Living Story Blog
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A Prayer about Suffering with the Savior
Comforting Father, As this year draws to a close, I know many who, like me, look forward to a new year, hoping that it will soften the harsh edges of last year’s grief, looking forward to new joys. May it be so. And yet, as we consider the words of Simeon to...
A Prayer about Jesus’ Tears
Generous Father, Even though the day most people exchange gifts has come and gone, or maybe especially because that day has come and gone, it’s a good time to contemplate this baby in the manger. Many of us love the Christmas lullaby “Away in a Manger,” but I...
6 Ways to Cope with Grief during the Holidays
Dear Friends, As we enter Thanksgiving week of 2021, the first after my mother’s death, I feel a little like I’m in a hotel room groping in the dark to find the light switch. The terrain is unfamiliar, and I’ve already bumped into the desk a few times. Whether you...
A Prayer about Feeling Lonely during the Holidays
Very-Near Lord, There’s nothing like the holidays to make those who are grieving feel a little lonely and forsaken. People may be mingling in our home, and yet we feel more deserted than a mall on Christmas morning. Or, we may be truly alone, because we can’t...
A Prayer of Thanksgiving for Helpers
Lord Jesus, Thank you for all of the helpers you give us in this life: For friends who listen carefully but don’t rush to quick fixes or easy answers when we are struggling, For medical personnel who have trained for years to heal all sorts of illness and injury,...
A Prayer for When Someone Harms Us
Father God, It’s hard to know how to react when someone deliberately harms, betrays, or abuses us. Thank you for reminding us through the story of Joseph, whose story foreshadows the true story of our Savior, that even brutal betrayal by loved ones can be...
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Daily Prayers
A Prayer about Flourishing in Old Age
Do you want to bear fruit in old age? They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green….Psalm 92:14 Everlasting God, We live in a world that urges us to fight aging, We live in a world that promises us eternal youth, if we will only apply this...
A Prayer about Praying in Stories of Suffering
Why should we pray in stories of suffering? She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. Luke 2:36 Answering God, How we thank you for the story of Anna, the 84-year-old widow who had known deep suffering. In her world,...
A Prayer about How to Spend Our Last Forty Days
Friends, today we continue yesterday’s meditation on how we would spend our days if we knew we had only forty left. Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. James 4:14, ESV ...
A Prayer about Living like We’re Dying
What would you do if you knew you had 40 days to live? So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12 Heavenly Father, In the novel I just read, a professor gives her college English students a short essay question: “What would you do...
A Prayer about Honoring the Aging
How do we honor our aging? The glory of the young is their strength; the gray hair of experience is the splendor of the old. Proverbs 20:29 Everlasting Father, In a world that often marginalizes or mocks the elderly, transform us into people who honor and value the...
A Prayer about Our Worst Fears
Where do you go with your worst fears? Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. Isaiah 43:1 Redeeming Lord, We come to you today bringing our very worst fears: Fears of a terrible diagnosis, Fears of a terrorist attack, Fears of a...