A Prayer about Spiritual Battles

by | Jun 10, 2022 | Daily Prayer, Spiritual Growth

A Prayer about Spiritual Battles

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. Ephesians 6:11.

Mighty God,

As I’ve been dealing with some work snafus lately

that have me in a snitch,

I’ve realized this could be spiritual attack.

I pray for myself and for all my fellow prayer warriors

who are facing a battle with the “cosmic powers”

and the “spiritual forces of evil” (Ephesians 6:12).

Help us, Lord,

to battle in your strength

against these forces,

because you have provided a full set of armor,

and because we’re too weak and frail to fight it in our own strength.

Your belt of truth holds us secure;

your breastplate of righteousness defends against false accusations;

your gospel shoes give us the peace of your shalom;

your shield of faith catches flaming lies;

your helmet of salvation keeps us safe forevermore;

your Spirit’s sword, your Holy Word, steadies us in true truth;

and last but definitely not least,

the prayers of the saints keep us upright.

Lord, strengthen us

that we may continue to share the good news

of our only hope:

Jesus’ conquering name. Amen.

Read Ephesians 6:10-20.

A Prayer about the Occupied Throne

by | Jun 10, 2022 | Daily Prayer, kingdom living

A Prayer about the Occupied Throne

Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” Revelation 5:13

Lord Our Heavenly King,

We confess,

we’ve never seen a throne in real life,

and sometimes it’s hard to understand

what it means that you’re sitting

on the throne of heaven,

right this very minute.

Show us, we pray,

that we might see you as our glorious King

even as we wait for the day

we will gather before your throne in person.

Because you are on the throne,

we can wait for that day confidently,

knowing that the day of judgment is coming

for evil rulers who seem to be winning over the world

with their corrupt power.

Because you are on the throne,

we can wait peacefully,

knowing that our King is seated on the throne,

not pacing the floor wringing his hands in worry

about the wretched state of the cosmos.

Because you are on the throne, we can wait gratefully,

seeing the King who suffered for us to make us his people.

Because you are on the throne, we can wait worshipfully,

bowing with all the saints of heaven

before your occupied throne,

singing the praise of our benevolent King.

In Jesus’ just and merciful name we pray.

Amen.

Read Revelation 4-5.

A Prayer about Hope that Doesn’t Shame Us

by | Jun 9, 2022 | Daily Prayer, Suffering

A Prayer about Hope that Doesn’t Shame Us

And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Romans 5:5

Father God,

What a kind promise:

Hope does not put us to shame…

Many of us have known the shame 

of hoping for things on this earth—

hoping that our parents would get back together, 

hoping that our wandering child would return to you, 

hoping that we’d get that good job—

all good things to hope for, 

and yet we’ve felt shame about those hopes disappointed.

You dare us to hope again, 

promising that your love has been “poured into our hearts” (Romans 5:5).

Because of that love, even if our earthly hopes are disappointed, 

our hopes for the future are secure. 

One day, Jesus will return. 

One day, you will wipe away tears shed on this earth.

 One day, you welcome us warmly to your new heavens and new earth, 

where all hopes are fulfilled in your glorious kingdom. 

We can hardly wait for that day.

In Jesus’ hope-giving name we pray. Amen. 

Read Romans 5:5; Revelation 21:1-5. 

A Prayer about Not Trusting in Our Own Righteousness

by | Jun 8, 2022 | Daily Prayer, kingdom living

A Prayer about Not Trusting in Our Own Righteousness

He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt….Luke 18:9

Merciful God,

Lord, open our hearts and show us any ways 

we “trust in ourselves,” 

any ways we think we are “righteous”—

thoughts like, “I’m a pretty good person,” 

or “I went to church five times this month,” 

or “I gave a lot of money to that homeless ministry.” 

Open our hearts to show us 

any ways we “treat others with contempt” — 

things like, “I can’t believe she wore that to church,” 

or  “What a jerk to cheat on his taxes!” 

or “I’m glad I never have committed any of the big sins like so-and-so.”

Lord, you have made it clear—

We must come to you with bottomless humility, 

a deep awareness of we can do nothing “good” without you.

Show us our sin, large and small, 

and send us to our knees, 

begging your forgiveness, 

grateful for your mercy. 

In your humble and exalted name. Amen. 

Read Luke 18:9-14.

A Prayer about Not Wavering in Worry

by | Jun 7, 2022 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living

A Prayer about Not Wavering in Worry

Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. Psalm 125:1

Lord,

We want to be like Mount Zion, like Mount Rainier, like Mount Everest, 

our faith and hope so firmly planted 

in your grace, goodness, and generosity 

that we never even tremble when uncertainty comes.

The reality is that we worry about little and large things, 

what-if’s we can’t control: 

what if the plane is delayed and I miss my flight, 

what if my child doesn’t love Jesus, 

what if it’s cancer? 

Help us, by your Spirit, 

to fix our hopes on Jesus, 

who is always in the business of redeeming and restoring. 

Remind us — it is true: 

“As the mountains surround Jerusalem, 

so you surround your people….” (Psalm 125:2)

Like a hen with its brood safely hidden under its wings, 

we are safely ensconced in your perfect love. 

Remind us — it is true: “from this time forth and forevermore….” 

You are not just holding and helping us 

today or in this one moment, 

you are holding and helping us 

every day in every moment.

Thank you for this unshakable hope.

In the name of our faithful Savior, Jesus Christ, we pray. 

Amen.

Read Psalm 125.