Daily Prayer
A Prayer about Waiting for Redemption
Heavenly Father, What an attractive old woman Anna was. She was widowed young, after only seven years of marriage, and then she spent the rest of her life single. It would have been so easy to become bitter, especially in a society in which widows and single...
A Prayer about God Doing New Things in 2022
Lord of New Things, On this New Year’s Day, we celebrate all of the new things you have already done, and all of the new things you will one day do when Jesus returns. We thank you for the very new thing you did at Christmas over 2000 years ago— You sent your...
A Prayer about Suffering with the Savior
Comforting Father, As this year draws to a close, I know many who, like me, look forward to a new year, hoping that it will soften the harsh edges of last year’s grief, looking forward to new joys. May it be so. And yet, as we consider the words of Simeon to...
A Prayer about Seeing Our Salvation
Merciful God, As we revisit this scene between Simeon and the eight-day-old Jesus, we pray you would write in us stories like Simeon’s: Filled with the Holy Spirit… Made righteous by Christ… Waiting for your consolation… Watching for our Savior… Seeing him as our...
A Prayer about Jesus’ Tears
Generous Father, Even though the day most people exchange gifts has come and gone, or maybe especially because that day has come and gone, it’s a good time to contemplate this baby in the manger. Many of us love the Christmas lullaby “Away in a Manger,” but I...
A Prayer about Drawing Near to the Throne of Grace
Gracious Father, In these days between Christmas and New Year’s, some of us find ourselves in seasons of doubt. Some feel regret over Christmas conflicts, others feel remorse over sins habitually committed. Wherever we find ourselves, may we hear you calling us to...
A Prayer about Christ’s Humanity and Ours
Holy God, I love how creeds and confessions help us see new things about our faith. The Belgic Confession, in confessing the truth of the incarnation reminds us that both the body and the soul are essential to our humanity:“And he not only assumed human nature ...
A Prayer about “Happy Holidays”
Joyful Lord, It’s already happening. I feel my inner Grinch creeping, ready to make a sneak attack on the poor unsuspecting checkout folks who cheerfully call out, “Happy Holidays” after I’ve just bought Christmas ornaments. Lord, I know they’ve been told what...
A Prayer about How Christ’s Birth Disrupts Us
Wondrous God, Even though this verse isn’t usually the subject of memes or cross-stitched wall-art, we need to ponder it. It reminds us of just how disruptive the birth of Christ really was, how Christ in fact came to disrupt any self-made shalom, any peace...
A Prayer about Undeserved Grace
Wondrous God, As advent, the season of celebrating the wait for Christ to come, begins today, open our eyes to see the hope-full truth: Grace is all about you! In Greek, the word for “favored” is “graced,” so Gabriel is really telling Mary, “Greetings, O graced...