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A Prayer about Being Known by God

A Prayer about Being Known by God

You have searched me, LORD, and you know me. Psalm 139:1

Gracious God,

As we prayed yesterday, 

we are so thankful 

that you have invited us to know you, 

but we are even more thankful 

that you know us. 

We confess, 

we often fear being known, 

because we are afraid if someone really knows 

the whole truth about us, 

they won’t like us or love us. 

But you “discern our thoughts” 

and you know 

what words are forming on our tongues 

even before we do (Psalm 139:2-4). 

Given some of the thoughts and words 

that form in our minds 

and on our tongues, 

we are astonished that you still love us, Lord.

But indeed you do, 

for you demonstrated your love for us 

by sending Christ to die for us 

while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). 

As theologian J. I. Packer wrote, 

“There is tremendous relief 

in knowing that your love for us 

is utterly realistic…

so that no discovery now 

can disillusion you about us…” (42).

Not only do you know us and love us and forgive us;

you know every detail of every lives: 

the number of hairs on our head, 

the number of e-mails piling up in our inbox, 

the number of diapers we will change today, 

the number of days in our lives. 

Because you are a God of the details, 

we can trust that your care for us is complete—

you never miss a moment. 

Knowing how you know us 

comforts us and energizes us 

to know you 

and love you 

and serve you 

and obey you. 

Knowing how you know us 

encourages us to seek to know ourselves, 

something we will pray about tomorrow.

In Jesus’ knowing and loving name. Amen.

Read Psalm 139:1-6; Galatians 4:9; Exodus 33:17; Jeremiah 1:5. 



Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage

Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage

author, life and legacy coach, speaker

A Prayer about Really Knowing God

A Prayer about Really Knowing God

Let not the wise boast of their wisdom

or the strong boast of their strength

or the rich boast of their riches,

but let the one who boasts boast about this:

that they have the understanding to know me…

Jeremiah 9:23-24

Gracious God, 

May we learn to boast in the wild reality

that by your grace 

we do have the understanding to know you.

What indeed must we know about you?

It is true, 

we need to know about you, 

that you are  

all-knowing, 

all-holy, 

all-powerful, 

all-loving, etc.

But we also need to know you, personally. 

Theologian J.I. Packer taught us 

how we could know you personally in his book, Knowing God. 

He explained that 

if we were to meet the Queen of England 

or the President of the United States,

they would have to be willing to be known by us 

in order for us to get to know them. 

If they didn’t share much about themselves, 

we wouldn’t feel we had the right to complain. 

But you, oh gracious God, 

you initiate the conversation, 

you “start at once to take us into your confidence, 

and tell us frankly what is in your mind 

on matters of common concern…

you invite us to join you 

in particular undertakings you have planned, 

and ask us to make ourselves permanently available 

for this kind of collaboration when you need us….”*

When we think of it this way, kind Lord, 

how we see your grace, 

how we see your love.

We can know you 

because you have allowed us 

and invited us

to know you. 

We can know you by meditating on your Word, 

not just reading it and studying it, 

although those are good things, 

but by engaging our imaginations and intellect.

Lord, slow us down 

that we might spend time getting to know you, 

That we might discover one of the 

most life-changing truths ever, 

which we will pray about tomorrow: 

you have known us. 

In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Read Jeremiah 9:23-24; 1 John 2:1-11; John 17:3; Psalm 100:3

*This prayer inspired by reading the introduction to J.I. Packer’s great book, Knowing God. Quotes from pages 36-37.



Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage

Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage

author, life and legacy coach, speaker

A Prayer about What to Do When We’re Afraid

A Prayer about What to Do When We’re Afraid

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. Psalm 56:3

Faithful Lord,

Thank you for your compassion for our fearfulness.

Today, we bring our fears to you:

When we are afraid that we will fail 

at work, at school, as caregivers 

[name any failures you fear], 

we put our trust in you.

When we are afraid that we have made the wrong decisions 

for our children, 

for our loved ones, 

about our work,

[name any wrong decisions you fear], 

we put our trust in you.

When we are afraid that our health 

or the health of a loved one will not improve 

[name any health fears you have], 

we put our trust in you.

When we are afraid that we will lose our job 

or won’t find one soon 

[name any fears about provision you have], 

we put our trust in you.

Father, you know all of our fears, 

and you invite us to bring them to you.

As we do so, calm our hearts and minds 

in the hope of your kind provision. 

In Jesus’ trustworthy name. Amen.

Read Psalm 56:1-13.



Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage

Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage

author, life and legacy coach, speaker

A Prayer about Trusting in the Lord for All Things

A Prayer about Trusting in the Lord for All Things

But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. Jeremiah 17:7

All-Wise God,

Forgive us for placing our confidence 

or finding our security and significance 

in any number of idols that are not you—

work, money, looks, family, 

friends, food, drink, 

health, ministry, etc. 

Some of us waver between confidence and self-doubt. 

Forgive us for our pride and our self-contempt, 

for both spring from the same root—

a failure to trust in you alone, 

an inability to see or believe 

that you are trustworthy. 

Indeed, you work in all things, 

not some things, 

every last detail of our lives, 

not just a few unimportant ones, 

for the good of those who love you, 

to fulfill your wonderful and wise plan, 

your redeeming purpose in our lives (See Romans 8:28). 

Even this very minute, 

even in the dark and tortuous roads of our journey, 

you are working beauty and redemption 

by your transforming grace.

Right now, we give our supreme confidence 

and/or our self-doubt 

in the following areas to you: 

work: [name ways you need to trust the Lord]

Relationships: [name ways you need to trust the Lord]

Health: [name ways you need to trust the Lord]

Ministry: [name ways you need to trust the Lord]

Other: [name ways you need to trust the Lord]

In Jesus’s trustworthy name we pray. Amen.

Read Jeremiah 17:5-8; Romans 8:28-39.



Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage

Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage

author, life and legacy coach, speaker

A Prayer about Bearing One Another’s Burdens

A Prayer about Bearing One Another’s Burdens

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2

Merciful God,

How exquisitely you have designed your church, 

the body of Christ. 

You have called us to share our weakness 

with you and with one another, 

and you tell us that in that weakness 

we find our greatest strength

—strength in dependence on Christ, 

strength in dependence on one another (2 Corinthians 12:8-10). 

Today, I pray especially for those in our body who are weak—

the bereft grieving the loss of a loved one, 

the caregiver serving a loved one through many hard days, 

the sick and frail struggling with illness, whether physical or mental….

[Name some weak people you would like to pray for….]

May we truly lift them up, not only in prayer but in service, by bearing their burdens—listening without trying to fix, bringing meals or mowing lawns, forgiving their irritability…

[Name some ways you might bear the burdens of someone who is weak….]

We pray too, that you would empower the weak 

with the humility and grace required 

to receive the loving care of the body of Christ. 

In Jesus’ burden-bearing name. Amen. 

Read Galatians 6:1-10.

 

Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage

Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage

author, life and legacy coach, speaker

A Prayer about Sharing Our Stories

A Prayer about Sharing Our Stories

One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. Psalm 145:4

Author God,

What exciting stories of redemption 

you have written in our lives. 

Every day of our life, 

may we live to tell that story, 

in our deeds and in our words.

May we also be intentional 

about the legacies we leave 

for the next generation of believers, 

writing and recording the stories 

of how you have performed 

your mighty acts in our lives. 

Help us to make time to write these stories, 

or if we are unable to write them, 

to record them through video or audio, 

the story of when and how you drew us to yourself, 

the story of when you picked us up when we had fallen down (Psalm 145:14), 

the story of how you provided for us out of your “abundant goodness” (Psalm 145: 7), 

the story of how your power worked miraculous changes (Psalm 145:11), 

[name a story of God’s work you’d like to tell.]

As we write and record these stories, 

give us the courage to share them with others, 

that they too might be inspired to tell the story 

of your wonderful goodness, 

that all might know the hope of redemption in Jesus Christ.

Amen. 

Read Psalm 145. 



Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage

Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage

author, life and legacy coach, speaker