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A Prayer about the One Thing We Need

by | Jan 22, 2023 | body, Daily Prayer, Spiritual Growth

A Prayer about the One Thing We Need

Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.’ John 6:35

 Lord Jesus,

Bread of life; manna from heaven,

Forgive us when we are like the grumbling people in this story, 

people who have just been fed a filling feast 

you produced out of two fish and five loaves

and who now clamor for more miracles. 

Open our eyes to see that you are the miracle, 

you are the one thing we need. 

We don’t need tricks and magic shows, 

we need the miracle of redemption, 

a Savior sent from heaven to feed us 

the food that fully satisfies, 

to fill us with the living water that quenches our thirst. 

May we see that you are real, 

that while we can’t physically eat you like a piece of bread, 

we can fully partake of you, 

moment by moment, 

through your Word, by your Spirit. 

Help us to see that when we fully take you in, 

you satisfy our deepest longings—

for love, for peace, 

for hope, for trust, 

for forgiveness, for healing. 

In your very real name. Amen. 

Read John 6:22-71.

A Prayer about Fighting Disease

by | Jan 13, 2023 | body, Daily Prayer, Suffering

A Prayer about Fighting Disease

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. Psalm 107:13

Almighty God, 

We lift up friends, family, and strangers,  

any who are fighting Covid, cancer, or chronic disease.

Bring rest to their bodies 

as they fight off the destructive invaders 

Seeking to do them harm, 

bring clarity to their minds as they face 

a dizzying array of medical procedures 

and medicinal protocols, 

bring hope to their hearts 

as they fend off the despair 

that can envelop us when our bodies languish.

As our friends and family suffer,

bring the soothing of your Spirit 

and the comfort of your faithful presence. 

Draw our eyes to see Jesus, 

the best doctor, 

ministering his merciful healing 

to bodies, minds, hearts, and souls. 

In his healing name. Amen. 

Read Psalm 107:1-21.

A Prayer about the Hope for Our Bodies

by | Dec 12, 2022 | Advent, aging, dying, and death, body, Christmas, Christmas, Daily Prayer, Death and Resurrection, Seasons & Holidays

A Prayer about the Hope for Our Bodies

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…John 1:14

Lord Jesus,

As we celebrate your incarnation, 

which literally means “enfleshing”, 

may we not miss the wonder 

that you became a human body. 

May we see the beauty of the bodies 

our Creator God formed for each of us to inhabit, 

and may we thank God for this precious gift. 

May we see how the fall broke our bodies, 

making us know shame 

in our minds, spirits, and bodies (Genesis 3:1-8).

May we marvel at the truth 

author John W. Kleinig describes:

you “took on a human body 

to reclaim us bodily 

for fellowship with God the Father” 

and because you did, 

“our bodies once again become 

what they were meant to be.” 

In union with you, 

we share your holiness 

as we are filled with the Holy Spirit. 

In union with you, 

we “share in God’s hidden glory 

and display it by word and deed 

to the world.” * 

Throughout this season, 

every time we think of the incarnation, 

may we rejoice in the hope 

of the full redemption of our bodies 

we will experience when you return.

In your embodied name. Amen. 

Read John 1:14-18; Genesis 3:1-8; Romans 8:23. 

Quotes from John W. Kleinig, Fearfully Made: A Protestant Theology of the Body

Get Elizabeth’s Advent devotional for free here: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/34no8c805q.

A Prayer about Really “Getting” God’s Love

by | Nov 16, 2022 | body, Daily Prayer, Joy, Theology

A Prayer about Really “Getting” God’s Love

That you being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints the breadth and length and height and depth…Eph. 3:18

Heavenly Father, 

We confess, we just don’t fully get your love. 

We’ve never seen anything like it on this earth, 

unless we could imagine that the ocean, 

seemingly infinite in depth and length and width and height, 

was full of your love. 

You are love, 

and you can never be not-loving. 

We struggle to understand your love—

like a four-year-old learning to read, 

we might be able to make out some of the characters 

and even a word here or there, 

but a whole sentence or paragraph 

is more than we can handle. 

And yet, you have made a way for us 

to taste the sweetness of your love—

by the power of your Holy Spirit, 

you work in our “inner being,” 

and you tell us, “I love you.” 

You show us through story after story after story 

of your grace—

“My sinless Son died  for you….” 

“My sinless Son died for you….” 

Yes, while you were still a sinner (Romans 5:8). 

Yes, even though you still struggle with sin (Rom. 7:23-25). 

You belong to me, 

and I love you. 

I loved you from before the foundation of the world, 

and I will love you throughout eternity. 

Oh dear Father, 

give us the faith to ground ourselves in this love 

that we might love others 

as you have loved us. 

In Jesus’ eternally loving name. Amen. 

Read Ephesians 3:14-21.

 

A Prayer about Affliction

by | Nov 5, 2022 | aging, dying, and death, body, Daily Prayer, Death and Resurrection, Grief, Suffering

A Prayer about Affliction

I know, O Lord, that your rules are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me. Psalm 119:75

Faithful Lord,

The truth is, we don’t like to think that you afflict us. 

And then, when we do think you afflict us, 

we don’t always remember that it is 

“in faithfulness” that you do so. 

Today, I can more easily see how and why 

you might allow what feels like affliction in our lives. 

We have had to withhold food

from our beloved dog-who-thinks-she-is-a-person 

since last night at 8 p.m., 

because she is getting her teeth cleaned today. 

She has begged, 

she has nudged, 

she has barked her displeasure 

at not getting her morning treats, 

her morning meal, 

and her second round of morning treats. 

(I know, maybe we’re too extravagant with her?) 

(But not any less so than you are with us!).

To her, this feels like affliction. 

But we know that if we fed her, 

she might aspirate while under the anesthetic. 

Finally, she has settled, 

choosing to take a nap, 

choosing to trust 

that we have a good reason 

for “afflicting” her. 

Today, Lord, we pray that we would do the same—

that we would settle, 

that we would trust you, 

that we would know any affliction we experience 

is faithfully, sovereignly, lovingly 

administered by you. 

In the name of our afflicted Savior we pray. Amen.

Read Psalm 119:67, 71, 75. 

 

A Prayer about the Brevity and Eternity of Our Lives

by | Sep 30, 2022 | aging, dying, and death, body, Daily Prayer, kingdom living, Numbering Our Days

A Prayer about the Brevity and Eternity of Our Lives

As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. Psalm 103:15-16

Everlasting Father,

As we continue praying through this magnificent Psalm 

about your benefits, 

about how you work righteousness and justice in us, 

and about the eternal kingdom 

that has already begun for those in Christ, 

we thank you and praise you. 

First, thank you for this reminder about the length of our lives.

Sometimes, we confess, 

we get caught up in what we can see right before our eyes, 

we notice the supermarket mags pushing a superfood salad 

that prevents aging, 

we pay attention to pundits 

promising advancements in medicine 

that will extend our lives indefinitely. 

And while we are grateful for medical advancements

and discoveries about how to live a longer, healthy life, 

we also realize that the mortality rate is still 100 percent. 

Some of us are even more keenly aware 

of the fleeting nature of life 

as we’ve lost so many loved ones in the past year to Covid. 

And yet…David, the Psalmist, gives us hope:

“The steadfast love of the Lord 

is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him…” (Psalm 103:17);

“The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, 

and his kingdom rules over all” (Psalm 103:19).

Open our eyes, Lord, to see your everlasting kingdom, 

a kingdom of righteousness and justice and liberty and flourishing, 

a kingdom where no child ever dies of preventable disease, 

a kingdom where every person of every race, tribe, and nation 

will know honor and delight, 

a kingdom where all injustice will be eradicated 

and no mourning clothes will be needed. 

Today, and every day, Lord, 

may your kingdom come 

through your work in us. 

In Jesus’ ruling name. Amen. 

Read Psalm 103:15-22; Revelation 21:22-22:5.