Written by: John Sernaque
Dear Reader,
Books / Pr - Prayer (2002) / Chapter 1—God Invites Us To Pray Chapter 1—God Invites Us To Pray
Angels Mark Our Prayers and Influence Us for Good—When you rise in the morning, do you feel your helplessness and your need of strength from God? and do you humbly, heartily make known your wants to your heavenly Father? If so, angels mark your prayers, and if these prayers have not gone forth out of feigned lips, when you are in danger of unconsciously doing wrong and exerting an influence which will lead others to do wrong, your guardian angel will be by your side, prompting you to a better course, choosing your words for you, and influencing your actions. {Pr 14.2}
If you feel in no danger, and if you offer no prayer for help and strength to resist temptations, you will be sure to go astray; your neglect of duty will be marked in the book of God in heaven, and you will be found wanting in the trying day.—(Testimonies for the Church 3:363, 364.) {Pr 14.3}
God has His angels encamped round about us, we do not see them physically, but they are there. As in the account with Elisha and his servant in 2 Kings “And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? And he answered, Fear not: for they that [be] with us [are] more than they that [be] with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain [was] full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.” 2 Kings 6: 15–17. Elisha prayed first and God answered with a host of angels round about Elisha and the young servant. For there are more with us than be with them. If you rush out in the morning without first seeking God, you will be in danger and may be tempted to go astray. Remember to seek ye first the kingdom of God, and your guardian angel will be by your side helping and strengthening you to resist temptations. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
Dear God,
We come to You, seeking Your face, and thankful to be in Your presence. We thank You for giving us the opportunity to speak to You and to hear Your voice. You are our shepherd and we long to hear Your voice that we may follow wherever the lamb goeth. We are so thankful and grateful for Your Spirit that leads us, guides us, and keeps us on the strait path that leads to Your heavenly kingdom. We thank You for appointing to each of us a guardian angel, always ready to mark our prayers and keep us out of harm’s way. We pray that You continue to keep a hedge round about us and that nothing or anyone is able to penetrate our hedge, not Satan, nor his demons, or anyone he has working for him. Help us open our eyes that we may see there are more of us than there are of them. Increase our faith, and help our unbelief. May our guardian angel stay by our side, prompting us to a better course, choosing our words, and influencing our actions. We cannot overcome without Your strength and are helpless without You. We offer up our prayer to You for help and strength to resist temptations. Help us not to be found wanting in that great day to come. Let us always seek Your kingdom and righteousness first thing every morning that all Your heavenly host is added unto us. We are sorry for our past mistakes and the sins we have committed against You. We ask and pray for Your forgiveness, that You cleanse us from all unrighteousness. May we be found worthy of having our names written in Your book of life that we may be saved when You come in the clouds to take us home. We thank You for hearing and answering our prayers, and if there is anything that we fail to ask, we pray that You grant it unto us according to Your will. This we pray, in the name of Christ Jesus. Amen.
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