A Prayer about the Beauty, Surprise, and Joy of Jesus

by | Feb 19, 2025 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living, Joy, Spiritual Growth

A Prayer about the Beauty, Surprise, and Joy of Jesus

On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. Isaiah 25:6

Miracle-working Jesus,

Two years ago, our pastor preached on your first miracle—

turning water into wine!

As he said, 

“Why, of all the signs you could have chosen, 

did you choose to make your first miracle this one?”* 

His answer, so eloquently put, 

is an invitation to adore and worship you: 

“the arc of the universe bends toward joy.” 

You came to bring “beauty, surprise, and joy.” 

Yes, you came to forgive sins through your death on the cross. 

And yes, we should fight against sin. 

But we should never never forget that you 

“drank the bitter wine 

so we could drink the better wine 

of everlasting life.” 

We should never forget that you 

“swallow(ed) up death forever” (Isaiah 25:8). 

We should never forget that one day “soon” 

we will join you as your perfected bride (Revelation 21:2), 

the bride you died for, 

feasting with you 

at the wedding supper of the lamb (Rev. 19:6-10).

In your surprising name we pray.

Amen.

Read John 2:1-11; Isaiah 25:6-8.

*Quotes and concepts in this prayer come from our wonderful Pastor Joel Treick, Pinewoods Church. If you’d like to hear the sermon, go here and search for episode from February 5, 2023.



A Prayer about Anticipating the Joys of Heaven

by | Feb 16, 2025 | Daily Prayer, Joy

A Prayer about Anticipating the Joys of Heaven

My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. Philippians 1:23

Heavenly Father,

We confess, some of the descriptions of heaven 

have made us think it would be boring. 

People with wings and robes 

floating around on clouds playing harps? Really?

Lord, help us to regain an understanding 

of what the Bible tells us about heaven. 

Here are just a few things we know:

First, the moment we die, 

angels will carry us to be with you, 

the triune God (see Luke 16:22; 2 Cor. 5:8).

Second, while we will not have bodies 

when we go to the “temporary” heaven, 

the intermediate state, 

we do not become angels, 

because angels are spirits 

created by you to be completely different from humans (Heb. 1:14). 

Third, one day, when Christ returns to establish the new heavens and the new earth, 

we will receive resurrection bodies. 

The angels will never have bodies, 

but by your grace, one day, 

we will have fully restored and redeemed bodies (1 Cor. 15:35-49). 

Fourth, Jesus described even the intermediate state as “Paradise,” 

telling the converted thief on the cross, 

“Today you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 22:43). 

Since Paradise also referred to the Garden of Eden, 

where your holy presence lived, 

we know that heaven gleams with your glory 

and is far nicer than Hawaii.

Fifth, and last for today but not forever 

because there’s so much more to say 

about the joys of heaven: 

St. Peter is not standing at the pearly gates with a clipboard 

deciding who gets in and who stays out. 

All who trust in Christ for forgiveness of sins 

will go to heaven: 

“Jesus said to her, 

‘I am the resurrection and the life. 

Whoever believes in me, though he die, 

yet shall he live, 

and everyone who lives and believes in me 

shall never die. 

Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26).

Yes, Lord, we believe this. 

Thank you for the joys of heaven we anticipate by your grace and mercy.

Amen.

Read Luke 16:22; 2 Corinthians 5:8; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17.



A Prayer about Why We Make a Joyful Noise

by | Feb 15, 2025 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living, Joy, Spiritual Growth

A Prayer about Why We Make a Joyful Noise

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! 

Serve the Lord with gladness!

Come into his presence with singing! Psalm 100:1

Joy-Giving Lord,

You know that I’m not a very good singer, 

but I sure do like to “Make a joyful noise,” 

and I pray that would be true 

for all who join me in praise of your goodness 

this morning.

We make a joyful noise, 

serve you with gladness, 

and come into your presence with singing 

because you are God, 

because you made us, 

because we belong to you, 

because we are your people, 

and because we are your sheep (Psalm 100:3). 

[Name specific ways any one of these things makes you joyful or thankful].

We enter your gates with thanksgiving, 

your courts with praise, 

we bless your name, 

because you are good, 

your day-by-day 

moment-by-moment 

love 

endures for-ever, 

your covenantal commitment to us 

lasts until Jesus returns (Psalm 100:5).

[Name some specific ways his steadfast love and faithfulness to you encourages you today.]

In Jesus’ joy-full name. Amen.

Read Psalm 100. 



A Prayer about Hope, Joy, and Peace at Christmas

by | Dec 24, 2024 | Christmas, Daily Prayer, Joy

A Prayer about Hope, Joy, and Peace at Christmas

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13

Lord of Hope,

You know one of our children’s favorite seasonal movies 

is The Polar Express,

though they’re long past 

imagining that the North Pole 

is where the main action of Christmas takes place. 

The movie, based on the wonderful book by Chris Van Allsburg, 

is about belief, 

but the belief is in a myth. 

Unlike  “Hero Boy,” 

we need a different kind of believing—

we need to believe that you, 

the true hero of our truest story, 

were born as a baby, 

grew as a child, 

taught in the temple, 

turned water into wine, 

raised people from the dead, 

died on a cross, 

and rose from the dead. 

It is in this belief 

that we find our deepest hope, 

our longed-for joy, 

and our perfect peace. 

By your Holy Spirit, 

grant us this belief 

today and every day.

In Jesus’ trustworthy name. Amen.

Read Romans 15:1-13.



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