You are a Chosen People, a Royal Priesthood, a Holy Nation — The purposes of this prayer are: Illumination, Guidance/Purpose and Inspiration/Encouragement. Majestic God, in his first epistle, Peter assured his readers that as believers in Christ, they were being formed into a royal priesthood, a priesthood whose sacrifice of obedience to Jesus’ commandments was acceptable to God: “As you come to…

If Your Eye Causes You to Stumble, Tear it Out — The purposes of this prayer are: Resist Temptation and Holiness/Righteousness. Holy Father, Jesus taught his disciples about the seriousness of temptation using memorable and unambiguous examples, saying, “If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for…

They Did Not Keep God’s Covenant and Refused to Live by His Law — The purposes of this prayer are: Obedience, Glorify God/Worship and Sustenance. God of Power and Might, Psalm 78 is about the rebelliousness of the Israelites, and their refusal to obey you: “The Ephraim archers turned back on the day of battle. They did not keep God’s covenant and refused to…

They Sang, Praising and Giving Thanks to the Lord — The purposes of this prayer are: Glorify God/Worship, Gratitude and Lovingkindness. Everlasting God, after the Persians defeated the Babylonians, Cyrus, the king of Persia, allowed the Israelites that had been taken captive by the Babylonians to return to Judah to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. All the Israelites that returned…

To the Son He Says, “Your Throne, O God, Endures Forever and Ever” — The purposes of this prayer are: Illumination, Holiness/Righteousness and Increased Faith. Benevolent Father, the author of the epistle to the Hebrews deemed it necessary to establish within the minds of his readers with absolute certainty that Jesus is the Son of God, so he referred to passages from Psalms as…

O God, Why Do You Cast Us Off Forever? — The purposes of this prayer are: Mercy, Forgiveness, Reconciliation and Protection. Heavenly Father, the psalmist was experiencing intense anguish and deep despair when he prayed for your mercy and your protection in Psalm 74: “O God, why do you cast us off forever? Why does your anger smoke against the…

Lord God of Israel, in all Heaven and Earth There is No God Like You — The purposes of this prayer are: Leadership, Obedience and Lovingkindness. God Most High, when the construction of the temple was completed, Solomon prayed to you before all the assembled Israelite leaders. He praised you and requested that you confirm the covenant that you made with his father, David: “Then in…

If You Teach Others, Why Don’t You Teach Yourself? — The purposes of this prayer are: Holiness/Righteousness, Repentance, Humility, Forgiveness and Reconciliation. God of Justice, Paul explained in his epistle to the Romans that no one, neither Jew nor Gentile, can achieve salvation by any other means than through faith in the Messiah, Jesus. For those Jews that asserted that…

Pray that Ye Enter Not into Temptation — The purposes of this prayer are: Resist Temptation, Obedience and Holiness/Righteousness. Glorious God, Maker of heaven and earth, Luke recorded when, soon after Jesus told Peter that he would deny Jesus three times, he went out to the Mount of Olives to pray: “And he came out, and went, as…