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A Prayer about Really Knowing God

by | Apr 18, 2023 | Daily Prayer, Scripture, Theology

A Prayer about Really Knowing God

Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me… Jeremiah 9:23-24

Gracious God, 

May we learn to boast in the wild reality

that by your grace 

we do have the understanding to know you.

 

What indeed must we know about you?

It is true, 

we need to know about you, 

that you are  

all-knowing, 

all-holy, 

all-powerful, 

all-loving, etc.

 

But we also need to know you, personally. 

Theologian J.I. Packer taught us how we could know you personally in his book, Knowing God. 

He explained that 

if we were to meet the Queen of England or the President of the United States,

they would have to be willing to be known by us 

in order for us to get to know them. 

If they didn’t share much about themselves, 

we wouldn’t feel we had the right to complain. 

But you, oh gracious God, 

you initiate the conversation, 

you “start at once to take us into your confidence, 

and tell us frankly what is in your mind 

on matters of common concern…

you invite us to join you 

in particular undertakings you have planned, 

and ask us to make ourselves permanently available 

for this kind of collaboration when you need us….”*

 

When we think of it this way, kind Lord, 

how we see your grace, 

how we see your love.

 

We can know you 

because you have allowed us 

and invited us

to know you. 

We can know you by meditating on your Word, 

not just reading it and studying it, 

although those are good things, 

but by engaging our imaginations and intellect.

 

We can know you 

by asking Jesus, 

you-in-the-flesh, 

to help us know you. 

Through him we see 

that knowing you is 

like knowing a good Father, 

like “a wife knowing her husband, 

a subject knowing his king 

and a sheep knowing its shepherd”*

 

Lord, slow us down 

that we might spend time getting to know you, 

That we might discover one of the 

most life-changing truths ever, 

which we will pray about tomorrow: 

you have known us. 

In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Read Jeremiah 9:23-24; 1 John 2:1-11; John 17:3; Psalm 100:3

*This prayer inspired by reading the introduction to J.I. Packer’s great book, Knowing God. Quotes from pages 36-37.

A Prayer about the Mission of Jesus

by | Mar 9, 2023 | Daily Prayer, Lent, Theology

A Prayer about the Mission of Jesus

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor…Isaiah 61:1

Lord Jesus,

Dazzle us again with this strange but good news:

You weren’t just a man who decided to go about preaching. 

You were “anointed,” set apart for a special mission, 

designated to be a different kind of king. 

You weren’t anointed 

by the board of your church or by a seminary. 

You were set apart for this mission 

by the other two members of the Holy Trinity: 

the Holy Spirit and the Holy God. 

Together, in trinitarian agreement, 

since the foundation of the world, 

you all planned this special mission:

You would come, as the only God-in-flesh, 

not to the rich and the rulers, 

but to the poor, the afflicted, and the broken-hearted. 

And you would bring “good news.” 

We are grateful for your mission 

and grateful to be the people for whom you came.

In your anointed name. Amen. 

Dear friends, stay tuned. Tomorrow, we’ll pray more about Isaiah 61 and that good news. 

A Prayer about God’s Covenant of Peace

by | Feb 12, 2023 | Daily Prayer, gratitude, Spiritual Growth, Theology, worship, gratitude

A Prayer about God’s Covenant of Peace

For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you… Isaiah 54:8-9

Promise-keeping Father,

In this world so set on strife, 

what a profound promise this is:

Even where there is utter chaos on this earth, 

your steadfast love shall never leave us, 

your “covenant of peace shall not be removed” (Isaiah 54:10).

We don’t use the word covenant 

often in our everyday conversations, 

but we should use it more 

when we think about you. 

Your covenant is 

your 

unwavering, 

unbreakable, 

undivided, 

unimaginable, 

and undeserved 

commitment 

to love us and deliver us 

from our worst selves, 

to give us peace with you 

and peace with one another. 

Why would you make such a covenant with us? 

The Bible is clear—

it’s not because we were so numerous 

or powerful 

or special—

it’s because of 

your steadfast love 

and your compassion. 

We thank you 

for keeping your promises to us. 

May we joyfully serve you 

in gratitude for your grace.

In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

Read Isaiah 54:8-10; Deuteronomy 7:6-11.

A Prayer about the Lord’s Discipline

by | Feb 2, 2023 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living, Theology

A Prayer about the Lord’s Discipline

Do not despise the Lord’s instruction, my son, and do not loathe his discipline; for the Lord disciplines the one he loves, just as a father disciplines the son in whom he delights. (Proverbs 3:11-12)

Heavenly Father,

Although your discipline, 

your correction, 

your reproof 

may seem painful at the time, 

help us to receive it as the tender and kind strength 

of a good Father who deeply loves his children. 

Remind us of the truth misapplied by Eliphaz—

“For he wounds, but he binds up; 

He shatters, but his hands heal” (Job 5:11-12). 

Remind us that while earthly fathers 

may discipline poorly and for a short time, 

you discipline us “for our good, 

that we may share his holiness.” 

Help us to wait for the day 

your discipline will “yield 

the peaceful fruit of righteousness 

to those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:10-11). 

Most of all, remind us that while you discipline us, 

you are not punishing us, 

for you have already punished Jesus, 

our Savior, 

on the cross 

for every sin 

we would ever commit: 

“Consider him who endured from sinners 

such hostility against himself, 

so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted” (Hebrews 12:3).

In Jesus’ enduring name. Amen.

Read Proverbs 3:11-12; Hebrews 12:1-11.

A Prayer about God’s Wonderful Plan

by | Dec 2, 2022 | Advent, Christmas, Daily Prayer, gratitude, Seasons & Holidays, Theology, worship, gratitude

A Prayer about God’s Wonderful Plan

The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.” Luke 1:35 (NLT)

Holy, Majestic, Wondrous God,

No matter how many times I read 

the angel Gabriel’s “explanation” to Mary

 about how she will become pregnant 

with the Son of God, 

I’m baffled every time.

Who else but you 

would think of such a plan? 

What god but you, the Creator of the cosmos,

could actually execute it? 

What god but you, the Merciful Lord, 

would pay such a high price

to save a wayward people?

Yet, because you did,

the Holy Spirit “overshadowed” Mary, 

and she gave birth to Jesus, our Savior, 

so that one day, we could be born all over again, 

as completely new creation, in Christ. 

Only you, our glorious, covenantal, steadfastly loving God 

would and could accomplish such a thing!

May we spend this advent season 

marveling at the many ways you give birth to new things—

Especially new love for you and new love for others.

In Jesus’ saving name.

Amen.

Read Luke 1:26-35.

Get Elizabeth’s Advent devotional for free here: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/34no8c805q.

A Prayer about Really “Getting” God’s Love

by | Nov 16, 2022 | body, Daily Prayer, Joy, Theology

A Prayer about Really “Getting” God’s Love

That you being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints the breadth and length and height and depth…Eph. 3:18

Heavenly Father, 

We confess, we just don’t fully get your love. 

We’ve never seen anything like it on this earth, 

unless we could imagine that the ocean, 

seemingly infinite in depth and length and width and height, 

was full of your love. 

You are love, 

and you can never be not-loving. 

We struggle to understand your love—

like a four-year-old learning to read, 

we might be able to make out some of the characters 

and even a word here or there, 

but a whole sentence or paragraph 

is more than we can handle. 

And yet, you have made a way for us 

to taste the sweetness of your love—

by the power of your Holy Spirit, 

you work in our “inner being,” 

and you tell us, “I love you.” 

You show us through story after story after story 

of your grace—

“My sinless Son died  for you….” 

“My sinless Son died for you….” 

Yes, while you were still a sinner (Romans 5:8). 

Yes, even though you still struggle with sin (Rom. 7:23-25). 

You belong to me, 

and I love you. 

I loved you from before the foundation of the world, 

and I will love you throughout eternity. 

Oh dear Father, 

give us the faith to ground ourselves in this love 

that we might love others 

as you have loved us. 

In Jesus’ eternally loving name. Amen. 

Read Ephesians 3:14-21.