Daily Prayer

praching the gospel to myself

Father,

My salvation is a work I didn't begin and you alone can finish. I could never perform my way out of my sin or earn my way into your love.

From beginning to end, my salvation is all grace. I contributed nothing but my sin, and you gave everything in your Son.

Oh, the peace, joy, and freedom that comes with really believing the gospel is as complete and good as you declare it to be. And oh, the wonder of realizing that one day I will be as lovely as and as loving as Jesus, for you will complete this good work of grace in my life.

For so great a salvation, I worship you; for so great a Savior, I adore you.

Amen

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a prayer of submission

Lord,

Because you have made me, I owe you the whole of my love; because you have redeemed me, I owe you the whole of myself; because you have promised so much, I owe you my whole being.

Moreover, I owe you as much more love than myself as you are greater than I, for whom you gave yourself and to whom you promised yourself.

I pray you, Lord, make me taste by love what I taste by knowledge; let me know by love what I know by understanding.

I owe you more than my whole self, but I have no more, and by myself I cannot render the whole of it to you.

Draw me to you, Lord, in the fullness of your love. I am wholly yours by creation; make me all yours, too, in love.

Amen

- a prayer of Anselm (1033-1109)

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Don't give up praying. God will answer!

“Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily.” (Luke 18:6, 7.)

GOD’S seasons are not at your beck. If the first stroke doth not bring forth the fire, you must strike again. God will hear prayer, but He may not answer it at the time which we in our minds have appointed; He will reveal Himself to our seeking hearts, but not just when and where we have settled in our own expectations. Hence the need of perseverance and importunity in supplication.

In the days of flint and steel and brimstone matches we had to strike and strike again, dozens of times, before we could get a spark to live in the tinder; and we were thankful enough if we succeeded at last.

Shall we not be as persevering and hopeful as to heavenly things? We have more certainty of success in this business than we had with our flint and steel, for we have God’s promises at our back.

Never let us despair. God’s time for mercy will come; yea, it has come, if our time for believing has arrived. Ask in faith, nothing wavering; but never cease from petitioning because the King delays to reply. Strike the steel again. Make the sparks fly and have your tinder ready; you will get a light before long.—C. H. Spurgeon.

I do not believe that there is such a thing in the history of God’s kingdom as a right prayer offered in a right spirit that is forever left unanswered.—Theodore L. Cuyler.

Source: Cowman, Lettie B. 1925. Streams in the Desert. Los Angeles, CA: The Oriental Missionary Society.

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a prayer for meeting God

Father in Heaven,

In public and private, in sanctuary and home,

may my life be steeped in prayer,

filled with the spirit of grace and supplication,

each prayer perfumed with the incense of atoning blood.

Help me, defend me,

until from praying ground I pass to the realm of unceasing praise.

Urged by my need,

invited by thy promises, called by thy Spirit,

I enter thy presence,

worshipping thee with godly fear,

awed by thy majesty, greatness, glory, but encouraged by thy love.

I am all poverty as well as all guilt,

having nothing of my own with which

to repay thee,

But I bring Jesus to thee in the arms of faith,

pleading his righteousness to offset my iniquities,

rejoicing that he will weigh down the scales for me,

and satisfy thy justice.

Bless me by revealing to me more of his saving merits,

by causing thy goodness to pass before me,

by speaking peace to my contrite heart;

Strengthen me to give thee no rest

until Christ shall reign supreme within me,

in every thought, word, and deed,

in a faith that purifies the heart, overcomes the world,

works by love,

fastens me to thee,

and ever clings to the cross.

(From The Valley of Vision)

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a prayer to dream the impossible

God of the Universe,

Nothing is impossible for you.

Grant me the courage to dream dreams beyond what is possible.

Open my heart to the things that are in your heart.

Help me to trust you and not rely on my own understanding.

Guide me with wisdom of heart and mind.

Lead me in a place where my imagination can thrive.

Enable me to find joy in doing the things I once thought impossible.

To you I give all my heart, mind and soul.

Amen.

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a Lenten prayer for awareness

Dear Father,

I pray that this Lenten season will make me aware.

Aware of how much I need more of you in my life.

Aware of how much I need more healing in my life.

Aware of how much I need more love in my life.

Aware of how much I need more grace in my life.

I pray that, in this Lenten season, I will find these and more.

Help me to see the many ways that you are blessing me.

Create in me a heart of mercy and thanksgiving.

To you belongs all praise and honor.

Amen.

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praying for the desire to pray and converse with God

Prayer is conversation with God, learning about God, and remembering God. As an act it is beyond the ability of no one; anyone who can speak and think can pray. No great learning is required in order to pray, and fortunately you don’t have to be a saint; but you do need to have a desire for God. Prayer requires an act of will; we must make a decision to pray and struggle with the problems of perseverance and distraction that will occur. If you only pray when you feel like it, you will pray very little.

Source: Keiser, Michael. 2007. A Beginner’s Guide to Spirituality: The Orthodox Path to a Deeper Relationship with God

Lord Jesus, increase my desire to pray to you.
Help me to want to pray, and have the discipline to do so.
Help keep distractions away that hinder my prayers.

Help me know that when I do this, I will be blessed because my relationship with You will deepen

In Your Name, Jesus

Amen

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Powerful Prayer

If we want POWERFUL prayer lives, we must be calling down the POWER.

Petitioning the ONE WITH the power.

Positioning ourselves to RECEIVE the power.

Crying out to the ONE who hears and responds…

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a prayer for blind spots

Lord,

In this increasingly divisive time, it's becoming more and more difficult to see others who disagree with us with truthful hearts. We speak to one another in ways that dishonor Imago Dei. We view "the other side" as evil and demonic. We believe our way is the only way.

Father, help us to see our own blind spots. Open our eyes to where we are wrong, to where we have sinned, to where we can do better to honor You. Humble us, O Lord, reminding us we are dependent upon You. Remind us we don't have it all figured out, and show us where we need to have our own hearts and minds changed. May we know what pleases You, and revealed to us where we have been deceived. Show us how to see others who have been deceived with compassion and not with a sense of self-righteousness.

Give us eyes to see others with the truth. Give us Your eyes to see others and to the see the world: with compassion, mercy, justice, heartbreak, and love. Teach us to discern truth, to speak truth with love, but most importantly: teach us to listen. Teach us to listen to You and to others.

Amen

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a challenge to love

Dearest Father,

If there is going to be peace on earth, we need to love.

Challenge us to love and accept those who are different.

Teach us to see them with your eyes and your heart.

Enlarge our hearts when we are tempted to judge them.

Each day we confess our need for your wisdom and heart.

Bless us to be like Jesus and to be led by your Spirit.

We commit ourselves to your love, that flows in and through us.

In the name of love and mercy we pray.

Amen.

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a prayer for peace to fill our hearts

Lord,

Lead us from death to life, from falsehood to truth.

Lead us from despair to hope, from fear to trust.

Let peace fill our hearts, our world and our universe.

Let us dream together, pray together and work together.

To build one world of peace and justice for all.

Amen.

... a prayer spoken by Mother Teresa

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Pray to bless someone

The Hebrew translation of this prayer augments the word blessing. It’s a series of words that mean “that Ishmael might live before [God].” And the blessing involves Ishmael’s face, that he would experience God as he faced the Almighty. There is relationship coursing through this verse, depicting the God who lovingly faces his creation, who walks behind, before, and beside as a protective parent. That is the essence of the blessings we pray over our loved ones—that God would shine his face upon those who need him, and that he would protect, defend, and be with his children.

It is much more difficult to pray a blessing upon someone with whom you’re in conflict. Part of your healing journey may be asking this for your friend or a family member who perplexes you: Lord, I pray they would live before you, that you would prosper their soul. In praying for our painful relationships, we become more like Jesus.

To pray for another is to bless them—to dare to ask that the One who made every heart, body, and soul would protect and walk gloriously alongside them. We see this in beautiful fulfillment as Jesus incarnates God on earth, facing the creation he fashioned, showing us the heart of the One who blesses us all.

We are blessed so that we can bless. We are given grace so that we can give grace to others. We are loved so that we can embody love to someone who truly needs it. We are forgiven so that we can learn the art and joy of forgiving another.

Jesus, would you bless the person I’m thinking of right now? Would you walk alongside them, bring comfort, show them that you see them? Would you turn their face toward yours? Would you reveal yourself to be faithful, utterly reliable, and wholly interested in their welfare? I entrust them to you. Amen.

Source: DeMuth, Mary E. 2020. Pray Every Day: 90 Days of Prayer from God’s Word. Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers.

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a prayer for the ones called lost

I have been called lost,

gone astray

tossed by the waves of the sea

A lost cause never to be found

But Lord, I know You go after the lost.

No matter the price.

May I never seen anyone as a lost cause, because you found me.

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a prayer of thanks for divine provision and protection

Sovereign Lord,

We know that our help does not come from within creation.

Our help comes from you. You have created all things.

You raise us up. You are always with us.

You never sleep and you ever watch over us.

You watch over the nations and you never sleep.

You watch over us, standing beside us as a protective shade.

You protect us even when we are unaware of your presence.

You keep us from harm and watch over our life.

We thank you for the providential power that keeps us, now and forever.

Amen

- adapted from Psalm 121

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