fbpx

A Prayer about Doing the Lowly Things

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

A Prayer about Doing the Lowly Things

If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.

John 13:14

Lord Jesus,

You know not many of us in Western culture 

understand about washing feet. 

Most of us wear shoes and take showers regularly. 

Help us to see you 

performing the act of the lowliest servant, 

kneeling before your disciples, 

taking their dirty, dusty feet into your hands, 

and wiping them gently with a clean towel. 

Help us to understand the relief you gave them, 

the cleansing they felt. 

Help us to understand 

and obey your call to “wash one another’s feet.” 

May we not avoid the most undesirable tasks; 

may we instead seek to serve one another 

by doing the hard things, 

whether it’s changing out dirty diapers, 

handing out food to the homeless, 

or working out math problems with an angry teenager.

Show us today and every day

what it means to follow your command 

to serve this world wherever you call us. 

Read John 13:1-20.



 

A Prayer about Being Betrayed

by | Mar 16, 2024 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living, Spiritual Growth

A Prayer about Being Betrayed

And as they were eating, he said, ‘Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.’ Matthew 26:21

Faithful Lord,

Being betrayed makes our hearts sick. 

When someone we confided in, believed in, trusted in—

a friend, a spouse, a co-worker, a sibling, 

turns on us, 

we want to make like a turtle 

and pull our head and our heart into a hard shell. 

We ache to think of how you were betrayed 

by your disciples—

Judas, who sold you out; 

Peter, who denied ever knowing you; 

and probably most of the others too. 

We are amazed that you submitted to such betrayal, 

and you did so for us, 

we who have betrayed you. 

Lord, may the true story 

of your betrayal on our behalf 

radically transform us. 

Make us willing to risk again, 

to poke our heads and hearts out of that shell, 

that we might live and love as you have led us to do. 

In your faithful name. Amen.

Matthew 26:20-25; 30-35.



 

A Prayer about Dying to Bear Fruit

by | Mar 14, 2024 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living, Spiritual Growth

A Prayer about Dying to Bear Fruit

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

John 12:24-25

Lord Jesus,

I’m not much of a gardener, 

but I do know that you begin by burying a seed in dirt, 

and then, if all goes well,

a few days or weeks later, 

something green starts to poke out of that dirt. 

I also know that if properly nurtured, 

that green poke 

will turn into a stalk 

and eventually bear the fruit 

of a cherry tomato 

or a mammoth sunflower 

or a juicy piece of corn. 

As we approach the days 

when we celebrate your death and resurrection, 

may we remember our calling 

to be buried with you 

that we might rise with you. 

May we learn to let go of the things 

we think are so precious and necessary in our daily lives 

in order to discover 

the precious and necessary life you have for us, 

a flourishing life of bearing fruit, 

an eternal life of joy and glory. 

In your fruit-bearing name. Amen. 

Read John 12:20-26.



 

A Prayer about Loving God and Loving Others

by | Mar 13, 2024 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living, Spiritual Growth

A Prayer about Loving God and Loving Others

‘And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

Mark 12:30-31

Triune God,

In a day when hatred seems more common than love, 

when mocking seems more common than meekness, 

when taking offense seems more common than taking up our cross, 

we confess, the greatest commandment seems impossible. 

And yet, you have not only called us to love you 

with all of our beings, our hearts, our souls, our minds, our strength, 

you have empowered us through your Spirit to do so. 

You have not only called us to love you in this way, 

but you have called us to love our neighbors 

(including strangers and enemies) 

as much as we love ourselves (which we have to admit, is a lot!)

Thank you for Jesus, who loved us, 

Your enemies, 

so much that he died 

so that we might become your friends. 

May we live and love 

out of our gratitude 

for his sacrifice 

and out of the power 

of his resurrection. 

In Jesus’ loving name. Amen.

Read Mark 12:28-34. 



 

A Prayer about a King Riding a Donkey

by | Mar 12, 2024 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living, Spiritual Growth

A Prayer about a King Riding a Donkey

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. Zechariah 9:9 

Everlasting King,

As we approach the anniversary of the day 

Jesus entered Jerusalem as a king riding on a donkey, 

give us eyes to see him and minds to comprehend this amazing vision.

The prophet Zechariah foretold this day, 

exhorting the people of Israel:

Rejoice greatly!

Shout aloud!

Why? Because their King of Hope 

was coming to make them prisoners of hope. 

The King of Hope came, 

not riding on a massive white horse 

befitting a king 

but on a young donkey, 

a humble ride for a humble ruler. 

And he has won our peace, 

our peace with God, 

and our peace with one another. 

This Easter, may we join in the chorus of rejoicing 

at our humble king, 

who would defeat death 

and make us forever his “prisoners of hope” (Zechariah 9:12). 

In Jesus’ humble name. Amen.

Read Zechariah 9:9-17



 

A Prayer about Honoring Jesus

by | Mar 11, 2024 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living, Spiritual Growth

A Prayer about Honoring Jesus

In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.

Matthew 26:12-13

Lord Jesus, 

How often we, 

like the disciples, 

have different values than yours.

They were alarmed that Mary had anointed your head 

with her expensive ointment (Matthew 26:6-7; John 12:3). 

Religious and practical, 

they called her sacrifice “a waste,” 

saying the ointment could have been sold 

and the money given to the poor (Matthew 26:8). 

(Judas was disgusted because he wanted to sell it 

and take the money for himself (John 12:6). 

You disagreed, telling the disciples, 

“she has done a beautiful thing for me” (Matthew 26:10). 

You knew you would soon die, 

and your followers’ opportunity 

to enjoy and honor you in person 

would come to an end. 

Save us, Lord, from our self-made plans to serve you. 

Draw us to your feet, to see you as Mary did, 

to know your desires as Mary did, 

and to love you “impractically” as Mary did. 

Grow our enjoyment of you, 

so that we will delight in your presence 

and focus our lives fully on you. 

In our devotion to you,

 may we show the world the good news 

of your sacrifice for us. 

In your worship-worthy name. Amen.

Read Matthew 26:6-16.