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A Prayer about the Wisdom We So Desperately Need

by | Jun 30, 2022 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living

A Prayer about the Wisdom We So Desperately Need

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
    and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. Proverbs 9:10

Awesome God,

In this confusing and chaotic world,

how desperatelywe need your wisdom.

Parents need your wisdom to know how to

help their children stay safe and on a wise path;

adult children need your wisdom to know how to

talk to their parents about letting go of the car keys;

bosses need your wisdom to know how to

steward their employees’ gifts,

and on and on…

Whoever we are,

whatever our situation,

we need your wisdom,

whether we realize it or not.

May we first realize that it is your wisdom we need,

and then may we turn to you to find it.

When we “fear” you,

that is live in awe of you,

live in gratitude of you,

live seeking your Word,

live listening to pastors and ministry leaders and wiser friends,

you promise,

we will grow in your wisdom.

It is indeed through you,

as Eugene Peterson puts it,

that [our] life deepens,

and the years of [our] life ripen.

May we “live wisely”

so that “wisdom will permeate [our] lives.” (Proverbs 9: 11, The MSG).

Read Proverbs 9. 

A Prayer about Avoiding Foolish Controversy

by | Jun 26, 2022 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living, Leadership

A Prayer about Avoiding Foolish Controversy

Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. 2 Timothy 2:23

Gracious and Wise God,

Give us the wisdom

the apostle Paul urged young Timothy to have.

May we “run away from infantile indulgence” (2 Tim. 2:22,The MSG)

by refusing to engage in inane arguments

with unbelievers and false teachers.

May we “pursue righteousness,

faith,

love,

and peace”

by grounding ourselves in your Word

and in the fellowship of the Church,

by praying that your Spirit would transform us

from people quick to quarrel

to people patient and peaceable.

May we become the types of servants

who avoid foolish discussions,

instead focusing on

being “kind to everyone,

able to teach,

patiently enduring evil,

correcting opponents with gentleness” (2 Timothy 2:24-25).

May we pray for false teachers

and destructive leaders,

any who would lead others astray,

asking you to “grant them repentance,

leading [them] to the knowledge of the truth….

[that] they may come to their senses

and escape the snare of the devil,

after being captured by him to do his will.”

In Jesus’ truthful name. Amen.

Read 2 Timothy 2:22-26.   

A Prayer about the Best Father for Father’s Day

by | Jun 19, 2022 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living

A Prayer about the Best Father for Father’s Day

But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. Luke 15:20

Good and Faithful Father,

On this day

when some celebrate their earthly fathers

while some grieve fathers who’ve left this earth

and others long for the presence of a good father,

we thank you that you are a better father even

than this waiting father

in the story of the lost sons (Luke 15:11-32).

You have run to us through your Son;

you have embraced us by his death for our sins;

you have robed us in Christ’s righteousness;

you have kissed us and welcomed us home

because of your extravagant grace.

On this Father’s Day on earth,

let us remember that for those who belong to you,

every day is Father’s Day,

every day is a day to praise and thank you,

our good and glorious Father.

In your precious Son’s name. Amen.

Read Luke 15:11-32.

A Prayer about the Grace in Which We Stand

by | Jun 12, 2022 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living

A Prayer about the Grace in Which We Stand

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Romans 5:1-2.

Lord Jesus Christ,

What peace and hope and joy we have

when we trust in you for our salvation.

In you, we have “obtained access,”

that is, gained entrance into secure relationship with God.

It’s like the Queen of England has an open door policy

inviting us into her state room.

But it’s even better than that.

Not only are we given an audience with the Queen,

she welcomes us with delight,

like familiar family she really loves.

We don’t wobble in your grace

as though we’re about to fall out of it;

we stand in it.

We are held secure in your grace,

which will not let us go.

We stand tall and strong like mighty oaks,

Unmoved by difficult circumstances.

Not only that, in this grace we rejoice, even boast.

We are so confident in your grace

that we want to shout it out like thrilled fans at a football game.

Our sure hope for today and for the coming years

is that the glory of God will be known throughout all the earth.

Our joy comes in knowing

that we get to play a bit part in the story of your glory.

In your justifying name. Amen.

Read Romans 4:13-5:2.

A Prayer about Not Wavering in Worry

by | Jun 7, 2022 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living

A Prayer about Not Wavering in Worry

Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. Psalm 125:1

Lord,

We want to be like Mount Zion, like Mount Rainier, like Mount Everest, 

our faith and hope so firmly planted 

in your grace, goodness, and generosity 

that we never even tremble when uncertainty comes.

The reality is that we worry about little and large things, 

what-if’s we can’t control: 

what if the plane is delayed and I miss my flight, 

what if my child doesn’t love Jesus, 

what if it’s cancer? 

Help us, by your Spirit, 

to fix our hopes on Jesus, 

who is always in the business of redeeming and restoring. 

Remind us — it is true: 

“As the mountains surround Jerusalem, 

so you surround your people….” (Psalm 125:2)

Like a hen with its brood safely hidden under its wings, 

we are safely ensconced in your perfect love. 

Remind us — it is true: “from this time forth and forevermore….” 

You are not just holding and helping us 

today or in this one moment, 

you are holding and helping us 

every day in every moment.

Thank you for this unshakable hope.

In the name of our faithful Savior, Jesus Christ, we pray. 

Amen.

Read Psalm 125. 

A Prayer about the Best Heart Transplant

by | Jun 4, 2022 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living

A Prayer about the Best Heart Transplant

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:26.

Lord God,

I’ve always been fascinated with the strange prophecies of Ezekiel. 

I love the part where you tell him to breathe into the dry bones, 

and “there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, 

and the bones came together, bone to its bone.

”Then you tell Ezekiel to breathe some more, 

and all of these skeletons are covered with flesh  (Ezekiel 37:7-10). 

It is vivid picture of the new life you give us in Jesus Christ. 

We were walking skeletons in our sin (Ephesians 2:1), 

but you raised us to new life. 

Not only that, you gave us a heart transplant, 

so that we would be your people, and you would be our God.

Fill our imaginations, Lord. 

Help us to see our new hearts 

learning to pump out the lifeblood of love. 

Send us as your grace-plump, enfleshed people, 

into a hurting world that desperately needs new hearts.

In Jesus’ life-giving name. Amen.

Read Ezekiel 36:22-38; 37:1-14.