A Prayer about Why the Gospel Is Such Good News

by Elizabeth | Nov 11, 2023 | Daily Prayer, Gospel Coaching, Gospel living, Spiritual Growth

A Prayer about Why the Gospel Is Such Good News

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Mark 1:1

Good Father,

Our world seems to be drawn to bad news,

so much so that we can even watch it 24 hours a day

on TV, on our phones, on our tablets.

And yet, our souls truly long for good news,

and your gospel is precisely that.

The word gospel literally translates as “good news.”

This good news is “of Jesus Christ,”

meaning it belongs to Jesus the Messiah,

the King of your kingdom.

This good news is also about Jesus Christ.

It is true that it is [almost] unbelievably good news,

for the story goes that you sent your Son,

a divine King,

into the world as a human baby

born from a virgin’s womb.

But not only that, you sent your Son,

your sinless Son,

who perfectly satisfied you,

as the Savior for your sinful people,

who could never satisfy you.

Good Father, help us to grasp this truth—

we could never earn your love.

We could never pay the debt of our sin.

Nothing we have done in our lives

makes us good enough to be forgiven.

And in that is the amazingly good news:

“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin,

so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21).

Father, how we thank you for your goodness to us in Christ.

May we live in gratitude for this good news,

and may we share it with everyone we meet.

In Jesus’ good name. Amen.

Read Mark 1:1-11.

A Prayer about Knowing What Work We’re Called to Do

by Elizabeth | Oct 29, 2023 | Daily Prayer, Gospel Coaching, Work

A Prayer about Knowing What Work We’re Called to Do

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God….2 Cor. 5:20

Heavenly King,

Many of us struggle with knowing our calling

and purpose here on this earth.

We’re not sure which job we’re meant to do,

or when we should retire,

or if we’re meant to not work outside the home

at all in this season.

As we begin this “work week,”

show us that we all have a role to play

in your heavenly kingdom.

You have given us a title,

“Ambassador for Christ,”

and with it comes both privileges and responsibilities.

We are called to share the good news

of your peace treaty with others,

to implore others on behalf of Christ the King—

be reconciled to God.

We are called to protect the citizens of your country,

to point them to their safe place in Christ.

We are called to be compelling representatives of you,

the King, in this foreign country of the world.

One day, we will gather together

with all who serve and worship you

in your heavenly kingdom,

the new heavens and the new earth.

Meanwhile, we seek to do your will

in carrying out your kingdom plan.

Energize for us this work this week,

and show us where you would have us go

with your message.

In the name of Christ our King we pray. Amen.

Read 2 Corinthians 5:14-21.

A Prayer about Work, Wealth, Women, and Wisdom

by Elizabeth | Oct 15, 2023 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living, Spiritual Growth, Work

A Prayer about Work, Wealth, Women, and Wisdom

For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.

1 Kings 11:4

Author God,

May we learn from Solomon:

We remember how you,

the all-powerful King of the Universe,

actually humbled yourself to offer Solomon

anything he asked for:

“Ask what I shall give you.”

And Solomon, loving you, honoring you,

humbly asked for “an understanding mind to govern my people” (1 Kings 3:5, 9).

Solomon does show this wisdom for awhile,

and he gets busy working to build you a temple.

But then some cracks in his foundation become fissures,

and before we know it,

he has married 700 women

who lead him to worship other gods (1 Kings 11:1-8).

Lord, we want to cry out,

“How could he,”

but we know the truth,

that whether it is work or wealth or women or wine

or families or football or fashionable things—

we can take any good gift you give us

and make it into a god we worship more than you.

Merciful God,

we pray, show us the things that block us

from loving you

and following you

and serving you

and enjoying you.

Thank you for giving us rest in Jesus. May we return to him today.

In Jesus’ kingly name. Amen.

Read 1 Kings 11.

A Prayer about the Questions God Asks

by Elizabeth | Jun 29, 2023 | Daily Prayer, Gospel Coaching

A Prayer about the Questions God 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 Believing that God Is for Us

by Elizabeth | Jun 25, 2023 | Daily Prayer, Gospel Coaching

A Prayer about Believing that God Is for Us

This I know, that God is for me. Psalm 56:9

Holy and Merciful God,

I admit, as I was reading this Psalm aloud in prayer the other day,

I thought, how could David say these words so confidently:

“This I know, that God is for me.”

I thought about what a “big sinner” David was,

and I wondered at his boldness to declare,

right here in the middle of the Bible,

that God was for him.

And then your Holy Spirit quietly spoke to my heart.

Reminding me that I am certainly no less of a sinner

than the “big sinner” David.

Reminding me that you yourself called David,

“a man after God’s own heart.”

Even though you saw every one of his sins,

“big and little.”

Reminding me that we have all sinned

and fallen short of your glory (Romans 3:23).

Reminding me of the meaning of the atonement

we prayed about yesterday:

because Jesus bore the punishment for my sins on the cross,

I am now reconciled to God.

Indeed, “God is for me.”

We too, as those who have known the freedom

from our slavery to sin,

can proclaim,

loudly,

boldly,

confidently,

“This I know, God is for me.”

And even as we proclaim this truth,

we can know in all of our ongoing battles

with sin and suffering,

“If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).

What astonishingly good news!

In Jesus’ hope-giving name. Amen.

Read Psalm 56; Romans 8:31-39.

A Prayer about the Price Paid for Us

by Elizabeth | Jun 24, 2023 | Daily Prayer, Gospel Coaching

A Prayer about the Price Paid for Us

In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 1 John 4:10

Holy God, Redeeming Son, Sanctifying Spirit,

How we thank you for the precious gift

of a debt fully paid for our sins.

Help us to understand this word “propitiation,”

a word that’s hard to pronounce

and even harder to understand

in human terms.

No, Just God,

you are not a violent, abusive father

committing some sort of divine child abuse.

Rather, you are a Holy God,

justly wrathful toward sin.

You planned, in “solidarity of mutual love,”*

with the Son and the Spirit,

from the beginning of time,

for the redemption of your beloved chosen people

from our bondage to sin

through the gift of your Son.

Jesus, you willingly submitted

to being incarnated

as the fully human, fully divine,

perfectly sinless, only satisfactory

substitute for our sins.

Holy Spirit, it was only because you opened our eyes

to see our helplessness

to pay the debt of our sin

and our hope-full gift

in Christ’s sacrifice for us

that we could “repent and believe” (Mark 1:15).

Now, because of this mighty work of propitiation,

we sing our gratitude:

“Bearing shame and scoffing rude,

In my place condemned he stood;

Sealed my pardon with his blood:

Hallelujah! What a Savior!”**

In this, truly, is love!

In Jesus’ redeeming name. Amen.

Read Romans 3:21-26; Hebrews 2:17; 1 John 4:8-10; 1 John 2:1-2.

*Friends, if you want to read a helpful book explaining big theological words like “propitiation” and “limited atonement,” I highly recommend In My Place Condemned He Stood by J. I. Packer and Mark Dever.

**From the hymn, Man of Sorrows.