PRAYING HANDS

There are hands that help and comfort,
Hands that plan and teach,
Hands that rest and hands that strive
For a goal just out of reach,
Hands that grasp and hands that give,
Hands that work and play,
Friendly hands and loving hands
That soothes life's cares away.
But praying hands are dearest
In the sight of God above
For in their sweet and earnest clasp
Are reverence and love.
No hands can do an unkind act
Nor cause another care
Nor sin against Our Father's love
When they are clasped in prayer.
Author Unknown

All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand.
Psalm 139:16-18

To have God’s words inscribed on your heart is to be armed for all the world’s battles.
Author Unknown

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying.
Ephesians 6:10-18

Within the covers of the Bible are the answers for all the problems men face.
Ronald Reagan

There’s an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth:
A right time for birth and another for death,
A right time to plant and another to reap,
A right time to kill and another to heal,
A right time to destroy and another to construct,
A right time to cry and another to laugh,
A right time to lament and another to cheer,
A right time to make love and another to abstain,
A right time to embrace and another to part,
A right time to search and another to count your losses,
A right time to hold on and another to let go,
A right time to rip out and another to mend,
A right time to shut up and another to speak up,
A right time to love and another to hate,
A right time to wage war and another to make peace.
Ecclesiastes 3:1–8, The Message

God can do anything, you know – far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.
Ephesians 3:20–21, The Message

The Bible is our rule of faith and doctrine.
Ellen G. White

The whole Bible was given to us by inspiration from God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives.
2 Timothy 3:16

I think Bible principles are principles for life.
Joel Osteen

Dear Friend, pay close attention to this, my wisdom; listen very closely to the way I see it. Then you’ll acquire a taste for good sense; what I tell you will keep your out of trouble.
Proverbs 5:1-2

The Bible is the cradle wherein Christ in laid.
Martin Luther

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him, shall not perish, but have eternal life.
John 3:16

Your Christ and Mine
To the artist, he is the One Altogether Lovely.
To the architect, he is the Chief Cornerstone.
To the baker, he is the Living Bread.
To the banker, he is the Hidden Treasure.
To the builder, he is the Sure Foundation.
To the doctor, he is the Great Physician.
To the educator, he is the Great Teacher.
To the farmer, he is the Sower and the Lord of Harvest.
To the Florist, he is the Lily of the Valley and the Rose of Sharon.
To the geologist, he is the Rock of Ages.
To the judge, he is the Righteous Judge.
To the lawyer, he is the Counsellor, the Lawgiver, the Advocate.
To the newspaperman, he is the Good Tidings of Great Joy.
To the philanthropist, he is the Unspeakable Gift.
To the philosopher, he is the Wisdom of God.
To the preacher, he is the Word of God.
To the lonely, he is the Friend that sticketh closer than a brother.
To the servant, he is the Good Master.
To the toiler, he is the Giver of Rest.
Cyclopedia of Bible Illustrations

Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.
Romans 10:17

The story of Jesus comes from many sources and is filled with love – love of God, of Mary and Joseph and an unknown twelve who followed him. His life is a story of faith, and the faithful. Jesus taught in the synagogues in Galilee preaching the good news of the kingdom. He healed sickness and disease among the people. Read of his life in the following verses:

Luke 2:21 The Birth of Jesus in Bethlehem in a barn. Mark 3:13 – 19 Jesus calls together a crew of 12 very human men. Mark 9:2 – 13 Jesus is transfigured on the Mountain. Moses and Elijah made a sudden appearance to Jesus, Peter, James and John. Mark 14:17 – 26 The Last Supper with his disciples. Mark 15:25 – 32 The Crucifixion Luke 24:1 – 12 The Resurrection

The Bible is not only many books. It is a literature. History, poetry, prophecy, philosophy, theology, oratory, humor, sarcasm, irony, music, drama, tragedy, strategy, love tales, war tales, travelogues, laws, jurisprudence, songs, sermons, warnings, prayers, all are here. Was there ever such a literature? The Bible begins with a garden and ends with a city. It starts with a morning followed by a night and ends with a day that shall know no night. It breaks the silence with “In the beginning” and it hushes the universe to sleep with “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.”
John Snider

Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.

But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.

Not so the wicked!
they are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
But the way of the wicked will perish.
Psalm 1

For this reason, to study English literature without some general knowledge of the relation of the Bible to that literature would be to leave one’s literary education very incomplete.
LaFcadio Hearn

Lord, we pray for the power to be gentle; the strength to be forgiving; the patience to be understanding; and the endurance to accept the consequences of holding to what we believe to be right. Amen
Week of Prayer for World Peace

The Bible is a great river of spiritual reality rising out of Israel’s remote past and continuing to flow more deeply and powerfully through succeeding centuries. It is fed by many rushing streams and mighty torrents and into it has flowed the spiritual wisdom and insight of twelve centuries.

The long river of the Bible is broad and very deep, and the Spirit of God moves upon the face of the waters. Here men that thirst come to drink of the water of life. The power of its onrushing current turns many a wheel. It gives direction and continuity to our individual understanding of spiritual things. Following the shores of this river, no man need lose his way in jungles of speculation nor deserts of spiritual dryness. It is like the ancient river that “went out of Eden to water the garden,” for it is a river that enriches the soil of our civilization.
Alice Parmelee

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorches, nor will the flame burn you.
Isaiah 43:2

The script is the Bible. If you imagine setting off on an adventure in a canoe, the script is the strong arms that shove you out into the stream. It is the map of where you are going.
Paul Williams

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
Psalm 139:9

Unknown, but not uncharted, tomorrow waits for our arrival – a day designed, a place prepared with tender care by the One who goes before us … Let us walk with faith behind him in the footprints of his love.
Psalm 37:23

There is a very large part of the Bible which can be received by us only when we come into the places for which the words were given. There are promises for weakness which we can never get while we are strong. There are words for times of danger which we can never know while we need no protection. There are consolations for sickness whose comfort we can never get while we are in robust health. There are promises for times of loneliness, when men walk in solitary ways, which never can come with real meaning to us while loving companions are by our side. There are words for old age which we never can appropriate for ourselves along the years of our youth, when the arm is strong, the blood warm, the heart brave. God cannot show us the stars while the sun shines in the heavens.
J. R. Miller

A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education.
Theodore Roosevelt

Mary Smith went to church one Sunday morning and winced when she heard the organist miss a note during the processional. She noted a teenager talking while everybody was supposed to be in prayer. She also couldn’t help but notice that several blooms in the altar bouquets were wilted. She felt the usher was scrutinizing what every person was putting into the offering plate, which made her angry. She counted at least five grammatical errors made by the preacher in his sermon. As she left the church through the side door after the closing hymn, she thought, ‘What a careless group of people.’

Amy Jones went to church one Sunday morning and was thrilled at the arrangement she heard of ‘A Mighty Fortress.’ Her heart was touched at hearing a teenager read the morning Scripture lesson. She was encouraged to see the church take up an offering to help hungry children in Nigeria. The preacher’s sermon answered a question that had bothered her for some time. She felt radiant joy from the choir members during the recessional. She left the church thinking, ‘What a wonderful place to worship God!’
Mary and Amy went to the same church, on the same Sunday morning.
Author Unknown

The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light.
Matthew 6:22

Open my eyes that I may see
Glimpses of truth thou sendest me;
Place in my hands the wonderful key
That shall unclasp, and set me free:
Silently now I wait for thee.
Ready, my God, thy will to see;
Open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit Divine!
Open my ears that I may hear
Voices of truth thou sendest clear;
And while the wavenotes fall on my ear,
Everything false will disappear:
Silently now I wait for thee,
Ready my God, thy will to see;
Open my heart illumine me, Spirit divine!
Clara H. Scott

Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name.
Psalm 100:4

Lord make thy will our will in all things.
Dean Vaughan

Increase my vision, Lord. In the brightest moments and the darkest hours, help me to give thanks. In the face of fortune and misfortune, let me give thanks. In the presence of pleasure and pain, remind me to give thanks. You have thought me that lessons and blessings are found not just in the light - but in the darkness. Amen

If you want to know what God wants you to do, ask him, and he will gladly tell you, for he is always ready to give a bountiful supply of wisdom to all who ask him; he will not resent it.
James 1:5

What you bring away from the Bible depends to some extent on what you carry to it.
Oliver Wendell Holmes

The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs.
Isaiah 58:11

The Bible is a wonderful source of inspiration for those who don’t understand it.
George Santayana

No person can be considered well educated who has not some knowledge of the Old and the New Testament. Here it is not a question of vocabulary, though the infinite riches of the English language are nowhere so gloriously displayed. It is not a question of history, though the development of man may be profitable studied in the chronicles of a powerful and intellectual people. It is a question of knowledge against ignorance. The language, the episodes, the personages of the Bible are so interwoven with our daily speech, with the books we read, with every human utterance throughout Christendom, that our children cannot afford to be ignorant of it.
Laura B. Richards

God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one is impervious to God’s Word. We can’t get away from it – no matter what.
Hebrews 4:12–13, The Message

Read your Bible. This is what it says is going to happen.
The Bible, Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth.
Stephen Baldwin

We are the clay, and you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.
Isaiah 64:8

When worrying about what to lay as foundations for all the children need to know, think first of the timeless blueprint of verse and prayer.
Author Unknown

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10

Make this home worthy of the presence of Jesus the Unseen Guest. Let him be your guide in speech and conduct. Dedicate each day’s activities to the glory of God.
James L. Christensen

Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
Joshua 1:8

I thoroughly believe in a university education for both men and women; but I believe a knowledge of the Bible without a college course is more valuable than a college course without the Bible.
William Lyon Phelps

Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants. I will proclaim the name of the Lord.
Deuteronomy 32:2-3

I see your hand, Lord, in everything around me, and in every aspect of my life, I seek your will. I see your plan, Lord, in all the years behind me, and in the days and years to come – I’ll trust you still.
Jeremiah 29:11

I have tried to have a regular daily intake from my Bible, regardless of how late it is.
Cliff Richard

Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.
John 16:24

Put your nose into the Bible everyday. It is your spiritual food. And then share it. Make a vow not to be a lukewarm Christian.
Kirk Cameron

Help me to take stock of your gifts to me, Lord. Remind me that it’s not what I do, but my doing that ultimately matters. Help me to slow down, to be silent, so I can hear you and do your will, not mine – to let you guide, instead of trying to control. In your hands, each day will bring its own gifts. I know that the best is yet to be. Amen

The world of the Bible is a great world. I have wandered through it all, but I have never made it all my own. But some friendly hills and valleys in it are mine by right of experience. Some chapters have comforted me; some have made me homesick; some have braced me like a bugle call; and some always enlarge me within by a sense of unutterable fellowship with a great, quiet Power that pervades all things and fills me. Such passages make up for each of us his Bible within the Bible, and the extent and variety of these claims he has staked out in it measure how much of the great Book has really entered into the substance of his life.
Walter Rauschenbusch

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my heard with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Psalm 23

The Bible is like a telescope. If a man looks through his telescope, then he sees worlds beyond; but if he looks at his telescope, then he does not see anything but that. The Bible is a thing to be looked through, to see that which is beyond; but most people only look at it; and so they see only the dead letter.
Phillips Brooks

I’d usually read the Bible a lot. Read little short Bible stories. And today, whenever I give speeches, I bring up a few of those Bible stories, because those are inspirations to me.
Herschel Walker

When science and the Bible differ, science has obviously misinterpreted its data.
Henry Morris

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6

The Bible is the Word of Life. I beg you will read it and find this out for yourself – read, not little snatches here and there, but long passages that will really be the road to the heart of it.

You will not only find it full of real men and women, but also of things you have wondered about and been troubled about all your life, as men have been always, and the more you read, the more will it become plain to you what things are worthwhile and what are not; what things make men happy – loyalty, right dealing, speaking the truth, readiness to give everything for what they think their duty, and most of all, the wish that they may have the real approval of the Christ, who gave everything for them; and the things that are guaranteed to make men unhappy – selfishness, cowardice, greed, and everything that is low and mean.

When you have read the Bible, you will know that it is the Word of God, because you will have found it the key to your own heart, your own happiness, and your own duty.
Woodrow Wilson

I give fair warning to all who hear the words of the prophecy of this book: If you add to the words of this prophecy, God will add to your life the disasters written in this book; if you subtract from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will subtract your part from the Tree of Life and the Holy City that are written in this book.
Revelation 22: 18–19

The Word of God well understood and religiously obeyed is the shortest route to spiritual perfection. And we must not select a few favorite passages to the exclusion of others. Nothing less than a whole Bible can make a whole Christian.
Aiden Wilson Tozer

Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.
James 4:8

I thank you God, for the times of my life that draw me closer to you. Thank you for your presence and guidance in the seasons of my life – of hope, of faith, of harvest, of surrender, and of trust. Thank you for your abundant love and the promise of your word. Amen

God writes the Gospel not in the Bible alone, but also on trees, and in the flowers and clouds and stars.
Martin Luther

There’s no better book with which to defend the Bible than the Bible itself.
Dwight L. Moody

Those who trust in the Lord for help
will find their strength renewed.
They will rise on wings like eagles;
they will run and not get weary;
they will walk and not grow weak.
Isaiah 40:31

Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands.
Protect them as they protect us.
Bless them and their families for the selfless acts
they perform for us in our time of need.
I ask this in the name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Amen

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:13

You go no where by accident.
Wherever you go, God is sending you.
Wherever you are, God has put you there.
He has a purpose in your being there.
Christ who dwells in you has something
He wants to do through you where you are.
Believe this and go in His grace and love and power.
Richard C. Halverson, Chaplain of the United States Senate

O God, help me to touch someone today with my eyes, my words,
my smile, my voice, my laughter, Your word.
Change my life, so I can make a difference.
Let my actions bring someone closer to you.
Help me to make Christmas last all year.
Help me to use my gifts for Jesus.

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