Page 370 – Guideposts Articles

Prayer Tip: God’s In-Basket

Posted on March 10, 2026April 10, 2026 by John Dilworth

But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles. . . . —Isaiah 40:31

Yesterday, I sorted prayer concerns from a small basket on a bookshelf in the room where I pray. When a difficult problem keeps me from sleeping, I write it down. I place the concern into this basket for God’s attention and ask Him to guide me in handling it. Then I wait for His response.

I started this routine a few years ago as I struggled to apply one of Dr. Norman Vincent Peale’s teachings from Ephesians 6:13 (NIV) that “after you have done everything, to stand.” My shortcoming was not so much in giving up problems but in letting God keep them. My trust was not strong enough “to stand” firm—I regularly took back problems.

READ MORE: PRAYER FOR A GOOD DAY

However, through this symbolic act of letting go of worries, I can picture the requests in God’s “in basket” and out of mine. The most significant change I’ve noticed since using this practice is that I’ve become content in waiting for God. I have found that with His response also comes renewal, bringing fresh insight, energy, and confidence all in perfect timing to deal with the issue.

As I moved my concerns from the basket into a folder of answered prayers, the practice of reading the old problems that I had taken to God and reflecting with gratitude on His solutions brought a powerful realization of why my trust has grown.

Dear Lord, when my trust starts to waver, remind me again to “stand awhile.” Amen.

Prayer for a Pure Heart

Posted on March 10, 2026April 10, 2026 by Susanna Foth Aughtmon

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

I have always thought that fasting is for those who are holy. So clearly it was not for me. I have a lot of sins. But in the past few years, I have realized that fasting is not for the holy. It is for the desperate. For those who need Jesus to move and work and do miracles on their behalf. And that sounds a lot like me.

My brother-in-law, Van, says that fasting is a physical way of saying, “Jesus, I want what You want more than what I want.”

Because let’s just be honest. What I want is a chocolate bar. I don’t fast perfectly. I tend to fast in fits and starts. I often put limits on Jesus with my prayers. I may even try to strong-arm Him a little to get what I want. I know that never ends well. I told you up front…I’m not that holy.

But really—most of the time—I don’t want what Jesus wants more than what I want. I want what I want. I want healing or breakthroughs or miracles on my terms. I want what I want when I want it. I may shout, “Jesus, I want what You want!” But I usually end that shout with the whisper, “if it’s what I want.”

I have known myself long enough to know that I can’t change myself. But I have known Jesus long enough to know that He can. And so I am taking a page from King David’s playbook this morning. This is my prayer: Create in me a clean heart, O God. And renew a right spirit within me. This is what I would love Jesus to do in me. I think He is already working on it. Because it is what He wants too.

Faith Step: Pray King David’s prayer for a clean heart. Ask Jesus to reshape your thinking and your desires so that you want what He wants in your life.

Pray Big Prayers

Posted on March 10, 2026April 10, 2026 by Camy Tang

“This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.’ ” Matthew 6:9 (TNIV)

My prayer life was okay. I had friends who were powerful prayer warriors, but I wasn’t one of them.

Then I read a book talking about the power of God and our prayer. The one thing that struck me was that when I prayed, my prayers to the GOD WHO CREATED THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE were very small. Trivial. Timid. As if I was afraid to ask God for things that would require some power to accomplish.

Why would I do that? I knew Jesus was able to do more than I could ask or imagine. I knew He was the great I AM. I knew He was the Lord Almighty who parted the Red Sea. Why was I asking for little things as if I wasn’t entirely sure He’d give them to me? Isn’t that kind of insulting to God?

Didn’t Jesus tell us to ask? “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:11, TNIV)

Suddenly, looking at the Lord’s Prayer, I saw the first lines in a new light. This Father, who loves me, is Holy and greater than anything I could ask of Him. The biggest thing I could ask of Him is still too small for Him.

I began to pray for my biggest dreams, not because I deserved it, but because He is able to do it if He wants to. I didn’t suddenly receive riches and success, but I did draw closer to Jesus. It was as if I understood, now, how powerful He is, simply because I had started to pray bigger.

Faith step: Is your view of Jesus too small? Start to pray big, not as if Jesus is a genie in a bottle, but simply because you know that He is able to do more than you could ask or imagine.

Download your FREE ebook, Mornings With Jesus: 31 Daily Devotions to Bring You Closer to Christ.

Plant God’s Words Deep in Your Heart

Posted on March 10, 2026April 10, 2026 by Tricia Goyer

I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You. Praise be to You, Lord; teach me Your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from Your mouth. Psalm 119:11–13 (NIV)

My young children have recently joined a program where they are encouraged to memorize Scriptures. It’s so adorable for them to work so hard to memorize the words. Maybe they’re doing it because they remember that they’ll get a sticker or a piece of candy for each one they know.

Maybe they work so hard because they see the smile on my face and the joy in my eyes as they try. Recently, I found my six-year-old daughter trying to teach her brother John 3:16, “For God so love the princesses that He gave His only begotten Son.”

I corrected her, but I had to smile. Yes, Jesus died for the princesses too. I know that my children are working hard for immediate rewards, but I also know that they will receive other, more long-range rewards too. How do I know?

Like them, when I was little I memorized Scripture verses so that I could pick out pink plastic rings and miniature chocolate bars from Miss Margo’s treasury box. Those treats were soon broken, lost, or eaten, but the words remained, and in my teen years when I was living far from Jesus, those words returned to me, and they brought me back to Him. Psalm 37:31 (NIV) says, “The law of their God is in their hearts; their feet do not slip.”

There are many things of this world that will cause us to tumble, but the words of Jesus will be like stepping stones on a slippery path. It’s a wonderful thing for us to hide God’s Word in our heart. And if we get a sticker, it’s a bonus. But we are never too young—or too old—to work to plant His Words deep.

Faith Step: Choose a verse to memorize this week. Psalm 119:11 is a great one to start with!

My Prayer at the Wailing Wall

Posted on March 10, 2026April 10, 2026 by Editor-in-Chief

And since we know He hears us when we make our requests, we also know that He will give us what we ask for. —1 John 5:15 (NLT)

I’d always been curious to visit the Western “Wailing” Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem. I didn’t expect how deeply moved I would be. Built as a retaining structure on the western flank of the Temple Mount by King Herod two decades before Christ’s birth, the wall has taken on tremendous significance in the centuries since.

Jews came here initially to lament the destruction of the temple by the Romans. Now, the wall is a place of prayer. Pieces of paper with prayer requests are slipped between the cracks of the ancient stones.

At the last minute, I decided to write out some prayer requests of my own, filling up a scrap of paper at lunch with the Guideposts Holy Lands Tour group. I carried the paper with me all afternoon, to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, believed by many to be the site of Golgotha, and down the Via Dolorosa, the path along which Christ carried His Cross. It was dusk when we arrived at the Temple Mount. Across a great courtyard the wall stood, illuminated, a fifteen-story relic of an ancient time. Yet it felt so alive and contemporary.

I was uncertain of the protocol. Orthodox Jews were bowing and praying rhythmically. Finally, I walked up and tucked my prayer requests deep in a crevice. Then with my fingertips I touched the stones.

A tremendous peace swept over me. I bowed my head and let the feeling take me, a sense of reassurance and love utterly unexpected in its power, both a whisper and a roar. Finally, I stepped back. I looked up and saw the prayer requests in every nook and cranny, hundreds, maybe thousands. And I thought about how long this wall had stood, like God’s hand, taking our cares from us.

Lord, I pray at a wall that has survived for two thousand years and heard the prayers of millions. Let my humble prayers join that chorus praising Your goodness.

My Heart: Christ’s Home

Posted on March 10, 2026April 10, 2026 by Gwen Ford Faulkenberry

I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. Ephesians 3:16–17 (NLT)

My favorite place to be is home. In fact, if you could see me right now you’d know why I love it so much. I’m in my flannel pajamas, wearing no makeup, and I’m sitting in front of a rock fireplace in a leather recliner with my laptop. A fire crackles. Hot coffee steams beside me in my favorite mug. A fat Boston terrier snores by my feet. Sunshine spills through the window, enveloping me in natural light, and if I look outside I see woods and the Arkansas River. It’s a sanctuary for a hermit like me.

What does it mean for Jesus to make His home in our hearts? I hope it means He is comfortable there, happy. It’s not a place He’s passing through, but His permanent residence. He takes care of it. It’s a place He invests in, constantly making improvements. He decorates with all of His favorite things—beauty, joy, peace.

We have good conversations here; we know one another intimately; we share everything. What a lovely idea to imagine that wherever we go, we take Him with us in our hearts. He is there to stay, steady and secure, no matter what. We are never alone. I know that when I selected the place to build my house it was very special. I chose it because of the location, the view—it was where I wanted to be.

If you are a Christian, never doubt that Jesus lives in your heart. You are very special to Him. He chose you; your heart is where He wants to be. It is His sanctuary.

Faith Step: Meditate on the phrase “Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him.” Write down what you think that means. How might this perspective change the way you go about your day?

Meet God Through Silence and Solitude

Posted on March 10, 2026April 10, 2026 by Ruth Haley Barton

“There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a Sabbath to the Lord.”—Leviticus 23:3

To enter into solitude and silence is to take the spiritual life seriously. It is to take seriously our need to quiet the noise of our lives, to cease the constant striving of human effort, to pull away from our absorption in human relationships for a time in order to give God our undivided attention.

In solitude God begins to free us from our bondage to human expectations, for there we experience God as our ultimate reality—the One in whom we live and move and have our being. In solitude our thoughts and our mind, our will and our desires are reoriented Godward so we become less and less attracted by external forces and can be more deeply responsive to God’s desire and prayer in us.

Silence deepens the experience of solitude. In silence we not only withdraw from the demands of life in the company of others but also allow the noise of our own thoughts, strivings and compulsions to settle down so we can hear a truer and more reliable Voice. Reliance on our own thoughts and words, even in our praying, can be one facet of a need to control things, to set the agenda, or at least to know what the agenda is even in our relationship with God.

It is in silence that we habitually release our own agendas and our need to control and become more willing and able to give ourselves to God’s loving initiative. In silence we create space for God’s activity rather than filling every minute with our own . . .

Solitude and silence are not, in the end, about success and failure. They are about showing up and letting God do the rest. They are not an end in themselves; they are merely a means through which we regularly make ourselves available to God for the intimacy of relationship and for the work of transformation that only God can accomplish.

Reflection

How often do you give God your undivided attention?
Picture in your mind a quiet place where you can “withdraw from the demands of life.” When will you go there, so you can be alone with God?
No matter what day you chose to set apart to God, make sure that during that time you make yourself available to him for “the work of transformation” that he alone can accomplish in your life.

Related Readings

Exodus 20:8–11

Acts 17:24–28

Romans 12:1–2

Make Time for God

Posted on March 10, 2026April 10, 2026 by Sharon Hinck

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Mark 1:35 (NIV)

My day planner was bursting at the seams. Each small square on the calendar was crammed with conflicting responsibilities: children’s music lessons or play practice, church meetings, work deadlines. Even brief moments of social life required budgeting well in advance. I was so busy that I resented the time I had to spend sleeping. And in the midst of my overscheduled life, God continued to call me to spend daily quiet time with Him.

How could I fit in one more thing? Didn’t He understand how important all my activities were? The work of the day insisted on its own urgency, so I often rushed through a token devotion and hurried prayer.

Reading through the Gospels, I discovered that Scripture mentions many times how Jesus went away to pray—sometimes early in the morning, sometimes overnight.

When life is overwhelming, setting aside time for prayer feels counterintuitive. Surely diving into the work of the day will bring more progress than stepping aside for prayer. Jesus understood the pressure of time. His brief years of ministry were limited, and there were so many people who needed truth, forgiveness, healing. His disciples needed to be taught. The Father’s plan needed to be carried out. Yet He made prayer a priority.

As busy as my life might be, I will never carry the weight of responsibility that Jesus did. He came to redeem the entire human race. Yet instead of frantic urgency, He consistently modeled a life of prayer, of retreat, of seeking a quiet place.

Martin Luther said, “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.” That level of commitment, along with the consistent example of Jesus, inspires me to find my own solitary space and time each day to spend time in prayer.

Faith Step: If your day feels too full, take a risk and schedule some extra prayer first, trusting Jesus to provide what you need for all the other responsibilities.

Make Room for Spiritual Blessings

Posted on March 10, 2026April 10, 2026 by Marilyn Morgan King

Having nothing, and yet possessing all things.—2 Corinthians 6:10

I’ve been feeling overloaded lately, the way I feel when I travel with too much luggage. That’s why I really needed to hear what a wonderfully wise lady at the nursing home told me this morning.

Mrs. Elliot said that when her home was sold and she had to give up the accumulations of a lifetime, she thought that she “just couldn’t get along without all of those things. But you know, a rather amazing thing happened.

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Once I let go of all of that, I found a new sense of inner freedom. It was as if I had exchanged certain material blessings, which were only clutter, really, for spiritual blessings, which are infinitely more valuable.”

It’s a good lesson for me to ask in this Lenten season. Oh, I’m not going to sell all of my possessions, but I am going to examine my life to see what’s cluttering it up. Maybe I don’t need to go to all of those meetings. And wouldn’t it be nice not to have to dust so many knickknacks?

Perhaps I could even turn down a few social engagements. In place of these, I could spend more quiet time with God. Because Mrs. Elliot is right: Spiritual blessings are infinitely more valuable than any external things.

Keep Your Time with God Fresh

Posted on March 10, 2026April 10, 2026 by Carol Kuykendall

When I first became a Christian, I thought that quiet time was shaped by formulaic rules: same time, same place. The holiest time to do it was first thing early in the morning with a Bible, journal and other books. It should last for at least half an hour. I felt like checking off my quiet time on my to-do list each day gave me the right to talk about it with other believers. It validated my sense of closeness to God and my own faith.

But as the years and seasons of life have passed, I have come to believe that though Jesus went to a quiet place to pray, he certainly wasn’t confined by formulaic ways of worshiping the Father. (I don’t think Jesus kept a prayer journal, for instance.) He came to give us life, not rules. And because of this realization, my time with Jesus is more relational. It can and does happen anywhere and anytime—in my car, on a prayer walk, at the grocery store. I often don’t say “amen” at the end of a prayer so that I remain in conversation with Him all day long.

In fact, I now resist the term “quiet time” because I think it sets us apart from “not yet believers” who want to know about our relationship with Jesus.

Now, to keep my own time with God fresh, I like to vary the time and place that I spend with Him. One day I might read the Bible, another a book by a Christian writer that’s encouraging or challenging. I also like to spend more time these days listening rather than talking to God. My prayer time includes a lot of listening for the “small, still voice” that the Psalmist talks about.

If I’m ever feeling stuck, becoming part of a Bible study helps direct and focus my time. God can be found anywhere, and as believers, we can connect with Him at any moment in our day. Outside. Inside. Walking. Sitting. With coffee. With music. Silence. Journaling. Not. The goal for me is to commune with God, both talking and listening and learning.

Jesus Solves Your Problems

Posted on March 10, 2026April 10, 2026 by Susanna Foth Aughtmon

The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. Psalm 34:17 (NIV)

Yesterday our 2002 vehicle decided to take a break. From us. One hundred miles from home. Luckily, there was a repair shop close by. The repair shop hauled in the car while I texted my husband, Scott, who was back in the Bay Area: “Call me now! Car emergency!” When he called, he requested that I define “car emergency” in my texts to mean something like “Car Repair Emergency.” That way he knows we are all alive.

Later, on the way home with Scott, I had a minibreakdown, mostly because I was scared about what the repair guy might say when he finally called. I sent up prayers like, Okay, Jesus, how are You at healing engines? and Do You know of a car fairy who could drop off a new smell-free car at our house before we get home? Thankfully, the car was able to be repaired.

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I get so worried about how we are going to work everything out. The daily struggles of life can weigh me down. But . . . I don’t want to get pulled down in the muck of anxiety that keeps me stressed and fearful. So I am trying to look up. To the One Who is not worried at all. In fact, He is not only not worried, He is already taking care of us, working everything together for good.

Jesus has a way of working things out, even when I’m stressed out and scared. He promises to deliver me from all of my troubles. Not some of my troubles. All. And I’m learning to keep my focus on Him and the promise of His deliverance.

FAITH STEP: Meditate on Psalm 34:17. Remind yourself throughout the day that Jesus delivers you from all of your troubles.

Jesus Offers You Living Water

Posted on March 10, 2026April 10, 2026 by Heidi Gaul

“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” John 7:37–38 (NIV)

I love being near water. Whether I’m at the coast, a creek, or a lakeside, it settles me. But my favorite place is along the banks of the river running through my town. The Willamette is wide, with beautiful old trees and countless birds calling it home.

As I watch this river, I sense Jesus’s peace and power while the massive flow moves past with barely a ripple. Picking up stones to toss in, I feel my transformation as He smooths away my rough edges. When I spot fish struggling upstream, I understand the challenges they face. Jesus teaches me to push forward, to never give up.

Yesterday evening, I walked the bank. The heat of the day was gone, replaced by a coolness hinting at autumn’s glory. A gentle breeze carried the welcome scents of dust and falling leaves. As I rounded a bend, sunset lit the water’s surface with a soft white glow, resembling molten silver. The image was emblazoned in my mind, depicting the way my soul is being refined.

But the picture I hold close is of the living water that flows within me. Like a stone in that river, I’m following the course He’s set for me through my obedience, rejoicing within the freedom of His boundaries. I trust His guidance around every bend, secure in the knowledge He knows the way. I’m willing and ready to guide others I meet along the curves of my life, leading them to Jesus and praying they never need thirst again.

Faith Step: Visit a body of water near you. Listen and watch as Jesus speaks to you in the stillness of a lake, the rush of crashing waves, or the babbling of a brook. Offer a prayer of thanks.

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