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A Prayer about Praying the Goodness of God

by | Oct 7, 2022 | Daily Prayer, worship, gratitude

A Prayer about Praying the Goodness of God

Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Psalm 100:3

Lord, you are God, 

the all-powerful, faithfully loving, 

Creator of the Cosmos. 

You made us to be your “treasured possession,” 

and honestly, that blows our minds. 

Help us to see ourselves as you do—

as your beloved people, 

wayward sheep though we are, 

brought back to you by our great Shepherd.

[Name some characteristics of God that wow you and some reasons you are glad to belong to God.]

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving, 

and his courts with praise! 

Give thanks to him; bless his name!”

Lord, we thank you and praise you for…

redeeming us from the pit, 

freeing us from sin that we thought would entangle us forever, 

for the places you have sent us to serve you — 

home, work, classroom, neighborhood, gym, soccer fields 

[Name some things you are thankful for and some places he has sent you to serve].

“For the Lord is good; 

his steadfast love endures forever, 

and his faithfulness to all generations.”

Lord, as we conclude this prayer, 

may we simply sit silently 

and ponder your goodness to us, 

your unwavering love for us, 

your faithfulness that has stretched through the generations.

[Try putting down your device and sitting in silence and remembering God’s goodness to you].

In Jesus’ redeeming name. Amen. 

Read Psalm 100.

A Prayer about Praying our Emotions

by | Oct 2, 2022 | Daily Prayer, Prayer, worship, gratitude

A Prayer about Praying our Emotions

As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. Nehemiah 1:4

God of heaven,

Thank you for how your Word 

teaches us to pray. 

I confess, I don’t know where I got the idea 

that prayer needed to be formal and stiff 

and even a little stoic, 

because the Bible is full of people (including Jesus) 

laying their emotions before you in prayer (see Psalm 22, Psalm 88, Luke 22:39-46). 

May we not merely observe Nehemiah’s prayer, 

may we enter it, 

engaging you with the cries of our heart 

for the people we pray for, 

including ourselves. 

May we sit down (stop our busy rushing here and there) 

before you, the God of heaven. 

May we weep and mourn, 

not just for five minutes but for fifty days. 

May we focus our prayers 

through fasting, 

whether giving up food or phones or shopping or TV. 

As we still ourselves before you, 

may we hear your voice speaking 

confidence and comfort over us. 

As we get rid of the things we think are essential to our lives, 

may we see you, 

the maker of heaven and earth, 

at work even now, 

bringing your heavenly kingdom to bear 

on the trouble and shame of this broken world. 

In Jesus’ compassionate name. Amen.

Read Nehemiah 1. 

A Prayer about Understanding Angels

by | Sep 25, 2022 | Daily Prayer, Scripture, worship, gratitude

A Prayer about Understanding Angels

 And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” Isaiah 6:3

Holy God,

We admit, our understanding of angels 

comes far more from cartoons and collectibles 

than from the descriptions in your Word. 

Throughout Scripture, angels appear to be 

fierce, supernatural, and otherworldly 

(the seraphim praising your name in Isaiah 6:3 have six wings!). 

Angels are your messengers 

(the word angel even means messenger) (Ex. 3; Judges 6:11-17); Luke 1:26-38) 

and your worshipers (Is. 6:3; Rev. 5:12; Rev. 1:6). 

People often tremble when they see angels, 

so we know they probably don’t look like fat-cheeked babies with fluffy wings. 

You send your angels to protect humans (Mt. 18:10) 

and to “serve those who will inherit salvation” (Heb. 1:14). 

Angels will join Jesus when he returns to establish

the new heavens and the new earth (Mt. 16:27; Mark 8:38). 

Angels do communicate your might and your mercy, 

but Jesus is far superior to the angels (Heb. 1:4). 

Lord, may we never worship angels, 

who indeed worship Christ. 

Lord, may we marvel 

that you created us different from the angels, 

in your image, 

with your glory, 

with a physical body 

that will be raised when Jesus returns.

Lord, how we look forward to worshiping you 

alongside the angels in eternity. 

In Jesus’ superior name. Amen. 

Read Hebrews 1.  

A Prayer about Drawing Near to God

by | Sep 21, 2022 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living, worship, gratitude

A Prayer about Drawing Near to God

And since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Hebrews 10:21-22

Holy and Merciful God,

It’s easy to pass right over this verse 

without meditating on how astonishing it is 

that you, the holy Creator and King of the universe, 

have called us to draw near to you. 

Like oil and water, sin and holiness don’t mix. 

Like cheap paint on a rusted out car, 

the sacrifices of goats and calves passed quickly away,

leaving the ugly framework of an evil conscience glaring in the sun.

You knew we needed not only a great high priest 

but a lasting sacrifice. 

And you sent Jesus, 

your only Son, your holy Son, 

to keep the law we could never keep. 

You allowed his blood to trickle down 

from the wounds in his nail-scarred hands, 

to wash the bodies of those who would trust in his sacrifice.

And you raised him from the dead, 

bringing him to the heavenly throne next to you,

where he now prays for us. 

It’s truly a bizarre story. 

And yet, it is the only story that calls us 

to “draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith” (Hebrews 10:22).

We are humbled and awed by your goodness to us.

In the name of our great high Priest, Jesus, 

we thank you. Amen.

Read Hebrews 9:11-14; 10:19-25.

A Prayer about Recognizing Unknown Gods

by | Sep 9, 2022 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living, worship, gratitude

A Prayer about Recognizing Unknown Gods

For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ Acts 17:23

Do you recognize the “unknown gods” of this world?

[This prayer was sparked by a sermon preached by our pastor, Joel Treick, who faithfully preaches the gospel at Pinewoods Church every week.]

Very God of Very God,

We confess, like the Greeks, we are “very religious” (Acts 17:22).

We worship many unknown gods, 

idols that we don’t even recognize as things 

to which we devote our time, our energy, our hopes and dreams:

Idols like success and security and social media, 

Idols like shopping and ice cream and Big Gulps, 

Idols like children and spouses and bosses…

Really anything that we turn to instead of Jesus 

to find the rest and fulfillment only he can give. 

Help us to see the truth, Lord, 

that these idols mock us at the end of the day, 

leaving us as “poor deluded fools feeding on ashes” (Isaiah 44:20).

Draw us to drink instead from your living water, 

to feast on the bread of life, Jesus, God-made-flesh, 

who died that we might come alive 

to our deepest desires, 

our truest of dreams—

to live in your grace and to love in your glory. 

In Jesus’ truthful name. Amen. 

Read Acts 17: 16-34.

A Prayer about Help When We’re Vulnerable

by | Jun 28, 2022 | Daily Prayer, Suffering, worship, gratitude

A Prayer about Help When We’re Vulnerable

I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1

Maker of Heaven and Earth,

Whatever makes us feel vulnerable, weak, frail:

Our jobs, our health, our finances,

our families, our relationships,

the steady stream of bad news that flits across our screens…

Send us to our knees,

send us to our Bibles,

to remember where our help comes from—

From you, our Lord, our God,

our Shepherd, our Father,

our King of Kings and Prince of Peace.

You just happen to be the Creator of all good things,

the warrior who defeated evil,

the Risen One who overcame death,

the returning One who will bring us

to live forever in your eternal city of light and love,

of healing and joy,

in the new heavens and the new earth.

Indeed, Lord, in our weakness,

we have every reason to hope,

for you keep our lives safe and secure.

In Jesus’ protecting name. Amen.

Read Psalm 121.