Month: May 2019

A Prayer about Freedom and Christian Cannibalism  

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another. (Gal. 5:13–15)  

Dear Jesus, I’m thankful the gospel is more like a subpoena than a mere invitation. Our need is so great that we could not respond apart from such a strong summons. Indeed, the gospel is a life-giving subpoena— the means by which you call us from death to life, from slavery to freedom. We were just as dead and bound in grave clothes as Lazarus was when you spoke the words “Come out” (John 11:43), and you raised us from spiritual death. 

I praise you for the sovereign, death defeating, liberty-giving power of the gospel. Those you set free are free indeed! And the freedom to which you’ve called us is to define the rest of our days and permeate every area of our lives. 

This is nowhere more necessary than in the world of our relationships. We’re to love one another as you love us, Jesus. According to you, this is a confirming mark of true discipleship (John 13:34–35). But as in Galatia, so in our churches, marriages, and friendships; it’s a blatant and ugly contradiction of the gospel when we fall into “Christian cannibalism”— biting and devouring one another. Worse, it’s a sabotaging of your glory and a veiling of your beauty. It’s lying about who you are and what it means to be in relationship with you. Forgive us; forgive me. 

Please show me where I’m living like a relational piranha— nibbling on others’ brokenness and inconsistencies more than I’m feasting on the gospel; holding on to unforgiveness just to gain advantage in a relationship; rehearsing the sins of others more than I’m remembering the way you’ve forgiven me; being petty rather than patient, critical rather than compassionate, mean rather than merciful. Help me know when overlooking the failures of others would be not cowardice but courage. Help me learn how to go through conflict redemptively, rather than destructively. 

Lord Jesus, we’re free only because of you. Help me to steward this costly freedom today in a world of broken people and broken relationships. I pray in your glorious and graceful name.

Amen. 

A Prayer about Wisdom  

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. (James 1:5)  

Heavenly Father, how I praise you for free and full access into your presence, all the time, all because you have declared all your children to be perfectly righteous in your Son, Jesus. And I praise you that as I come today seeking wisdom, I’m kissed by your welcome and inundated with your generosity. 

Indeed, I really need your wisdom, Father, about a few matters that currently confuse me, all of them centering on who I am as a relational person. However you wish to inform my heart, the peace I have is that you will always do so in concert with the gift of your Word. 

Father, I need you to show me the difference between a healthy costly investment in people’s lives versus an unhealthy entanglement and enmeshment. I know the gospel is always calling me and giving me the resources to love as Jesus loves me, but sometimes I don’t really know what that looks like. Help me, Father; help me.

I need wisdom to discern the difference between rightly validating the emotions of those I love versus wrongly taking responsibility for their emotions. My broken default mode will probably always be to try to “fix” people, but I confess yet again that you are not calling me to fix anyone but to love everyone. Grant me wisdom, dear Father; grant me wisdom. 

I need wisdom, Father, about my own emotional world. The emotion of anger has always confused and threatened me. Help me to know when the anger I feel is nothing more than the response of a little boy not getting his way. Help me to know when the anger I swallow should be expressed appropriately, not swallowed. Help me to get angry in the face of injustice, that I might love redemptively in the face of evil. Help me to listen and seek to understand the emotion of anger in others and not rush to judgment or rush out of their story too fast. 

Father, just praying this prayer stirs up so many other thoughts and feelings in- side my heart. My joy is in knowing that we can keep this conversation going throughout the day. My great joy is in knowing that you will give me and my friends the wisdom we need, and you will do so generously. You gave all our fault to Jesus on the cross that we might live in your permanent world of all your favor. We cry hallelujah as in your name we pray.

Amen. 

A Prayer for Bringing Conflicting Friends to Jesus  

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Eph. 4:1–3)  

Gracious Jesus, there are times when your faithful servants don’t see eye to eye on very important matters. Our best efforts at keeping “the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3) get stressed and tested. Differing perspectives lead to sharp disagreements, and sharp disagreements can lead to the parting of ways. This happens in marriages, among good friends, on the mission field, in local churches, and in seminary boardrooms. 

This morning I’m bringing three current expressions of this very scenario before your throne of grace. My heart’s heavy, but not as heavy as it would be if I didn’t believe you to be the Prince of Peace; if I didn’t believe in the power of the gospel; if I didn’t believe that your name is Redeemer and Restorer. Here’s my prayer for friends in the throes of turmoil. 

Lord Jesus, may seeking first your kingdom and your righteousness far outweigh any other seeking— seeking to win, seeking to be right, seeking to avoid pain, seeking to get our own way. It’s your glory and story that matter the most, Jesus, not ours. 

Help us to recognize and resist the schemes of Satan in these conflicts. He hates you, your followers, your church— he is passionately committed to destroying all expressions of beauty among your people. Help my friends keep the main issues in view and not get drawn into biting and devouring one another (Gal. 5:13– 15). 

May friends who see the issues so differently still honor one another as family and beloved servants of Jesus. How we handle our conflicts is just as important as the issues that generate our conflicts— maybe even more important at times. 

Even as you redeemed the painful story between Paul and Barnabas (Acts 15:36– 40; 2 Tim. 4), so bring redemption in these broken stories that are breaking my heart. I pray with sadness but trusting in your powerful name.

Amen. 

A Prayer about Peace  

Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.
(James 3:18 NIV)  

Dear Jesus, it’s the day on our calendar that now has its own dark branding, “9/11.” There have been many days in history that stand out as graphic reminders of the pervasive brokenness of the world— of just how far we have fallen and just how fully the peace of creation has been violated by sin and death. But in my lifetime, no day in American history tells that story more clearly than September 11. 

I’ll never forget how it felt watching the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center crumble to the earth. It was chilling, frightful, and surreal. But as I remember that day of extreme terror and trauma, I also choose to remember you, Jesus. Otherwise I would stew in despair or simply be driven to rage. 

Lord Jesus, you are the Prince of Peace— the archetypal Peacemaker. You are the one who has come to make all things new, to restore broken things, to bring new creation delight from old creation decay. 

Your death on the cross was the ultimate sowing of peace. As you died, taking the judgment we deserve, you were planted as the very seed that has secured an eternal harvest of righteousness. Your death was the death of death itself and the promise of eternal shalom. 

Because of you, terror is terrified. Indeed, because of you, one day there will be no terror or tears. There will be no more brokenness or barrenness, no more heartaches or even heartburn, no more human trafficking or even human tooth decay, no more war or even aggravation, no more evil or even envy, no more poverty or even pouting, and no more “not yet,” “not enough,” or “not now.” 

Our labors in you, King Jesus, are not in vain. Because of you we can, and must, live as peacemakers, sowing the peace of the gospel of the kingdom, with the absolute assurance that a harvest of righteousness is being raised and will be reaped. 

We praise you that your name is Redeemer, Reconciler, and Restorer. We cry out loud, “Maranatha!” Come, Lord Jesus, come! Until that day, give us all the mercy, grace, and peace we need for this day. We pray with joy and hope.

Amen. 

A Prayer about Soul Rest  

Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
my hope comes from him.
Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
My salvation and my honor depend on God;
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
Trust in him at all times, you people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge. (Ps. 62:5–8 NIV)

Gracious Father, nothing compares with being certain of your love for me. The peace I have knowing I no longer have to perform or pretend with you about any- thing is incomparable. Today, in particular, I’m thankful for the freedom to pour out my heart to you. Because the gospel is true, I don’t have to measure or monitor my words with you. You don’t judge my prayers. You purify them as they meet you at the throne of grace. How I praise you for such a standing in grace! 

Here’s what’s going on inside of me today. I feel a restlessness that I cannot re- ally attach to any one thing. There’s a floating disquiet, a nibbling anxiousness, a low rumble of dread that’s just hanging there. It could easily morph into something much bigger if I’m not connected to you in a fresh and vital way. 

So today I echo back to you King David’s longing for soul rest, and I make his prayer mine. “Soul, find your rest in God alone! Don’t medicate with anything else. Don’t minimize or supersize your restlessness. Just go to Jesus. Go to Jesus right now!” 

Indeed, Jesus, I don’t want to waste energy on the “paralysis of analysis.” I don’t want to spend time navel-gazing today. I don’t want to treat my soul like an onion to be peeled, layer by layer. Whatever is repentable or repairable, I’m sure you’ll show me. I just want you, Lord Jesus. I ask you to bring your centering presence, your stabilizing mercy, and your calming peace to my soul. Kiss my heart with the gospel, and it will be enough.

I do trust you, Jesus, at this time, even as I want to trust you at all times. You are my rock, my salvation, my fortress, my honor, my refuge, and a whole, whole lot more King David didn’t mention in this psalm! I pray today with hope and anticipation.

Amen. 

A Prayer about Triumph  

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. (2 Cor. 2:14)  

King Jesus, I greet and praise you this day for being a most merciful and mighty Savior. You completely save those who come to you in faith, and the very faith we need for coming to you, you freely give us in the gospel. You’re the great warrior of the heart. You’ve come to overthrow the reign of sin by the reign of grace. You are the victorious King. 

Jesus, I gladly take my place in the triumphant procession Paul described in this passage. I humbly assume the posture of both the conquered and the conqueror. I praise you for rescuing me from the dominion of darkness, a kingdom in which I was both a willing citizen and a desperate slave. Only the gospel was powerful enough to set me free. Thank you for triumphing over me and in me. 

I’m also grateful to be among those released for a life of announcing your triumph of mercy and grace. What more could I want for the rest of my life than to be someone through whom the fragrance of the gospel is released— the aroma of forgiveness and freedom, the incense announcing a kingdom of reconciliation and restoration? 

Jesus, how I praise you that life in the gospel is not a preoccupation with the “victorious Christian life” but a preoccupation with you, the victorious Christ! You are my loving master, not my private masseuse. Forgive me when my prayers reflect a greater commitment to my comfort than to your kingdom. Free me from “claiming” things you never promised. Give me much more joy in living for your glory than in living for my personal gain. 

Wherever you take me in the triumphant procession of the gospel is the best place to be. However you want to spread the fragrance of knowing you is the best way to live. I pray in your glorious name.

Amen. 

A Prayer about Completion  

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Phil. 1:6)  

Gracious Father, today is a great day to be reminded that “salvation is of the Lord.” You’re the one who begins the “good work” of redemption in our lives. You’re the one who is carrying it on, even when you’re not working according to our timetable and agenda. And you’re the one who will complete our redemption on the day Jesus returns to finish making all things new. 

This is incredibly good news, I recognize as I ponder my story and the lives of other people you’ve placed in my life. I can’t be my own savior, and neither can I be anyone else’s savior. The pressure is off! What a great relief, but also what a critical truth to remember. This good news, this best of all news, leads me to offer these earnest prayers . . . 

Father, give me the same confidence for my friends you gave Paul for the Philippians. Sometimes irritation, worry, and fear loom larger in my life than patience, trust, and hope. When this happens, I’m pretty worthless as a friend. 

Teach me how to wrestle in confident prayer for others, like Epaphras, who wrestled in prayer for the believers in Colossae (Col. 4:12). My tendency is to wrangle emotionally rather than wrestle believingly. This leaves me worn out, and it simply frustrates others. They feel pressure from me to change, rather than encouragement in their journey. 

Keep me tender enough to engage in my friends’ broken stories but tough enough not to give in to the pulls I often feel from them. Help me not to get entangled in things that have nothing to do with me, but give me the tenacity to stay present. Teach me how to wait on you without falling into self-protective passivity or self-validating activity. 

Only the gospel is sufficient for the demands of loving well, so I abandon myself to you and your resources. Help me see others as you see them, Father, and help me to love them as Jesus loves me. I pray in Jesus’ compassionate name.

Amen. 

A Prayer about Jesus Opening Our Minds  

“Everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he [Jesus] opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” (Luke 24:44–47)  

Lord Jesus, I’ve always considered myself to be pretty open-minded. Yet as I meditate on this remarkable scene in Luke’s Gospel, I realize I’m not nearly as open- minded as you intend. For myself and for my friends, I ask, help us to see you everywhere in the Bible, Jesus. Enable us to read the law of Moses, the Prophets, and the psalms with you clearly in view. 

For years I thought of the law only as a bunch of rules and principles by which I could earn God’s favor and blessings, or at least micromanage my life for greater success. Now I understand that the law was given to drive us to you, Jesus. It was never given as a basis of my acceptance with God. You’ve fulfilled the law for us by your perfect obedience, and you’ve exhausted its judgment by your death on the cross. I wish I’d understood this earlier in my walk with you. 

I used to read the Prophets with a fear of judgment and great intrigue about the future of Israel. Now I realize that all of God’s promises point to you, Jesus. You are the “Yes” and “Amen” to every promise God has made. The gospel of your kingdom claims the entire cosmos, not just the Middle East— not just Jerusalem but the New Jerusalem as well. 

I’ve always loved the Psalms, but until recent years, I read them more with an appreciation for David than with adoration for you, Jesus. But you are the King in- stalled by your Father, the one who inherits the nations and the ends of the earth (Ps. 2). Indeed, Jesus, continue to open our minds to understand how the entire Bible is a revelation of the gospel— the story of God’s commitment to redeem his people and restore the world by you . . . and through us. Show us more of you and our place in your story. We pray in your peerless name.

Amen. 

A Prayer for Perfectionists  

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us. (1 John 4:18–19)  

Gracious Father, I begin this day with a desire to live much less of a driven life and much more of a called life. In essence, I want to live with less fear and more freedom, less by frenzy and more by faith, with fewer obsessions and with much more adoration of you, the God of all peace. 

As I get older I just don’t have as much energy to juggle as many balls or spin as many plates as I used to. This is simultaneously a humbling thing and a good thing. For if greater grace comes to the humble, then accepting my limitations is essential for my liberation. Lord, I believe; help my unbelief! 

It’s not difficult to see that my drivenness and busyness are rooted in fear— the fear of not being enough and having enough, the fear of losing face and losing control, the fear of missing the mark and missing out. 

Come, Lord Jesus, come. Your perfect love alone can liberate this poser, per- former, and perfectionist. Drive out my fears by a greater grasp of your grace. You lived a life of perfect obedience for me as the second Adam, fulfilling everything God requires of me. You died a death of perfect love for me as the Lamb of God, exhausting God’s judgment against my sin. Your resurrection from the dead on the third day is the first fruits and guarantee that one day I will be as lovely as you and as loving as you, Jesus. 

Indeed, one day I will be made perfect in love, all because of you, Lord Jesus, for perfection can only be found in you. I love you because you first loved me and continue to love me. May your perfect love continue to drive all pernicious fear from my life. I pray in your glorious name.

Amen. 

A Prayer for Treasuring Jesus  

For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious corner- stone, and the one who trusts in him [Jesus] will never be put to shame.” Now to you who believe, this stone is precious.
(1 Pet. 2:6–7 NIV)  

Jesus, when I hear the word precious, I immediately think about silver, gold, and platinum, all called “precious metals.” Or I think about “precious gemstones” like diamonds, sapphires, rubies, and emeralds. 

But if anything or anyone deserves the appellation “precious,” it’s you, Jesus— God’s chosen cornerstone and precious capstone of our redemption. For the combined worth of all precious metals and gemstones that have ever existed does not compare with the unsearchable riches that are found in you.

To trust in you, Jesus, is to be free from the burden of our guilt and the paralyzing power of our shame. To trust in you, Jesus— to boast in the gift of your righteousness, to rest in the constancy of your love, to wake up each day to your endless mercies, to hear you sing to us in the gospel— is to feel the stranglehold of shame lose its grip over our hearts. 

Jesus, I praise you for taking the guilt of our sin and the shame of our brokenness on the cross. You became sin for us that in you we might become the righteousness of God. Because of you, judgment day holds no terror. The cross was our judgment day. We no longer fear the gaze of God because of the grace of God we have in you. 

May you become more and more precious to us, Jesus. May the gospel continue to change the price tags on everything in our world. May yesterday’s values be considered today’s loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing you. We pray in your glorious name.

Amen.