A Prayer Thanking God for Unanswered Prayers

A Prayer Thanking God for Unanswered Prayers

Good Father, 

I’ve been thinking a lot about prayers I prayed 

that you didn’t answer the way I wanted 

or prayers that you answered 

with those two hard words, “not yet.” 

For many of those answers, 

I am now so grateful:

Thank you for not getting me back together 

with that mean high school boyfriend,

Thank you for not letting us

get that house I wanted in my friends’ neighborhood,

Thank you for not giving me that full scholarship to college 

that seemed like a dream come true 

(because I might never have transferred to the college where I met my husband)…

[Name some “prayers answered differently” that you are thankful for].

I confess, God, there are some prayers I’ve prayed 

that are still answered “not yet” 

and prayers for which I didn’t honestly love your answer: 

The prayer that angels would protect my mother 

when she was sick with Covid.

The prayer that our children would be healthy.

[Name some “answered differently” prayers you’re not so sure about].

And yet, I cannot, I do not, doubt your love for me. 

I cannot, I do not, doubt you want the best for me. 

I do believe that you are a good Father 

who is working your best plan 

not only for my good 

but for the good of your kingdom. 

And I’m grateful to be part of that kingdom plan. 

Thank you for hearing our prayers.

In Jesus’ faithful name. Amen.

Read Matthew 6:5-15.

A Prayer about Praying for the Kingdom to Come

A Prayer about Praying for the Kingdom to Come

Heavenly Father,

Forgive us for ever mumbling this prayer by rote, 

not really thinking about what we are asking for.

The fact is, this is a radical prayer. 

It is a prayer you invite us to pray daily. 

It is a prayer for when a marriage falls apart, 

for when a global pandemic destroys our business, 

for when a house is under water after a flood. 

When we pray this prayer, 

we remember whose kingdom we’re seeking—yours. 

You are a God characterized by “holy stubbornness,” 

a “refusal to accept ruin.”* 

You are the God who repaired broken creation 

by becoming man and dying on a cross. 

Your kingdom is characterized by shalom, 

universal flourishing, “heavenly wholeness.”*

Your kingdom is the kingdom 

that opposes the kingdom of darkness. 

To pray “your kingdom come” 

is to ask Jesus to defeat the destroyer’s efforts today. 

To pray “your kingdom come” 

is to repent of our tendencies 

to create small kingdoms by placing ourselves, 

our loved ones, our work, our homes, 

or any other thing we see as ours, 

on the throne of our lives. 

Indeed, Lord, your kingdom come.

In Jesus’ coming name. Amen.

Read Matthew 6:7-15.

*Quotes from Nathan Bierma’s great book, Bringing Heaven down to Earth

A Prayer for Unspoken Prayer Requests

A Prayer for Unspoken Prayer Requests

Heavenly Father, 

Today we come to you 

on behalf of all of the people 

who have “unspoken prayer requests.” 

In our church prayer chains, 

we have no qualms about asking for prayer 

for our ailing aunt or our ongoing job search, 

but we are far more reticent 

to ask for prayer 

for our husband’s struggle with addiction, 

our daughter’s struggle with same-sex attraction, 

or our own struggle with depression. 

What’s worse, 

we don’t even know

how to pray for ourselves. 

So today, we lift up everyone 

who has a prayer request they fear to name. 

May we/they remember 

“your Father knows what you need 

even before you ask him” (Matthew 6:9). 

You are listening, you are looking, 

and when you see misery, you act (Exodus 2:23-24).

May we/they remember that your Holy Spirit 

is actively groaning with and for us (Romans 8:26). 

When we can’t put our prayer requests into words, 

the Holy Spirit joins in our groans, 

and you hear and understand. 

May we/they remember that your Son, 

our great High Priest, 

is praying for us, 

and “Therefore, he is able, 

once and forever, 

to save those who come to God through him. 

He lives forever to intercede with God 

on their behalf” (Hebrews 7:25). 

Finally, may we/they 

take heart that the church cares for us 

and bears our burdens with us, 

even the unspoken ones. 

In Jesus’ comforting name. Amen. 

Read Matthew 6:5-8; Romans 8:25-34; Hebrews 7:25; James 5:12. 

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A Prayer about the Gift of Prayer

A Prayer about the Gift of Prayer

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. 

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A Prayer about God Hearing Our Prayers

A Prayer about God Hearing Our Prayers

Loving Father,

We confess, sometimes we wonder 

if you hear our prayers. 

Thank you for giving us the words of your Word, 

other travelers voicing our questions, 

“Why, Lord, do you stand far off? 

Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” (Psalm 10:1) 

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). 

In days of doubt, 

remind us that you have not rejected our prayers 

or withheld your love from us (Psalm 66:20). 

Remind us of the many awesome deeds you have done:

You “turned the sea into dry land; 

they passed through the river on foot” (Psalm 66:6).

You have “kept our soul among the living 

and has not let our feet slip” (Psalm 66:9). 

Most of all, you allowed your Son to be forsaken 

that we might never be forsaken again (Matthew 27:46). 

Because of your great mercy, 

we join the Psalmist in singing your praise,

“But truly God has listened; 

he has attended to the voice of my prayer” (Psalm 66:19).

Read Psalm 66. 

Bible Study: Six Steps to Learning the Language

Bible Study: Six Steps to Learning the Language

Learning a new language brings freedom to travel.

Last year, our twenty-four-year old son traveled to Europe, first to Barcelona, then to France, where he participated in a music festival. Unlike me, he can navigate these foreign lands freely, because he is fluent in Spanish and highly proficient in French. Although he has a natural affinity and love for languages, his fluency is hard-fought; he trained rigorously to acquire it. One summer when he was around eleven, he decided he wanted to learn Spanish. He made a plan and set up a program for himself. He prioritized this work, setting aside around four to six hours a day (yes, he always was an unusual child!) for study. To prepare, he bought books on grammar and vocabulary; as part of the process, he made flashcards and listened to recordings. As he gained knowledge, he spent time speaking the language with his piano teacher, who is originally from Colombia. The next summer he attended an immersion program in Costa Rica and eventually began teaching adults the language. A year or so later, he followed a similar process to learn French.

Growing a passion for the language gives us more freedom in Christ.

Why, you ask, am I telling you all this? (Am I just bragging, as my son-in-law would say?). Although I do enjoy bragging on my kids, what I really want is to facilitate a passion for and proficiency in the Christian’s language, the Word of God. Now that we are citizens of Christ’s kingdom, how do we gain the freedom and joy to journey in it, to live in it? We do so by becoming more like Christ and by coming closer to Christ. One of the best ways to do that is to read and study the Word of God that tells the story of how we first became citizens and how we are to live in his land. Although studying God’s Word does not require all of the following steps, I’m going to list some that might help. Once you’ve used this process for a while, you probably won’t need to think about it; you’ll just go through it automatically. But if you’re getting started or trying to re-ignite a dwindling fire, these six P’s may help.

1. Pray

I don’t know that our son prayed about learning Spanish, but we can certainly ask God for the discipline to read and study the Bible. That’s what I call extra help!

2. Purpose

Our purpose in reading and studying the Bible is always to grow in godliness, which is to become more like Christ and to come closer to Christ.

3. Prioritize

We know this. New habits require new neurons to fire. We will have to set aside time, even make a reminder on our phone or put an appointment in our calendar if we are going to develop a healthy habit of Bible study.

4. Prepare

Just as our son gathered resources, you may need to gather some tools:

5. Plan

Whether you want to read the whole Bible over a period of time or to spend more time in-depth in a particular book of the Bible, it’s good to have a plan.

  • Think about how long it takes to read a chapter of a book, and plan how many chapters you will read a day.
  • Keep a record of which books you’ve read, so you can make sure to cover all of the Bible at some point. (For more on the question of whether you really need to read the whole Bible, see this post.)
  • For reading the whole Bible, you can find some good plans here:

6. Process

When our son sat down to study Spanish and French, he went through a process to help him learn.

Here is a suggested process for Bible study with seven steps:

1. Pray

Ask the Holy Spirit to instruct and engage your whole being with whatever you are about to read.

2. Read the passage once.

Read it aloud if you can, or listen with one of the great apps made for this purpose.

3. Read (or listen) again.

Ask, “What does this literally say?” Try to paraphrase in your own words.

4. Interpret

  • Consider the literary genre, the historical context (study Bibles and commentaries may be helpful for this).
  • Consider the story elements like character, plot, setting, metaphor, etc.: What comparisons are being made? Ask questions like “Who are the characters, and how did they respond?” “What would the original characters in the story have felt, thought?”
  • Ask, “What is the deeper meaning?”

5. Apply

Tim Challies and Josh Byers, in their book, Visual Theology Guide to the Bible, suggest considering three categories for application: “The head, the heart, and the hands.” Try these questions for each type of application:

  • The head:
    • What does the passage say about God, yourself, living the gospel, Christian doctrine?
    • How does the passage fit in with the overall story of the Bible?
  • The heart:
    • How do I feel reading this passage? Does the passage suggest certain emotional responses?
    • Is there something in this that makes me feel uncomfortable? Why?
  • The hands:
    • Ask, “How can I live this out wherever I’m going, whatever I’m doing today?
    • What does it tell/show me about loving God and loving others? Do I need to pray about something? Do I need to confess something?

Remember: The purpose of application is to connect it to your living story, how you will become more like Christ and be drawn nearer to Christ.

6. Pray

Use some of the words you read to pray back to God.

  • For example: “Lord, help me train myself for godliness” (1 Tim. 4:7).
  • “Lord, I don’t know what it means that Paul handed these guys over to Satan (1 Tim. 1: 20), but that sounds scary. Please help me to continue to grow in faith and not fall away.”
  • “God, it says you are the ‘eternal, immortal, invisible King…’ (1 Tim. 1:17). I adore you. I yield to your rule over my life.”

7. Meditate/Memorize

Write down one verse or even a phrase from your reading to meditate on or memorize during the day or over the course of a week.

That’s it! Are you ready? Go!

Practice this process once a day, five days a week, for three weeks. (If you’re a Living Story subscriber, I’ve even provided free Bible study pages to guide you).  If you do this for three weeks, chances are you’ll have a new habit for Bible study. At the very least, you’ll gain a new appreciation for the beauty of the language and the story God has given us to help us know and enjoy him. At the most, you’ll acquire proficiency in the language you need to live in the only country where true freedom exists.

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Advance Review for From Recovery to Restoration

"When the storms of life crash into our lives, the devastation left behind is often overwhelming. Recovery and healing is slow and arduous. Elizabeth Turnage's devotional is for all those laboring toward recovery. From Recovery to Restoration is a hope-filled, gospel-laced, and Christ-exalting book which invites us into God's story of redemption and helps us see how he is at work to redeem and restore all things, even the aftermath of our personal losses, heartaches, and trials."

Christina Fox

Writer, Counselor, Speaker

author of A Heart Set Free: A Journey to Hope Through the Psalms of Lament.