Episode 110: Malachi 1:6a
Dear friends, welcome to Peace Prayers. My name is Juli, the creator and host of the podcast, and I would love to be able to spend some time with you today. Our goal is to take a few moments and dive deep into God’s word before meditating on it ourselves. I’ll read a scripture from the Bible, and then we’ll pray it together over our lives. Invite a friend to listen in and let’s start our day with God’s peace. I am so excited to get started; thank you for joining me today.
You’re listening to Episode 110 and today’s verse is Malachi 1:6a
“A son honors his father, and a slave his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?” says the Lord Almighty.
Let’s pray together.
These are just questions, God. I don’t really like to think about them much. It brings too many things to light that I’m not sure I’m ready to deal with. It calls into question the purpose of my very being. I live in a world that tells me I am my own master and that I make my own fate. I answer to no one but myself and so long as I don’t hurt anyone else, I get to make up my own rules. Whatever I decide feels right to me will be right. It’s a very tempting deception.
But it is a deception, LORD. I know it. I can see that it’s not right. It doesn’t hold true to any standard of logic and it ignores every single clue You left us about the design of Your world as well as the Word You gave us to understand both You and ourselves. There can only be one Master, one Creator, one Ruler, one God, one Father.
Help me to hold these things true about You, God. To desire to know You and so come to see that You are Father and Master. To understand that You set the rules and You design them. That nothing can happen without it being allowed by You. And even when that hurts, to trust You will take care of me.
Forgive me, Father, for not honoring You. I know I didn’t have a very good example set before me, but that’s no excuse. Your Word shows me the goodness and the care and the wisdom of a true Father. I know that You love Your Son and all Your creation. I know that You set before us all good things. I know that You forgive even the most reluctant of prodigals. I know that You are patient, not wanting any to perish. I know that You sacrificed everything for me.
Forgive me, Master, for not respecting You. It’s not wise to call You such these days because it evokes terrible imagery and hurtful memories, but in the truest sense, You are Master. Your Word says that we have been set free only to become Your slave and that only in being so can we have true freedom. I can’t understand that, God, but I desire to live it as best as I can. Help me. Help me to respect Your rules and Your ways and Your path and Your everything. It is absolute when all else is shaky and fails.
I return to You, God, and I ask to be Your child and Your servant. I ask that You help me do better next time. And I ask that You help me to honor and respect You as You deserve as the Father of all and the Master of the Universe.
I pray this in the sovereign and providing name of Jesus. Amen.
That is the end of our collective prayer, but don’t forget that you can keep praying and meditating on this on your own. Thank you so much for joining me and I hope you have a peaceful rest of your day. I’d love to ask you a favor before we go and that is to please subscribe and leave a review for the podcast if you haven’t already. That is the best way to invite other people to join us in our prayers and it helps me more than you can know.
And let’s get to know each other better. Follow me over on Instagram at thejulihernandez where you can DM me prayer requests or suggestions on verses you’d like me to pray on the podcast or just let me know what’s going on in your life. Another way to get in touch with what I’m up to is on my website at www.thejulihernandez.com. My website hosts a transcription of each prayer so that you can pray them whenever you like. You’ll also see monthly blog posts that detail my next writing project and I can’t wait to engage with you on that as well. Let’s connect, but for now, Shalom.
