Anchor Devotional

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Pray First

“But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, ‘First seek the counsel of the LORD.’” 1 Kings 22:5

I served at a mission agency where the motto is “Pray First.” Each day, each meeting, and each conversation was preceded by prayer. When a concern arose, we could pray alone at our desks or with others in the hallway or lunchroom. We prayed for our missionaries, our agency and its work, our families—turning everything over to God. It’s hard to describe the peace we all felt there. We prayed through every trial and praised God for every answer. Although we were a collection of imperfect people with differences of opinion, we were united by our faith in God, the One who hears our prayers. Serving the Lord in that place was a “foretaste of glory divine.”

You may at times feel overwhelmed with prayer concerns for family, friends, church, persecuted Christians, the lost, the sick and the dying, those in authority, and so on. Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 to pray without ceasing. What a privilege it is to be able to do so! Don’t hesitate to bring all your requests, joys, and heartaches before the Lord. He cares about each one.

SCRIPTURE FOCUS
1 Kings 22:1-7

INSIGHT
Make prayer a priority. Martin Luther said, “I have so much to do that I shall have to spend the first three hours in prayer!”

THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Deuteronomy 33-34
Psalm 96
Acts 20

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