Christian Reflection and Prayer

On that day the announcement to Jerusalem will be,
"Cheer up, Zion! Don't be afraid! For the Lord your God
has arrived to live among you. He is a mighty savior.
He will rejoice over you with great gladness. With his love,
he will calm all our fears. He will exult over you by singing
a happy song."
Zephaniah 3:16-17 NLT

I know the Lord is always with me, I will not be shaken,
for he is right beside me. No wonder my heart is filled
with joy, and my mouth shouts his praises!
Psalm 16:8-9 NLT

Reflection:

Can you really say this: I know the Lord is always
with me, I will not be shaken, for he is right beside
me. No wonder my heart is filled with joy, and my
mouth shouts his praises!
I don't know where you are in your life. But lately I've
been feeling lonely and a little depressed. When I
feel this way, I think about how my life has been.
I begin to think of all the negative things in my life.
Boy, have I been a sinner and still am. I have not
been the kind of Christian, that I wanted to be. I
have not attained many of the goals I set out to
achieve. I have had many relationships fail in my
life. And I realize that it is only my faith that keeps
me going. I was feeling like this the other day,
and I happened to see this verse. I was reminded
that my God is always with me, no matter where
I am at in my life. I must not be shaken because
my God is right there beside me. Then my heart
is honestly and most truthfully filled with joy, and
I begin praising my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
My God is your God and He is always there for
you!

Prayer:

Lord I lift your name on high
And I come to sing your praises
You came from heaven to earth, to show the way
From the earth to the cross, my debt to pay
From the cross to the grave,
From the grave to the sky,
Lord I lift your name on high.

Quote
Anne Frank
Diarist, Holocaust Victim (1929-1945)

"I still believe that people are really good at heart.
I simply can't build up my hopes on a foundation
consisting of confusion, misery and death....If I l
look up to the heavens, I think it will all come right,
that this cruelty too will end, and that peace and
tranquility will return again."

Prayer When Your Are Depressed
By: Dr. Walter L. Weston

God, life seems so bleak and useless right now.
I don't have any energy. I have no ambition to do
much of anything. I am really feeling down.
I feel "down on" myself and "down on" everyone
around me. Even as I pray, I don't sense your
presence. I am going through the motions,
knowing that you are still with me.

I know that I am sacred and precious but they
are just words right now. I know that my life has
been worthwhile, full of many wonderful people
and experiences, much happiness and joy.
I feel little of this right now. God, all I can do is
affirm the goodness of life and try to hold on until
the darkness is replaced by your light and love.

Help me to spot the lies that my depressed emotions
are telling me. Life is good. I am good. You are good.
Grant me hope. My loved ones love me. Life will be
beautiful again. Soon, I will see the beauty around
me again. Soon, I will again know vitality and
purpose, happiness and love. Until then, give me
the strength and hope to survive this day.

Help me to smile and laugh, even if just for a
moment. Be my strength and salvation. I ask
you to restore me and make me whole. Fill
me with the Word and the Spirit that I might
be recreated anew. I praise and thank you. Amen.

I read this from www.heartlight.org, I thought you would
enjoy reading it.

VERSE:
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our
faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning
its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
-- Hebrews 12:2
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=Hebrews+12:2

THOUGHT:
Who is your hero? I'm not asking for the Sunday school class
answer, but the person you most actively admire! It is hard to "fix
our eyes on Jesus" because he is not here where we can see him like
other heroes. But he was the ultimate adventurer and trailblazer.
He faced the horrific penalty and shame of the cross, taking away
our sin! He did it so that we could have a hero that death and sin
could not destroy, mar, or taint. He did it so that we could be
confident that if we follow in his footsteps, the trail he blazed
wasn't just for him, but for us, too!

PRAYER:
Holy God, forgive me when I chase what is false and let my focus
shift from Jesus as my ultimate hero. I want to honor and serve
him, having his life come alive in me, so that others may know the
confidence that comes in having Jesus as their Lord. Words cannot
express my gratitude to my Lord for his sacrifice and the horrible
price he paid for my sins. Neither can words express my jubilation
at his trailblazing victory that assures that I will someday be
with you forever! It is in his name, Jesus Christ, that I pray.
Amen.

http://www.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/todaysverse.cgi?day=20070910