Monthly Devotional

Pick up the Phone and Dial

July 2008

‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ (Jeremiah 33:3)

Recently, while on vacation, I experienced nausea, fever, chills, and severe headaches. After days of discomfort, I awakened in the middle of the night and told my husband, “If anything happens to me, you and the girls should move to Seattle.” He packed our bags, and we left the motel at 2:00 a.m. in the morning. After our six-hour drive, I went to Urgent care. I prayed the diagnosis would be definitive. When the doctor examined me, she said it was merely Strep. That seemed unsatisfactory for the extreme fever, chills, and head-in-the-vice pain I was experiencing. She told me to watch for signs of meningitis and to see my regular doctor for a follow-up. The next day I went to another doctor who felt comfortable with the Strep diagnosis. My friends and family continued praying.

Miraculously, two days later I had a previously scheduled six-month dermatology appointment that I kept in spite of my fevers and pain. During the appointment, the doctor spotted the bulls-eye rash on my back that is a telltale sign for Lyme disease. She probably hadn’t seen a patient happier about a positive diagnosis for a negative disease. She didn’t know it was an answer to prayer. The bulls-eye rash can last only a short window, so the timing of the doctor’s appointment was critical. God knew.

The faithful prayers of friends and family reminded me of the necessity to pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:16-17). How about you? If talking to Jesus has slipped from your lifestyle, maybe remembering the acronym ACTS could help you. Start simply, wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, right now, by praising God.

Adoration:
Praise the lord, all his works everywhere in his dominion. Praise the lord, O my soul. (Psalm 103:22)
I will sing to the lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. (Psalm 104:33)
Praise the lord. Give thanks to the lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. (Psalm 106:1)
For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the lord endures forever. Praise the lord. (Psalm 117:2)
Praise the lord, for the lord is good; sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant. (Psalm 135:3)
Praise the lord. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him! (Psalm 147:1)

Add your own praise and adoration by remembering WHO He is.
God, I praise You because….
Jesus I adore you because….

Confession:
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9).
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. (Psalm 51:1-2).
Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. (Psalm 51:7).
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. (Psalm 51:10)

God, I’m sorry for…………Please forgive me….

Thanksgiving:
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Philippians 4:6)

Lord, Thank you for…..

Supplication:
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8)

Lord, I want to pray for……….
Lord, help me with……

Lord, I praise You that You’re my heavenly Father, my Rock, my shelter, and my fortress. I am sorry for the times I have neglected to pray. Thank you for Your faithfulness and everlasting love. Please help me become a faithful prayer warrior for my family and others. Lord, I don’t always know what to pray for, but I know that Your Holy Spirit will intercede for me (Romans 8:26). May our relationship be one of sweet fellowship and communion.

Copyright © 2008 - Ann Marie Stewart. All rights reserved.

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