Morning by Morning—Daily Prayer Journey with Tommy Hays

Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Morning by Morning, June 26 - Power in the Waiting

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Fill me afresh with Your Spirit today. ...

"While staying with them, He ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the Promise of the Father. 'This,' He said, 'is what you have heard from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.... You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth'" (Acts 1:4-8).

How I need You every day, every hour. I need Your Presence and Your power. I need Your Spirit to infill me and infuse me, to equip me and empower me, to anoint me and appoint me to go and be Your witness in my world -- whether to the end of my street or the ends of the earth.

So You invite me to wait on You. You bring me into the secret, quiet place of beginning my day in contemplative prayer, where I listen for Your leading before laying out all my burdens and requests before You. There will be time for all of that -- for prayers of intercession, supplication, confession, and everything else. But You invite me to first look to You and listen for You. First things first. And You are always first -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God.

As I wait on You -- being embraced by my Father, centered in Christ, filled with Your Holy Spirit -- You strengthen me before You send me in Your power and love to make a difference in my world: "The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not grow weary; His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for the Lord shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint" (Isaiah 40:28-31). You are the God "Who acts for the one who waits for Him" (Isaiah 64:4).

You're teaching me there's so much power in the waiting. So thank You, Lord, for giving me eagles' wings before I fly off into my day. Thank You for the leading and the grace to first wait on You to begin my day in the intimately personal communion of Your Presence in prayer. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

My friend, I pray that as You wait on the Lord in contemplative prayer you are infilled and infused, equipped and empowered, anointed and appointed to go be a witness of Jesus in your world today -- whether to the end of your street or the ends of the earth, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!

Friends, thank you for joining with me on this daily journey of prayer, "Morning by Morning" each day. By the leading of the Holy Spirit, I write these fresh from my morning prayer time and then send them out. It feels like the Lord's "manna" from heaven to me and source of His strength from the intimacy of His embrace for my day. Thank you for allowing me to share them with you! And thank you for praying them back for me!