Words from His Words

"I have put My words in your mouth"

Isaiah 51:16

I received an email from a friend a few weeks ago, with prayer requests for a ministry with which we are both involved.  In it, she used a small section of the Bible  ~ specifically one sentence of Jesus' in the Gospel of Mark ~ and expanded upon the meaning of the words to create a prayer of her own.  It was beautiful, and very intriguing.  It opened my eyes to the idea of praying His words back to Him.  And with her permission, I wanted to share it with you.

This is from Mark 14:36 ~

"And He said, "Abba, Father,"
         Because we all have one Father, we are brothers and sisters
                praying for our brothers and sisters across the world.
                There is urgency to this work we do for our family.

"all things are possible for You."
         We believe in the absolute sovereignty of our Father.
                He alone is directing the affairs of men,
                important for us to remember,
                especially when we get frustrated with delays.
                His timing is perfect.

"Take this cup away from Me;"
         This is the heart of our request to our Abba, Father.
                For Jesus, knowing the horror of what
                He was facing, His humanity cried out for release.
                For us personally, it might be the healing or salvation
                of a loved one; agonies for us.

"nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will."
         A transaction takes place when I utter the word "nevertheless".
               With this one word, I breathe out the angst of my own desire,
                and breathe in the assurance that my loving Father,
               Who never loses control, will answer my prayer for my best
                and His glory.  It is in this one word
                that I find the peace of surrendering to His will.

~

I think the possibilities of praying this way are endless.  Things like the Lord's prayer, or the "Love" chapter in 1 Corinthians leap to mind.  It's a beautiful way of parsing the words He has given us, and getting the most out of them.

He wants our thoughts to be about Him.  And He wants us to learn from His Word.  What better way than using His words to us, to guide our words to Him.

~ "Give ear to my words, O Lord,

       Consider my meditation" ~

  Psalm 5:1

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