Daily Prayer: April 2024

The Lord has Redeemed Us

Father,

Your Word is solace for the sad, a firm rock for those looking for balance, and bread for the hungry. This is our reality, and we praise You. You've made promises you alone can keep, and you do not lie. No god is as near or as good, as merciful or as mighty as You - no matter the storm or season.

You created us and are redeeming us, all for Your glory. As Isaiah 43 says:

But now, this is what the Lord says—

he who created you, Jacob,

he who formed you, Israel:

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;

I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

When you pass through the waters,

I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers,

they will not sweep over you.

When you walk through the fire,

you will not be burned;

the flames will not set you ablaze.

For I am the Lord your God,

the Holy One of Israel, your Savior

You summoned us by name, calling us to life in the gospel. You gave us a new name - "Mine."

There is no truth sweeter than the truth of Your great affection for us is our new name.

Amen

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a prayer for when the future is unclear

Dear Lord,

You exist in the past, the present and the future - you are outside of time.
Remind me of that when I become worried about the future.

I know that you are with me today and you will be with me tomorrow.
Remind me of that when I become afraid of tomorrow.

I have not been a good steward of the resources that you have entrusted to me.
Remind to forgive myself as I embrace new opportunities and new blessings.

I fear for my children and the world that we are leaving to them Lord.
Remind me that you will be with them and will lead them always.

Be with me Lord, as I face an unknown and unclear future.
Remind me that you are greater than my problems - even future ones.

To you I give all praise, glory and honor.
Now and forever more.

Amen.

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prayer for a fresh start

O God,

I find myself at the beginning of another day.
I do not know what it will bring.
Please help me to be ready for whatever it may be.
If I am to stand up, help me to stand bravely.
If I am to sit still, help me to sit quietly.
If I am to lie low, help me to do it patiently.
If I am to do nothing, let me do it gallantly.
I pray just for today, for these twenty-four hours, for the ability to cooperate with others according to the way Jesus taught us to live.
"Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
May these words that he taught us become more than words.

Please free my thinking and feelings and the thinking and feelings of others,
from all forms of self-will, self-centeredness, dishonesty, and deception.

Along with my brothers and sisters, I need this freedom to make my choices today according to your desires.

Send your Spirit to inspire me in time of doubt and indecision so that, together, we can walk along your path.

Amen.

- Adapted by J. Veltri, S.J.

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HE WANTS "YOU"

"The one thing God wants most from you in prayer is YOU!"

Who are the people

That the Lord will bless?

Those who love and fear Him

And seek His righteousness

Nothing else in the world

Can satisfy your soul:

But the One who made the universe

He longs to make you whole.

Humble yourself and let Him have

His way,

Love His Word, and His will obey.

For His eyes are on the one whose

heart is true.

So humble yourself and see what

God will do.

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Maranatha Worship Bible

A prayer for help when facing divorce

DIVORCE

Lord, all our dreams are shattered.

I never thought it would come to this.

How could it have happened to us?

We’ve reached the end of the road.

Lord, I come to you right now …

confused, bewildered, deeply hurt,

and fragile inside. I pray for your

help right now, especially for

the children, that you will guide us

through this mess.

I thank you, Lord, that you are still

Lord of my life. I pray for friends

to guide and support me during this

terrible time as I try to rebuild my life.

Please help me Lord, I pray.

Amen.

Source: Martin Manser, A Book of Prayers. First edition. (2018)

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a prayer to forgive myself

Dear Lord,

It is so hard to forgive myself because I feel like I don't deserve it.

Help me to remember that you love me and have forgiven me.

Teach me to forgive myself and thrive in that forgiveness.

May I be free of the burden of my guilt and find peace in you.

I pray all these things in Jesus' name.

Amen.

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A Blessing for Earth Day

Let us bless

The imagination of the Earth

That knew the early patience

To harness the mind of time,

And how light knew to nurse

The growth until the face of the Earth

Brightened beneath a vision of color.

When the ages of ice came

And sealed the Earth inside

And endless coma of cold,

The heart of the Earth held hope,

Storing fragments of memory,

Ready for the return of the sun

The wonder of a garden

Trusting the first warmth of spring

Until its black infinity of cells

Becomes charged with dream;

Then the silent, slow nurture

Of the seed's self, coaxing it

To trust the act of death.

Let us remember

The beauty of changing seasons,

The passion of the wind,

The fluency of water,

The warmth of fire,

The quiver-torch of the sun,

And shadowed sureness of the moon.

Let us thank the Earth

And the One who created it

That offers ground for home

And hold our feet firm

Let us thank the One

Who gave us the Earth

To steward its beauty

To harness its gifts

So that all might flourish in it.

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help us to work together

Dear God,

Grant us the patience to work together, bring us all together as a family.

Help us to work together with understanding and compassion in our hearts.

Let us not be lazy or complacent as we join with each other in labor.

May we be steadfast in working toward our goals and objectives.

Grant us the grace we need to be loving teammates caring for each other.

Teach us ways to bear each other's burdens as we spread your love.

Amen.

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help me to hear you anew

God of silence and God of all sound,

Draw me closer and help me to listen.

Help me to do the deep listening to the sounds of my soul.

I long to hear your soft voice calling me deeper into you.

Give me attentive ears.

Help me to separate the noise from the sounds that are you.

Thank you for speaking to me throughout my whole life.

Today help me to hear you anew.

Amen.

- Author Unknown

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TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS

I look to You, Lord, to bring me through every trial I face today. Sometimes it hard to remember that trials are a part of a spiritual process designed to produce maturity, character, and integrity in my life. I confess that at times I wish You had some other way for me to grow. But I praise You, Lord, that along with the problems I face You graciously provide me with wisdom and strength to carry on. Have your way in my life, Father. Make me a child You can be proud of. I love You. Amen!

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Maranatha Worship Bible

praying about your identity in Christ

•“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

*I have forgiveness from the penalty of sin because Christ died for me. (Romans 5:8; 1 Corinthians 15:3)

*I have freedom from the power of sin because I died with Christ. (Colossians 2:11; 1 Peter 2:24)

*I have fulfillment for this day because Christ lives in me. (Philippians 1:20–21)

*By faith, I will allow Christ to manifest His life through me. (2 Corinthians 2:14)

In Jesus' Name

AMEM

Source: Kenneth Boa, Kenneth. Handbook to Prayer: Praying Scripture back to God. (1993)

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How long?

Do you ever feel like this deep down in your spirit?

How long, O LORD???

Do you ever pray and wonder if the LORD is listening? Does He hear?

Does He care about the anguish in your soul? The heartache? The pain?

One thing I have learned in my Christian walk is that He does listen and He does hear. He does care about our brokenness. Our deepest hurt. Our confusion.

Never give up. Never quit praying. Never stop crying out to God.

He loves us with an everlasting and incomprehensible love. A love we can trust. A love we can depend on.

We may not always be able to see that He is working, but we can know deep down into the depths of our being that He is.

Because His Word tells us this truth.

"In my distress I called to the LORD, and He answered me." (Psalm 120:1) CSB

Hang on to the promises of His Word. Hang on to His love.

And cry out to Jesus.

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a prayer for control freaks

I can relate to this prayer.

I am such a control freak.

Help me Lord to let go.

Help me to trust you.

Amen.

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prayer for grace in trials

Merciful Father,

Hear me for Jesus' sake.

I am sinful even when I am closest to you.

Your grace has given me faith in the cross

by which you have reconciled yourself to me

and me to you,

drawing me in by your powerful love,

seeing me as innocent in Christ

though I am guilty.

Giver of all graces,

I look to you alone for strength

for it is hard to practice what I believe.

Please disarm me from the things

in which I have trusted,

and give me no strength but strength in you.

I need your grace to sustain me when I fall

when the enemy's darts inflame me and the shield

I hold up to protect myself easily drops from my hand.

Let each trial teach me more of your peace,

more of your love.

Increase your grace by the work of the Holy Spirit

as I cannot preserve or improve them without

your constant work in my heart.

May I walk humbly in dependence upon you.

Amen

(adapted from "Grace in Trials, The Valley of Vision)

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a prayer for serving others

Dear God,

I need your wisdom, strength and grace to help me serve others.

Help me to know that every person deserves to be treated with respect.

Open my eyes to see the needs of those around me.

Give me a willing heart that I might intercede and help in any way I can.

To you belongs all glory and honor.

Amen.

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a prayer to be kind

Dear Lord,

Give me strength today to show kindness in all that I do.

Help me to open my arms to those that are different from me.

Bless me that I might extend my hand to those who may need it.

Help me to live in a way that all may see You in my kind words and actions.

Amen.

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We are ready to listen—For illumination

We are ready to listen—For illumination

We are ready to listen

Healing, sovereign God,

overmatch our resistant ears

with your transforming speech.

Penetrate our jadedness and fatigue.

Touch our yearnings by your words.

Through your out-loudness, draw us closer to you.

We are ready to listen.

Amen.

Source: Walter Brueggemann, Awed to Heaven, Rooted in Earth: Prayers of Walter Brueggemann. (2003)

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life as a prayer

Instead of merely saying a prayer..
perhaps our lives can be prayerful expressions to God.

Instead of merely giving a heavenly thanks..
perhaps our lives will be filled with thankfulness.

Instead of merely asking for divine forgiveness..
perhaps our lives can be lived from forgiving hearts.

Instead of merely singing songs of worship..
perhaps our lives will be transformed in living worship.

Instead of merely interceding for others..
perhaps our lives can be poured out in service to them.

Instead of merely petitioning God for grace..
perhaps our lives will be display glorious graciousness.

Instead of merely loving God in a prayer..
perhaps our lives can be rooted in love for God and others.

Instead of merely praying..
perhaps we will live life as a prayer.

Amen.

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the prayer for generosity

Lord, teach me to be generous;

Teach me to serve you as you deserve,

To give and not to count the cost,

To fight and not to heed the wounds,

To toil and not to seek for rest,

To labor and not to seek reward,

Except that of knowing that I do your will.

Amen.

... a prayer attributed to St. Ignatius of Loyola

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A NEW CREATION

Father God, the reality is we are a new creation in Christ. Help us to live like that, and let the new life within us show forth your love and mercy. Thank You for making all things new. Thank You that we have the story of New Life to share with others. Thank You for the Word of God, that makes all things clear and reveals to us Your Glory. We love You. Amen.

The Best Prayers Often Have More Groans than Words

Psalm 5:1–2 (ESV)

1 Give ear to my words, O LORD; consider my groaning. 2 Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray.

Romans 8:26 (ESV)

26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

Heavenly Father

There are times when I am so troubled and burdened that I don't know how to pray. I don't know what to pray. Help me realize that You understand what I am going through. Help me know and believe that in times like these my groans and sighs to You are accepted as prayers.

Help me to know that my groans are not only accepted, they are precious to You because they are acts of dependence and trust in Your love and grace. When I am weak You are always strong and are willing and able to help.

Help me to realize that the Holy Spirit who lives in me intercedes in prayer for me.

In Jesus Name

Amen

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Abundance

Thank you LORD for your infinite ABUNDANCE in the lives of your children!!!

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to be faithful witnesses

Dear Lord,

People are hurting and desperate.

Many are fighting disabling sickness.

Depression seems to rule the day.

Bless us to be faithful witnesses of your love.

Anoint our eyes to really see those who are in pain.

Make us wise that we might know how to help.

May boldness embrace us and cause us to act.

Cause us to a people of loving compassion.

That the lost and hurting might see you in us.

To you be all glory and praise.

Amen.

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a pray for Easter Monday

Lord God,

We thank You from the depths of our souls for our wondrous grace and love in bearing our sin on the cross. On this day after Resurrection Sunday, may the cross crucify every sin, increase our communion with You, and ground us in comfort and peace.

Father, you have appointed a cross for us to take up and carry, for it to be our portion, but without Your grace we cannot bear it. Teach us that with Your cross you send grace so we may bear it patiently... for Your yoke is easy and Your burden is light.

Amen.

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. (Colossians 2:13-15)

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