a prayer on embracing transition
Jesus, you are steadfast, you are unchanging, and your love is unfailing. i fall to my knees before you asking for forgiveness
in my unrelenting wrestling of my way and understanding of life circumstances instead of trusting your protective and best way. show me and teach me your way and may my heart
be softened to see the beauty in you and in others.
never leave me and on the tablet of my heart. may i trust you lord with all my heart and lean not on
my understanding, but in all my ways acknowledge you so my path will remain straight. i am forever grateful for your love that remains present at all times.
-DEBBIE EATON-
god of your goodness, give me yourself, for you are enough to me. and i can ask for nothing less that is to your glory. and if i ask for anything less, i shall still be in want, for only in you have i all. all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.
julian of norwich 1392-1416 a prayer that we may be a blessing
may we encourage one another towards an abundant life. may we seek peace and reconciliation in our own hearts and
with the hearts of those around us. may we give people, all people; our family, our friends, our neighbors,
our communities and our leaders, the benefit of the doubt. May we let generosity guide our actions. may we stand for what christ stood for, or rather stand with those whom christ stands with. all.
and come down to the level ground, into the open space where all truly live.
may we dwell in this fertile ground where our lives will eventually turn outward toward others. may we allow our focus to turn from me to them to you and finally to us.
may we live united. may we seek shalom. may we be reminded of the image of god in all of our lives. may we seek communion with all. may we be the blessing not the curse. -MELISSA GREENE-
a prayer in time of war and global unrest
god, our world is crumbling and warring, murdering and destroying each other. there is injustice everywhere and sometimes
we wonder if you see us down here struggling and aching for hope.
we live in this broken down, terrified world and sometimes hate and fear threaten to ruin us all. we pray for peace.
we beg for peace between nations and neighbors, races and relationships. give us eyes of love to look upon each other as brothers and sisters. raise us up not just as peacekeepers but peacemakers. show us how to make peace beginning in our own fearful hearts. teach us not to fear "different," but to learn and listen instead. give us hands to reach out with hope and
community. give us feet to travel to new neighborhoods,
new people, new places, new spaces where we may not understand but we are willing to learn. give us courage, god. courage to love our neighbors as ourselves. courage to lay down our weapons and pick up the mantle of peace.
courage to admit our errors and listen with humility.
we pray for peace in this troubled world we believe you for it, god. -JEN HATMAKER-
a prayer to bind the enemy and use us as His vessels
jesus, we come to you with arms held high and hearts lifted higher. our world crumbles to dust from whence it came, and we are fraught. men, women and children are killed that declare
your name great. thank you for screams loud enough to hear. you aren’t wringing your hands about this, o god. you’ve welcomed martyrs into your kingdom since the fall began. you’ve embraced heroes of the faith with words, “well done, good and faithful ervant.” these souls knew life without you was no life at all, and when the enemy offered pardon if
they’d only bow down, they simply said “no” in the way of jesus.
i pray this moment extends beyond iraq and syrian borders and creeps across the seas. don’t let us miss this, dear jesus. may the weak kneed church of the west not turn a blind eye or cower in the corner. may we not give pity talks or shake our heads with hushed murmurs and be on our way. instead, holy lord, fire a cannonball into our hearts, alerting us to the reality that our devotion is not a popularity contest, only to enjoy the spoils of excess. please god, don’t let these deaths be in vain here on earth. call your people with a roar, too loud to shake. may we rise with tearful admissions that our lives are not our own, we’ve been bought with a price by a master who opened doors and set us free. may we lock arms and declare your name great. may we shake with a holy rage while we still have a voice to utter, “our god will not be mocked.” enough already, holy father. we implore you. turn your anguish into power and begin to bind the enemy here and now. the darkness is too big, too great, dear lord. we break under the weight of it alone. make us your vessels; we will serve wherever you ask. we will be your hands and feet.
we will say yes to your bidding. we have nothing to lose, everything to gain. make this life temporal, jesus. we cast it off. it means nothing to us. take our feeble offerings, the numbered days we have left, and consume us with a fire that cannot be stopped. put us on the front lines, please. we reject safe, comfortable lives where we watch you move elsewhere. draw us where you are moving and keep us near. bring us along, everywhere, and we’ll rid anything that competes with you. we’ll stop hiding behind the safety net of paralyzed leaders. instead lord, we
are an army with you at the helm. you are the victor worth following. we know how this ends, but we have no game plan. show us, lord jesus. life is too short. don’t let us waste another day. move and stir us in unprecedented ways. we trust you for the very next
step, and the ones beyond that. we are ever surrendered, and ever grateful. amen. -REBEKAH LYONS-
a prayer for when I need more of God
god, i know you are real and you have been so good to me. you have satiated my every need, yet made me thirsty for you. i am painfully conscious of my failings, fallings, and failure; i’m in constant need of grace. i’m ashamed of my lack of desire, but i confess these words with every fiber of my being. i want to want you. i long to long for you. i need to need you.
reveal yourself to me so that i may know you more. extend your mercy and begin a new work within me. whisper to me, “rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.” then give me the strength to rise up and follow you from the desert where i have wandered so long. in the name and power of your son jesus, amen. -BIANCA OLTHOFF-
a prayer for being brave
lord, nobody knows how hard we’re trying to be brave
to show up when it’d be easier to give up, to go do hard & holy things when it’d be easier to go do happy things,
to not quit when we don’t know how to keep going on.
and you lean close & breathe warm courage into our exhausted places: “just call to me. i guarantee i will answer you.
Ps.138:3 be brave. hold on to your light to hold back the flood of dark. be brave. your bravery wins a thousand battles you can’t see because your bravery strengthens a thousand others to win their battles too. be brave. and do not pray for the hard thing to go away. but pray for a bravery to come that's *bigger than the hard thing.* be brave.
and all the brave & courageous & the never-give-uppers
who cling to the bravest one who loved us to death &
saved us back to the realest & forever life, we all believed angels were close & we all said amen. -ANN VOSKAMP-
a prayer for our unbelief
god - we believe you. we believe you created the heavens and the earth. we believe you are the creator of our souls. we believe you for our salvation through jesus’ sacrifice. we believe you alone are worthy of all worship. we believe you meet all of our needs. we believe you set us in our time and our places. we believe you are coming back for us. we believe you have purposes and plans for us while we are here. we believe you and for all the ways we don’t,
god - we want to be humble. we want to love well. we want your church to be holy and united. we want those who don’t know you to know you. we want those who are hurting to be healed. we want those who are empty to be filled. we want those who are hungry to be fed. we want those who are alone to be comforted. we want you to move in us in this generation and
we want it so much that we are willing to be a part of solving these problems.
show us how. we want this, and in all the ways we don’t, change us. may nothing about our souls get in the way of your kingdom come and your will being done on earth as it is in heaven.
and where we are holding you back show us quickly because we know we will be home with you soon and desire to live out your heart on this earth for your glory and the good of people. in jesus’ holy name we ask these things - amen. -JENNIE ALLEN-
a prayer for the weary
lord, too often i shrug you off and try to take off on my own. "i have this," i mislead myself time and again. i don't get very far. the weight of the world dragging behind me cripples me. and i remember...i have you. i need you.
you are here to comfort and guide me. you are here to carry my burdens and give me rest. you are here to rejoice over me with singing. help me tune out the lies that convince me that pursuing you is about doing for you instead of being. I want to be with you, Lord.
not even for a minute. you are my strength. and you are my rest. amen. -LINDSEY NOBLES-
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