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DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Those Dealing with Depression

Faithful Father,
Lift up all who are struggling in the throes of depression. Intervene and keep them from being dragged down deeper into the depths. Whether or not they have been clinically diagnosed, your peace provides real power for those who struggle with any measure of depression. Your presence and your ever-present promises are a life-line to those who feel sunk or are sinking. Deflect their thinking away from negative thoughts that tear down or discourage. Instead, fix their thoughts on what is good, positive, and pure. Allow them to dwell on all you have done for them in the past, present, and future, always keeping your Word and always acting on behalf of your people. Counter any lies they are believing with the truths of Scripture. Where medication has shown promise or has been helpful, grant the doctors who prescribe it the wisdom to administer it properly and continue to bless its effectiveness. In whatever way you see fit, bring them out of the darkness into your wonderful light, restoring for them the hope we all can have in you.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For the People You’ve Placed in My Life

Triune God,
When I think of all the people you have placed in my life, I am grateful. Over time, so many others have left their mark in my life. Still today, so many surround me with encouragement, support, and direction, as well as correction and rebuke when necessary. When I consider the impact others have had in my life and the roles they have played, it is quite clear that your intent was never for our walk of faith to be one lived and carried out in isolation. I thank you for those who bless and challenge me in so many ways, and I ask you to bless them in return.

Bless my biological family and my church family. Bless my friends in general, both far-away and nearby, and especially those with whom I share tighter bonds and closer connections. Bless my neighbors and coworkers. Bless my online connections, and bless those right now whom you plan to bring into my life at some point in the future. Continue to weave your blessings into my life and into the lives of many through all of these interconnected relationships.  

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Respond to Enemies With Love

God of Love,
There is no greater example in history of what it looks like to love your enemy than the example Jesus set for us. It wasn’t only at his death that he faced the hatred of enemies in word and actions, but also during his life. Yet we hear no lashing out from his lips, no hate-fueled words spewed out in anger. His response to those who hated him was to love them back.

Give me that heart for those who hate me or wish evil on me or who mistreat me. Do not allow me to waste even a second of my time entertaining possible malicious actions in response. Keep me from trying to mentally justify any potentially vicious verbal comebacks. Instead, let my words and actions toward the bad people in my life model the loving grace you have shown me. The world celebrates the quick-witted put-down or snappy insult against those who mistreat us. Let me, though, model the godly picture of character and strength in how I choose instead to love others, including those who don’t care for me or even hate me.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Be a Man of My Word

Dedicated Savior,
The more I become a man of your Word, the more I desire also to become a man of my word. I confess that hasn’t always been the case. At times I have nonchalantly agreed to this or that with no real intention of following through. I have also had good intentions of keeping my word, only to absent-mindedly forget later on. 

I want to be known as someone who follows through and does what he says he is going to do. You tell us to let our yes be yes and our no be no. When I make a commitment, therefore, I want to keep it. That requires me to carefully consider any potential commitments before agreeing to them. Then, when I do say yes to something, grant me the necessary organizational skills to keep track of my obligations, and the focus to follow through with them. Lead others to see me as someone who can be counted on to do what he says he will do. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Be a Man of Your Word

Righteous Savior,
Help me to be a man of your Word. Anything I aspire to be or do as a Christian man comes down to the work the Holy Spirit must accomplish in me. Since the Bible is his tool of choice to shape and develop me into the godly man I want to be and you call me to be, considerable time in the Word must be a non-negotiable for me. Through your Spirit, free me from any other unnecessary attractions or addictions that have for too long robbed me of potentially precious time in your Word. Expose any weak excuses or lies that I have told myself to justify my neglect of your Word. 

Let your grace and forgiveness wash over me and renew me. Create in me a yearning desire for time in your Word. Satisfy me with your powerful promises and through them build me into a bold, confident Christian soldier, well-equipped to carry out your will and to face the enemy. Daily refresh and rejuvenate my spirit with your Word and let me find great joy and delight in every moment I share with you through it.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For a Healthy Appreciation of Sports

Gracious God,
There are so many good things you give us in life that provide added and undeserved joys. Included among those good things is the gift of sports. Being able to be engaged in competition as either a participant or a spectator can be a uniquely exhilarating experience. Cheering on and supporting our favorite team(s), whether we’re celebrating championships, lamenting down seasons, or stirring up rivalries, are all ways we bond together with others, too.

As with so many of your good gifts, they can be taken too far. Keep sports from taking an idolatrous shape in my heart and creeping into that spot of my first and greatest love. Help me to enjoy them in moderation, and not get too emotionally attached to wins or losses. Let me be willing to see the necessary situations in which I need to make sacrifices regarding my love of sports in order to give attention to more important matters. Permit healthy boundaries to exist so that sports are allowed their place without encroaching or overshadowing other areas of life. Let them remain a source of joy rather than something that robs joy from other areas of life.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Those Who Serve on Sundays

Heavenly Father,
Sundays are sacred. While many of us are focused on the typical Sunday morning routine of waking up, getting dressed, and arriving at church on time, there are others for whom Sunday worship is an opportunity to serve. Thank you for the many who not only get your house ready for worship, but who also serve before, during, and after worship so that we can be fed the Bread of Life. Fill those serving with a godly pride as they embrace the privilege of serving you in these ways. Give them meaning and purpose as they carry out their work faithfully, and grant them the satisfaction of a job well done in your name. May their service to you be a blessing for them as well as other worshippers.  

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For the Witness of Believing Homes

God the Father,
Wherever believing families are spiritually strong and healthy, use them as beacons of light to model on a small scale the blessings of belonging to the body of Christ. Let the world see in our homes the best qualities of the Christian faith in practice. Let love and forgiveness flourish. Allow patience and humility to abound.

Through Christian families, display a setting wherein truth is treasured and care and support are present in great measure. Where discipline is lovingly practiced in families, let those children embody what it looks like to honor and respect those in authority. Finally, by whatever means possible, allow such sanctified living within believing homes to serve as a witness to the gospel, so that it may be clearly known that any good work done in believing homes is a testament to your power and grace.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Grandparents

Loving Father,
Thank you for the variety of blessings you extend to families through grandparents. They provide guidance and counsel to parents navigating challenging or unfamiliar situations. They share a special bond with grandchildren. For grandparents who pour into their grandchildren, lavishing them with love and support, cheering them on in their endeavors, and encouraging them through highs and lows, thank you. Nearby grandparents also often serve as willing caregivers to their grandchildren when weary parents just need a break or a husband and wife need alone time away to reconnect. 

Help families establish clear boundaries so that grandparents’ roles are both clear and respected. Guard against the manipulation of grandchildren, using them as leverage for anyone to get their way. Give parents and grandparents the patience to work through any relationship issues until they can be resolved peacefully. Use grandparents to be a blessing, not a burden, to families, and bring joy and delight into families and homes through them.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Children in the Home

Lord God,
Children are a gift from your gracious hand. When you directed Adam & Eve to multiply and fill the earth, you attached your blessing to homes where children are present. Help us always to remember this and to thank you for the undeserved gift of children.

When couples who desire children struggle to conceive, use that season of life to provide them with patience and deepen their trust in your timing and your path for them. When children are born into broken homes, surround them with friends and extended family to provide them with support and nurture. Through the playful innocence of children, bring joy and delight into homes. As they grow, enable them to do so in step with your Spirit, producing abundant fruits of faith in them. Mold and shape sons and daughters to contribute in meaningful ways to the family while they learn the value of obedience, honor, and respect.

In a world filled with so many dark and dangerous forces at work, guard and protect the hearts and minds of children and provide them with positive and pure influences. Use little ones to remind adults what a child-like trust looks like, that we might remember to follow their example in how we place our trust in you. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.