A Prayer about Knowing Ourselves

by | Apr 20, 2023 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living, kingdom living

A Prayer about Knowing Ourselves

So if anyone is in Christ, that person is a new creation: everything old has passed away; look, new things have come into being! 2 Corinthians 5:17

All-Knowing God,

When we begin to know you, 

and when we begin to understand 

the hope, joy, and relief 

of being known by you, 

then and only then are we ready 

to begin trying to know ourselves.

What do we need to know about ourselves?

We need to know our sin: 

not only generally, but specifically:

some of us always want to be right; 

some of us need to feel love and approval from everyone all the time; 

some of us need lots of money and stuff to feel secure; 

some of us  get angry easily when they don’t get their way

…and on and on we could go.

[Stop for a moment and ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal some of your specific sin tendencies.]

But if we stopped at only knowing our sin, 

we would remain in despair. 

As we prayed yesterday, 

you knew our sin—

past, present, and future 

when you sent your Son to die for us (Romans 5:8).

We must also know 

who we have become 

and who we are becoming in Christ:

In Christ, we already have become (unbelievably to us), 

“the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21). 

In Christ, we already have become “new creation” (2 Cor. 5:17).

In Christ, we are “being sanctified” (Heb. 10:14), 

becoming more and more like Christ every day.

That means that we are recognizing and repenting more quickly 

when we put our trust in 

being right, 

or needing approval, 

or trusting in riches, 

or getting our way

[Name some things you are recognizing and repenting of more quickly.]

Oh, Lord, what good news 

your Word gives us about ourselves!

The truest truth about us 

is not that we are sinners 

but that we are redeemed sinners.

You have saved us for a purpose, 

and you have sent us to tell others 

the good news of our hope in Jesus Christ. 

Thank you for giving us our identity 

as adopted children,

servants of the King, 

Christ’s ambassadors.

In Jesus’ freeing name. Amen.

Read Psalm 51; 2 Corinthians 5:11-21.

A Prayer about What to do When We’re Afraid

by | Apr 17, 2023 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living, kingdom living, Suffering

A Prayer about What to do When We’re Afraid

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. Psalm 56:3

Faithful Lord,

Thank you for your compassion for our fearfulness.

Today, we bring our fears to you:

When we are afraid that we will fail 

at work, at school, as caregivers 

[name any failures you fear], 

we put our trust in you.

When we are afraid that we have made the wrong decisions 

for our children, 

for our loved ones, 

about our work,

[name any wrong decisions you fear], 

we put our trust in you.

When we are afraid that our health 

or the health of a loved one will not improve 

[name any health fears you have], 

we put our trust in you.

When we are afraid that we will lose our job 

or won’t find one soon 

[name any fears about provision you have], 

we put our trust in you.

Father, you know all of our fears, 

and you invite us to bring them to you.

As we do so, calm our hearts and minds 

in the hope of your kind provision. 

In Jesus’ trustworthy name. Amen.

Read Psalm 56:1-13.

A Prayer about Honoring Jesus

by | Mar 29, 2023 | Daily Prayer, Easter, Gospel living

A Prayer about Honoring Jesus

In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her. Matthew 26:12-13

Lord Jesus, 

How often we, 

like the disciples, 

have different values than yours.

They were alarmed that Mary had anointed your head 

with her expensive ointment (Matthew 26:6-7; John 12:3). 

Religious and practical, 

they called her sacrifice “a waste,” 

saying the ointment could have been sold 

and the money given to the poor (Matthew 26:8). 

(Judas was disgusted because he wanted to sell it 

and take the money for himself (John 12:6). 

You disagreed, telling the disciples, 

“she has done a beautiful thing for me” (Matthew 26:10). 

You knew you would soon die, 

and your followers’ opportunity 

to enjoy and honor you in person 

would come to an end. 

Save us, Lord, from our self-made plans to serve you. 

Draw us to your feet, to see you as Mary did, 

to know your desires as Mary did, 

and to love you “impractically” as Mary did. 

Grow our enjoyment of you, 

so that we will delight in your presence 

and focus our lives fully on you. 

In our devotion to you,

 may we show the world the good news 

of your sacrifice for us. 

In your worship-worthy name. Amen.

Read Matthew 26:6-16. 

A Prayer about Returning to the Lord

by | Mar 22, 2023 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living

A Prayer about Returning to the Lord

Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and he relents over disaster. Joel 2:13.

Merciful and Gracious God,

What an astounding invitation! 

May we read and rehearse these words 

until they change our wayward neural pathways. 

For we have two big problems: 

the first problem is our sin; 

the second problem, a bigger problem, 

is our rooted unbelief. 

We simply refuse to believe 

that you are as good as you say you are 

throughout Scripture. 

Today, may we bring the worst 

of our sinful and doubting selves 

to the wildest of your promises to us:

But Lord, you don’t know what I’ve done.

I do, and I am gracious.

But Lord, you don’t know how many times I’ve done it.

I do, and I am merciful.

But Lord, you don’t know how dark my thoughts are.

I do, and I am slow to anger.

But Lord, you don’t know how cruel I’ve been.

I do, and I am abounding in steadfast love.

But Lord, you don’t know how badly I’ve screwed things up.

I do, and I relent over disaster.

Good Father, plant these truths down deep in us, 

that we may return to you, confess our sin, 

and know the joy of your forgiveness and the delight of serving you. 

Read Joel 2:12-32.

A Prayer about God Hiding His Face From Sin

by | Mar 17, 2023 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living

A Prayer about God Hiding His Face From Sin

Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Psalm 51:9

Most Merciful God,

What a bold and beautiful legacy of confession 

King David left us in Psalm 51.

David’s is one of the better known 

sin-stories of Scripture: 

he committed adultery with Bathsheba, 

impregnating her, 

and then killed her husband 

in a cover-up attempt (2 Samuel 11-12). 

And yet, you called David a man after your own heart 

and taught us how to confess our most miserable sins, 

transgressions, and iniquities 

through his prayer of confession.

For you, our holy God, 

to look on sin is to punish it. 

So David asks you to turn your face away. 

His prayer predicts the moment 

you would turn your face away 

from your beloved Son 

as he died on the cross 

for every sin we would ever commit.

Because you turned away 

from your Son 

in that moment, 

Jesus blotted out all of our iniquities (Psalm 51:9), 

and you will never hide your face 

from those who belong to him.

What steadfast love and mercy is this! 

What a God, what a Savior!

In Jesus’ cleansing name. Amen.

Read Psalm 51. 

A Prayer about Not Being Offended by Jesus

by | Mar 16, 2023 | Daily Prayer, Easter, Gospel living

A Prayer about Not Being Offended by Jesus

And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.’ And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief. Matthew 13:57-58

Lord Jesus,

In these days leading up to Easter, 

draw us to examine our hearts. 

As we read of people in your hometown 

wanting to throw you off a cliff (Luke 4:29) 

because they were so disappointed in you, 

we need to ask ourselves,

Do we ever take offense at you?

Do we have expectations 

of what you should do, 

of who you should be?

Do we sometimes miss out 

on your “mighty works…

because of [our] unbelief?” (Matthew 13:58). 

Do we know you so well 

that we start to take you for granted, 

that we fail to honor you? 

May it never be! 

Lord, show us our unbelief. 

Transform our hearts into megaphones 

maximizing our praise and honor of you, 

our glorious King.

In your saving name. Amen. 

Read Matthew 13:53-58.