Dec 30 2025
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The Helper of the Hurting

By Sodwana Bay

The Helper of the Hurting challies.com/quotes/the-helper-of-the-hurting A couple of times now I have shared prayers from a new book I am really enjoying. Prone to Wander is a wonderful new collection of prayers inspired by The Valley of Vision. I probably can’t share too many more of them lest I fun afoul of copyright laws, but I did want to share this amazing and convicting one. Let this be your prayer of confession to God: King of heaven, We confess before you the pride, fear, and selfishness that closes our eyes to hurting people around us. Though we share their flesh and blood, we are quick to look away when their suffering and brokenness make us uncomfortable. Instead of looking at them and seeing their great need, we quickly walk away, and turned toward people who make us feel good. Forgive us for the help that we should have offered this week that we did not. Forgive us for the help that we offered for sinful reasons: to feel proud and superior, to purchase friendship, or to put people in our debt. Forgive us for the times when our hearts have been full of resentment and bitterness toward hurting people for needing us, and toward you for asking us to help them. Lord, we cannot obey you with pure hearts and minds. Thank you that in your deep love for us you have not despised and abhorred us in our great affliction, but treasured us and sent your Son to rescue us. Jesus, you see our great need and are not ashamed of us. We are crippled and afflicted by weakness and sin, but you rushed to rescue us. You took on the weakness of our human bodies and entered our sin– infested world in order to live the life we could not live. Thank you for seeing the needs of those around you, for loving them in their brokenness, and serving them with pure compassion, clean hands, and a pure heart. Thank you for your perfect obedience, which is credited to us, even though we continue to struggle every day with selfish hearts that lack compassion. Holy spirit, melt our hard hearts, for we cannot soften them. Cause us to see how we have been rescued by our great Savior, and give us the desire and ability to open our eyes, to look around us, to see people as they are, and to love them deeply from a heart of gratitude and concern. Help us to enter the worlds of others, to celebrate with them, to grieve with them, and to walk alongside him with caring hearts and hands that are ready to help. May we grow into people who love as we have been loved and who serve as we have been served. Amen. Originally posted 2014-11-10 16:43:37.

Dec 24 2025
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I Believe…

By Sodwana Bay

Written 30/01/2005 Author: Thomas Murphy   I Believe I will Believe… In every word your say to me I will Believe in your word… I Believe In your love… I Believe In the holes in your Hands & Feet… I Believe In the blood that came from your side… I believe in you o God!…

I Believe… was originally published on BIBLE Knowledge

Nov 09 2025
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Pray a Prayer of Release

By Sodwana Bay

PROVERBS 26:2 Pray a Prayer of Release Author Stormie Omartian grew up with a mother who told her she was worthless. She locked Stormie in a closet because she couldn’t ‘stand to see her daughter’s face’! Stormie writes: ‘I was raised by a mentally ill mother and her behavior left me with guilt, hopelessness, helplessness…

Pray a Prayer of Release was originally published on BIBLE Knowledge

Jul 22 2019
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Verse of the Day: 1 Peter 5:5

By Sodwana Bay

Be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” — 1 Peter 5:5 Thoughts on Today’s Verse…. The word “submissive” is often positive or negative based on its relationship to us personally. It’s nice having someone serve us submissively, but serving someone else submissively is hard work. Unfortunately, we are selfish way too much of the time. But God is at work in direct opposition to anyone who is full of pride and unwilling to serve others, especially if those “others” are older believers! Whether it’s easy to wear the clothes our Father demands or not, we are to intentionally clothe ourselves with humility! My Prayer… Father, thank you so much for the great heroes of faith listed in Scripture. Thank you for those other heroes of faith who have shared their examples and lives with me. Bless them with strength and health. And Father, please use me to bless and to serve all of your children, especially those who have lived many years in faithful service to you and your Kingdom. Because of the grace of Jesus, and in his name I pray. Amen.

Oct 02 2018
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Daily Devotional – Imitate God

By Sodwana Bay

TODAY’S BIBLE VERSE Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Ephesians 5:1 “Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.” Ephesians 5:1-2, The Message In our world, there are many imitators, but few true leaders. Kids, even adults, want to “be somebody” so they follow the most prominent example they see: Hollywood stars, pro athletes, singers, etc. But unless these people are following a greater example themselves, they are doomed to fail and disappoint us someday. Those of us watching and imitating may go right along with them. For example, just a few months shy of my 30th birthday, my world came crashing down around me when my husband, one of the people I had looked up to and followed as an example, betrayed me. His betrayal shook my whole world. Until it happened, I hadn’t realized I had put him on a pedestal and was following his lead in regards to how I lived my life. It has been said that true character is revealed by what someone does even when no one is watching. I discovered he was leading a double life. Suddenly, I had no desire to be anywhere near him, let alone follow him. Thankfully, during that devastating time in my life, God stepped in and showed me His character through His Word. Over time, as I learned more about Him, I realized that He is the one I should be following, imitating, because His character is perfect. His love is perfect; so is His peace, His joy, and His compassion. The Bible is full of examples of Jesus’ character and how He lived: He always sought to do God’s will and not His own. (Luke 22:42) He did the work His Father gave Him to do. (John 17:4) He found time to be alone with God and pray. (Matthew 14:23) He used God’s Word as His authority and offensive weapon. (Matthew 4:1-11) He loved unconditionally. (Mark 10:21) He gave everything He had. (John 19:30) He didn’t retaliate, threaten, or seek His own justice. (1 Peter 2:23) He was humble, obedient and made Himself a servant. (Philippians 2:5-8) By imitating Jesus and not people, God changed my character. He did the same for my husband. Over time, we have learned to love each other sacrificially, just as Jesus does with us. I want to follow Jesus and let Him change me from the inside out to be more like Him. I’m tired of imitating people who are just fellow sinners like me. I want to set my sights high and strive to be more like the One who created me! Father, help me to look to Jesus as my example. Show me my sin and areas of my life and character that need improvement. Help me imitate You. Copyright © 2013, Amy Meyer Allen, used by permission.