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 the Questions Jesus Asks

by | Jun 29, 2022 | Daily Prayer, Scripture

A Prayer about the Questions Jesus Asks

Where have you come from, and where are you going? Genesis 16:8

Pursuing God

Thank you for chasing after us when we try to run away.

Like Hagar in the wilderness,

we can run ourselves into the ground,

but you seek us,

and you draw us out of our hiding,

asking questions we really need to hear:

Where have you come from?

Where are you going?

Or, as you asked Adam and Eve

when they “hid” from you after eating the fruit,

Where are you?

You don’t ask these questions

because you don’t know the answers.

You don’t ask these questions

because you want to trap us.

You ask them

to invite us to see where we are,

to see where we’ve been,

to see where we’re headed without you.

But you also ask them

to reveal the most important thing

we need to know—

where you are (right here with us),

and who you are:

“The God Who Hears,

The God Who Sees,”

the God who looks after us (Genesis 16:13).

May we listen to your questions,

letting them draw us

to your loving and forgiving presence.

In the name of our Savior,

Immanuel (“God-with-us”), we pray. Amen.

Read Genesis 16:1-16.

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.

A Prayer about the Miracle of Life

by | Jun 27, 2022 | Daily Prayer, Parenting, Theology

A Prayer about the Miracle of Life

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. Psalm 139:13

Lord and Giver of Life,

As the grandparents of one baby born in February,

and two more to be born in the fall,

We’re more blown away than ever at the miracle of life.

As we have all become privy to the wonders of 3D ultrasounds

which take us into the womb to ooh and ahh

at the tiny little fingers,

the cute snub nose,

the long skinny legs,

of a 20-week-old life,

may we pause to consider

how wonderfully worked are your masterpieces,

the precious lives you have formed.

Lord, even as we marvel at the miracle of pregnancy,

may we serve every mother and every child,

finding ways to support them

in work and nutrition and childcare and healthcare,

that every child may grow to know

that they are created and redeemed by you.

In Jesus’ child-loving name. Amen.

Read Psalm 139:13-16.

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.