David R. Veerman - 365 Pocket Morning Prayers: Strength and Joy to Begin Each Day

Prayer is a privilege. What an amazing truth that God invites us to talk with him. We dont have to perform a special ritual, and prayer isnt limited to certain times of the day or year. This means we can speak with God anytime because of what Christ has done: So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most (Hebrews 4:16).

Prayer is personal. When you gave your life to Christ, you became a member of Gods family born again (John 3:3) and adopted (Romans 8:15-16). God is all-powerful, eternal, and the sovereign ruler of the universe, but he is also your Father. As Gods child, you can talk openly and honestly with him whether enjoying in-depth conversations or brief chats. He loves you and welcomes you. And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, Abba, Father (Galatians 4:6).

Prayer is powerful. You may have heard the phrase, Prayer changes things. Its true. We dont know how that works, just that it does, because thats what God promises. Scripture encourages us to search for the L ORD (1 Chronicles 16:11), to be near God (Psalm 73:28), to bring all our requests to him, telling him what [we] need (Psalm 5:3; Philippians 4:6), and to never stop praying (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Thats because the earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results (James 5:16).

This book was written to support and encourage you in your daily conversations with God. Called morning prayers, each one is designed to help you see how you can honor and serve him for the next twenty-four hours and beyond. Each day highlights a different topic and includes a related Scripture passage (occasionally you will find two passages). The prayer itself may involve praise, confession, or challenge, all with the purpose of drawing you closer to God.

You have in your hands a years worth of prayers. You may choose to read and pray through each day consecutively. Throughout the book, you will find that the prayers appear in sets of seven days, with the sixth and seventh days shorter (two to a page).

Instead of reading straight through, another option is to consult the index in the back to find a topic that will help you with an urgent need or give words to something you may be experiencing.

Although each prayer is short, resist the temptation to read quickly. Instead, spend a few moments and think about what you are saying to God, personalizing each one. In these conversations with him, allow some time to listen.

Thank you for joining us on this quest for a deeper prayer life. We hope that by the end of this book, you will be inspired in your prayers, feel closer to God than ever before, and know how to put your faith into practice. God often does his powerful work in our hearts during these conversations. So stick with it.

With that in mind, lets get going.

Dave Veerman