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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. 

 

A Prayer about Dysfunctional Families

A Prayer about Dysfunctional Families

So now, come on, let’s kill him and throw him into one of the pits. We can say that a vicious animal ate him. Then we’ll see what becomes of his dreams! Genesis 37:19

Author God,

Thank you for your Word 

which gives us hope 

that you can redeem 

even the worst of our sins 

against our families. 

Time after time, 

you supply true stories 

of fallen people, 

people you transformed, 

people through whom 

you accomplished your purposes.

In Genesis 37 we see Jacob, 

one of the fathers of many nations, 

showing favoritism to his son Joseph,

giving him a coveted coat of “many colors”.

Joseph doesn’t help matters 

by sharing a dream with his brothers 

about how he will one day rule over them.

His brothers seethe with resentment, 

so much so that they decide to kill Joseph

and tell their father he was eaten by an animal. 

Oh, Lord, have mercy on us. 

Show us that but for your transforming grace 

in Jesus Christ, 

this would be our end. 

We are like Jacob and Joseph and the brothers,

and yet, you have bought us with Christ’s blood, 

rescued us from certain death 

by your mercy. 

Thank you, Lord, 

for your goodness and grace.

In Jesus’ redeeming name. Amen. 

Read Genesis 37. 

A Prayer about Remembering the Wonders of the Lord

A Prayer about Remembering the Wonders of the Lord

We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about his power and his mighty wonders. Psalm 78:4

Wonder-Working God,

As a lover of stories, 

I’ve always appreciated Asaph’s call 

to tell the stories of the “glorious deeds, 

about his power and his mighty wonders” (Psalm 78:4).

Psalm 78 vividly portrays the terrible things that happen 

when we forget to remember and tell the stories of your deliverance: 

The Israelites forgot how you had divided the sea 

so they could escape from the Egyptians, 

and they became “stubborn and rebellious” (Psalm 78:8).

The Ephraimites forgot that you were their covenant-keeping King, 

their chief warrior, 

and they turned and ran away in the day of battle (Psalm 78:9).

What stories of your mighty wonders have we forgotten?

How you came to a teenage girl 

who never went to church 

and surrounded her with delightful and loving Christians, 

who showed her the way to hope in the midst of darkness?

[Name some wonders of your life you might have forgotten].

Everyday, may we remember the most wonder-full news:

You remembered your compassion 

and sent your Son to deliver us from our sins (Psalm 78:38).

In his saving name. Amen.

Read Psalm 78:1-72.

A Prayer about Honoring the Elderly

A Prayer about Honoring the Elderly

The glory of the young is their strength; the gray hair of experience is the splendor of the old. Proverbs 20:29

Everlasting Father,

In a world that often marginalizes or mocks the elderly, 

transform us into people who honor and value the elderly.

Even as we age, may we see your holy purposes for aging—

some may no longer have the energy to tend to babies all night long, 

but they do wake up in the night, 

and they can pray for those who do.

Some may no longer have the physical agility 

to perform skilled labor, 

but they do have years of experience 

and can teach those who do.

Some may no longer have the responsibilities 

of running a business, 

but they do have the ability and wisdom 

to give good counsel to those who do.

Lord, may we see the opportunities aging affords, 

and may we embrace not only our own aging, 

but the aging of others. 

May we see that you call the elderly 

to continue giving you glory 

by learning and leading every day of their lives. 

In Jesus’ redeeming name. Amen.

Read Proverbs 20:29; Titus 2:2-5; 1 Timothy 5:1 . 

 

A Prayer about the Dream of Martin Luther King, Jr.

A Prayer about the Dream of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. Isaiah 40:4 ESV

Holy God,

I love this day, a day to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., 

and his dream, 

yes, 

but also a day to name our longing 

for the day when that dream will finally come true.

As I re-read the powerful words 

Dr. King spoke at the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963, 

the gospel roots of his dream are unmistakable. 

He said, 

“I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted (Yes), 

every hill and mountain shall be made low, 

the rough places will be made plain (Yes), 

and the crooked places will be made straight (Yes), 

and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed [cheering], 

and all flesh shall see it together. (Yes Lord)”.

As Dr. King dreamed of a day when the wrongs of slavery 

would be made right, 

when the ravages of racism 

would be healed, 

we still long for that day 

when your glory will be fully revealed (Isaiah 40:5).

In this past year, we have seen sin run rampant, 

and many are discouraged. 

Draw us to look to you, Lord, 

to see you working in your kingdom already come in Christ, 

to create a land in which there is the freedom 

for which Christ set every man and woman free (Galatians 5:1). 

Help us, even as we long for justice to roll down on this earth 

to know there is a day coming 

when justice for all people will be the reality 

for every person who trusts in Christ as their king. 

Even as we long for justice and lean toward that final day, 

empower us to love our neighbors by working toward that equality 

for every human being today.

In the name of the one who humbled himself 

that we might all call your kingdom our home.

Amen.

Read Isaiah 40:1-5.

Planning to Prepare a Legacy in 2023: Seven Steps to Reaching Your Legacy Goals

Planning to Prepare a Legacy in 2023: Seven Steps to Reaching Your Legacy Goals

If you’ve been around this column for awhile, you know why I’m passionate about helping people prepare a practical and spiritual legacy: first, my father died in 2017, leaving very little guidance about his wishes despite the fact that he knew for 2 years that he had a terminal diagnosis, and second, my mother died unexpectedly in 2021, leaving clear guidelines and all of the information I needed to carry out her wishes as executor of her will. She also left a beautiful spiritual legacy of stories, values, and wisdom in a number of forms—grandmother’s journal for the kids as well as boxes of memorabilia she kept for them, cards I sent her, as well as stories of things like her favorite memory of me.

In the past seven months, though, I’ve discovered a new impetus for my desire to prepare my own legacy, especially my spiritual one—grandchildren. As I’ve enjoyed the privilege of rocking three precious newborns, I see their intense eyes gazing up at me, and I almost hear their questions: tell me about this world, Zizi, tell me about God, tell me about who I am and who these other people are.

Despite my passion for legacies, though, I have procrastinated writing and recording the stories I want to tell them. So I am beginning the year with some planning and hope you will join me. Whether you have children or grandchildren, you have people in your life who will be blessed by your legacy, both practical and spiritual. Why not make some specific goals for preparing these legacies as the year begins?

1. Pray about your goals.

As you do so, ask the Spirit to give you a vision for what you would like to have accomplished on this day in 2023. You might want to write your vision as a story of what you will have done and how you will feel about it. Consider these examples:

“I will have seen the lawyer to update my will. He will have helped me think through the hard decisions, and it is done. I feel such a sense of relief to have made the changes I needed to make.”

Mine says, “I will have created a 24-page book on Mixbook that weaves together my favorite stories of redemption with some stories and photos from my childhood. It won’t be comprehensive, because I know I can always do another one. I will feel excited to share these books with my children and grandchildren.”

2. Spend thirty minutes marking times to work on your calendar.

Consider setting regularly scheduled times to work on your goals. I find that if I schedule in thirty minutes to an hour to work on something, I often spend more time doing it than I originally planned. I just need the event scheduled to get me going.

Add deadlines, false and real, to get things done. I might want to print the books as Christmas gifts for my family, so I would need to set a goal to work monthly on the book and to finish by late October.

3. Set mini-goals.

If I wrote, “I will finish the entire book by late October” my plan would be doomed to fail because it would be too overwhelming, and I would quit.

Instead, I might set the goal, “Write one redemption story in January, February, and March. Gather lists of verses in April. Gather photos in May and June. Write prayers in July. Edit and put together in August and September.”

You might write, “Find a lawyer in January. Make an appointment in February. Spend March, April, and May doing any research needed and making final decisions. Revisit the lawyer in June. Receive final copy of new will in August.” (And you’d be done four months early, so you could spend the last four months recording some favorite stories.)

4. Expect resistance.

Whenever we make plans to enjoy and glorify God in specific ways, we can expect resistance. Author Steven Pressfield nails the heart of resistance:

“Resistance’s goal is not to wound or disable. Resistance aims to kill. Its target is the epicenter of our being: our genius, our soul, the unique and priceless gift we were put on earth to give and that no one else has but us.”

Pressfield’s definition of resistance reminds me of Peter’s description of the devil, who “prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Whenever we make plans to multiply God’s glory, the devil will seek to destroy our mission.

Armed with faith, the remembrance of how God has helped us in the past, hope, the vision of the joy we will experience when we share our legacy, and love, the blessing of others with the gift of our legacy, we can move forward.

5. Consider the obstacles.

Once we’ve recognized and named resistance, we can go on a seek and destroy mission with the obstacles. What’s keeping you from completing your goals? Make a list, trying to be very specific.

For example, one of the reasons I have not been recording my spiritual legacy is that until I wrote this article, I didn’t have a clear idea of what I wanted it to be. I had a Grandmother’s Journal I didn’t like the look of, so I never wrote in it. Maybe you aren’t visiting the lawyer because you don’t know a good estate lawyer. Or maybe you don’t want to work on your binder of important information because it makes you sad to think about the day your loved ones might need it.

When we name our obstacles, we more easily find ways to overcome them. Writing this helped me clarify a vision for a final product and to name that I will still want to create more books along the way. You might ask your friends at church or on social media for the name of a good lawyer. You might have coffee with a friend and talk about the sadness you feel as you try to prepare your legacy.

6. Get help.

God made us to be dependent on him, and he made us to grow in the context of the body of Christ. Reach out to family and friends to help you overcome your obstacles. Consider enrolling in the next session of the Organizing Your Life and Legacy workshop, or contact me to discuss coaching. We all need cheerleaders to spur us on as we move toward our goals.

7. Be gracious with yourself.

You may have wonderful plans, and you may be making your way toward reaching them when you get a phone call that your mother has fallen and broken her hip. Suddenly, all of those Saturdays you had planned to work on your practical or spiritual legacy need to be spent helping your mom around her house. Recognize the divine interruption, and embrace the opportunity to serve your mom, trusting that the Spirit will provide another way and time for you to prepare your legacy.

As always, I’d love to hear from you. What’s your motivation for preparing your legacy? What goals do you have for the coming year? What obstacles are you facing? You can share in the comments or email me here.

Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage is an author, life and legacy coach, and speaker who helps you live, prepare, and share your practical and spiritual legacy. Contact Elizabeth or find more resources at

www.elizabethturnage.com