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A Prayer about God’s Wrath and Mercy

A Prayer about God’s Wrath and Mercy

Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels, ‘Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God. ’ Revelation 16:1

Holy, Wrathful, and Merciful Judge,

We confess, your wrath is not our favorite subject. 

It’s true, we may avoid it because of violent street-corner preachers 

who scream at us at a stoplight, 

but nonetheless, the Bible teaches that you will judge your enemies, 

those who rebel against you, 

those who refuse to name you as the Lord of the universe, 

those who prefer to rule their own lives. 

Today, help us to consider your wrath 

in the context of what we know about you and ourselves:

You are a holy God, 

perfectly just, perfectly righteous, 

so your wrath is not the impulsive, violent anger 

of a power-hungry abuser. 

We have all “sinned and fall short of” your glory (Romans 3:23). 

Our sin is dark, complex, toxic, and destructive.

You are compassionate and merciful, 

and because you are, 

despite your people’s rebellion, 

you “atoned for their iniquity and did not destroy them…”; 

you “restrained your anger often 

and did not stir up your wrath” (Psalm 78:38). 

We long for justice to be done, for evil to be eradicated, 

for the day of no more racism, abuse, genocide, murder, rape, 

or any other betrayal of your love 

or demeaning of the dignity 

of your image-bearers.

You send us out to share the good news of your grace, 

to invite others to know your love and kindness 

and mercy and forgiveness. 

Help us to see you rightly 

so that we may thank you 

for your appropriate and deserved wrath 

against all evil. 

In Jesus’ saving name. Amen. 

Read Revelation 15-19; Psalm 78:38; Romans 3:23; Romans 5:6-9. 



Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage

Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage

author, life and legacy coach, speaker

The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. Zephaniah 3:17

Lord, 

We believe; help our unbelief.

We believe you have already come into our midst 

in the incarnation of Jesus Christ.

We believe you are a mighty one 

who has already saved us from our sins 

through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

But in the next line of this magnificent verse, 

we stutter and stumble. 

We think that maybe you will rejoice in us 

some day in the future 

when we are more holy, 

that you will love us 

some day in the future 

when we never sin again,

that you will exult in us with loud singing 

some day in the future 

when we’ve finally earned our way to heaven.

But that’s not what Scripture tells us.

The gospel good news 

for all who trust in Jesus

is that right this minute, 

you are rejoicing over us, 

right this minute

you are quieting us with your love, 

right this minute

and you are exulting over us with loud singing. 

You saved us. 

You love us. 

You delight in us. 

You sing extra-loud over us, 

like the five-year-old who loves to sing 

at the top of his lungs 

because he’s so happy. 

Help us today to sit quietly 

and listen for the sound 

of your delight in us, 

and may that delight 

change the way we live and love 

today and every day. 

In Jesus’ saving name. Amen.

Read Zephaniah 3:14-20.



Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage

Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage

author, life and legacy coach, speaker

A Prayer about the Prince of Hope

A Prayer about the Prince of Hope

Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I will restore to you double. Zechariah 9:12

Holy Lord,

Zephaniah and Zechariah have fierce warnings for your people 

about what will happen if they don’t repent of their rebellion 

and turn back to you.

 But these prophets also overflow with messages of your mercy 

that leave us shaking our heads in wonder 

at your gracious forgiveness. 

This passage begins with the familiar promise 

we hear at Easter:

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!

Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!

Behold, your king is coming to you;

Righteous and having salvation is he,

Humble and mounted on a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9).

We recognize this king as Jesus, our great Prince of Peace. 

As Pastor Scotty Smith says,

 Jesus is the “Prince of Hope” 

who brings the “Promise of Hope” 

who paid the “Price of Hope” 

that we might become “Prisoners of Hope.” 

For all who find themselves in waterless pits 

of worry, fear, or hopelessness today—

worried about children, 

fearful about finances, 

desperate for a cure,

hopeless about enslaving sin, 

may this profoundly good news remind us 

that in your mercy, 

we can never escape hope. 

You have redeemed us, 

and you will continue to heal and help us 

until the day of final restoration.

In Jesus’ Princely name. Amen. 

Read Zechariah 9:1-17.



Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage

Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage

author, life and legacy coach, speaker

The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. Zephaniah 3:17

Lord, 

We believe; help our unbelief.

We believe you have already come into our midst 

in the incarnation of Jesus Christ.

We believe you are a mighty one 

who has already saved us from our sins 

through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

But in the next line of this magnificent verse, 

we stutter and stumble. 

We think that maybe you will rejoice in us 

some day in the future 

when we are more holy, 

that you will love us 

some day in the future 

when we never sin again,

that you will exult in us with loud singing 

some day in the future 

when we’ve finally earned our way to heaven.

But that’s not what Scripture tells us.

The gospel good news 

for all who trust in Jesus

is that right this minute, 

you are rejoicing over us, 

right this minute

you are quieting us with your love, 

right this minute

and you are exulting over us with loud singing. 

You saved us. 

You love us. 

You delight in us. 

You sing extra-loud over us, 

like the five-year-old who loves to sing 

at the top of his lungs 

because he’s so happy. 

Help us today to sit quietly 

and listen for the sound 

of your delight in us, 

and may that delight 

change the way we live and love 

today and every day. 

In Jesus’ saving name. Amen.

Read Zephaniah 3:14-20.



Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage

Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage

author, life and legacy coach, speaker

A Prayer about What Makes Life Meaningful

A Prayer about What Makes Life Meaningful

There is no remembrance of former things, nor will there be any remembrance of later things yet to be among those who come after. Ecclesiastes 1:11

Eternal God,

As my daily Bible reading takes me to Ecclesiastes, 

I am reminded of how easily we set our hopes 

on finding meaning in the things of this world.

As we read, “Is there a thing of which it is said, 

‘See, this is new’? 

It has been already 

in the ages before us” (Ecclesiastes 1:10), 

we might be tempted to say, 

“Well, yes, ChatGPT is new, 

and nothing like it ever existed 

in the ages before us,” 

but that would be to discount the awe the world felt 

when the telephone 

or the telegraph 

or the computer 

was discovered. 

Yes, even the latest, greatest technology 

will one day be “old,” 

and even ChatGPT 

cannot make our lives meaningful. 

You have created us to be meaning-making creatures, 

and again and again, 

the author of Ecclesiastes reminds us 

that the only lasting meaning to be found 

is in seeking to know and love you 

and in seeking to know how much you love us. 

You have endowed us with meaning, 

making us your image-bearers, 

and calling us to be ambassadors 

of the good news of the gospel. 

And while it is true that much about our stories 

will not be remembered 25 years after 

we’ve gone to be with you, 

what will last eternally 

is the way we’ve lived 

your calling 

to “be fruitful and multiply” the gospel. 

Help us today to turn our minds 

from the things that so occupy us, 

“toil under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:3), 

“great possessions of herds and flocks” (Ecclesiastes 2:7), 

even the acquisition of “great wisdom” (Ecclesiastes 1:16), 

that we might “hunger and thirst for righteousness,” 

for in it, we shall be satisfied (Matt. 5:6).

In Jesus’ meaning-full name. Amen.

Read Ecclesiastes 1-2.



Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage

Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage

author, life and legacy coach, speaker

The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. Zephaniah 3:17

Lord, 

We believe; help our unbelief.

We believe you have already come into our midst 

in the incarnation of Jesus Christ.

We believe you are a mighty one 

who has already saved us from our sins 

through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

But in the next line of this magnificent verse, 

we stutter and stumble. 

We think that maybe you will rejoice in us 

some day in the future 

when we are more holy, 

that you will love us 

some day in the future 

when we never sin again,

that you will exult in us with loud singing 

some day in the future 

when we’ve finally earned our way to heaven.

But that’s not what Scripture tells us.

The gospel good news 

for all who trust in Jesus

is that right this minute, 

you are rejoicing over us, 

right this minute

you are quieting us with your love, 

right this minute

and you are exulting over us with loud singing. 

You saved us. 

You love us. 

You delight in us. 

You sing extra-loud over us, 

like the five-year-old who loves to sing 

at the top of his lungs 

because he’s so happy. 

Help us today to sit quietly 

and listen for the sound 

of your delight in us, 

and may that delight 

change the way we live and love 

today and every day. 

In Jesus’ saving name. Amen.

Read Zephaniah 3:14-20.



Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage

Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage

author, life and legacy coach, speaker

A Prayer about Enjoying God

A Prayer about Enjoying God

You make known to me the path of life;

in your presence there is fullness of joy;

at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:11

God Who Delights in Us,

Yesterday, my friends and I prayed 

to believe in your delight in us through your Son Jesus Christ 

and with the help of your Holy Spirit.

Today we pray that 

as we marvel at your incomprehensible love 

and overwhelming delight in us, 

we would fulfill our greatest calling: 

to glorify and enjoy you forever.

What does it mean to enjoy and delight in you?

Alexander Whyte wrote,

“Joy is the purest, deepest, and most satisfying delight 

that can possess the heart of man….” 

We should ask, 

“What is the most satisfying delight that I can possess?”

Is it…the perfect job, a loving spouse, a happy child, a good grade, a clear scan?

We are often tricked by the world and our own sinful tendencies 

to believe that our deepest joy 

can be found somewhere in the here and now. 

We are also often tricked by the world and our own sinful tendencies 

to believe that if we work hard enough or are “good enough,” 

we will be rewarded with this illusive and elusive joy.

But the reality is that our deepest joy has been here all along. 

“In your presence there is fullness of joy.”   

As we soak in your beaming delight in us, 

our faces radiate that joy back to you.

It is a call and response of joy and delight and love. 

You call out, “I love you. I delight in you. I rejoice over you.” 

And we call back, “We love you. We delight in you. We rejoice in you.” 

As all of creation hears this call and response, 

everyone longs to join in. 

That’s what it means to glorify you and enjoy you forever. 

It really is that simple. 

May we rest in the fullness of your exceeding joy 

that we might make you our exceeding joy. 

In Jesus’ joy-bringing name. Amen.

Read Zephaniah 3:14-17; Psalm 16; Psalm 43:4-5. 



Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage

Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage

author, life and legacy coach, speaker

The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. Zephaniah 3:17

Lord, 

We believe; help our unbelief.

We believe you have already come into our midst 

in the incarnation of Jesus Christ.

We believe you are a mighty one 

who has already saved us from our sins 

through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

But in the next line of this magnificent verse, 

we stutter and stumble. 

We think that maybe you will rejoice in us 

some day in the future 

when we are more holy, 

that you will love us 

some day in the future 

when we never sin again,

that you will exult in us with loud singing 

some day in the future 

when we’ve finally earned our way to heaven.

But that’s not what Scripture tells us.

The gospel good news 

for all who trust in Jesus

is that right this minute, 

you are rejoicing over us, 

right this minute

you are quieting us with your love, 

right this minute

and you are exulting over us with loud singing. 

You saved us. 

You love us. 

You delight in us. 

You sing extra-loud over us, 

like the five-year-old who loves to sing 

at the top of his lungs 

because he’s so happy. 

Help us today to sit quietly 

and listen for the sound 

of your delight in us, 

and may that delight 

change the way we live and love 

today and every day. 

In Jesus’ saving name. Amen.

Read Zephaniah 3:14-20.



Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage

Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage

author, life and legacy coach, speaker

A Prayer about the Lord’s Right Now Delight in Us

A Prayer about the Lord’s Right Now Delight in Us

The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. Zephaniah 3:17

Lord, 

We believe; help our unbelief.

We believe you have already come into our midst 

in the incarnation of Jesus Christ.

We believe you are a mighty one 

who has already saved us from our sins 

through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

But in the next line of this magnificent verse, 

we stutter and stumble. 

We think that maybe you will rejoice in us 

some day in the future 

when we are more holy, 

that you will love us 

some day in the future 

when we never sin again,

that you will exult in us with loud singing 

some day in the future 

when we’ve finally earned our way to heaven.

But that’s not what Scripture tells us.

The gospel good news 

for all who trust in Jesus

is that right this minute, 

you are rejoicing over us, 

right this minute

you are quieting us with your love, 

right this minute

and you are exulting over us with loud singing. 

You saved us. 

You love us. 

You delight in us. 

You sing extra-loud over us, 

like the five-year-old who loves to sing 

at the top of his lungs 

because he’s so happy. 

Help us today to sit quietly 

and listen for the sound 

of your delight in us, 

and may that delight 

change the way we live and love 

today and every day. 

In Jesus’ saving name. Amen.

Read Zephaniah 3:14-20.



Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage

Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage

author, life and legacy coach, speaker

The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. Zephaniah 3:17

Lord, 

We believe; help our unbelief.

We believe you have already come into our midst 

in the incarnation of Jesus Christ.

We believe you are a mighty one 

who has already saved us from our sins 

through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

But in the next line of this magnificent verse, 

we stutter and stumble. 

We think that maybe you will rejoice in us 

some day in the future 

when we are more holy, 

that you will love us 

some day in the future 

when we never sin again,

that you will exult in us with loud singing 

some day in the future 

when we’ve finally earned our way to heaven.

But that’s not what Scripture tells us.

The gospel good news 

for all who trust in Jesus

is that right this minute, 

you are rejoicing over us, 

right this minute

you are quieting us with your love, 

right this minute

and you are exulting over us with loud singing. 

You saved us. 

You love us. 

You delight in us. 

You sing extra-loud over us, 

like the five-year-old who loves to sing 

at the top of his lungs 

because he’s so happy. 

Help us today to sit quietly 

and listen for the sound 

of your delight in us, 

and may that delight 

change the way we live and love 

today and every day. 

In Jesus’ saving name. Amen.

Read Zephaniah 3:14-20.



Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage

Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage

author, life and legacy coach, speaker

A Prayer about Drawing Near to Jesus

A Prayer about Drawing Near to Jesus

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16

King Jesus,

Yesterday, my daily prayer gang and I 

wondered at your sympathy, 

your capacity to suffer with us, 

to get inside our struggle with sin, 

even though you yourself are sinless.

Today, we pray that we would have the courage 

to draw near to your throne.

We don’t have to hunch in hiding 

like children of an unpredictable father 

who comes home drunk one day 

but is ready to play the next. 

We don’t have to cower in fear 

like children of a harsh father 

who might beat us bloody with a strap 

for our disobedience. 

You have changed all that, 

because you have died for our sins, 

taken our punishment on yourself, 

and passed through the heavens (Hebrews 4:14). 

You open your arms wide to us, 

inviting us to bring all of our sin and sorrow—

the rotten words we have spoken, 

the murderous thoughts we have entertained, 

the habitual sins we have indulged in, 

not to mention the harm inflicted on us by others’ sins. 

Whatever our suffering in this broken world, 

you are ruling over it from your throne. 

Whatever our need is, 

you welcome us to come to you, 

to lay it before you, 

and to receive your abundant mercy and grace 

as a balm to heal us and make us whole.

In your forgiving name. Amen.

Read Hebrews 4:14-16.



Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage

Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage

author, life and legacy coach, speaker