A Prayer about What to Do with Anxiety

by Elizabeth | Aug 29, 2023 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living, Spiritual Growth

A Prayer about What to Do with Anxiety

The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Phil 4:5-6

Ever-present Lord,

In these troubling days,

Thank you for this reminder of what to do with our anxiety:

Pray. Get on our knees. Lift our hands.

(In our day and age, we might add,

“For starters, power down the screen

and quit scrolling.”)

As we turn our minds away from the headlines

that seek to captivate us

and turn toward you in prayer,

naming our every need,

remembering that you are with us

and will help us, what happens?

Our minds ease.

Who is near?

The Lord who made heaven and earth.

The Lord who walked the earth as Jesus.

The Lord who fed the multitudes and ate with them,

The Lord who healed the sick and raised the dead.

As we begin to list all of the ways

we are thankful for you, what happens?

Your peace descends.

The peace of rest that comes when we trust in you.

The peace of reconciliation that Christ won for us.

The peace of shalom that you are restoring now and will fully restore one day.

Today and every day, Lord,

May we combat our anxiety

with your powerful weapons:

prayer, supplication, and thanksgiving.

In Jesus’ praying name. Amen.

Read Philippians 4.

Read the whole Philippians series: https://www.elizabethturnage.com/daily-prayer

Prayer about Praying for Miracles of Healing

by Elizabeth | Jul 30, 2023 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living, Prayer, Spiritual Growth

Prayer about Praying for Miracles of Healing

And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, ‘If you will, you can make me clean.’ Mark 1:40

Life-Changing God,

Thank you for inviting us

to bring all of our prayer requests before you,

especially regarding healing.

Throughout Scripture, we see you reversing the course of nature,

healing supernaturally,

as you did when the leper asked you to make him clean.

Because you healed many people,

we are invited to pray for healing.

And yet, may we remember,

we should never treat you as a magician,

asking you to wave a wand

and reverse the course of nature.

When our loved one is suffering and dying,

eaten up with disease,

may we pray to accept the reality of death

in your timing and in your way

as an answer to our prayer.

May we continue to lament the horror of death

until the day Jesus returns to raise us all to new life

in the new heavens and new earth.

May we never forget

your most miraculous healing work—

the raising of the spiritually dead

to new life and eternal life.

Lord, give us wisdom when we pray for healing,

and give us acceptance of your every answer to prayer.

In Jesus’ healing name. Amen.

Luke 2:29-31; James 1:4-5; Mark 1:40-44.

A Prayer about the Joy of Being Rescued

by Elizabeth | Jul 8, 2023 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living, Spiritual Growth

A Prayer about the Joy of Being Rescued

So he brought his people out with joy, his chosen ones with singing. Psalm 105:43

God of Joy and Rescue,

How do we enjoy you?

Here in this wonderful Psalm of rescue and redemption,

we read about how you saved your people, the Israelites.

You performed all sorts of wonders—

turning waters into blood,

sending a swarm of frogs to the land,

blowing gnats throughout Egypt,

and on and on (Psalm 105:30-31).

You brought your people out

with silver and gold,

and you “spread a cloud for a covering,

and fire to give light by night” (Psalm 105:39-41).

But the Israelites are not the only people

for whom you have performed mighty miracles;

we too have been saved from certain death,

pulled out of the pit of darkness by your wonders.

Lord, remind us of our stories of redemption,

of all the ways you have pursued us with your love and grace,

of the desperate ditches you have yanked us from.

[Take a few minutes to remember some of what God has saved you from.]

As we remember,

we too will sing songs of joy,

shouting out our astonishment at your kindness to us.

For truly, it is in your rescue and redemption

that we discover our deepest joy in you.

It is because you have saved us

that we delight to do

what you tell us to do (Psalm 105:45).

In Jesus’ saving name. Amen.

Read Psalm 105.

A Prayer about the Perfection God Promises

by Elizabeth | Jul 4, 2023 | Daily Prayer, Gospel living, Spiritual Growth

A Prayer about the Perfection God Promises

You therefore must be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect.

Matthew 5:48

Heavenly Father,

As a recovering perfectionist,

I confess, this verse always makes me anxious

when I first read it.

But then I reread Dr. Dan Doriani’s commentary on Matthew,

and he reminds me,

the command is also a promise as phrased in Greek,

“You shall be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect.”

As he says, the word “perfect” also reveals

how completely inadequate we are

to live out Jesus’ commands

apart from his mercy and grace

operating in our lives.

The word “perfect” means “mature and complete,”

but we know we’re nowhere near

as mature and complete as God is,

so it must be a process.

Indeed,

becoming mature and complete

takes a lifetime of your sanctifying work

through the Spirit.

Becoming mature and complete

doesn’t mean “work harder”;

it means “depend on God more,”

because you are the God

who makes new selves out of old selves (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Becoming mature and complete

doesn’t mean “never make a mistake”;

it means “run to God

with all of your mistakes,

weaknesses, and sin.”

To be perfect

is to trust in you alone

to finish the good work

you began in us in Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6).

In Jesus’ perfecting name. Amen.

Read Matthew 5:17-48; Philippians 3:12-16.

A Prayer about the Gift of Prayer

by Elizabeth | May 12, 2023 | Daily Prayer, Prayer

A Prayer about the Gift of Prayer

Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.’ And he said to them, ‘When you pray, say:….’ Luke 11:1-2

Holy Father,

Thank you for the gift of prayer.

Grow our understanding of the power and richness of prayer.

Thank you for David Powlison’s words

that remind us of a key feature of prayer we often forget:

“We usually ask God to change events in people’s lives…

But [we need to] think about the spiritual needs of each of these life situations….”

So, even as we pray,

“Lord, please bless my friend’s business,”

we can also pray,

“Lord, please give my friend faith that you will provide for her in this business….”

Even as we pray,

“Lord, please heal my friend from chronic pain,”

we can also pray,

“Lord, please sustain my friend’s hope in this hard season….”

Even as we pray,

“Lord, please bring my friend’s daughter back home,”

we can also pray,

“Lord, please help my friend forgive her daughter for causing so much pain….”

[Name some prayers of your own following this model….]

Thank you Lord, for the privilege of prayer.

Please shape us more and more

into the image of your Son as we learn to pray.

In Jesus’ praying name. Amen.

Read Luke 11:1-13.