May you encounter the Living God in the words of the Old and New Testament
Allow these prayers to prompt your own prayers, and to grow your love for talking with the Lord. When we pray using the words from the Bible, we can know that we are closer to aligning our prayer with God’s Will. (1 John 5:14-15)
Verse
“The Lord is my Shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.” Psalm 23:1-3
Prayer
My Great Shepherd,
Thank You for the countless ways You provide for me. Give me the eyes to see all that You have given me and to recognize Your handiwork throughout my day. When the world seems to be spinning off its axis around me, re orient me with Your firm and loving hands. Open my eyes to see the green pastures that You are providing for me, even if they may not look the exact shade of green that I want or expect. Thank You that You provide the water that I need for life and nourishment. Although I may long for the sparkly and bubbly water, that appears to be more exciting, You know that type of water is not good for me. That water is not life giving! Instead, it actually will be unsettling and, eventually, lead to death. My soul yearns for rest and refreshment. Father, open my eyes and heart to desire You, because You are the one who can truly refresh my soul. Even though I THINK I know the way that I should go, Lord, I need a Shepherd who can see beyond what I can see. Guide me along the right paths, for my good and for Your glory.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen
Verse
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” Matthew 6:25-27
Prayer
Lord,
Thank You for reminding me in Your Word how much You love me! Forgive me for doubting Your ability to provide for me when I worry. I know that You created me. I know that You love me. I know that You will provide for me. It may not look the way I think it should, or hoped it would, but I know that I can trust You. Help me to trust You, even in the midst of my struggle with doubt and worry. Remind me not to borrow worry from tomorrow, tomorrow will have its own things for me to consider. Instead, help me to turn my worry into worship by keeping my eyes on You. Fill my mind, heart and attention with Your Word, music that points me to You, and people who reflect Your love. You promise to walk with me; I trust You and I can’t wait to see how You work this thing out that is so heavy on my heart.
In Jesus’ name, Amen
Verse
“While Jeremiah was still confined in the courtyard of the guard, the word of the Lord came to him a second time: “This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it- the Lord is his name; ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’” Jeremiah 33:1-3
Prayer
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for the way You reveal Yourself to us in the Old Testament. Much of Jeremiah is hard to hear because Israel is being overtaken by the Babylonians, but I am grateful for your words in Jeremiah 33:1-3 that tell me You hear Your people when they call out to You. Thank You, Lord, that I know You hear my cries to You when I feel overwhelmed and overtaken by the circumstances in my life. You made the earth, You formed and established it for our good and for Your glory. Give me a glimpse of Your Light when the darkness seems to close in around me. Keep my eyes on You and help me to trust that You will do as You say. Strengthen my Faith, so that I can trust You even when it is hard. Your love and Your hand sustains me.
In Jesus’ name, Amen
Verse
“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:1-8
Prayer
Gracious God,
I am humbled by the love You have for me, for all of us. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins- past, present and future- so that I could be in relationship with You and live for eternity with You. Thank You that through Faith in Jesus I have access to the Hope of the Glory of God. This Hope allows me to look at my suffering as a pathway to build perseverance and character. Remind me that You do not want me to walk in the shame of my sin. Your love has been poured out into my heart through the Holy Spirit, so that I can walk in freedom and in the Hope of life with You. Forgive me for my sin, forgive me when my faith is weak and I doubt that You could love me so much. I believe You demonstrated Your love for me when Christ died for my sin. I believe You demonstrated Your power over all when Christ rose from the dead! Help me to walk in the boldness of that love and that power, for my good and for Your glory. Allow me to share Your love with others.
In Jesus’ name, Amen
Verse
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:
A time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.” Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Prayer
Father,
The older I get, the more I understand and appreciate the concept of life happening in seasons. Too much of my life has been spent wishing for the next season or lamenting a past season. Help me, Lord, to enjoy the season that You have me in now. You have brought me here for a reason. Allow me to work alongside You to further Your kingdom and to accomplish Your plan. Thank You for Your faithfulness in each season of my life! Continue to open my mind, eyes and heart to recognize Your Presence when things are going well, and when they are not. May I seek You for guidance, and comfort when things are hard, AND may I run to celebrate with You when Joy overflows. In the midst of all of it, Father, I pray for Your Peace and Hope to be ever present.
In Jesus’ name, Amen