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A Prayer about the Wonder of Christ Praying for Us

by | Sep 17, 2023 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living, Spiritual Growth

A Prayer about the Wonder of Christ Praying for Us

Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. Hebrews 7:25

 Interceding Lord,

We are awed to think that you are our chief prayer warrior!

Scripture tells us that you are interceding on our behalf 

right now with the Father, 

presenting us as righteous in your righteousness, 

cleansed by your blood. 

If we wonder what kinds of things you pray on our behalf, 

we can look to the “high priestly prayer” in John 17, 

the prayer you prayed over all disciples 

just before you went to the cross. 

You prayed that we would have eternal life, 

and you said that eternal life consisted 

in knowing your Father as the one, true God, 

and you as the glorified Son (John 17:3). 

You prayed that we would know 

that we belong to you as your treasured bride (John 17:6; Ephesians 5:22).

You prayed that we would be protected from the evil one (John 17:15).

You prayed that we would overflow with your joy (John 17:13).

You prayed that we would be sanctified, set apart by your holiness (John 17:16-19).

You prayed that we would share our hope in you with the hurting world (John 17:18).

You prayed that we would be unified with one another by our union with you.

You prayed that we would glow with your glory in that unity (John 17:24).

You prayed that we would spill over with the love of the Father for the Son and the Father for his people, so that the world may know the kindness of the Father and the love of the Son (John 17:26).

Jesus, by your Spirit, 

we ask that you would embolden us to pray 

for others and ourselves 

as you pray for us, 

that we may live your gospel beauty 

before a watching world. 

In your praying name we ask.Amen.

Read John 17. 



A Prayer about Being a Son or Daughter of Encouragement

by | Sep 16, 2023 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living, Spiritual Growth

A Prayer about Being a Son or Daughter of Encouragement

Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement)…. Acts 4:36

Merciful God,

I confess that my nickname 

might be “daughter of critique” 

rather than “daughter of encouragement.” 

Help us, we pray, 

to be known as people who encourage, 

who praise and affirm others, 

who build others up. 

Throughout the Bible, 

we see your children 

affirming and encouraging others.*

Not only that, we see Jesus affirming others:

“You are the salt of the earth…” (Matt. 5:13).

“You are of more value than many sparrows” (Matt. 10:31).

Even a woman who is known for her sins, he praises, 

“Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet (Luke 7:44-45).

It is true, he critiques Simon, the Pharisee, 

who is judging him for allowing the sinful woman to touch him. 

We see that we are called to critique at times, 

wisely, patiently, mercifully, 

but the overwhelming pattern in Scripture 

is to encourage one another 

and build each other up” (1 Thess. 5:11).

Help us to look for the image of God in each person, 

whether they are believers or unbelievers. 

Help us to look for the image of God 

even in our enemies, 

people who have betrayed us. 

And by your Spirit, 

give us the words to praise what is praiseworthy, 

what reflects your goodness and glory, 

in everyone we meet.

In Jesus’ praising and praiseworthy name. Amen.

Read 1 Corinthians 1; Luke 7:36-50; 1 Thessalonians 5:11-15.

*This prayer inspired by the book, Practicing Affirmation: God-Centered Praise of Those Who Are Not God by Sam Crabtree. He gave these examples and many more of Jesus and others praising people.



A Prayer about Grieving an Approaching Death

by | Sep 15, 2023 | aging, dying, and death, Daily Prayer, Gospel living, Spiritual Growth

A Prayer about Grieving an Approaching Death

When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.

Psalm 94:19

Everlasting Father,

Your word calls us to “rejoice with those who rejoice 

and weep with those who weep,” 

and today, we weep with those 

who watch and wait powerlessly 

as a loved one’s death day draws near. 

To the chaos of tubes and cords 

and beeps and hums 

of dim hospital rooms, 

we ask that you would bring 

stillness and peace.

To the fear of a loved one dying alone, 

we ask that you would bring 

the hope of Jesus’ welcome.

To the disappointment of a loved one dying 

in a way we would never wish, 

we ask that you would bring 

consolations that comfort.

Even as we raise these requests to you, 

we speak our grief: 

We are weary of sickness and pain.

We are weary of death and mourning. 

We are weary of saying good-bye.

We are weary of weeping.

In our grief, we speak our longing: 

How long oh Lord, 

until you return to give us resurrected bodies, 

whole and healthy?

How long oh Lord, 

until we behold the tree of life, 

with its healing leaves dancing in the wind?

How long oh Lord, 

until we see your face, 

and the night is no more? (See Revelation 22:1-5).

In our grief, 

may we hear your sure and certain promise,

“Behold, I am coming soon” (Revelation 22:7).

Read Psalm 94; Revelation 22. 



A Prayer about Forgiving Others

by | Sep 14, 2023 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living, Spiritual Growth

A Prayer about Forgiving Others

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:21

Forgiving Lord,

Yesterday we prayed about believing in the forgiveness of sins, 

about really acknowledging the inexcusability of our own sin. 

Today, we pray about the complexity of forgiving others their sins. 

As C. S. Lewis pointed out, “Forgiving doesn’t mean excusing.”* 

So many times, we say, “But I can’t forgive that — 

they cheated me. 

They bullied me.

They abused me.” 

Exactly. 

They did something we are called to forgive. 

It is inexcusable. 

We don’t need to make excuses for what they did.**

We don’t need to say it was okay. 

We must forgive it. 

If a friend broke her promise, 

if a husband broke our hearts, 

if a boss broke our trust, 

we must forgive it. 

What does it mean to forgive? 

It is to look on their sin 

and name it for what it is, 

to pray to God 

that he will remove our resentment 

and our wish to make them pay. 

It is not necessarily to trust fully 

or to reconcile immediately 

or to restore relationship 

without the work of repentance and restoration. 

Father, you know we are utterly incapable 

of true forgiveness 

without the love and sacrifice of Christ 

working in and through us 

by your grace. 

Help us we pray 

to forgive those who sin against us. 

In the name of our forgiving Savior.

Amen

Read Romans 12: 17-21; 2 Corinthians 5:18; Colossians 3:13; Ephesians 4:32.

This prayer inspired by C.S. Lewis’s essay “On Forgiveness,” in The Weight of Glory and Other Essays

**As Lewis points out, we are also often better at making excuses for our own sin than we are for others. 



A Prayer about Forgiveness

by | Sep 13, 2023 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living, Spiritual Growth

A Prayer about Forgiveness

And forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. Matthew 6:12

Holy God,

Forgive us for our disbelief in the forgiveness of sins.

As C. S. Lewis points out, 

In the Apostles Creed, 

we say that we believe in the forgiveness of sins. 

But if we affirm this truth with our minds and our mouths, 

we must examine the way we actually live. 

And when it comes down to it, 

much of our confession of sin 

is really making a case for ourselves 

about why our sin is excusable: 

“We are so anxious to point these (excuses) out to God (and to ourselves) 

that we are apt to forget 

the really important thing; 

that is, the bit left over…

the bit which is inexcusable, 

but not, Thank God, unforgivable.”* 

As Lewis points out, 

if we don’t really believe God will forgive us our sins, 

we live in anxiety. 

What we need is “real forgiveness,” 

which looks 

“steadily at the sin, 

the sin which is left over without any excuse…

and seeing it in all its horror, dirt, meanness, and malice, 

and nevertheless being wholly reconciled 

to the man who has done it.”(135-136).

Oh, Lord, you have indeed looked at our sin 

and seen it for what it is. 

And you have sent your Son to die 

for that very same sin. 

And because we are united to him by faith, 

we are fully reconciled to you. 

This is an astonishing truth, 

seemingly too good to be true, 

and yet not too good to be real.

In the name of our Savior we pray.

Amen. 

Read Matthew 6:12; 1 John 1:9; Romans 1:18-2:1. Romans 5:6-11.

*This prayer inspired by C.S. Lewis’s essay “On Forgiveness,” in The Weight of Glory and Other Essays, 134-136.



A Prayer about Confessing Our Sins

by | Sep 12, 2023 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living, Spiritual Growth

A Prayer about Confessing Our Sins

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.  James 5:16

Forgiving Father,

I recently read Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s exhortation 

to confess our sins to a brother or sister in Christ.* 

While we don’t want to make the mistake 

of thinking that we must confess our sins to another person 

in order to be forgiven, 

and while we don’t believe that any human 

has the authority of Christ to forgive us our sins, 

we do need to recognize that confession of our sins, 

sometimes to another human being, 

is crucial to living in the “freedom for which Christ set us free” (Gal. 5:1).

Show us, Father, if we are lying to ourselves 

when we only confess sins privately to you; 

show us if we need to take a sin out of the darkness 

into the light of gracious fellowship, 

a few close friends, 

or a trusted ministry leader, 

who can remind us of the hope your Word offers

about sin, temptation, and forgiveness. 

Help us not to “conceal our transgressions” 

but to “confess” them and “forsake them” (Proverbs 28:13). 

As we confess our sins, 

may we remember and believe 

that you are “faithful and just to forgive our sins 

and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

In Jesus’ forgiving name. Amen. 

Read Galatians 5:1; Proverbs 28:13; 1 John 1:9; James 5:16. 

This prayer inspired by Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s book, Life Together.