A Prayer about Ascribing Glory to the Lord

A Prayer about Ascribing Glory to the Lord

Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Psalm 29:1

Glorious Lord,

It’s easy to come to you in prayer 

with a grocery list of wants and needs. 

Forgive us for forgetting 

that the best prayer starts 

with recognizing your glory, 

your strength, 

your splendor, 

your holiness, 

your majesty, 

and your might. 

Thank you for Psalm 29, 

which reminds us that we join

with heavenly beings 

when we pause to reflect 

on your glory. 

Today, we join David in awe 

at just a few of your many marvels:

Your “voice” is “over the waters” (29:3), 

waters which in ancient times were chaotic and dangerous. 

In other words, you establish order in the midst of chaos.

Your voice “breaks the cedars of Lebanon” (29:5), 

the renowned and majestic trees 

of the great ancient city of Lebanon; 

in other words, your power overcomes 

the most powerful forces we face.  

Your voice “shakes the wilderness” (29:8), 

a dangerous and murderous world in ancient times; 

in other words, you grab what threatens us 

and shake it to its core.

And on and on we can go 

ascribing your glory to you.

Thank you for these reminders of your glory 

that change the list of requests we name. 

For indeed, what we truly want and need most 

is for your glory to reign forever and ever. 

In Jesus’ glorious name. Amen. 

Pray Psalm 29 (aloud).

A Prayer about Seeing God’s Glory

A Prayer about Seeing God’s Glory

But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.’ Luke 5:8

God of Glory, Holy Lord,

Recently our pastor encouraged us 

to pray to see God’s glory. 

I’m so thankful for his encouragement. 

Glory is such a weighty and unwieldy concept to grasp. 

Furthermore, Isaiah 6:3 tells us, 

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty; 

the whole earth is filled with his glory.”

So in other words, your holiness and your glory are intertwined. 

How do we grasp your holiness and your glory? 

I think Peter gives us a clue in this moment with Jesus. 

He was a fishermen; he knew fish. 

He had been fishing all night 

without catching so much as a minnow. 

So when Jesus, after concluding one of his teaching sessions, 

tells him to cast his nets, 

we can imagine Peter’s eye-roll. 

And we can also imagine the commanding look 

Jesus gave him in return, 

because Peter quickly says, 

“But at your word I will let down the nets.” 

Sure enough, so many fish swim into the nets 

they almost burst wide open. 

And it is here that Peter sees Jesus 

for who he really is. 

Holy. 

Glorious. 

Something other. 

Something beyond. 

Something beautiful. 

And that is why this rough and rowdy fisherman 

collapses in a pile of fish 

and prays this prayer, 

“Depart from me, 

for I am a sinful man, O Lord.’ 

How we thank you for your holiness, Lord, 

for your glory, 

and for how you reveal it to us. 

May we see it all day every day—

in the sun and moon and stars 

and fish and faces and fellowship, 

in your Word and in your work in this world. 

In Jesus’ beautiful name we pray. Amen.

Read Isaiah 6:3; Luke 5:1-11.

A Prayer about Giving Thanks to Our God

A Prayer about Giving Thanks to Our God

You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God; I will extol you. Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever. Psalm 118:28

Loving Lord,

May we address you as this psalmist does:

Firmly, emphatically, declaring:

“You are my God,” 

not my children, my work, 

my dating life, my sports, my home, 

or any other thing on this earth 

that we sometimes serve and worship.

And oh, how thankful we are, 

with the psalmist, 

that you are our God, 

because you have rescued us 

“out of [our] distress and set [us] free” (Psalm 118:5). 

[Name some of the distress he rescued you out of.]

Because you sent your Son to us, we “extol” you—

we praise you, 

we talk about how great you are and how much we love you.

[Name some things you love about God.]

And then, like the psalmist, 

we turn to others and invite them into our praise:

“Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good…” 

because we know your praise 

was always intended to be sung in a chorus, not as a solo.

In Jesus’ steadfast name. Amen.

Read Psalm 118:1-29.

A Prayer about Longing for a Better Place

A Prayer about Longing for a Better Place

How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord… Psalm 84:1

Heavenly Father, 

As we read the words of the pilgrim psalmist, 

who longed to be with you in your beautiful temple, 

to live with you forever in worship, 

may our longing for our heavenly home grow. 

We all long for the kind of place this “son of Korah” describes, 

a place where “birds find nooks and crannies” 

and “sparrows and swallows make their nests” 

because it is 

a safe place, 

a pleasant place, 

a peaceful place. 

Help us to remember that we are but 

“strangers” on this earth, 

scattered exiles (see Hebrews 11:13), 

that while we have work to do here and joys to experience, 

one day we will live with you forever, 

in your heavenly home. 

In that day 

our faces will shine “with your gracious anointing” (Ps. 84:9, The MSG). 

In that day, 

we will realize that 

“One day spent in your house, 

this beautiful place of worship, 

beats thousands spent on Greek island beaches” (Ps. 84:10, The MSG). 

In that day, 

we will see and sing with all your saints,

“All sunshine and sovereign is God, 

generous in gifts and glory” (Ps. 84:11, The MSG).

How we long for that day!

Amen.

Read Psalm 84; Hebrews 11:13. 

 

A Prayer about the Beauty, Surprise, and Joy of Jesus

A Prayer about the Beauty, Surprise, and Joy of Jesus

On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. Isaiah 25:6

Miracle-working Jesus,

Yesterday, our pastor preached on your first miracle—

turning water into wine!

As he said, 

“Why, of all the signs you could have chosen, 

did you choose to make your first miracle this one?”* 

His answer, so eloquently put, 

is an invitation to adore and worship you: 

“the arc of the universe bends toward joy.” 

You came to bring “beauty, surprise, and joy.” 

Yes, you came to forgive sins through your death on the cross. 

And yes, we should fight against sin. 

But we should never never forget that you 

“drank the bitter wine 

so we could drink the better wine 

of everlasting life.” 

We should never forget that you 

“swallow(ed) up death forever” (Isaiah 25:8). 

We should never forget that one day “soon” 

we will join you as your perfected bride (Revelation 21:2), 

the bride you died for, 

feasting with you 

at the wedding supper of the lamb (Rev. 19:6-10).

In your surprising name we pray.

Amen.

Read John 2:1-11; Isaiah 25:6-8.

*Quotes and concepts in this prayer come from our wonderful Pastor Joel Treick, Pinewoods Church. If you’d like to hear the sermon, go here and search for the episode from February 5, 2023.

A Prayer about God’s Covenant of Peace

A Prayer about God’s Covenant of Peace

For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you… Isaiah 54:8-9

Promise-keeping Father,

In this world so set on strife, 

what a profound promise this is:

Even where there is utter chaos on this earth, 

your steadfast love shall never leave us, 

your “covenant of peace shall not be removed” (Isaiah 54:10).

We don’t use the word covenant 

often in our everyday conversations, 

but we should use it more 

when we think about you. 

Your covenant is 

your 

unwavering, 

unbreakable, 

undivided, 

unimaginable, 

and undeserved 

commitment 

to love us and deliver us 

from our worst selves, 

to give us peace with you 

and peace with one another. 

Why would you make such a covenant with us? 

The Bible is clear—

it’s not because we were so numerous 

or powerful 

or special—

it’s because of 

your steadfast love 

and your compassion. 

We thank you 

for keeping your promises to us. 

May we joyfully serve you 

in gratitude for your grace.

In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

Read Isaiah 54:8-10; Deuteronomy 7:6-11.