A Prayer about Turning to God in Shame

by | Oct 19, 2022 | Daily Prayer, gratitude, kingdom living, worship, gratitude

A Prayer about Turning to God in Shame

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me. Psalm 25:1-2

Merciful Lord,

When we feel shame, 

whether over our own sins 

or over terrible mistakes we’ve made, 

some of us want to run and hide; 

others want to blame and accuse. 

Whatever our instinct, 

may we, with David, 

lift up our souls to you. 

May we do it even now, 

lifting our hands, 

placing in them our hearts, souls, minds, and bodies, 

raising them toward you, 

surrendering them to you. 

For we have every reason to trust in you 

to care well for our souls. 

Sometimes we trust in others 

for that forgiveness or approval or security or significance, 

but you alone are safe for such trust. 

When enemies shout and jeer at us, 

whether enemies with faces we can see and voices we can hear 

or the enemy, 

the one who loves to tell us we’re “bad,” 

“not enough,” 

“unforgiven,” 

“shameful,” 

make us deaf to their cries. 

Turn our ears instead toward you, 

that we might hear you 

singing your love for us: 

“You shall no more be termed Forsaken…

but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her” (Isaiah 62:4). 

As we hear your delight, rest us in your embrace.

In Jesus’ shame-enduring name we ask. Amen. 

Read Psalm 25; Isaiah 62:2-5.

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A Prayer about Shouting for Joy instead of Frustration

by | Oct 9, 2022 | Daily Prayer, gratitude, worship, gratitude

A Prayer about Shouting for Joy instead of Frustration

Shout for joy to God, all the earth, sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise! Psalm 66:1-2

Glorious God,

How easily we shout for joy to you 

when we wake up after a great night’s sleep 

and look out at the sun rising 

over calm waters and sugar-white sand. 

And yet, you know we more easily shout out of frustration or anger 

when we awaken after a terrible night’s sleep 

and face all sorts of Monday madness. 

In some seasons, when we feel that you are “testing and trying us” (Psalm 66:10), 

or when we feel that you have brought us or our loved ones “into the net,” 

“laid a crushing burden on our backs,” (Psalm 66:11),

 or taken us through “fire and water,” 

we more easily shout, “Why is this happening to me?!” 

Move in us, by your Spirit, we pray: 

jog our memories, 

that we might recall the “awesome deeds “ 

you have done (Ps. 66:2)—

the times you “brought us out into a place of abundance” (Ps. 66:12), 

the way you “turned the sea into dry land” (Ps. 66:6). 

Where we have amnesia about your mercy and kindness, 

remind us of our Savior, 

who endured our crushing burden of sin, 

who acquainted himself with our grief, 

that we might be healed (Is. 53: 3,5). 

In Christ, we can surely find our voices 

to “Shout for joy” to you.

In the name of our Suffering Savior. 

Amen.

Read Psalm 66. 

A Prayer about Praying the Goodness of God

by | Oct 7, 2022 | Daily Prayer, worship, gratitude

A Prayer about Praying the Goodness of God

Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Psalm 100:3

Lord, you are God, 

the all-powerful, faithfully loving, 

Creator of the Cosmos. 

You made us to be your “treasured possession,” 

and honestly, that blows our minds. 

Help us to see ourselves as you do—

as your beloved people, 

wayward sheep though we are, 

brought back to you by our great Shepherd.

[Name some characteristics of God that wow you and some reasons you are glad to belong to God.]

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving, 

and his courts with praise! 

Give thanks to him; bless his name!”

Lord, we thank you and praise you for…

redeeming us from the pit, 

freeing us from sin that we thought would entangle us forever, 

for the places you have sent us to serve you — 

home, work, classroom, neighborhood, gym, soccer fields 

[Name some things you are thankful for and some places he has sent you to serve].

“For the Lord is good; 

his steadfast love endures forever, 

and his faithfulness to all generations.”

Lord, as we conclude this prayer, 

may we simply sit silently 

and ponder your goodness to us, 

your unwavering love for us, 

your faithfulness that has stretched through the generations.

[Try putting down your device and sitting in silence and remembering God’s goodness to you].

In Jesus’ redeeming name. Amen. 

Read Psalm 100.

A Prayer about Praying our Emotions

by | Oct 2, 2022 | Daily Prayer, Prayer, worship, gratitude

A Prayer about Praying our Emotions

As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. Nehemiah 1:4

God of heaven,

Thank you for how your Word 

teaches us to pray. 

I confess, I don’t know where I got the idea 

that prayer needed to be formal and stiff 

and even a little stoic, 

because the Bible is full of people (including Jesus) 

laying their emotions before you in prayer (see Psalm 22, Psalm 88, Luke 22:39-46). 

May we not merely observe Nehemiah’s prayer, 

may we enter it, 

engaging you with the cries of our heart 

for the people we pray for, 

including ourselves. 

May we sit down (stop our busy rushing here and there) 

before you, the God of heaven. 

May we weep and mourn, 

not just for five minutes but for fifty days. 

May we focus our prayers 

through fasting, 

whether giving up food or phones or shopping or TV. 

As we still ourselves before you, 

may we hear your voice speaking 

confidence and comfort over us. 

As we get rid of the things we think are essential to our lives, 

may we see you, 

the maker of heaven and earth, 

at work even now, 

bringing your heavenly kingdom to bear 

on the trouble and shame of this broken world. 

In Jesus’ compassionate name. Amen.

Read Nehemiah 1. 

A Prayer about Understanding Angels

by | Sep 25, 2022 | Daily Prayer, Scripture, worship, gratitude

A Prayer about Understanding Angels

 And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” Isaiah 6:3

Holy God,

We admit, our understanding of angels 

comes far more from cartoons and collectibles 

than from the descriptions in your Word. 

Throughout Scripture, angels appear to be 

fierce, supernatural, and otherworldly 

(the seraphim praising your name in Isaiah 6:3 have six wings!). 

Angels are your messengers 

(the word angel even means messenger) (Ex. 3; Judges 6:11-17); Luke 1:26-38) 

and your worshipers (Is. 6:3; Rev. 5:12; Rev. 1:6). 

People often tremble when they see angels, 

so we know they probably don’t look like fat-cheeked babies with fluffy wings. 

You send your angels to protect humans (Mt. 18:10) 

and to “serve those who will inherit salvation” (Heb. 1:14). 

Angels will join Jesus when he returns to establish

the new heavens and the new earth (Mt. 16:27; Mark 8:38). 

Angels do communicate your might and your mercy, 

but Jesus is far superior to the angels (Heb. 1:4). 

Lord, may we never worship angels, 

who indeed worship Christ. 

Lord, may we marvel 

that you created us different from the angels, 

in your image, 

with your glory, 

with a physical body 

that will be raised when Jesus returns.

Lord, how we look forward to worshiping you 

alongside the angels in eternity. 

In Jesus’ superior name. Amen. 

Read Hebrews 1.  

A Prayer about Drawing Near to God

by | Sep 21, 2022 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living, worship, gratitude

A Prayer about Drawing Near to God

And since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Hebrews 10:21-22

Holy and Merciful God,

It’s easy to pass right over this verse 

without meditating on how astonishing it is 

that you, the holy Creator and King of the universe, 

have called us to draw near to you. 

Like oil and water, sin and holiness don’t mix. 

Like cheap paint on a rusted out car, 

the sacrifices of goats and calves passed quickly away,

leaving the ugly framework of an evil conscience glaring in the sun.

You knew we needed not only a great high priest 

but a lasting sacrifice. 

And you sent Jesus, 

your only Son, your holy Son, 

to keep the law we could never keep. 

You allowed his blood to trickle down 

from the wounds in his nail-scarred hands, 

to wash the bodies of those who would trust in his sacrifice.

And you raised him from the dead, 

bringing him to the heavenly throne next to you,

where he now prays for us. 

It’s truly a bizarre story. 

And yet, it is the only story that calls us 

to “draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith” (Hebrews 10:22).

We are humbled and awed by your goodness to us.

In the name of our great high Priest, Jesus, 

we thank you. Amen.

Read Hebrews 9:11-14; 10:19-25.