fbpx

A Prayer about the End to Sorrow and Sighing

by | Dec 5, 2024 | Daily Prayer, Grief, Joy

A Prayer about the End to Sorrow and Sighing

And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Isaiah 35:10

Good Father,

In these days, the calls of “happy holidays” 

may fall deaf on the ears of those 

whose hearts are filled with sorrow and sighing. 

How grateful we are for the hope of Jesus’ first coming 

which brought ransom and redemption 

to “captive Israel,” 

which transformed her mourning into joy.* 

Fill our heavy hearts with the vision Isaiah paints 

of what has already begun 

and of what will one day be full and final 

when Jesus returns:

“The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; 

the desert shall rejoice and blossom 

like the crocus; 

it shall blossom abundantly 

and rejoice with joy and singing” (Isaiah 35:1-2).

“[We] shall see the glory of the Lord, 

the majesty of our God” (Isaiah 35:2).

May we who have “anxious hearts” 

hear your reassuring voice 

speaking to us from your Word: 

‘Be strong; fear not!” 

Indeed, one day soon, 

Jesus says, 

our God will judge all evil. 

In that day, 

all “sorrow and sighing shall flee away” (Isaiah 35:10), 

and we will know gladness and joy forever and ever. 

In this season of Advent, 

deepen our longing for that day.

In Jesus’ restoring name. Amen.

Read Isaiah 35. 

*Listen to “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.”

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



A Prayer about Enjoying God

by | Jul 15, 2024 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living, Joy, Spiritual Growth

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 Joy of Being Rescued

by | Jul 8, 2024 | Daily Prayer, Joy, Spiritual Growth

A Prayer about the Joy of Being Rescued

So he brought his people out with joy, his chosen ones with singing. 

Psalm 105:43

God of Joy and Rescue,

How do we enjoy you?

Here in this wonderful Psalm of rescue and redemption, 

we read about how you saved your people, the Israelites. 

You performed all sorts of wonders—

turning waters into blood, 

sending a swarm of frogs to the land, 

blowing gnats throughout Egypt, 

and on and on (Psalm 105:30-31). 

You brought your people out 

with silver and gold, 

and you “spread a cloud for a covering, 

and fire to give light by night” (Psalm 105:39-41). 

But the Israelites are not the only people 

for whom you have performed mighty miracles; 

we too have been saved from certain death, 

pulled out of the pit of darkness by your wonders. 

Lord, remind us of our stories of redemption, 

of all the ways you have pursued us with your love and grace, 

of the desperate ditches you have yanked us from. 

[Take a few minutes to remember some of the things God has saved you from.]

As we remember, 

we too will sing songs of joy, 

shouting out our astonishment at your kindness to us. 

For truly, it is in your rescue and redemption 

that we discover our deepest joy in you. 

It is because you have saved us 

that we delight to do 

what you tell us to do (Psalm 105:45). 

In Jesus’ saving name. Amen.

Read Psalm 105. 



Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage

Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage

author, life and legacy coach, speaker

A Prayer about the Laughter of Hope

by | Jun 25, 2024 | Daily Prayer, Joy

A Prayer about the Laughter of Hope

Then the man said,

“This at last is bone of my bones

and flesh of my flesh;

she shall be called Woman,

because she was taken out of Man.” Genesis 2:23 

Creator God,

In our season of history,

the idea that one woman could belong to one man, 

that one man could belong to one woman, 

that the two could “become one flesh” —

well, it’s simply unthinkable…if not despicable 

to many in our Western culture. 

Marriage of one man to one woman 

is unfashionable, 

out of style. 

After all, women can stand alone, 

and men and women can “hook up” 

with anyone anytime 

without all the wear and tear 

of commitment 

and emotional ties. 

Oh, dear Creator, 

that was not your design 

for man and woman 

when you created us. 

You said, “It is not good for the man to be alone” (Gen. 2:18).

The only thing you called “not good” in all of creation 

was for “man to be alone.” 

You said, “I will make a ‘helper’ fit for him,” (Gen. 2:18)

a powerful warrior-companion 

to “help the other up” when he has fallen down (Ecclesiastes 4:10). 

You said, the woman shall submit to the husband as the leader (Ephesians 5:22),

to lean into him for protection (so out of style — I can protect myself, thank you very much), 

and the man shall love his wife 

“as Christ loved the church 

and gave himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25) — 

in other words, the man shall put his wife’s needs and concerns 

before his own (again, so last century). 

Oh, Lord, help us to recover 

the beauty and wonder of your gift of marriage 

to some of us. 

None of us is meant to be autonomous in the family of Christ, 

whether we’re married or single. 

Thank you for being so “old-school.”  

We pray for your providing grace 

to help us live out this countercultural commitment. 

In the name of Jesus, our heavenly bridegroom we pray.

Amen.

Read Genesis 2:18-25; Ephesians 5:21-33.



Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage

Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage

author, life and legacy coach, speaker

A Prayer about Joy in Trials

by | May 15, 2024 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living, Joy, Spiritual Growth

A Prayer about Joy in Trials

Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. James 1:2-3

Father of All Comfort,

We admit, “joy” is not often our first response 

when our car won’t start 

or when we receive a difficult diagnosis 

or when our child struggles in school 

or when we have a bad day at work…

And yet, you call us to “consider it a great joy” 

when we encounter all kinds of trials. 

You must have a good reason, 

and your gospel has made that reason clear:

Trials test our faith (James 1:2). 

When our kids are happy and our health is good and work works, 

we don’t always recognize you as the giver of these good gifts; 

we don’t always recognize our desperate dependence on you. 

But when trials come, when storms bring rough waters, 

we must anchor ourselves to your steadfast love.

You will sustain us, 

and “steadfastness” will one day have its full effect: 

having gone through this trial, 

we will be “mature and complete, lacking nothing” (James 1:4). 

Gracious Father, that is what we want most of all: 

to be more and more like Christ, 

who “for the joy set before him, endured the cross…” (Hebrews 12:1-2).

By his grace, teach us to “count it joy” when we face trials, 

and grow our endurance.

In Jesus’ joy-full name. Amen. 

Read James 1:1-4; Hebrews 12:1-11.



Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage

Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage

author, life and legacy coach, speaker

A Prayer about Waiting with Eager Hope

by | May 10, 2024 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living, Joy, Spiritual Growth

A Prayer about Waiting with Eager Hope

But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

 Romans 8:25

Gracious God,

Thank you for giving us every reason to hope, 

even as we wait in difficult circumstances—

Some of us are waiting for healing of our bodies, 

others are waiting for healing of relationships, 

others are waiting for healing of injustice.

The clock is ticking, 

and redemption seems to take forever 

in this fallen world. 

And yet, you have promised us 

that one day “the sufferings of this present time” 

will not be “worth comparing 

to the glory that is to be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18). 

Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, 

you have secured that promise. 

One day, indeed, all suffering will cease, 

and we will be like Jesus, 

because we will see him as he really and truly is (1 John 3:2). 

May we savor this hope 

even as we “wait for it with patience” (Romans 8:25).

In Jesus’ hope-giving name. Amen.

Read Romans 8:18-25.



Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage

Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage

author, life and legacy coach, speaker