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A Prayer about God’s Gift of Furry Friends

by | Apr 23, 2024 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living, Spiritual Growth

A Prayer about God’s Gift of Furry Friends

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. Isaiah 11:6

Comforting Creator,

As I take our twelve-year-old dog to the vet today, 

I am thinking about the animal friends you give us. 

They show us your delight and welcome 

as they jump up and down in glee 

every time we return home. 

They show us your steadfast love

as they reliably appear at our sides 

whenever they sense we need the comfort 

of petting them. 

They show us your protection 

as they bark like crazy every time 

the UPS truck approaches. 

They show us your forgiveness 

when they snuggle up to us 

even after we left them all day 

and didn’t take them on their walk when we got home.

As we read the preview of the new heavens and new earth 

detailed in Isaiah, 

we see that one day we will stroll alongside 

wolves and lambs and lions and cows and bears 

and, yes, even snakes. 

In that day, all of creation will be renewed and restored, 

enjoying perfect healing and wholeness. 

Oh how we look forward to that day, Lord. 

How we thank you for the gift of animal buddies 

as we wait. 

In Jesus’ redeeming name. Amen.

Read Isaiah 11:6-9; Romans 8:18-25. 



Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage

Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage

author, life and legacy coach, speaker

A Prayer about Knowing Ourselves

by | Apr 21, 2024 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living, Spiritual Growth

A Prayer about Knowing Ourselves

So if anyone is in Christ, that person is a new creation: everything old has passed away; look, new things have come into being! 2 Corinthians 5:17

All-Knowing God,

When we begin to know you, 

and when we begin to understand 

the hope, joy, and relief 

of being known by you,*

then and only then are we ready 

to begin trying to know ourselves.

What do we need to know about ourselves?

We need to know our sin: 

not only generally, but specifically:

some of us always want to be right; 

some of us need to feel love and approval from everyone all the time; 

some of us need lots of money and stuff to feel secure; 

some of us  get angry easily when they don’t get their way

…and on and on we could go.

[Stop for a moment and ask the Holy Spirit 

to search your heart and reveal some of your specific sin tendencies.]

But if we stopped at only knowing our sin, 

we would remain in despair. 

As we prayed yesterday, 

you knew our sin—

past, present, and future 

when you sent your Son to die for us (Romans 5:8).

We must also know 

who we have become 

and who we are becoming in Christ:

In Christ, we already have become (unbelievably to us), 

“the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21). 

In Christ, we already have become “new creation” (2 Cor. 5:17).

In Christ, we are “being sanctified” (Heb. 10:14), 

becoming more and more like Christ every day.

That means that we are recognizing and repenting more quickly 

when we put our trust in 

being right, 

or needing approval, 

or trusting in riches, 

or getting our way

[Name some things you are recognizing and repenting of more quickly.]

Oh, Lord, what good news 

your Word gives us about ourselves!

The truest truth about us 

is not that we are sinners 

but that we are redeemed sinners.

You have saved us for a purpose, 

and you have sent us to tell others 

the good news of our hope in Jesus Christ. 

Thank you for giving us our identity 

as adopted children,

servants of the King, 

Christ’s ambassadors.

In Jesus’ freeing name. Amen.

Read Psalm 51; 2 Corinthians 5:11-21.

*See the prayers from the last two days for more on this.



Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage

Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage

author, life and legacy coach, speaker

A Prayer about Being Known by God

by | Apr 20, 2024 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living, Spiritual Growth

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

by | Apr 19, 2024 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living, kingdom living, Spiritual Growth

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

by | Apr 18, 2024 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living, Spiritual Growth

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

by | Apr 17, 2024 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living, Spiritual Growth

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