Category: July

A Prayer about Revealing Jesus in the Hard Times  

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. (2 Cor. 4:7–10)  

Dear Jesus, to compare my season of stress with the apostle Paul’s would be like comparing my guitar playing with Phil Keaggy’s, or my photography with Ansel Adams’s, or my cooking with Bobby Flay’s. There is simply no comparison. When I consider everything he experienced as your servant, honestly, I have nothing to be- moan or groan about. 

Nonetheless, Paul’s honesty is a great gift to me this morning. His freedom to acknowledge both his anguish and his joy in the same paragraph gives me tremendous encouragement and focus. Posing and pretending were crucified at Calvary. Despair and hopelessness were sabotaged by your resurrection. 

Jesus, help me to be far more preoccupied with the treasure within than with the pressures without. If your all-surpassing power will be shown most dramatically through my weakness, I surrender to your will. If your incomparable beauty will be most clearly revealed through my hardships, I surrender to your ways. If your redeeming purposes will be most fully realized through my brokenness, I surrender to you. 

With my palms up, I offer you praise for the treasure of the gospel. The gospel will win the day, my heart, the nations, and the cosmos. Though there are seasons when throwing in the towel, finding another story, or just flat running away are incredibly attractive, where else would I go but to you? You alone give the words of life, the sufficient grace, and the hope of glory. May your voice be ten times louder than the murmurings around me and the grumblings inside me. 

Jesus, in the coming hours and days and weeks, prove the wonders of your love in our midst. I pray with hungry expectancy, in your powerful name.

Amen. 

A Prayer of Hope in God’s Unfailing Love  

The king is not saved by his great army;
a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
The war horse is a false hope for salvation,
and by its great might it cannot rescue. Behold,
the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
on those who hope in his steadfast love. (Ps. 33:16–18)

Dear Jesus, though it’s not fun, it is a good thing to come to the end of ourselves— to be in situations where all of our resources, all of our strength, all of our wisdom are simply not enough. Indeed, it is a gospel thing to feel the pain of realizing that whatever worked in the past is not working in the present moment; to feel the confusion of not knowing what to do next; to feel the helplessness of being out of control. 

For only in those times do we fully abandon ourselves to the God who alone can part Red Seas; overthrow whole Midianite armies with three hundred gunless soldiers; take down Goliaths with a pebble; feed multitudes with a few fish and pieces of bread; raise a dead man for the salvation of his people and the transformation of the cosmos. 

Jesus, we abandon ourselves to you today, for you are that dead man who now lives. You are the One who is redeeming his bride and making all things new. It is your unfailing love that we can and must hope in. There is no other supply sufficient to the need. There is no other strength sufficient for the task. There is no other balm sufficient for the pain. There is no other rest sufficient for the exhaustion. There is no other hope sufficient for the crisis. 

We bring our broken hearts to you. We bring our struggling marriages to you. We bring our divided churches to you. We bring our conflicted relationships to you. We bring our wayward children to you. We bring our unbelieving friends to you. We bring the needs of our community to you. We bring it all to you, Jesus. We will trust in you and your unfailing love. Astonish us by bringing much glory to yourself. We pray in your merciful and mighty name.

Amen. 

A Prayer about a Heavy-Laden Heart  

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matt. 11:28–30)  

Most gracious Jesus, I’m lacing up my running shoes this morning to come to you as fast as I can. Your gentle, lowly heart is simply irresistible to me. Your easy yoke and light burden beckon me, and I will gladly shoulder up. Your promise of soul rest has never been more timely or needed, for I am restless as I begin this day. Thank you for being so welcoming, understanding, and kind. 

The burden and confusion I’m feeling are clearly connected to old wounds with lingering pain. Sometimes fresh hurts become like a magnifying glass or a megaphone by which you remind us of unfinished business in our souls. Like a broken bone that wasn’t set properly, broken hearts that weren’t healed the first time are susceptible to new pain. 

Jesus, I need you. Flood my heart with your presence. Kiss my soul with the assurance that you are enough. Confirm the promise that we can—that I can— do all things through you as you give us strength. Give me the sufficient grace you have pledged. 

Be the great Warrior of our hearts as you rebuke the devil on our behalf. Don’t let the dark one seize this current situation for spewing his toxins. I don’t have a thousand tongues to praise you, but let my one tongue speak with the wisdom of the gospel, rather than wag with the poison of gossip. 

As the day unfolds, help me separate the issues at hand. I need wisdom to deal with the pressing concerns right before me. I cannot afford to drag the stockpile of old pain into this day. If I do that, I will get defensive and will be on the offensive. As usual, this isn’t about me, but about your glory.

Jesus, help me walk today as a man of faith, hope, and love with the people I greatly care about. Give us the wisdom and power you promise. Bring much glory to yourself. Write stories of repentance and restoration by the grace and truth of the gospel. I pray in your most worthy and gracious name.

Amen. 

A Prayer for Strength in the Face of Temptation  

I can do all things through him who strengthens me. (Phil. 4:13)  

Jesus, this verse has been underlined in my Bible, pasted on my refrigerator, even stitched in needlepoint by my grandmother. But today I need to believe this promise and see your faithfulness at work. I’m desperate for the strength you alone can give, Jesus. There are powerful temptations blasting away at my heart relentlessly. You’ve promised that I will never be in any circumstance that will not also find you providing a way of escape. Show me the way, dear Jesus. 

There are people who have more functional power over my heart than you, Jesus. That’s my issue, not theirs. Their praise can “complete me,” and their rejection can ruin a perfectly good day or week. Give me your strength to take back my heart from the influence of such people. I cannot love anyone to whom I have given such idolatrous power.

There are people in my life who are choosing to live very destructively. Marriages, health, and your glory are on the line. I need strength, Jesus, to get involved where, frankly, I’d rather not. It would be much easier just to “pray from afar” than to run after a prodigal or two. Strengthen me so that I will not wimp out. You pursued me, and you pursue me still. Be such a persistent lover through me in these messy situations. 

Lastly, Jesus, I need strength even to seek you, and I am embarrassed to confess it. Lately it’s much easier to watch TV than to read the Scriptures. It’s a higher priority to exercise my body for vanity than my heart for godliness. I gossip quicker than pray. I make all kinds of excuses why I am not in rich fellowship with my brothers and sisters in Jesus. The truth is, I have a lazy heart, exhausted from lesser things. Give me strength to return to my first love, Jesus, for you alone are worthy of my heart’s affection, adoration, and allegiance. I pray in your gracious name. 

Amen. 

A Prayer about My Whining  

Why do you complain, Jacob?
Why do you say, Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord;
my cause is disregarded by my God”?
Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak. (Isa. 40:27–29 NIV)

Gracious Father, I remember my parents’ “get over it” body language when I would whine as a child. I forgave them once I became a parent. Nobody likes to be on the other end of a whine. 

Today I find great delight in knowing that I am your child, but you will never be disgusted with me. You will never roll your eyes at me. You will never slam a door in my face. You will never be irritated with me or shame me. The only look you give me reminds me of your welcoming heart. Though you find no pleasure in my whining, you find great pleasure in your Son. And because you have hidden my life in Jesus, you find great delight and pleasure in me.

Though it presently feels as though heaven isn’t paying attention to some very important things in my heart and story, I hear you say to me in the gospel, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and you will find rest, because I will give you rest.” 

Jesus, you took the ultimate abandonment of the cross that I might be assured I will never be disregarded or abandoned. Though I’m tired and weary, you’re not. Though you may not answer me the way I want you to answer, you promise to give me all the power and strength I need for my present weakness. Turn my whining into worship this day, O gracious and ever-present Lord. I pray in your loving name.

Amen. 

A Prayer about Being Overtaken by Gladness and Joy  

Those the Lord has rescued will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;
everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
“I, even I, am he who comforts you.” (Isa. 51:11–12 NIV)

Father, words cannot capture my gratitude for the hope these promises bring today. I believe your Word, but free me even more from the unbelief that dogs and dulls my heart. As this day begins, I choose to remember I’ve already been ransomed, redeemed, purchased by Jesus for you. I was bought out of sin, condemnation, and death and brought into your eternal embrace. Thankfully, I’m no longer my own. I’m yours, and you love me because you love me . . . period.

All captivities— the ones I’ve generated and those brought upon me by others— all of them are broken in Jesus. No imprisonment, no bondage, no stronghold will keep me from arriving safely home in the New Jerusalem. 

Jesus, you are my Jubilee, my eternal year of the Lord’s favor. I will enjoy this freedom more fully when the new heaven and new earth arrives, but I am already fully and eternally accepted in you. The saints in heaven are more happy than I am, but they’re not more secure. This standing in grace is just a preview of coming attractions. You are so generous and faithful. 

What will it be like when we’re crowned with everlasting joy? What will it sound like when my voice blends in with the entire family of God as we enter the New Jerusalem together? I know what it feels like to be overtaken by guilt and shame, but what will it be like to be overtaken by gladness and joy? Jesus, bring the blessed day when all sorrow and sighing will flee away forever. 

Indeed, Jesus, you comfort us like no one else. Forgive me for seeking my comfort from anyone or anything else. Give me enough comfort in the gospel today that I might freely share with others the very comfort I find in you. I pray in Jesus’ merciful name.

Amen. 

A Prayer for the Discouraged  

As a deer pants for flowing streams,
so pants my soul for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?
My tears have been my food day and night,
while they say to me continually,
“Where is your God?” (Ps. 42:1–3)

Gracious Father, your Word gives voice to every season, circumstance, and emotion we experience in the journey to gospel wholeness. In our joy and in our despair, and in everything in between, you are with us and you are for us. 

You don’t love us more when we have a dancing heart. You don’t love us less when we have a doubting heart. Indeed, with kindness you drew us, and with an everlasting, unwavering love, you hold us. 

Today I bring my discouraged, weary heart to you, and I bring some of my deeply hurting friends with me. Lord, sometimes it feels like life is just too much: the hard providences, the difficult people, the aches and pains of this tent I live in called “my body,” cars and plumbing that break down, friends who bury their wives way too early, children who seem allergic to the gospel, mounting bills and decreasing resources, and a world and even family members who say, “Where is your God in all this?” 

Tears in my coffee, in my beer, on my sandwiches, in my cereal, and dry tears when there is no heart water left. Lord Jesus, you know what this is like, you better than anyone else. For you took the ultimate combination of assaults, somersaults, and insults on the cross, for me and my friends. Your cry, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46) assures me I will never be forsaken— never, even when life mocks my assurance. It’s your thirst on the cross that assures me that my thirst is only fleeting, though at times it feels fatal. Indeed, as I pant for you, Jesus, you are running to me with the living water of the gospel. Thank you on behalf of myself and that of my very thirsty friends. I pray in your faithful and tender name.

Amen. 

 A Prayer for Taking Off Graveclothes  

Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” (John 11:43–44 NIV)  

Dear Jesus, as surely as you spoke and Lazarus walked out of his tomb fully alive, so when you spoke the gospel to my heart, I too was raised from the dead and was made fully alive in you! With all of my brothers and sisters in Christ, I have passed from death to life. For the sovereign grace and the resurrection power of the gospel, I praise you today. Indeed, salvation is of the Lord! 

Yet as surely as Lazarus needed to be freed from his grave clothes, so do I. The smell and signs of death still haunt me and stalk me. There are many areas of my life for which I long for greater freedom. 

Jesus, I want greater freedom from living for people’s approval. I want to be able to respond to trying situations and people with grace and wisdom rather than reacting with irritation and fear. I want freedom to value and see in others what you value and see in them. I want to be quicker to pray and slower to worry. 

I want indifference to be replaced with good listening. I want passivity to be replaced with passion. I want to be free from the toxic shame that often paralyzes my heart. I want to know what stuff from my past still needs to be dealt with and what stuff simply needs to be left till the day of final resurrection. I want to be much bolder in sharing the gospel and much slower to share gossip. 

I want to be able to sit still longer and laugh louder. I want to age grace-fully, not regretfully. I want to stay more fully alive to the only love that will never let me go— your love, Lord Jesus, the only love that is better than life. You’ve made me alive in you, Jesus; make me much, much freer, all for your glory. I pray in your priceless name.

Amen. 

A Prayer of Assured Triumph  

The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. (Rom. 16:20)  

O Father, this promise holds so much hope and timely encouragement for me. Though not always readily apparent to our eyes, the crushing defeat Satan was given under the feet of Jesus is being applied to all the chaos and evil that threat- ens our peace, joy, and sanity. We will live to see the day of Jesus’ triumph over evil played out under our very feet! Though at times it feels like we are being walked on by a gloating devil, it is he who is actually getting ready to know our dancing feet on his head. And according to your Word, this will happen “soon”! Lord, our weary yet joyful cry is, “Make soon, real soon!” 

Jesus, the reason you came into this world was to destroy him who holds the power of death (that is, the devil) and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. Indeed, you have come to destroy the devil and all his works. You faithfully and fully fulfilled the first gospel promise: indeed, your “bruised heel” on the cross secured the “crushed head” of the serpent (Gen. 3:15). Our foe is defeated and waiting to be utterly destroyed. His present flurry of fury is actually a sign he knows his time is short. Lord, our weary yet joyful cry is, “Make short, real short!” 

O God of peace, grant us your peace that passes all understanding when the battle rages most fiercely and the schemes of Satan seem to be winning the day. O triumphant Lord Jesus, we boldly ask not just for surviving grace but for thriving grace, until the day you return to finish making all things new. I pray in Jesus’ triumphant name.

Amen. 

A Prayer for Repentance, Refreshment, and Restoration  

Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago. (Acts 3:19–21)  

Dear Jesus, we continue in the Christian life the same way we began this journey with you— through repentant faith leading to times of refreshing, leading to more repentant faith and more times of refreshing. This cycle of repentance and refreshment will only be finished when you return to restore everything broken and make all things new, in us and in this world. Therefore, we cry out collectively, “Hasten that day, Lord Jesus! Hasten that glad and glorious day!” 

Until then, deepen our repentance and multiply our times of refreshment. Why would we have it any other way? Who of us could improve upon such a glorious gospel state of affairs? How many different ways do you have to say it, Jesus? How often do we need to hear it? You resist the proud but give grace to the humble. Seriously, who wants to try to resist you? Who doesn’t want more grace? Who would prefer times of self-righteousness over times of refreshing? 

Jesus, by your life and by your cross, you’ve clearly shown us that the way up is down. You have never sinned, but you humbled yourself and became sin for us at Calvary. We have never been righteous, though we have pretended to be. In fact, all of our so called righteousness is like filthy rags, yet we have been declared righteous in you. How can this good news not move us to a greater humility, softer hearts, and quicker repentances? 

We “get” the gospel the best when we are face down and palms up before you in repentant faith— not in groveling despair, nor in face-saving penance, but in the beauty of repentant faith. Forgive us when we make excuses, offer explanations, shift the blame, or try to dodge the convicting work of your Spirit. All such madness simply demonstrates the insanity of sin. You promise times of refreshing. Why are we so afraid to repent? Why am I so slow to repent? 

As I begin this day, Jesus, please show me the ways I love poorly. May your kindness lead me to repentant faith all day long. I pray in your tender and tenacious name.

Amen.