A Prayer about the Gift of Prayer

by | Jan 17, 2023 | Daily Prayer, Prayer

A Prayer about the Gift of Prayer

Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.  James 5:13

 Good, Good Father,

May we grasp how precious is the gift of prayer.

Whether we are in trouble or triumph, 

we can cry out to you, with tears or with joy. 

We don’t have to come up with 

highfalutin sounding words. 

In fact, you have given us all the words 

we need to pray. 

When we can’t come up with the words, 

all we have to do is open your Word. 

If we’re feeling sad, there’s: 

“Why are you cast down, 

O my soul, 

and why are you in turmoil 

within me? 

Hope in God, 

for I shall again praise him, 

My salvation and my God” (Psalm 42:5). 

If we’re feeling delight, 

we shout, 

“Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; 

let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation” (Psalm 95:1). 

And when we’re just too numb or confused to pray, 

we have the assurance 

that the Spirit is groaning for us 

and Jesus is interceding for us (Romans 8:26-27; Hebrews 7:25). 

Thank you, Lord, 

for the sweet communion of prayer.

Amen. 

Read James 5:13; Psalm 42; Psalm 95. 

A Prayer about Knowing What is Right

by | Jan 16, 2023 | Daily Prayer, Prayer, Scripture

A Prayer about Knowing What is Right

He leads the humble in what is right and teaches the humble his way. Psalm 25:9

Heavenly Father,

Sometimes we feel so confused about what is right. 

Direct us to your Word, 

where you make some things very clear:

You are right: 

“Good and upright is the Lord; 

therefore he instructs sinners in the way” (Psalm 25:8).

You are right to say we are sinners; 

you are right to instruct us in the way.

While we don’t deserve it, 

you have shown us 

“steadfast love and faithfulness,” 

You have kept your 

“covenant and [your] decrees” (Psalm 25:10).

You have pardoned our great guilt (Psalm 25:10).

—our incessant drive to do things our own way.

Indeed, Lord, humble us. 

Teach us your way. 

Lead us in your “integrity and uprightness” 

in all we say and do, 

in all we write and post.

In the name of our humble Savior. Amen. 

Read Psalm 25.

A Prayer about Not Panicking

by | Jan 14, 2023 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living, Prayer, Suffering

A Prayer about Not Panicking

Don’t panic. I’m with you. There’s no need to fear for I’m your God. I’ll give you strength. I’ll help you. I’ll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you. Isaiah 41:10

Strong-gripped Father,

Thank you for holding us firmly 

when we’re frightened.

I’ve been re-listening to Prince Caspian, 

and I love the scene where Aslan says to Susan, 

“You’ve been listening to your fears again. 

Come here, let me breathe on you.”

Boy do we know that feeling of listening 

to our fears. 

When we listen to our fears,

we might get grumpy and mean like Susan was to Lucy. 

When we listen to our fears, 

we will struggle to see you in all of your might and majesty, 

just as Susan couldn’t see Aslan 

when Lucy insisted Aslan was there. 

When we listen to our fears, 

we might tremble and shake in panic. 

And yet, all along, 

you are holding us and helping us, 

keeping us steady and sure. 

Today, whether we fear 

abandonment of a friend 

or anger of a boss 

or abuse of a spouse, 

may we turn to you and trust in you 

and find you to be our unshakeable comfort and guide. 

In Jesus’ strong name. Amen.

Read Isaiah 41:10; Isaiah 43:1-7. 

A Prayer about Radical Transformation

by | Nov 24, 2022 | Daily Prayer, kingdom living, Prayer

A Prayer about Radical Transformation

But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison. Acts 8:3

Merciful God,

How good it is to read straight through the Bible 

because we return to radical redemption stories 

we might otherwise forget. 

This past week my reading took me back to this short paragraph 

about the persecution of the early church 

by a “Pharisee of Pharisees” 

who would soon become the apostle Paul, 

the man who wrote much of the New Testament. 

Show us through the true story of a man like Paul 

just how revolutionary the change in us, 

the change in others is, 

through the work of your Holy Spirit. 

A murderer becomes a missionary.

An addict becomes your adorer.

A grump becomes a gracious grandpa.

A sourpuss becomes a sweet servant.

Transforming Lord, 

give us a glimpse of what we might have become 

if we were not united with Christ 

so that we might have hope 

for those we might otherwise dismiss as hopeless. 

Show us the “Sauls” in our lives, 

that we may pray for them, 

that we may go to them, 

that they might have a life-changing encounter 

with Jesus. 

And while you’re at it, 

would you please give us a glimpse of the glory 

that awaits us 

when we see Jesus face to face 

and are truly made like him?

In Jesus’ transforming name. Amen.

Read Acts 8:1-3; Acts 9:1-31.

 

A Prayer about the Savior Who Prays for Us

by | Oct 22, 2022 | Daily Prayer, Prayer

A Prayer about the Savior Who Prays 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

Heavenly Father,

We admit, we don’t often think about what Christ is doing right now, 

seated on the throne next to you, 

interceding for us. 

We don’t use the word “intercession” very often, 

so we’re not fully sure what it means, 

but pastor Dane Ortlund helps us here, 

comparing it to when a parent intercedes on behalf of a child to a teacher*. 

But then we wonder, 

if Jesus has to intercede for us to you, 

does that mean you’re not fully satisfied 

with the atoning work of the cross? 

Again, Ortlund helps us here, 

reminding us that your “deepest delight 

is to say yes to the Son’s pleading on our behalf.”*

What good news it is 

to know that our Savior intercedes for us—

when we doubt that you love us 

because we keep repeating a sinful habit, 

we hear that Jesus “is able to save to the uttermost” — 

completely, fully, forever. 

When we’ve done it again,

Jesus is interceding for us, 

“[turning your] eyes to his own righteousness.”** 

When we forget to pray, 

Jesus is always, 

every moment, 

praying for us. 

May this incredibly good news 

send us to our knees in gratitude, in hope, in love.

In Jesus’ ever-praying name. Amen. 

 

This entire prayer was inspired and informed by Chapter 8 of Dane Ortlund’s book Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers.

*Dane Ortlund, Gentle and Lowly, 79.

**John Calvin, in Gentle and Lowly, 83.

 

A Prayer about When God Seems Silent

by | Oct 18, 2022 | Daily Prayer, Grief, Prayer, Suffering

A Prayer about When God Seems Silent

To you, O Lord, I call; my rock, do not be deaf to me, For if you are silent to me, I will become like those who go down to the pit. Psalm 28:1

Merciful God,

We beg you, do not be silent. 

Hear our prayers, 

and speak your gracious response. 

We confess, at times, 

we feel we have prayed and prayed and prayed, 

maybe about a loved one’s illness or our own, 

about the need for a job, 

or about the longing for a spouse or a child or a loved one’s salvation, 

and we think we’re listening, 

but we hear nothing. 

We urge you, 

“Hear the voice of our pleas for mercy, 

when we cry to you for help, 

when we lift our hands 

toward your most holy sanctuary” (Ps. 28:2). 

Lord, thank you for the thousands of words 

you’ve given us in your Word 

that answer us 

when we can’t hear the answer in our lives. 

Your Word gives voice to our lament. 

Your Word reminds us 

that you are always “the strength of your people…

the saving refuge of your anointed.” 

Because of your Word become flesh, 

our Savior Jesus, 

we have heard an answer to all of our prayers, 

“It is finished” (John 19:30). 

You have taken us for your own, 

and one day, we will be with you, 

and our desperate need for an answer 

will slip away in the sound of your welcoming voice.

In Jesus’ hope-giving name. Amen.

Read Psalm 28. 

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