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Showing posts from November, 2019

Bible Prayers: Thanksgiving to God

Thanksgiving reminds us to count our blessings and thank God for our families, friends, church, and country. It’s also an ideal time to pray these Bible prayers, first from the King James Version of the Bible, then these contemporary, paraphrased Bible prayers:
Psalm 75:1 – a prayer of Asaph
Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks,
unto thee do we give thanks:
for that thy name is near thy wondrous works declare.
from the Book of KJV Prayers
Psalm 75:1 – a prayer of Asaph
We give thanks to You, O Lord.
We give thanks. For Your Name is near.
Your Name holds wondrous deeds.
from the Book of Bible Prayers
Psalm 100 – a prayer of God’s people
Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.
Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
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Jacob’s vow: making a deal with God

In times of uncertainty or doubt, many of us have prayed, “Lord, IF You will ___(fill in the blank), THEN I will ___(fill in the blank.)” That’s what Jacob did.
This son of Isaac and twin brother of Esau didn't know if God would be with him the way He had been with Jacob’s grandfather Abraham. He’d undoubtedly heard his family’s stories of faith, but maybe he thought that tricking his brother and his father had put him on the outs with God.
Now on the run from his brother’s wrath, Jacob fled toward his mother’s family many, many miles away. Alone and in new terrain, he made a vow to God in this prayer:


Genesis 28:20-22 from the King James Version of the Bible
and the Book of KJV prayers
And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the Lord be my God: And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's ho…
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A servant’s prayer

The aging Abraham must have completely trusted his eldest servant to send the man on such a long journey and important mission: To travel to Abraham and Sarah’s homeland to get a wife for their son Isaac.
Genesis 24:12 – a prayer of Abraham’s servant from the King James Version of the Bible
and the Book of KJV prayers
"And he said O Lord God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham."
Genesis 24:12 prayer paraphrased
from the Book of Bible Prayers
"Oh, Lord God of my master, please grant me success today and show Your steadfast love!"
Today, the Lord Himself is our Master! So we can be sure of His positive response to us as we pray this servant’s prayer and go about, doing God’s will.
Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2019
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Mary Harwell Sayler : How public is the public domain?

Mary Harwell Sayler : How public is the public domain?

After publishing the Book of Bible Prayers, which I’d collected from many translations of the Bible and prayerfully paraphrased (prayer-a-phrased) into everyday English, I became aware of the need for another version of the prayer book in KJV only. For many people, the King James Version is the only Bible to read.  In recent decades we thought of this beloved version as being in the public domain and, therefore, can be quoted as much as we like if we acknowledge the source. But is that 100% true? Not quite!  [Find out more.]

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The prayer of Hagar: God sees!

Year after year, Abraham and Sarah waited for the child God had promised to them, but when nothing happened, they decided to take matters into their own hands. Sarah offered her Egyptian maid to her husband as a means of having a child, and Abraham obliged!
Once Hagar knew a baby was on the way, she treated her mistress with contempt. This undoubtedly burdened Sarah even more, knowing she’d failed to give Abraham a child, while her maid had not.
With Hagar’s haughtiness more than Sarah could bear, she, in essence, gave her husband an ultimatum. Abraham responded by telling his wife to do as she pleased. Sarah did. She treated Hagar so harshly, the woman ran away.
As Hagar wandered alone in the wilderness, an Angel of the Lord appeared andtold her she would have a son, whom she was to name Ishmael. Meanwhile, the Lord wanted Hagar to return to her mistress and be respectful to Sarah.
Realizing she was not alone and the Lord was with her, Hagar expressed her joy and relief in this brief pr…
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Prayers of Abraham

When God called to him, Abraham heard and responded, “Here I am, Lord.” When God asked him to intercede for a man he had wronged, Abraham obeyed.
This patriarch of God’s people is lauded as an example of true faith and closeness to God, but few of his actual prayers have been recorded.
Genesis 15:2
O Lord God, what will You give me? Will I need an inheritance if I have no child?
Genesis 17:18
Oh, that my child might live in Your presence, Lord, and be under Your blessing!
Genesis 18:23, 32
Lord, would You really sweep away the righteous with the wicked?
What if ten honorable people are found?
And God answered:
For the sake of ten, I will not destroy the town.

Paraphrased by Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2019, inthe Book of Bible Prayers
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