern What Is Hidden

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Let my cry come before you, O Lord; give me understanding according to your word!  Let my plea come before you; deliver me according to your word.  Psalm 119:169-170

‘Give me understanding’ ~ to finally realize, have skill with concepts, perceive with accuracy.

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​I have a huge decision to make, Lord.  I know in my spirit that something is wrong with a certain situation, Lord.  I have no peace in my spirit.  The weight of indecision is crushing me.  When I think about it, I can find what appears to be righteous but is it all a smokescreen?  Is it really of Your kingdom or is it all unrighteousness?  I know that the evil one is good at masking what is unholy. My discernment can be skewed.  May it not be!

​God, I cry out for understanding.  I need to come to a divine realization about what is really happening.  I need to be skillful with the concepts of the kingdom in order to diagnose it correctly.  I need to perceive what is in front of my eyes with Your wisdom.  Help me see behind all the posturing and pretension.

​I am grateful beyond words that my cries are not made in vain.  They do not dissipate into thin air.  They come directly to You and You listen compassionately.  You are vested in every care that concerns me.  You love the prayers of Your children.  You take pleasure in answering and giving wisdom to those who seek it.  I am the seeker today.  I am the one pleading for deliverance from what is elusive and obscure.

​Let the truth come forth as arrows coming to my heart.  Let me rejoice in the relief that truth brings.  Melt away the stress of indecision.  Put an end to the wrestling that has plagued me day and night.  Bring deliverance and then give me the courage to act on whatever truth You reveal.  I am bold because I stand as one loved, and as one holy, in Your presence. All because of Jesus.

​Let my soul live and praise You, and let Your rules help me.  Psalm 119:175   In Jesus name, Amen

Prayer For Marriage Renewal

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Our fathers trusted in, leaned on, and confidently relied on You, and were not ashamed or confounded or disappointed.  Psalm 22:5

Lord, let long forgotten vows make their way to my lips.  Let me declare what I have not spoken for a long time.  Let the deadly routine of what has become comfortable be shaken.  Just as you make me holy, make this relationship holy.  I am a lover, not a frozen companion.  I am a receiver, not a resistant abstainer.

There is no breech that You cannot mend.  There is no unspeakable topic that You cannot facilitate.  There is no fear that You cannot annihilate.  I lay out my heart before You.  Though I tremble, nothing is off limits to Your probing of my heart.  Bring to mind every single place that needs grace. I will tread upon that which I’d rather forget because Your love makes me strong.

If I declare my love and affectionate words are not returned, I forgive in advance.  If my heart courageously opens and another heart remains closed, I know that You hold my heart in Your hands.  If I broach a difficult subject and there is no closure, I know that You will reward my obedience.  I will give grace where it is not deserved and I will ask for grace where it is not merited.  No matter the outcome, Your grace is enough.  I feel like a small child as I confront my fear but I am tall, graceful, fluent, and agile in Your kingdom.  Imprint this picture on my soul.

I want to finish well.  Marriage is a picture of Your love for Your church. You rejoice when my marriage looks like the marriage You envisioned in the Garden.  Bless my endeavors.  How it needs the wind of Your Spirit.  I can see every way this undertaking might fail but help me see that if I do my part, my obedience will be credited as righteousness.  In Your eyes, there will have been spiritual success.

Lord, if You come today, I won’t want anything to exist that I regret. I take hold of the hem of Your garment, Your tallit, and ask for an infusion of Your strength.  No ground is more intimidating than this but ~ You, Lord, are the strength of my life.  Of whom shall I be afraid?  Psalm 27:1 In Your name I pray these things, Amen

Prayer For Spiritual Saavy

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Blessed be the Lord, my Rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle.  Psalm 144:1

Trains ~ Perceives by sight or some other sense.  Distinguishes and discriminates.

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PRAYER:  Teach me how to fight my enemy like You did, Jesus.  He comes at me like he came at you; quoting scripture, presenting spiritual arguments in such a persuasive way that it’s hard to discern if what I’m hearing is a God-breathed idea.  But You knew the difference when You were in the desert and You will train me to develop my spiritual senses, too.

Many decisions lay in front of me.  How do I know Your plans for me?  My enemy mimics Your voice and wants to lead me to do something spiritual at the wrong time.  The consequences are too great if I am a novice.

He told You to turn stones to bread when You were hungry.  It wasn’t an evil idea Lord, because You did it later with the loaves and fishes.  The miracle in the desert would have just been premature but how did You know?   Was it because He promised You a way out of pain before it was time?

Today, I am asking You to teach me, train me, make me sharp and discerning.  You promised You would when You sent Your Spirit to live inside Your children.  “He will become your teacher and guide,” You said.   How I need You.  Satan would have me move when I should be still, speak when I should hold my tongue, overextend myself when I should simplify, feel guilty when I should celebrate Your forgiveness, and even bring an end to something holy when it’s nearly time for advancement.

Speak Your Word into my spirit.  Speak loudly and clearly.  You promised that Your sheep would know Your voice.  So, let me know without a doubt that it’s You and not him.  Or, let me know that it’s him and not You.  Give me the precise Word to speak to overcome the voice of the tempter and liar.  Make me skilled and seasoned with the Sword for a battle that I cannot see.  All for Your honor and glory.  In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen

 

Prayer For Stillness and Composure

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“The wicked are like the tossing sea, for it can- not be quiet, and its waters toss up refuse and mud. ‘There is no peace for the wicked,’ says my God.”  Isaiah 57:20-21

Tossing sea ~ agitated and angry waters

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            I want to be quiet on the inside, peaceful and composed.  When stress comes, I can so easily lose my peace.  My inside world becomes noisy.  There is static.  I worry, become irritable, and obsess over things that aren’t the way I want them to be.  How I long to be like David who says that he does not concern himself with matters too big or small.  He composes himself and quiets his own soul like a weaned child on his mother’s breast.  Oh, for this self-mastery, Lord!

            I take charge of my thoughts, discard all that makes me fitful, breathe deeply of Your Spirit, and then direct my eyes toward You.  Still me.  Hold me.  Remind me that You are my refuge in the storm.  Smooth the waters so that the slightest breeze can be seen rippling on the surface of my seas.  Let me perceive the faintest edges of a coming storm so that I may come to you before the tossing sea becomes angry.  Don’t let me be overtaken by floodwaters.  I want to be sensitive to whatever would eventually disrupt my peace with You.

            You are my Peace.  I won’t think just peaceful thoughts to change the roaring of the seas.  I will think of You and turn my face away from all that worries me.  I will come home.  Amen

Prayer For The Feebleminded

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Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery.  Exodus 6:9

Feeble minded ~ the anguish of spirit the Israelites felt while in Egyptian bondage.

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Lord, thank you for showing me who the feeble minded are.  I’ve been confused.  I know some who are continually depressed and angry because they are living out the consequences of their sinful choices.  But they aren’t feeble.

Oh, but there are others whose yoke is heavy under your providence.  Their story has not yet turned.  Like the children of Israel under the yoke of Egyptian slavery, they long to see Your face and experience Your hand of deliverance.  It is not time yet for them.  They don’t know why and they travel the fine line of trust and unbelief.

You said, “We urge you to admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.”  I Thess. 5:14 I can be so impatient with them.  Forgive me.  I remember the many days I was feeble minded.  There was no way I could have hastened my release from the wilderness.  I was fragile.  My faith was tenuous.  I could barely lift my head.

So for each one who is under the hand of Your testing, testing for their ultimate good and Your glory, I ask for divine intuition to know how to strengthen them.  Is it a prayer?  Is it an embrace?  Is it a listening ear?  Is it empathy?  Is it sharing my own story of feeble mindedness?  I know there is no formula, Lord.  Each one needs something only You know.  I will not be effective to show them Your heart unless You speak to me to tell me what they need.

Give me Your eyes for them.  Give me Your heart for them.  Give me insight how to be Your hands of healing and encouragement.  Make me a gentle, wounded healer.  Make holy intuition my constant companion.  Amen

Prayer of Meditation on Heaven

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My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.  Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young.  Psalm 84:1-2

Yearn ~ To long persistently, to feel tenderness

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Oh Lord, I can see how so many have grown desperate and are driven to do irrational and desperate things without You as their hope.  They don’t know that You can be their Father, that they can be a son or daughter of promise.  They don’t know what could await them as a beloved child who comes home to Your presence.

I long for life with You.  Not just internal life, but external life.  This world groans for Your touch, to know the wholeness of the Eden You created.  No animal will fear for its life or the lives of its young.  Birds will build nests without a second thought for their young’s safety.  Children will play on the expanse of green meadows without fear of assault or kidnapping.  Anyone will nap under a tree without having to guard their belongings.

No relationship will be treacherous.  No one will betray another.  The most sensitive secrets will be shared without fear of judgment or rejection.  There will be no conflict about expressing an unfailing love for You.  All will worship.  All will call You, ‘Lord’.

The worse this world gets, the more my soul yearns for You.  While I ache, even weep, for the brokenness around me, I don’t despair.  I enjoy being a secure child who longs to come home.  You’re building a place for me and nothing threatens my future with You.

Today, I will see hundreds of signs that point to this earth’s corruption.  Litter, vile graffiti, bars over windows, airport security, dirty politics, broken relationships, and the ever frustrating battle within myself between my soul and my spirit.  If I don’t live in the hope of living in Your courts, I will surely lose my way.  My joy is in You and in the good news of Your Gospel.  Amen

Is It Blind Obedience?

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He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” Genesis 22:2

When God calls me to a difficult act of obedience, because there appears to be great risk involved, I label it ‘blind obedience’. But, is it really?

There is nothing more difficult than what Abraham was told to do with Isaac. To obey was agonizing. Yet, I contend that his obedience wasn’t blind.

  • Blindness is not having any idea where to put your feet. Abraham walked each step toward Moriah on the foundational stones of God’s character.
  • Blindness is not being able to perceive what is ahead. When I obey God, I know what’s ahead; the blessing and spiritual prosperity that comes with following God’s instructions.
  • Blindness involves the fear of falling and causing great personal injury. Abraham knew the God who held him fast and had already experienced His supernatural protection and provision.
  • Blindness involves great risk. But ‘risky’ usually means foolish. God is not careless with His children. There is no risk when I walk in the purposes God has always had planned for me. Though pain will be part of it, the joy of eternal purposes being fulfilled far outweigh it. No risk involved.

Obedience is not blind. With my faith in tact, there are so many things I can count on and see with my spirit-eyes. In fact, there’s 20/20 vision. God’s history, recounted in the pages of scripture, show me the outcome of those who remember God and walk in His ways.

What has God told you to do. You’re fainting, perhaps. Frozen in place. You were told to leave a family business. Start a new ministry. Confront a family member. Stay in a marriage where you are not loved. Without faith in God’s character, courage will not come to you. Please know that you can embark on this journey to Moriah with a full backpack. Love, promises, a solid history of the One you follow, future blessing, and perfect companionship.

Silence the voice of the accuser who reminds me that the stakes are too high. The only voice I want to hear is Yours, Lord, urging me to follow You and live! Amen

 

When Tears Are Complicated

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And Reuben answered them, “Did I not tell you not to sin against the boy? But you did not listen. So now there comes a reckoning for his blood.” They did not know that Joseph understood them, for there was an interpreter between them. Then he turned away from them and wept. And he returned to them and spoke to them. And he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes. Genesis 42:22-24

The meaning of tears is often complicated. If someone pinned me down and asked me why Joseph cried in this scene, I couldn’t definitively say. There are probably many reasons. He heard his brothers discuss their sin against him in person. He loved them but was sad about their sin. He was grieved over the testing he was about to inflict. These are just three possible causes for why he turned his back to weep privately.

Jesus asked Mary, “Why are you crying?” I often don’t know myself. I’ve used all the clichés. “I just need a good cry.” “I don’t know why I’m crying.” “I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.”

How much weeping is done without knowledge of what’s buried down deep? A lot. We really don’t know ourselves as God knows us. I often ask Him, “Why am I so upset by this? Show me, please.” I have a Father who, not only sees every tear but, could write a novel on what each one means. When emotions swirl in my head and form nothing but cobwebs, Abba can sort them out. Strand by strand, he disentangles the web and gives insight into the matters of my own heart. If I don’t know myself through God’s eyes, I don’t know myself at all.

Is there anything more painful than to cry and to experience ridicule while doing it? “There she is – crying again.” They believe a mountain is being made out of a molehill. They think they know why there are tears when, in fact, they often have no idea.   No wonder we are trained so young to hide our tears and stuff the bulk of them into the dark places of our soul. There, they stagnate, accumulate, and turn us into stoics.

When betrayals are as personal and complicated as Joseph’s, tears will be plentiful. For any today who can’t find an end to their weeping and can’t seem to find resolution, the Counselor promises joy in the morning. Closure is promised if I’m willing to put myself into His safe hands.

I don’t need to protect my heart from You, Father. I submit it fully. Amen

Scared and Hard On Myself

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Abraham answered and said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes.  And the Lord went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.  Genesis 18:27,33

If I don’t know the nature of God well, my prayers will be out of line.  If I don’t bow before a holy Judge, I will be arrogant.  If I don’t know how much He loves, I will be fearful to ask for too much.

Abraham spent a long time pleading with God, searching His mind on the matter of how many righteous would be enough for God to spare the city of Sodom.  Abraham didn’t know and pressed God to reveal the limits of His grace.  He was both bold and humble as he took the request to the limit.

I have been blessed enough to be near great men and women of God.  One thing they had in common; they asked God for the unthinkable.  They didn’t doubt at all that He could give them what they asked.  Most were visionary, type-A personalities.  But not all.  I also knew meek men and women who asked with confidence.  Boldness does not equal arrogance.

My childhood was spent near those who were self-loathing but called it humility.  I was also near those who were arrogant but called themselves great men of faith.  How misguided.  To hate oneself is not humility.  To lead boldly with no regard for the well-being of people is not wearing the spiritual power Jesus modeled.

I’m praying for boldness and humility every single day because timidity and self-critique runs in my bones.  God has given me a message and calling that falls flat without the presence of either one.  If I faint, the message of strategic prayer turns wimpy.  If I am hard on myself, my voice is gets weaker and weaker.  Of all lessons, God has been working on these two for the past five years.  You can pray for me today and I will pray for you.

Abraham had your ear for the full length of his pleading.  You didn’t walk away from boldness because he knew his place.  Dust and ashes, yet loved and favored by You.  Amen

Beneath The Noise Of My Life

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But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” Then they were willing to take him into the boat.  John 6: 20-21

Jesus’ disciples are in a boat in the middle of the sea.  The opposite shore is nowhere in sight.  It is dark and the sea is churning.  Uncertainty and fear overtake them.  At that moment, Jesus appears and is walking toward them on top of the water.  They had just seen Him feed five thousand people with one small meal yet this sight is beyond comprehension.  His power continually surprises them.  Each time it is manifested, it is in an other worldly context and their finite minds are challenged.

Jesus, knowing their fear, “It’s Me. Don’t be afraid.”  Like a child whose parent shows up to take care of everything, their fears turn to calm.  Pounding heartbeats normalized.  Adrenalin subsided. Consider how the elements of this story live on past the disciple’s time.

All of us are navigating our lives.  Often, there’s no light on our path. Wisdom for the next step is completely elusive. The shore is behind us. Everything familiar is out of sight.  We are in uncharted waters, feeling inadequate.  The sea is beginning to churn.  Passages are difficult enough without storms complicating them.  Fears begin to intensify and rational thought decreases.  Roar of the waves bombard our senses and functioning normally is not an option.

Where is Jesus?  He is on the horizon and asks to be invited into the boat.  His words can be heard even in the midst of the storm.  “It’s Me.  Don’t be afraid.”  We realize we don’t have to make the voyage alone.  The One who can control the storm with a mere whisper is our companion.

Never has a voice been as sweet as Yours, Lord, heard quietly beneath the noise of my life. You have not abandoned Me. Take me safely home.  Amen

 

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