A Prayer for Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Spirit (Pt. 2)

O God,

Thank you for the spirit that we are;

thank you for the spirit that defines us.

Thank you for who we are in the depths of our being.

Make us aware of the spirit within.

Keep us aware of the spirit within.

Increase our awareness of the spirit within.

Help us listen to the spirit within.

And let the spirit that we are grow and

expand in the ways that help us best

love you, love others, and love ourselves.

Amen.

A Prayer for Monday, February 27, 2017

Spirit (Pt. 1)

O God,

Thank you for

your Spirit that is

with us,

within us, and

among us.

Thank you for your grace

in which you send your Spirit

to lead us,

to teach us,

to comfort us, and

to challenge us.

Keep us constantly aware

of your Spirit’s presence.

Help us listen …

Amen.

A Prayer for Sunday, February 26, 2017

The Lord’s Day

O God,

We praise you for all you are and for all you do.

Forgive us for sometimes thinking that we understand you better than we do (or than we can).

Help us praise you for what we can’t know about you as much as for what we can.

But help us praise you especially for who you reveal yourself to be in Jesus Christ. Help us do all we can to understand Jesus, so we can thereby do our best to understand you.

Amen.

A Prayer for Saturday, February 25, 2017

Turn (Pt. 3)

O God,

Help us

turn upward so we can know you better,

turn inward so we can know ourselves better, and

turn outward so we can know others better.

Amen.

A Prayer for Friday, February 24, 2017

Turn (Pt. 2)

O God,

Choices and possibilities

constantly confront us.

Help us turn away from

options that don’t reflect the

life, spirit, words, and ways

of Jesus.

Amen.

A Prayer for Thursday, February 23, 2017

Turn (Pt. 1)

O God,

Thank you for

always being there.

Remind us to keep

turning toward you.

Amen.

A Prayer for Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Well & Good

O God,

Help me 

love well 

and 

do good.

Amen.

A Prayer for Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Give

O God,

Give me opportunities

to help the helpless,

to speak out for the oppressed, and

to embrace the marginalized.

Give me grace and courage to act

on the opportunities you give me.

Amen.

A Prayer for Monday, February 20, 2017

Before (Pt. 2)

O God,

Help us

think before we speak,

pray before we act,

reflect before we respond,

and

love before we do anything.

Amen.

A Prayer for Sunday, February 19, 2017

The Lord’s Day

O God,

We bring before you all the things that make us who we are.

We bring our success and our failure, our faith and our fear, and our assurance and our doubt.

We tend to think that our success, our faith, and our assurance are the positive things that we bring and that our failure, our fear, and our doubt are the negative things.

Help us see that it all depends.

Help us see that, if we are comfortable in our success, if we are presumptuous in our faith, and if we are arrogant in our assurance, those things can get in the way of our worship and our service.

Help us see that, if our failure humbles us, if our fear enlivens us, and if our doubt deepens us, those things can open up appropriate ways of worship and service.

We bring before you all the things that make us who we are, because that’s all we have.

Help us be honest about ourselves. Help us be open to your grace.

Amen.

A Prayer for Saturday, February 18, 2017

Before (Pt. 1)

O God,

Help us face and deal with what is before us.

Don’t let us look away.

Don’t let us hope it will take care of itself.

Don’t let us assume somebody else with handle it.

Give us wisdom to see things as they are.

Give us grace to live into them.

Give us courage to do what must be done.

Help us face and deal with what is before us in ways

that demonstrate our love for you and for people.

Amen.

A Prayer for Friday, February 17, 2017

Beside

O God,

Remind us to look to see who is beside us.

When they are similar to us, let us appreciate it.

When they are different than us, let us celebrate it.

When they confirm us, let us ponder it.

When they challenge us, let us learn from it.

When they need our help, let us give it.

When they offer to help, let us receive it.

Amen.

A Prayer for Thursday, February 16, 2017

Behind

O God,

When we look behind us,

don’t let it be so we can wallow

in regret, guilt, or nostalgia.

When we look behind us,

let it be so we can

celebrate, learn, and live.

Amen.

A Prayer for Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Between

O God,

Help us become proficient at reading between the lines.

Give us insight into what’s really being said and what’s really going on.

Give us wisdom to see the truth.

Give us courage to act accordingly.

Amen.

A Prayer for Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Beneath

O God,

Deliver us from taking people at face value. Don’t let us assume that our first impressions are accurate.

Help us instead look beneath the surface so we can better understand what’s really going on and who someone really is.

Help us take the time and make the effort to really get to know people so we have the chance to get beneath the surface.

And once we do, give us empathy that grows out of love and compassion.

Amen.

A Prayer for Monday, February 13, 2017

Beyond

O God,

Help us live fully in this place and time.

Help us be fully present in this moment.

At the same time, help us see

beyond this place and time.

Make us aware of

the wonder,

the vastness,

the mystery, and

the possibilities.

Amen.

A Prayer for Sunday, February 12, 2017

The Lord’s Day

O God,

Help us worship you with

ever-increasing integrity.

Help us grow every day

in our following of Jesus.

Let that growth lead us

to live lives motivated by

love, grace, hope, and mercy.

Then let our worship emerge

from our experience of following

Jesus and being formed in his image.

Let the praise we offer you in worship

reflect the praise we offer you in our

motives, thoughts, words, and actions.

Amen.

A Prayer for Saturday, February 11, 2017

Turn (Pt. 5)

O God,

When we find

ourselves drifting

toward

superiority,

self-righteousness, and

separation,

help us turn

toward

humility,

repentance, and

community.

Amen.

A Prayer for Friday, February 10, 2017

Turn (Pt. 4)

O God,

When we find

ourselves drifting

toward

neglect,

disregard, and

ingratitude,

help us turn

toward

attention,

appreciation, and

thankfulness.

Amen.

A Prayer for Thursday, February 9, 2017

Turn (Pt. 3)

O God,

When we find

ourselves drifting

toward

certainty,

arrogance, and

obstinance

help us turn

toward

wonder,

humility, and

openness.

Amen.

A Prayer for Wednesday, February 8, 2017

Turn (Pt. 2)

O God,

When we find

ourselves drifting

toward

fear,

worry, and

despair

help us turn

toward

faith,

prayer, and

hope.

Amen.

A Prayer for Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Turn (Pt. 1)

O God,

When we find

ourselves drifting

toward

apathy,

resentment, or

hate,

help us turn

toward

concern,

compassion, and

love.

Amen.

A Prayer for Monday, February 6, 2017

Desire

O God,

Thank you for the desires that come with being human, including the desire to know you.

Forgive us when we try to substitute the fulfillment of other, lesser desires for the fulfillment that comes from knowing you.

Let the desire to know you overcome us; let the fulfillment of that desire overwhelm us.

Even as we give other desires their proper place, let the desire to know you be the one desire of our hearts.

Amen.

A Prayer for Sunday, February 5, 2017

The Lord’s Day

O God,

We praise you today with our worship for the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Help us praise you for them every day with our attitudes, thoughts, motives, words, and actions.

Let our lives show that we have been crucified with Christ and raised to new life in him.

Amen.

A Prayer for Saturday, February 4, 2017

Close

O God,

We’ll never

know all we should,

trust all we should,

give all we should,

help all we should,

listen all we should,

forgive all we should,

do all we should, or

love all we should.

Please help us come close.

Amen.

A Prayer for Friday, February 3, 2017

Can

O God,

There are so many things I wish I could do something about.

But I can’t do anything about everything.

So help me do what I can about the things I can do something about.

Give me wisdom to support the causes I should support.

Give me strength to stand up for the principles I should stand up for.

Give me grace to love the people who most need my love.

I can’t do everything. But don’t let me do less than I can. Help me do all I can.

Amen.

A Prayer for Thursday, February 2, 2017

Show

O God,

Show us how to be more gracious—then help us do it.

Show us how to be more merciful—then help us do it.

Show us how to be more empathetic—then help us do it.

Show us how to be more accepting—then help us do it.

Show us how to be more helpful—then help us do it.

Show us how to be more loving—then help us do it.

Amen.

A Prayer for Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Wrong/Right

O God,

When we’re slightly wrong, help us adjust.

When we’re completely wrong, help us flip.

When we’re almost right, help us progress.

When we’re completely right, help us stay humbly committed.

Amen.