PrayerThots Devotional

Christ Urges Faith & Gratitude

With His gaze fixed in Jerusalem
and the consummation of His
earthly ministry, Jesus intensifies
His final training of the disciples.
Stewardship is the central theme,
for the disciples will soon be
entrusted with the message of
the gospel. Jesus outlines the
duties of a servant & underscores
the importance of prayer.

Lord, we will Pray With Faith:
And the apostles said to the Lord:
Increase our faith. So the Lord said:
If You had faith even as Small
as a mustard seed, You could say
to this mulberry tree: May you be
uprooted and thrown to the sea,
and it would obey you (Luke17:5-6)
Then as He entered a certain village,
there met Him ten men who were
lepers, who stood afar off (v12).
So when He saw them, He said
to them: Go show yourselves
to the priests. And so it was that
as they went, they were cleansed.
One of them when he saw he was
healed, came back, praising God
in a loud voice (Lk 17:14-15) Amen

Sovereign God, grateful that Your
Spirit will give us the necessary
faith and we need just to act upon it.
Help us to pray with perseverance,
trusting You to move even things
that look immovable and impossible.
For after all faith comes from looking
at God and not at the mountain.
In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.

Lord, thank You for the many
blessings You have bestowed
upon my life. I praise You especially
as my healer; and thank You for
the times You have miraculously
healed me in the past and will heal
me in the future. Thank You that
even as I praise You now, Your
healing presence is penetrating
my life and making me whole. Amen.

Dear Father, I am very grateful
to You for so many blessings
received from Your loving hand.
Thank You Lord for forgiving all
my sins, for healing me many times,
for redeeming me from destruction,
for crowing me with lovingkindness,
for satisfying me with good things.
My heart is filled with gratitude
and I praise Your name. Amen.

Christ Models Compassion

With His gaze fixed in Jerusalem
and the consummation of His
earthly ministry, Jesus intensifies
His final training of the disciples.
The subject of stewardship is the
central theme, for the disciples
will soon be entrusted with the
precious message of the gospel.
Jesus outlines the duties of servant,
underscores importance of prayer
and models compassion for people.

Lord, help us Be Compassionate:
Jesus asked the Pharisees: Well,
is it permitted in the law to heal
people on the Sabbath day?
When they refused to answer,
Jesus touched the sick man and
healed him and sent him away.
Then He asked them: Which of
you doesn’t work on Sabbath?
If your son falls into a pit, don’t you
at once get him out (Lk 14:3-5).
So, He told a parable to those
who were invited, when He noted
how they chose the best places…
Those who exalt themselves will
be humbled & those who humble
themselves will be exalted (v7-11)
Invite the poor, the crippled,
the lame and the blind. Then at
the resurrection of the righteous,
God will reward u for inviting those
who could not repay you (v13-14).

Lord, forgive us when we follow
tradition instead of following You.
It is easy to get tangled in activities
and forget there are needs around.
Help us Lord to practice the heart
of Christianity: to love God and
to love others; and help us to be
Compassionate to those in need.
And help us to live in such a way
that others will see You. Amen.

Lord, help us to avoid exalting
ourselves or promoting our own
interests over interests of others.
Help us to choose to live humbly
and not allow success go to our
heads lest it results in pride that
can derail God’s work in our lives.
Lord we give You freedom to work
in & change our life for the better;
for being exalted by You is better
than exalting ourselves. Amen.

Lord, You always have a soft heart
for the poor, the hurting and those
who can’t fend for themselves.
Remind us Lord that we are children
of a caring God and that we really
ought to Reflect Your Compassion.
Prompt us Lord to help those who
are in need knowing that You will
reward us what we do on that day.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

God Answers Persistent Prayers

Seventy disciples are sent out
two-by-two with instructions to
heal the sick & say: The kingdom
of God is come nigh unto you.
Their enthusiastic return prompts
Jesus to rejoice in praise to God.
But confrontation is gathering.
Some attribute His miracles to
Satan; others clamour for more
miracles and Pharisees attack His
seeming disregard for traditions.
Jesus responds by denouncing the
religious leaders for their hypocrisy
and warns disciples to be watchful.

Lord, we’ll Pray with Perseverence:
Which of you shall have a friend,
and go to him at midnight and say
to him: Friend lend me 3 loaves…
Because of the man’s persistence
he will get up and give him as
much as he needs (Luke 11:5-8).
So I say to you, ask and it will be
given to you; seek and you will find;
knock and it will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks receives,
and he who seeks finds and to him
who knocks it will be opened (9-10)
If you sinful people know how to
give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your heavenly
Father give the Holy Spirit to
those who ask him (v13). Amen.

Lord, Your parable on Persistence
implies the key to experiencing You
is to ask persistently and press thru
the negative voices in our minds.
So, we purpose to keep asking and
persist despite lack of clear results.
Help us have great faith that prayer
works so that we can experience
& know You in a deeper way. Amen

Lord, You tell us to be persistent
in prayer: to keep on asking, keep
on seeking and keep on knocking.
Help us Ask with simple faith, like
a child asking father: simply trusting.
Help us Seek with determined
faith, ever so open and observant.
Help us Knock with persistent faith,
wanting to meet the face of God.
Even as we lift up our needs to You,
transform our hearts and let Your
desire becomes ours as well. Amen.

Holy Spirit, we really need Your
manifestation in need and ministry:
Your voice, Your touch & Your Power.
Fill us as we yield to You for more of
the nature of God, the overwhelming
sense of His love and of Your power.
Flow freely O Spirit freely to us, in us
and through us so that there will be fruitfulness & lives be transformed.
In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.

God Gives Authority to Witness

Seventy disciples are sent out
two-by-two with instructions to
heal the sick & say: The kingdom
of God is come nigh unto you.
Their enthusiastic return prompts
Jesus to rejoice in praise to God;
but confrontation is gathering.
Some attribute His miracles to
Satan; others clamour for more
miracles and Pharisees attack His
seeming disregard for traditions.
Jesus responds by denouncing the
religious leaders for their hypocrisy
and warns disciples to be watchful.

Lord, we will be Your Witnesses:
Then Jesus said: The harvest
is so great but the workers are
so few. Pray to the Lord who
is in charge of the harvest, and
ask Him to send out more workers
for His fields. Go now (Lk 10:2-3).
Then the seventy returned with
joy saying: Lord, even the demons
are subject to us in Your name. And
He said: I give you Authority… over
all the power of the enemy & nothing
shall by any means hurt you (v17-19)
A priest… saw the man lying there,
he crossed to the other side of
the road and passed him by… Then
a Samaritan came and saw the man,
he felt compassion for him. Going
over to him, the Samaritan soothed
his wounds… and bandaged them…
Take care of this man. If his bill runs
higher I’ll pay you next time (v31-35)

Lord, raise up and send out
labourers to every people group.
Raise up missionaries, teachers,
doctors and business people
to share the goodness of Christ
and to bring in a harvest of souls.
Help us Lord to see that the
harvest is right before our eyes.
Pour out Your Spirit to enable Your
people as the harvest waits. Amen

Lord, thank You that there is no
need to fear Satan; for You Jesus
had defeated him at the Cross and
blocked his power to induce guilt.
By rising from the dead, You Lord
broke Satan’s power over death.
We claim Your promise to protect
us and help defeat Satan in our life.
No matter what part of our life
we think Satan has power over, we
trust You God will defeat him. Amen

Lord, we affirm Your commandment
to love our neighbours; and we ask
for a heart of compassion realising
it is so easy to justify lack of love.
Help us be sensitive to Yr prompting
for our neighbour is anyone in need.
Help us Lord realise that to love
means acting to meet a need.
Help us be watchful of the needy &
respond to Your call to help. Amen.

The Lord’s Word to Be Responded

Preaching, healing and disciplining
that summarises the daily activities
of the Son of Man. Luke records
the healings with careful attention
to detail as befitting a physician.
And those documented miracles
become the proof of Jesus’ claim
to a doubting John the Baptist and
a faithless & perverse generation.
As He preaches and heals, Jesus
patiently prepares His disciples
to carry on in His absence. The
cost is steep, but the goal of saving
lives eternally makes it worthwhile.

Lord, we will Respond to Your Word:
The seed is the word of God…
The rocky soil represents those
who hear the message with joy.
But their roots Don’t Go Very Deep.
They wilt when testing blow…
But the good soil represents
people who Hear God’s message,
Cling to it and steadily produce
a huge harvest (Luke 8:11-15).
Pay attention to How You Hear.
To those who listen to my teaching,
more will be given. But for those
who are not listening, even what
they think they understand will be
taken away from them (Lk 8:18).
(Jesus) got into the boat with His
disciples and said: Let Us Cross
over to the other side of the lake…
And they awoke Him saying:
Master Master we are perishing…
He rebuked the wind and raging
waves. Then he asked them:
Where Is Your Faith? (v22-25).

Lord, I want to Receive Your Word,
apply it and be obedient to You.
If my heart is hard, soften it with
Your love. If my roots aren’t deep,
enrich the soil. Deliver me Lord
from being consumed with the
cares and pleasures of this world.
And bring forth by Your Spirit
a great harvest in my life. Amen.

Lord, You know how much I want
more understanding of Your will.
If I have neglected Your teaching
in any way, help me turn toward You
and restore my spirit to a position
of understanding and growth.
Open my heart to hear and to
follow everything that You say.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Lord, thank You that inherent
in the storms of life is Your
promise of peace; not peace
that is the absence of trouble but
peace that eclipse circumstances.
Help me to remember Your Words
and Incline my heart to Yours Lord,
that I may experience more of
Your peace in the storm I face.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Adoring God thru Thanks & Praise

The purpose of the gospel of Luke 

is to present an accurate account of 

the life of Christ and to present Him

as the perfect human and Savior.

This week, we see the dependability

of our powerful and loving God & the

importance to Seek & Follow the Lord.

On Monday, we learn from Luke 1

that God Overcomes the Impossible.

On Tuesday, we learn from Luke 2

that Christ the Saviour of the Nations.

On Wednesday, we learn from Luke 5 

that Christ Cares for the Lost & Needy.

On Thursday, we learn from Luke 6

that Christ Jesus Is Our Solid Rock.

On Friday, we learn from Luke 8

that the Lord’s Word to be Responded. 

On Saturday, we learn from Luke 9

that the Lord’s Voice to be Followed.

Let us humble ourselves and pray

and seek His face. Help us O God 

be Christ’s disciples who Adore You:

For You are worthy to be Praised

as You Overcome the Impossible

and that You are our Solid Rock;

For You are Worthy of our Thanks

as You are the Saviour of Nations

and You Care for the Lost & Needy; 

For Your Word is to be Responded 

and Your Voice is to be Followed.

In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Lord’s Voice to be Followed

Preaching, healing and disciplining
that summarises the daily activities
of the Son of Man. Luke records
the healings with careful attention.
And those documented miracles
become proof of Jesus’ claim to
a faithless & perverse generation.
As he preaches and heals, Jesus
patiently prepares His disciples
to carry on in His absence. The
cost is steep, but the goal of saving
lives eternally makes it worthwhile.

Lord, we’ll Hear & Follow You:
Then Jesus said to them: If anyone
desires to come after me, let him
deny himself, and take up his
cross daily and follow me. For
whoever desires to save his life
will lose it, but whoever loses his life
for My sake will save it (Lk 9:23-24)
As He prayed, the appearance of
His face was altered and his robe
became white and glistening…
And a voice came out of the
cloud saying: This is My beloved
Son. Hear Him (v29-35).
Then Jesus said to another:
Follow me… But he said: Lord,
I will follow You, but let me first 
go and bid farewell who are at
my house. But Jesus said to him:
No one having put his hand to
the plow, and looking back is fit
for the kingdom of God (v59-62).

Lord, we realise to follow You,
we must submit our wants and
desires to Yours. We must stop
serving ourselves & start serving U.
Lord, the call to total commitment
and priority may be challenging.
But we know You will accompany
the call with divine confirmation
so that we’ll have the necessary
faith to act upon it. Amen.

Lord, we will join You in ministry
to further the kingdom of God.
Help us to befriend sinners and
give us heart of compassion
for those hurting and in need.
Help us readily receive Your Word,
apply it and be obedient to You.
Strengthen our trust in You for
everything is possible if we believe.
As we offer ourselves to be used
by You, multiply the resources
for Your purposes. In Jesus’ name.

Lord, forgive me when I have put
my own priorities in front of Yours.
I may have treated You more like
a servant or an equal rather than
my Master and Sovereign King.
Enable me Lord to answer Your
divine call and make no excuses.
And though my track record of
doing that maybe rather spotty,
I ask for Your help & strength to be
a disciple You can count on. Amen.

Lord’s Word to Be Responded

Preaching, healing and disciplining
that summarises the daily activities
of the Son of Man. Luke records
the healings with careful attention
to detail as befitting a physician.
And those documented miracles
become the proof of Jesus’ claim
to a doubting John the Baptist and
a faithless & perverse generation.
As He preaches and heals, Jesus
patiently prepares His disciples
to carry on in His absence. The
cost is steep, but the goal of saving
lives eternally makes it worthwhile.

Lord, we will Respond to Your Word:
The seed is the word of God…
The rocky soil represents those
who hear the message with joy.
But their roots Don’t Go Very Deep.
They wilt when testing blow…
But the good soil represents
people who Hear God’s message,
Cling to it and steadily produce
a huge harvest (Luke 8:11-15).
Pay attention to How You Hear.
To those who listen to my teaching,
more will be given. But for those
who are not listening, even what
they think they understand will be
taken away from them (Lk 8:18).
(Jesus) got into the boat with His
disciples and said: Let Us Cross
over to the other side of the lake…
And they awoke Him saying:
Master Master we are perishing…
He rebuked the wind and raging
waves. Then He asked them:
Where Is Your Faith? (v22-25).

Lord, I want to Receive Your Word,
apply it and be obedient to You. 

If my heart is hard, soften it with 

Your love. If my roots aren’t deep, 

enrich the soil. Deliver me Lord 
from being consumed with the
cares and pleasures of this world.
And bring forth by Your Spirit 
a great harvest in my life. Amen.

Lord, You know how much I want
more understanding of Your will.
If I have neglected Your teaching
in any way, help me turn toward You
and restore my spirit to a position 

of understanding and growth. 

Open my heart to hear and to 

follow everything that You say. 

In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Lord, thank You that inherent
in the storms of life is Your
promise of peace; not peace
that is the absence of trouble but
peace that eclipse circumstances.

Help me to remember Your Words

and Incline my heart to Yours Lord,
that I may experience more of
Your peace in the storm I face.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Christ Jesus Is the Solid Rock

Rejection in His hometown of
Nazareth causes Jesus to shift
to Capernaum where He ministers
for two years. There Christ calls
12 men to be His travelling companions. And there by
the shores of Galilee He begin
to prepare them for ministry
He will soon entrust to them.

Lord,we purpose to Do What U Say:
Now it came to pass in those days
that He went out to the mountain
to pray, and continued all night in
prayer to God. And when it was day,
He called His disciples to Himself &
fr them He chose twelve whom He
also named apostles (Luke 6:12-13).
Then He lifted up His eyes
towards His disciples and said:
Blessed are the poor, for yours is
the kingdom of God (Luke 6:20). 
(Jesus said): Why do you call me
Lord, Lord, when you don’t do what
I say?… I will show you what it’s
like when someone comes to me,
listens to my teaching and then
follows it. It is like a person building
a house who digs deep and Lays
the Foundation on Solid Rock…
Anyone who hears and doesn’t obey
is like a person who builds a house
without a foundation (Lk 6:46-49).

Lord, we realise because of the
importance of the choice of the
Twelve disciples, You spent the
night in prayer with the Father.
For our hearts the lesson is clear:
Because we never know the
ultimate effect of major decisions,
Much prayer is needed before
the die is cast. Help us Lord to
be poor in spirit so that we can
claim the kingdom of God. Amen.

Lord, my heart is already Yours
considering what You have done
and I surrender once again to You.
My heart wants to accept Your will
and to do what You want me to.
But Lord, please share it with me
clearly; for only then will I have
the confidence that You are with
me in the challenge and dare to
undertake it. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Lord, You are leading me to lay
down my life daily. You say some
difficult things but also promise
great blessings for doing them.
Lord, I have to admit Your words
don’t always make sense to me.
And I am afraid to follow some of
them fully. But I do trust that You 
want my life to weather any storm.
Anchor me to the rock as I purpose
to follow You more closely. Amen.

Christ Cares for the Lost & Needy

Luke introduces the ministry of
Jesus with three preparatory events:
the ministry of His forerunner
John the Baptist, His baptism by
John and His temptation by Satan.
Rejection in His hometown of
Nazareth causes Jesus to move
to Capernaum where He ministers
for two years. There Christ calls
12 men to be His companions. And
 there by the shores of Galilee He
begins to prepare them for ministry
He will soon entrust to them.

Lord, You Care for the Lost & Needy:
Jesus said: Now go out where it is
deeper & let down your nets. Simon
answered: Master, we’ve worked
hard all night and haven’t caught
anything. But because you say so,
I will let down the nets. When they
had done so, they caught such
a large number of fish…Then
Jesus said to Simon: From now
on You will catch men (Lk 5:4-10)
Later… Jesus saw a tax collector
named Levi sitting at his tax
collector’s booth. Follow me and
be my disciple, Jesus said to him.
So Levi got up, left everything,
and followed Him (Luke 5:27-28).
Healthy people don’t need a doctor
– sick people do. I have come to
call sinners to turn from their sins,
not to spend my time with those
who think they are already good
enough (Luke 5:31-32). Amen.

Lord, let us learn from Simon Peter
where obedience to Your voice
opens our lives to Your miraculous
work and receive Your blessing.
Open our ears Lord to hear Your
voice in our current circumstance.
Help us learn from the prophet
Samuel and say with him: Speak
for Your servants are listening. Amen

Lord, sometimes when I look at
someone, all I can see is who he
is now & his need for huge change.
But Lord You are indeed sovereign
and Your call cannot be resisted.
Help us Lord to befriend sinners,
and give us heart of compassion
for those hurting and lost in sin,
so that we can reach out to them
effectively in time of opening. Amen

Lord, thank You for shedding light
to show us that we need You the
Great Physician to heal our wounds.
Thank You Lord for calling us to
repent and come to You and for
Your tender mercies in our lives.
Give us Your heart for those who
are hurting, sick & lost in sin, just
as Your heart reaches out to us
in our time of greatest need. Amen