The Five Finger Prayer

Your thumb is nearest to you. So begin your prayers by praying for those closest to you. They are the easiest to remember. To pray for our loved ones is, as C. S. Lewis once said, "a sweet duty."

The next finger is the pointer finger. Pray for those who teach, instruct, and heal. This includes teachers, doctors, and ministers. They need support and wisdom in pointing others in the right direction. Keep them in your prayers.

The next finger is the tallest finger. It reminds us of our leaders. pray for the president, leaders in business and industry, and administrators. These people shape our nation and guide public opinion. They need God's guidance.

The fourth finger is our ring finger. Surprising to many is the fact that this is our weakest finger; as an piano teacher will testify. It should remind us to pray for those who are weak, in trouble, or in pain. They need your prayers day and night. You cannot pray too much for them.

Lastly comes our pinkie; the smallest finger of all, which is where we should place ourselves in relation to God and others. As the Bible says, "the least shall be the greatest among you." Your pinkie should remind you to pray for yourself. By the time you have prayed for the other four groups, your own needs will be put into proper perspective and you will be able to pray for yourself more effectively.

Author Unknown

Be Sincere

We often say our prayers,
But do we ever pray?
And do the wishes of our heart
Go with the words we say?

We may as well kneel down
And worship gods of stone
As offer to the living God
A prayer of words alone.

For words without the heart
The Lord will never hear,
Nor will He to those lips attend
Whose prayers are not sincere.

Author Unkown

More On Prayer

Every time we pray, our horizon is altered, our attitude to things is altered, not sometimes but every time, and the amazing thing is that we don't pray more. (Oswald Chambers)

It would be rash to say that there is any prayer in which God never grants. But the strongest candidate is the prayer we might express in the single word encore. (C. S. Lewis)

When life knocks you to your knees--well, that's the best position in which to pray, isn't it? (Ethel Barrymore)

Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees. (William Cowper & John Newton)

Any revitalization of faith in this country will have to start with prayer, in which we gain a sense of the living presence of God. (George H. Gallup, Jr.)

On Prayer

I have often learned more in prayer than I have been able to glean from much reading and reflection. (Martin Luther)

He who prays fervently knows not whether he prays or not, for he is not thinking of the prayer which he makes, but of God, to whom he makes it. (Francis de Sales)

The penalty of not praying is the loss of one's capacity to pray. (Edward J. Farrell)

To pray is the greatest thing we can do, and to do it well, there must be calmness, time, and deliberation. (E. M. Bounds)

In prayer it is better to have a heart without words than words without heart. (John Bunyan)

I am often, I believe, praying for others when I should be doing things for them. It's so much easier to pray for a bore than to go and see him. (C. S. Lewis)

O Give Thanks to the Lord

O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
for His steadfast love endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
those He redeemed from trouble
and gathered in from the lands,
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south. . . .

For He satisfies the thirsty,
and the hungry he fills with good things. . . .

He brought them out of darkness and gloom,
and He saved them from their distress. . . .

He sent out His word and healed them,
and delivered them from destruction. . . .

Let those who are wise give heed to these things,
and consider the steadfast love of the Lord.

(Excerpted from Psalm 107, NRSV)

A Child's Prayer

God make my life a little light,
Within the world to glow;
A tiny flame that burneth bright
Wherever I may go.
God make my life a little flower,
That giveth joy to all,
Content to bloom in native bower,
Although its place be small.
God make my life a little song,
That comforteth the sad;
That helpeth others to be strong,
And makes the singer glad.
God make my life a little staff,
Whereon the weak may rest,
That so what health and strength I have
May serve my neighbors best.

(M. Bentham-Edwards)

Three Things

I know three things must always be
To keep a nation strong and free
One is a hearthstone bright and dear
With busy, happy loved ones near
One is a ready heart and hand
To love and serve and keep the land
One is a worn and beaten way
To where the people go to pray
So long as these are kept alive
Nation and people will survive
God keep them always everywhere
The home, the heart, the place of prayer

Author Unknown

The prayer of Psalm 84

How lovely is your tabernacle, O Lord of hosts!
My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
Even the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young--
even Your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.
Blessed are those who dwell in Your house;
they will still be prising You.
Blessed is the man whose strength is in You,
whose heart is set on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a spring;
the rain also covers it with pools.
They go from strength to strength;
each one appears before God in Zion.
O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer;
give ear, O God of Jacob.
O God, behold our shield, and look upon the face of your annointed.
For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
the Lord will give grace and glory;
no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
O Lord of hosts, blessed in the man who trusts in You!

King James Version

We plow the fields and scatter
the good seed on the land,
but it is fed and watered
by God's almighty hand.
He sends the snow in the winter,
the warmth to swell the grains,
the breeze and the sunshine,
and soft refreshing rain.
He only is the Maker
of all things near and far.
He paints the wayside flowers,
He lights the evening star.
The winds and waves obey Him;
by Him the birds are fed;
much more to us, His children,
He gives our daily bread.
We thank Thee, then, O Father,
for all things bright and good,
the seed time and the harvest,
our life, our health, our food.
Accept the gifts we offer,
for all Thy love imparts,
and, what Thous most desirest,
our humble, thankful hearts.

Author Unknown

Columnist Herb Caen wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle: "Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn't matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle; when the sun comes up, you'd better be running."

Charles Spurgeon writes likewise, "If you are not seeking the Lord, the Devil is seeking you. If you are not seeking the Lord, judgment is at your heels."

In the Christian life, it's not enough to simply wake up. We are called to run, to become more like Christ, to press ahead in godliness.

Author Unknown