A Prayer about Honoring Jesus

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

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, Lent

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, Lent

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, Lent

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.

A Prayer about Persistent Prayer

by | Mar 13, 2023 | Daily Prayer, Lent, Prayer

A Prayer about Persistent Prayer

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. Matthew 7:7

Good Father,

What a gift you have given us in prayer.

We are timid and doubtful 

and rarely dare to ask or seek or knock 

for the things we really need or want, 

and yet, you command us to do just that. 

The Greek words, “ask,” “seek,” “knock” 

would be better translated, 

“Keep on asking,”

“Keep on seeking,”

“Keep on knocking….”

You want us to ask again and again and again…

for you to transform that stubborn way 

we have of judging others into a gentle spirit 

that assumes the best.

You want us to seek your face 

again and again and again…

when we don’t understand 

why our child has to suffer with cancer 

or a learning disability 

or mental illness

 or loneliness.

You want us to knock again and again and again…

pleading with you to break down the walls 

that divide our world, 

begging you to put an end to all wars.

urging you to display your justice on this earth.

You have shown us that you are indeed a “good Father” 

who gives good gifts to your children.

So today, we ask, we seek, we knock.

[Name some things you’d like to ask your Father for].

In Jesus’ promise-keeping name. Amen. 

Read Matthew 7:7-11.

A Prayer about the Mission of Jesus

by | Mar 9, 2023 | Daily Prayer, Lent, Theology

A Prayer about the Mission of Jesus

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor…Isaiah 61:1

Lord Jesus,

Dazzle us again with this strange but good news:

You weren’t just a man who decided to go about preaching. 

You were “anointed,” set apart for a special mission, 

designated to be a different kind of king. 

You weren’t anointed 

by the board of your church or by a seminary. 

You were set apart for this mission 

by the other two members of the Holy Trinity: 

the Holy Spirit and the Holy God. 

Together, in trinitarian agreement, 

since the foundation of the world, 

you all planned this special mission:

You would come, as the only God-in-flesh, 

not to the rich and the rulers, 

but to the poor, the afflicted, and the broken-hearted. 

And you would bring “good news.” 

We are grateful for your mission 

and grateful to be the people for whom you came.

In your anointed name. Amen. 

Dear friends, stay tuned. Tomorrow, we’ll pray more about Isaiah 61 and that good news.