A Prayer about Leaning into Brand New Things

by | Apr 23, 2025 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living, Spiritual Growth

A Prayer about Leaning into Brand New Things

Behold, I am doing a new thing;

Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? Isaiah 43:19

Creator King,

Isaiah shared your hope with the Israelites

in a desperate season.

May we hear his call 

to “remember not the former things”—

old ways of entrenched sin, 

deeply rooted patterns of rebellion, 

relationships ripped apart by rudeness, 

lives lost to cancer or wrecked by addiction…

May we instead look toward the horizon 

and lean into the brand new things you are doing.

May we step faithfully

into the pathways 

carved through the wilderness 

by our Savior’s death and resurrection. 

May we drink deeply from the rivers of mercy 

that flow from the cross 

into the driest desert days of our lives. 

Wherever this word and prayer meets us today, Lord, 

strengthen us with the hope 

of the brand new thing 

you have already done; 

give us the faith to believe 

you will continue to do new things 

until we dwell with you forever 

in the new heavens and the new earth. 

In Jesus’ renewing name. Amen.

Read Isaiah 43:15-21. 



A Prayer about Not Missing the Obvious

by | Apr 22, 2025 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living, Spiritual Growth

A Prayer about Not Missing the Obvious

And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. Luke 24:27

Risen Lord,

This story reminds us that William Shakespeare 

was not the first person to use dramatic irony to humorous effect. 

You walked along the road with two of your followers all the way to Emmaus. 

They thought you were really out of it 

not to have heard anything about 

“Jesus of Nazareth, 

a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word…

and how our chief priests and rulers 

delivered him up to be condemned to death and crucified him” (Luke 24:19-20).

What did your heart feel 

when you heard their aching disappointment: 

“But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel” (Luke 24:21)?

We don’t know, but we do know you gave these two followers 

the best Bible study ever, 

showing them how all of Scripture 

pointed to your redemption of not only Israel 

but of every tribe, tongue, nation, and people group (Luke 24:27).

You arrived at the village, 

accepting their invitation to dine with them.

You “took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them” (Luke 24:30). 

Only then were their “eyes opened and they recognized him” (Luke 24:31).

Lord, we have been given so much more opportunity 

to see you than these two followers. 

May we never be blind to your risen presence 

among us through the Holy Spirit. 

May we seek you in the Scriptures morning by morning, 

day by day, knowing the truth about you 

flashes at us from every direction like the neon signs on Broadway. 

And may we, in recognizing the reality of your resurrection, 

worship you by telling others this profoundly good news. 

In your ever-present name. Amen.

Read Luke 24:13-35.



A Prayer about Marvelous Nonsense

by | Apr 21, 2025 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living, Spiritual Growth

A Prayer about Marvelous Nonsense

But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. Luke 24:12

Risen Lord, 

We rejoice today, remembering the early days after your resurrection. 

The women had gone to the tomb looking for you 

and had been told by angels that you weren’t there, 

for you had risen. 

They did as instructed, 

running to tell the apostles the unbelievable good news.

But the apostles thought it was “an idle tale,” “nonsense,” 

even though you had told them on multiple occasions 

that you would rise from the dead (Mark 9:30-32; Matthew 16:21-28; Matthew 17:22-23). 

Lord, we live in a skeptical and cynical world, 

where belief in miracles is often scoffed at. 

Open our minds to study the Scriptures 

and our hearts to the unimaginable 

good news of the gospel. 

Make us like Peter, 

who ran to the tomb to see for himself, 

bent down, looked in, and saw your grave-clothes 

lying in an empty tomb. 

When he realized you were gone, 

he “marveled” at what had happened. 

Make us marvelers too. 

It is an amazing story. It is a marvel-ous story. 

It is a story that changes everything about life and death.

In your risen name. Amen.

Read Luke 24:1-12.



A Prayer about Joy on Easter Monday

by | Apr 20, 2025 | Daily Prayer, Easter, Gospel living, Spiritual Growth

A Prayer about Joy on Easter Monday

So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!”…Matthew 28:8-9

Risen Lord,

On this Easter Monday, 

the day after we celebrated your resurrection, 

enlarge our imaginations and renew our wonder. 

May we see Mary Magdalene and the other Mary 

trembling before the angels who startle them with their news, 

“Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 

He is not here, for he is risen, as he said” (Matthew 28:6). 

I love to imagine their astonishment 

as they saw the angels; 

I love even more to think of how amazed 

they must have been to meet you 

along the road as they ran back toward Galilee. 

What joy they must have felt as you called out to them, 

“Greetings,” 

which translates the Greek word for “joy.”

Lord, this Easter Monday, 

fill us with the best Monday motivation 

for whatever lies before us this week: 

the joy that you have truly risen from the dead. 

The hope that because of you, 

we have been made into new creation. 

The faith that you are even now 

making us more and more like you every day. 

In your risen name we pray. Amen. 

Read Matthew 28:1-10.



A Prayer about the Surprise of a Risen Lord

by | Apr 19, 2025 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living, Spiritual Growth

A Prayer about the Surprise of a Risen Lord

Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?’ John 20:15

Gracious, Powerful, Startling, Risen Lord, 

It is almost funny to think of how your unbelieving enemies 

might have scurried around on that first Resurrection Day, 

making last-ditch attempts to cover up the truth about the one who covers our sins. 

We confess, we could have been them, 

or we could have been Peter, who denied you three times, 

or we could have mistaken you for the gardener, 

or we might have had a long theological discussion 

with you and not realized 

you were the King of theology, 

the walking, breathing, theology we always need.

Help us, we pray, to humble ourselves, 

to be willing to ride on a donkey or in a thirty-year-old Datsun, 

for love of our risen Savior. 

Teach us the difference 

between your righteous anger and our often self-righteous anger.

Free us to worship you with abandon, 

anointing you with precious perfume or lavishing you with unending praise.

Work in us so that we may work for you, 

washing dirty feet or changing smelly diapers.

Draw us daily nearer and nearer to you that we might live boldly, 

as a resurrected people raised from the death of our sins 

by the Savior who descended to the dead 

to put them to death. 

May we shout with triumph 

on this marvelous day, 

He is risen!

He is risen indeed!

In your transforming name. Amen. 

Read John 20:13-29. 



A Prayer about Silent Saturday

by | Apr 18, 2025 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living, Spiritual Growth

A Prayer about Silent Saturday

He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever. Revelation 21:4

Heavenly Father,

It’s the Saturday before Easter, 

the day Christians historically call “Silent Saturday.” 

That first Saturday after Jesus died 

would have been silent indeed; 

not only was it the Sabbath, 

but for all who loved and followed Jesus, 

it was a day of confusion, doubt, and deep grief. 

Unlike us, they didn’t know what would happen on Sunday. 

Father, on what may be a busy Saturday 

for many of us, 

as we take kids to Easter egg hunts 

or run to the grocery store 

for last-minute brunch items, 

I pray we will take time to be silent, 

to remember how tragic our story would have been 

if this story had ended on Saturday. 

I pray that we will also remember those 

who are walking in seasons of Silent Saturdays,

days of dark grief and devastating sorrow. 

Even as we remember, 

may we glimpse the rays of resurrection hope 

rising to crowd out the darkness. 

Even as we remember, 

may we look forward to the day 

of no more mourning, no more sorrow, no more tears (Revelation 21:4).

In Jesus’ hopeful name. Amen.

Read Matthew 27:62-66; Revelation 21:1-5.