Prayers of Power: A 40-Day Journal

By Mark Doss and Amy Jo Wrobel

Prayers of Power invites us to enter into a journey through the Bible to meet people whose positions as leaders of sheep, people, or nations became empowered through the humility of praying to the God of all wisdom and strength. History has revealed to us that many in positions of authority choose to use their power for good, leaving the world a better place than they found it. However, some have become infamous for abusing their mastery over others as a tool of destruction to accomplish evil purposes.

The forty days of this journal will highlight prayers from great leaders, kings, and prophets in the Old Testament to our Lord Jesus Christ, His Apostles, and others who sometimes are left without names in the New Testament. We will discover the prayers of people who knew that their strength and power lay in the simple act of worship through prayer.

These powerful prayers will encourage your prayer journey, helping you find and experience the power of our great God as you walk this pilgrim’s journey, doing good, and glorifying God. Whether you see yourself in a position of power or as a humble servant, you will gain practical insights and encouragement as you learn from others in Scripture. Through their adversities and victories, they overcame with sustainability that only comes from on high. Be encouraged and built up, fellow sojourner, as you walk the path through Prayers of Power. We hope it will be a journey that will renew your strength and refresh your relationship with your Savior.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jan 10, 2023
• ISBN: 9781664288355

Mark Doss

Mark lives in Des Moines with his wife, Carol. 2022 was the celebration of their 40th wedding anniversary. They enjoy spending time with their two sons, two daughters-in-law, and five grandchildren. Mark has spent over 35 years serving in church ministry and his current passion is to finish well in being a faithful follower of his Lord, Jesus Christ. Amy Jo Wrobel lives in Ankeny, IA, with her husband, David, of 31 years. They are the parents of two married daughters. Amy Jo has been in women’s ministry for 30 years, serving as a Bible study leader and teacher. She is the author of 2 other books and is a women’s speaker.

Book preview

Copyright © 2023 Mark Doss and Amy Jo Wrobel.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

844-714-3454

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Scripture quotations marked HCSB are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked ESV taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Interior Graphics/Art Credit: Keelia Paulson

ISBN: 978-1-6642-8836-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-8837-9 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-8835-5 (e)

WestBow Press rev. date: 01/09/2023

Contents

Foreword

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1God is our Dwelling Place

Chapter 2God Will Do Right

Chapter 3Please Deliver Me

Chapter 4Wrestling with God

Chapter 5No One Can Stand In Guilt Before God

Chapter 6Salvation Belongs to the Lord

Chapter 7Be Merciful to Me, a Sinner

Chapter 8Help My Unbelief

Chapter 9The Power of a Pardon

Chapter 10God, Have Mercy on Me

Chapter 11Let This Cup Pass from Me

Chapter 12Not My Will but Yours

Chapter 13The Forever Kingdom for King David

Chapter 14There is None Like You

Chapter 15David Blessed the Lord

Chapter 16Hope, Inheritance, and Power

Chapter 17Know the Love of Christ

Chapter 18Save Us, Please!

Chapter 19A Gift of Added Life

Chapter 20Because of God’s Great Mercy

Chapter 21Christ Dwelling in You

Chapter 22Walk Worthy of Christ

Chapter 23Hear and Forgive

Chapter 24Lord, You Kept Your Promise

Chapter 25Give Success to Your Servant

Chapter 26Praise for Making Known the King’s Matter

Chapter 27Rejoice in the God of My Salvation

Chapter 28Our Eyes Are on God

Chapter 29Search Me, O God!

Chapter 30Justice is Perverted

Chapter 31Joy in the God of My Salvation

Chapter 32The Lord is God

Chapter 33Lord, Help Us See!

Chapter 34Glorify Your Son

Chapter 35Sanctify Them in Your Truth

Chapter 36That They May Be One

Chapter 37Speak the Word with Boldness

Chapter 38Please Go With Us!

Chapter 39Jesus Glorified in You

Chapter 40Worthy is the Lamb!

Resources

Foreword

By: Gov. Kim Reynolds

Prayer has always been an essential part of my life. For many years, I’ve have made a point to begin each day with a morning devotion or a passage from Scripture that grounds me in God’s Word. It reminds me not to rely on myself but only on His sustaining grace, no matter what comes.

And plenty of hardships have come Iowa’s way while I’ve been in office (the worst days of the pandemic come to mind). So I put a lot of pressure on myself to deliver for the people I serve, and without turning to God and trusting in His Providence, it would surely be too much for me.

It’s not just my own prayers, either. During the pandemic, for example, I received a steady stream of notes from Iowans assuring me that they were lifting me up in prayer, asking the Lord to bless me with wisdom and resolve. I treasure the letters, but I’m even more grateful for the prayers. I needed them then, and I need them today.

In other words, my own experience has corroborated the words of St. Paul: The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

In Prayers of Power, the wonderful people at the Iowa Prayer Breakfast draw out the lessons of Scripture to help make the peace which surpasses all understanding available to us all. I can’t wait to get started, and I hope you’ll join me.

Preface

By N. Joel Fry

What a joy and privilege it is to be a part of the Iowa Prayer Breakfast! This year I have the distinct honor of serving as the 2023 Prayer Breakfast Committee Chairman. As a State Representative in the Iowa House of Representatives, my family and I have time and again experienced first-hand the power of prayer through the Iowa Prayer Breakfast and its mission.

The Iowa Prayer Breakfast exists to glorify Jesus Christ through the public affirmation of His sovereignty over our State and our Nation. In obedience to 2 Chronicles 7:14, we pray for God’s intervention in the affairs of our State and His favor and blessing on our leaders. For over 60 years Iowans from across the State have gathered on Maundy Thursday to glorify our Risen Savior Jesus Christ through Prayer, Scripture, Worship, and inspiring faith-filled messages. We pray for blessings over the leaders of our State and Nation in one voice before the Lord Jesus Christ.

Started in 1961 by Des Moines Mayor Reinhold Carlson, the Iowa Prayer Breakfast still today remains focused on beginning the Easter weekend with a focus on prayers for our State and Nation. May we never take for granted the great freedoms born from a sovereign God and the sacrifice of many who followed Him ahead of us. With great enthusiasm and encouragement, I invite you to join me on this journey of prayer and devotion as we share in the Prayers of Power. Once again joining together in one spirit for the leaders of our great State and Nation, we will continue to find forgiveness for our sins and experience the healing hands of God on our land.

May the Lord Almighty richly bless you and your family this Easter season!

N. Joel Fry

Introduction

Prayers of Power is a devotional prayer journal that illuminates some of the Bible’s examples of how God used ordinary people serving in positions of power and the lessons they learned from prayer. Corporately and individually, we have much to learn in our spiritual journeys about prayer. The Iowa Prayer Breakfast Committee desires this book to be a valuable tool in your daily walk with God, increasing your desire for worship through prayer and your effectiveness in praying. Read the highlighted Scripture passage, real-life stories, and personal applications our authors have written. The journaling pages offer space to record thoughts and ideas you want to implement in your life. Write out your prayer-filled requests, thanksgiving, and words as another form of worship. We desire that the Spirit of God uses Prayers of Power as a beautifully written instrument of praise and prayer in your quiet time communing with God.

We encourage you to take the challenge of deepening your prayer life through these 40 devotionals, individually or with a group. Let the Spirit of God guide and direct you through this book, deepening your relationship with God. Our challenge to you is to prayerfully and powerfully ask our Lord Jesus Christ to teach you to pray, regardless of whether you are a new or veteran follower of Him! The Iowa Prayer Breakfast Committee’s prayer for you is that you will find your prayers resulting in great power that produces wonderful results! (James 5:16 NLT).

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. Elijah was as human as we are, yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain, and the earth began to yield its crops (James 5:16-18, NLT).

Day 1

God is our Dwelling Place

Psalm 90:1-17

Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations (Psalm 90:1, ESV).

There is a God, and you are not Him. I love catchy phrases, and I remember seeing this one on a T-shirt several years ago. I think the reason it caught my interest is the reminder that, too often, we try to play God in our lives and the lives of others without success. Every one of us needs a reminder that we cannot play the role that belongs to God alone. Psalm 90 expresses a tension of life: God created us for eternity with Him, but we are caught in the temporal world and frustrated with our inability to access eternity. Our answer is to act like God or to replace Him with ourselves or our idols. The result is absolute failure and frustration. God’s answer is to find our home in Him