fbpx

A Prayer about Enjoying God

by | Jul 15, 2023 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living, Joy

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

 

A Prayer about the Lord’s Right Now Delight in Us

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

A Prayer about the Lord’s Right Now Delight in Us

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.



A Prayer about Mistaking Jesus for a Ghost

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

A Prayer about Mistaking Jesus for a Ghost

But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, ‘It is a ghost!’ And they cried out in fear. Matthew 14:26

Precious Jesus,

How kind you are 

to your weary and confused disciples. 

The disciples had earlier that day 

watched as you made five loaves and two fish 

into a feast for over five thousand people. 

Now they are out on the sea, 

and a fierce storm has come up, 

and they are frightened. 

When they see you walking toward them, 

they mistake you for a ghost. 

We confess, 

we too sometimes mistake your movement toward us 

for something frightening. 

We too sometimes lose sight 

of your compassion 

and your power. 

We too sometimes forget 

that you are the one who brings hope and calm 

in the midst of mighty maelstroms. 

When we are afraid and get confused about who you are, 

give us ears to hear 

the words you spoke to your disciples, 

“Take heart; it is I.

 Do not be afraid” (Matthew 14:27). 

In your storm-calming name we ask. Amen.

Read Matthew 14:22-33. 



A Prayer about Drawing Near to Jesus

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

A Prayer about Drawing Near to Jesus

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16

King Jesus,

Yesterday, my daily prayer gang and I 

wondered at your sympathy, 

your capacity to suffer with us, 

to get inside our struggle with sin, 

even though you yourself are sinless.

Today, we pray that we would have the courage 

to draw near to your throne.

We don’t have to hunch in hiding 

like children of an unpredictable father 

who comes home drunk one day 

but is ready to play the next. 

We don’t have to cower in fear 

like children of a harsh father 

who might beat us bloody with a strap 

for our disobedience. 

You have changed all that, 

because you have died for our sins, 

taken our punishment on yourself, 

and passed through the heavens (Hebrews 4:14). 

You open your arms wide to us, 

inviting us to bring all of our sin and sorrow—

the rotten words we have spoken, 

the murderous thoughts we have entertained, 

the habitual sins we have indulged in, 

not to mention the harm inflicted on us by others’ sins. 

Whatever our suffering in this broken world, 

you are ruling over it from your throne. 

Whatever our need is, 

you welcome us to come to you, 

to lay it before you, 

and to receive your abundant mercy and grace 

as a balm to heal us and make us whole.

In your forgiving name. Amen.

Read Hebrews 4:14-16.



A Prayer about Jesus’ Sympathy for Us

by | Jul 11, 2023 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living, Spiritual Growth

A Prayer about Jesus’ Sympathy for Us

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Hebrews 4:15

 Gracious and Generous God,

How often do we pause to consider 

how a sympathetic Savior changes everything? 

As we bow before you today, 

may we grasp afresh 

the hope that is ours in our beloved Christ:

Jesus, in his sinless humanity, 

is sympathetic to our weakness.

How can this be?

In my favorite book of the year, Gentle and Lowly, Dane Ortlund 

explains it so much better than I can:
“It is in our ‘weaknesses’ that Jesus sympathizes with us.” 

[Sympathize means “to suffer with.”]

“Sympathize here is not cool and detached pity…

In our pain, Jesus is pained; 

in our suffering, 

he feels the suffering as his own 

even though it isn’t…

His is a love that cannot be held back 

when he sees his people in pain.”* 

Oh, Lord, thank you for sending 

a suffering and sympathetic Savior. 

May we cling to our suffering Savior. 

May we rest in Christ’s sympathy for us, 

even as we battle sin, 

even as we suffer in a fallen world. 

In Jesus’ sympathetic name. Amen. 

Read Hebrews 4:14-16.

*(Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers, page 46).



A Prayer about Entering God’s Rest

by | Jul 10, 2023 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living, Spiritual Growth

A Prayer about Entering God’s Rest

For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. Hebrews 4:10

Lord of the Sabbath,

May we hear and heed these words in Hebrews. 

In our busy, noisy, rushing world, 

we often ignore your invitation to rest. 

Your people long ago ignored your invitation, 

choosing instead to serve other gods 

who seemed to offer them 

what they wanted when they wanted it. 

They refused to trust in you, 

and therefore you said,

“They shall not enter my rest” (Hebrews 4:5-6). 

You have given us everything we need 

for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3), 

and all we must do is believe 

this good news, rest in it, 

and love out of it. 

Today and every day, 

may we still ourselves 

and say no to the world’s 

clanging demands 

in order to receive 

the profound rest 

you have offered us. 

May we truly cease striving 

and know that you are God (Psalm 46:10).

In the name of Jesus, who gave us rest. Amen.

Read Hebrews 4:1-13.