God is for us

 

Most High God,

We praise You this day, Lord, knowing that You hold it in Your hands. You hold us in Your hands. Your strength and power are unmatched and Your compassion and mercy never fail. You made the moon to mark the seasons and the sun knows its time for setting. You make darkness and it is night and You made the sun for us to know when day is coming. In all things small and all things great, You are Lord of All. Of this, we are sure.

We still feel uncertain about a lot of other things in our lives.
When it seems like nothing good is happening, we are angry.
When it seems like You aren't moving, we feel stuck.
When it seems like things are falling apart, we feel unsteady
When it feels like the world is closing in, we want to run.
When it feels like everything is against us, we are fearful.

But You are for us. 

When we feel this uncertainty, may we remember who You are. You have promised to make all things work for our good, and it's our prayer, Lord, that we learn to trust in Your goodness and Your faithfulness.

When we feel unsure of where life is taking us, help us to remember the one things that is certain: You.

Amen

 

 

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a prayer of remembrance

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may our love grow

So often Lord, our love is conditional.

Transform us that we may love like you love.

We struggle to love without conditions.

Help us to let go of control that we might trust in your love.

Give us eyes and ears that see the possibilities of your love.

Give us a passion to love others as you love.

Amen

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a prayer for new eyes

Help us to see with new eyes Father.

Teach us to discard our old ways of seeing the world.

Transform our minds that we might see goodness and positivity in life.

Bring others to us that we might understand life in different ways.

Guide us Holy Spirit. Lead us to see past our sins and mistakes.

Bless us that the lens that we see through is loving and kind.

In Jesus name we say amen.

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Faithful Service

“We will serve the LORD our God. We will obey him alone.”  

Joshua 24:24 (NLT)

Father, I believe the best way we can, in obedience, serve you is to let your truth fill our minds, your love motivate our hearts and your will guide our behavior. Help us to honor you and worship you in this commitment of our lives to you.

We pray this for your glory in Jesus' name. Amen

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as we mourn senseless deaths

God, our hearts are broken with pain at the senseless deaths caused by gun violence. Families mourn, children live in fear, and some in our nation respond by arming themselves with more guns with greater capacity to end life. Our disconnection and alienation has caused some to turn to guns for protection and safety. 

We ask that you touch our hearts with your love, heal our brokenness, and turn us away from violence toward peace. Help us to transform our own hearts and to seek peaceful ways of resolving our differences. Let our hands reach out and connect with those who feel alone, those who live in fear, and those suffering from mental illness. 

Let our voices be raised asking our legislators to enact gun laws to protect all in our society, especially those most vulnerable. Let our pens write messages demanding change while also scripting words of hope and transformation. We ask this in the name of the God who desires that we live together in peace.  Amen

-prayer from the Sisters of Mercy 

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may we abide

Father,

You are the Gardener of our lives. The great vinedresser, you sees our needs even when we don't. You tend and  you care to the parts of our lives that need pruning. When we are in the midst of an abundance of mess, Father, you see past what is overgrown in our lives and reveal to us what must be cut back.

Your providential care is there in all our moments. When we can't see the branches in our lives that are withered and dead, You remove them. When our branches are not bearing fruit, You cut them back. This is hard, Father, because our branches come from us. We've put them there because they make us comfortable. But You know what we need, and when we don't bear fruit, help us to trust Your pruning shears.

Father, we must abide in You. Help us to understand this, O Lord... what it means to sit with You, to be so close to You we can feel Your sweet presence and Your everlasting love. Because to abide means to follow, to be ruled by, to hold fast. This can only be done in You for us to live in accordance with Your will.

Good, good Father, help us to abide.

Amen

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a prayer for patience

Dearest Father,

I struggle to maintain a good attitude.

I feel so alone in my pain and frustration.

Help me to know that you are with me.

Teach me to sense your presence in my life.

Cause patience to arise in me as I wait.

And give me a heart that perseveres in faith.

I love you Lord.

Amen

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lead me on

Lead, Kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom, Lead me Thou on! 

The night is dark, and I am far from home, Lead Thou me on! 

Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see the distant scene; one step is enough for me. 

I was not ever thus, nor pray’d that Thou shouldst lead me on; 

I loved to choose and see my path, but now lead Thou me on! 

I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears, pride ruled my will: remember not past years. 

So long Your power hath blest me, sure it still will lead me on, o’er moor and fen, o’er crag and torrent, till the night is gone; and with the morn those angel faces smile which I have loved long since, and lost awhile.

Amen

-a prayer of Cardinal John Henry Newman   

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Prince of Peace

Now may the Lord of peace himself give you his peace

 at all times and in every situation. 

2 Thessalonians 3:16 (NLT)

Lord in these times when stress, uncertainty, and fear grip peoples mind and emotions I pray for your peace, that calms the troubled heart, to be their portion.  Thank you that this wonderful and powerful peace comes to those who trust in you. As spoken of in Isaiah 26:3 (NLT) "You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!"

Thank you for this precious gift and promise in John 14:27 (NLT)

I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.

In name of Jesus, our Prince of Peace and Savior. Amen.

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for graduates

Dearest Lord Jesus,

We intercede for our sons, daughters and all those who are graduating.

Help them to continue on their journey of learning and discovery.

Bless them to make wise decisions and godly moves as they go.

Teach them to be patient and to find others that will guide them.

Mostly, help them to find you in their future plans and endeavors.

With thanks and praise we say amen and amen.

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Sit before Him

Do you want to hear the Voice of God?

Get before Him.

Sit still…

Open your heart and your mind. 

Release yourself to Him.

And pray…

He will speak when His servant is listening…

“…speak, for your servant hears.” (1 Samuel 3:10)

Amen

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a prayer of confession

Dear Heavenly Father,

We come boldly to your throne of grace today because Jesus went gladly to the cross of Calvary for us. We praise, bless, and worship you for so great a salvation and so loving a Savior. Even as we confess Christ, so we also confess our sins and rebellion.

Forgive us for attitudes and actions that sabotage beauty and intimacy. 

Forgive us for speaking words that have labeled, shamed, and harmed others.

Forgive us for covering our sins while exposing the sins of others. 

Forgive us for wasting our pain in self-pity and our fears on worry. 

Forgive us for spending ore time king a name for ourselves than relishing the new names you've given us: "Forgiven, Beloved, Mine."

We offer our prayers, humbly and gratefully, in Jesus name. 

Amen

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for strength as we struggle

Our help comes from you Lord.

We are dependent on your grace.

Give us eyes to see what you are doing.

Open our inner ears to hear your voice.

In all of life we pray to persevere.

Help us to develop strength within.

We confess our belief in you and your ways.

Lead us to let go of control and trust you.

Amen

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Behold Our God

"...even death on a cross." 

Philippians 2:5-8 (ESV) 

5 ....Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 

Heavenly Father this song by sovereign grace music, "Behold our God" so overwhelms my heart that I weep with deepest gratitude and wonder at your gracious love.

Who has held the oceans in his hands?

Who has numbered every grain of sand?

Kings and nations tremble at his voice

All creation rises to rejoice

Who has given counsel to the Lord?

Who can question any of his words?

Who can teach, the one who knows all things?

Who can fathom all his wondrous deeds?

Who has felt the nails upon his hands?

Bearing all the guilt of sinful man

God eternal, humbled to the grave

Jesus, Savior, risen now to reign

Behold our God, seated on his throne

Come, let us adore him

Behold our king, nothing can compare

Come, let us adore him

Thank you God for such sacrificial love that would pay the penalty for my sin. "8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."  Romans 5:8 (ESV)  

Amen

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for rest

At your invitation Father, we come to you ...

... acknowledging our weakness and inability to find rest.

... confessing that we are in need of transformation.

... in need of revival and restoration.

Help us Holy Spirit to ...

... let go of control and sense your presence in our lives.

... to be a people who trust you in times of turmoil and chaos.

... find peace in the spiritual aspects of our lives.

We come to you Jesus believing in the your name.

Amen

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teach us to be faithful

Loving and Compassionate God,

Help us to be faithful to you when life is hard to bear.

Encourage us to draw near to others when tempted to withdraw.

Teach our hearts to find love when all we feel is hate.

Cause us to remember all of the times you proved yourself to be faithful.

And transform us Lord that we might be like your faithful Son.

Amen

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for humility and contentment

Lord, I want humility to be a gift of success.

Yet so often success produces pride and arrogance.

I want to live the kind of life that Jesus lived.

Yet I get ensnared as I lust for things that I do not have. 

I want to be content with my blessings.

Yet contentment seems so hard.

Help me Lord to see life as you see it.

Teach me to see myself through your eyes.

That I might embrace humility and contentment.

Amen.

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finding rest

Teach us Lord to rest in you.

Help us to trust when tempted to worry.

Bless us with peace when turmoil is all around.

Heal our souls in troubling times.

Give us eyes to see you in every situation.

Open our hearts to the rhythms of heaven.

And cause praise to flow from our lips.

Amen.

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Focus

"Look straight ahead and fix your eyes on what lies before you." Proverbs 4:25 (NLT) 

Father, I was encouraged when I saw the picture my daughter and Lucky picking up our grandson after school. Lucky's eyes are totally fix on looking for him. I thought what an illustration of how we should fix our eyes on Your Word and the wonderful results of living daily that way. 

Father May we truly contemplate the value and lesson from Philippians 4:8-9 (NLT)  " 8 ....Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you."  

Thank you Father for the peace that  comes from fixing our eyes on the right things. In the name of Jesus who is our peace. Amen.

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a prayer to persevere

Dearest Father of all Hope,

Sometimes the pain is so overwhelming.
Mistakes and troubles seem to rule our days.
So often we are tempted to give up on our dreams.

In such times help us to find strength in you.
Teach to see our mistakes differently.
And give us faith that we might not give up and give in.

We pray in hope and in the name of Jesus. Amen.

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to have childlike faith

Dearest Father,

Teach us to have the faith of a child.

In times of confusion and unrest,

Lead us back to the simplicity of love.

In fearful situations,

Remind us that you are our Father.

When we are tempted to trust our heads,

Help us to lean into our hearts.

Teach us to love like one of your children.

Amen.

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He delivers…

So thankful for a God who hears and who cares. So thankful for a God who DELIVERS…

What a wonderful Savior.

Amen

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we are sealed and indwelt by God's Spirit

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. 

-Ephesians 1:13-14

Gracious Father, 

Thank you for enabling me to hear and believe the gospel . My salvation is all of grace. You have sealed me with the promised Holy Spirit - who is an inviolate sign that I belong to you, now and forever. You began my salvation, and you will bring it to conclusion one day. By the Holy Spirit, you assure me that I belong to you and guarantee my final inheritance. Nothing can separate me from your love or move you to disinherit me. Signed, sealed, delivered, I'm yours!

Amen

From "Prayers for Every Season" by Scotty Smith

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for my bad days

We lift our hearts to you Lord.

We pray for strength to overcome obstacles and persevere in hard times.

We ask for enlightenment that we might see the bad days through your eyes.

We stand assured that you love us, care for us and are always by our side.

We thank you for giving us strength, mercy and to stand in your grace. Amen.

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A Franciscan Benediction

May God bless you with discomfort …

At easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships,

So that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger …

At injustice, oppression and exploitation of people,

So that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears …

To shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation and war,

So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them

And to turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness …

To believe that you can make a difference in this world.

Amen

 

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