DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

To Bless My Plans and Follow Through

Heavenly Father,
Two weeks into the new year is about the time many new year resolutions have already failed or begin heading in that direction. While there is nothing special about a resolution being set and kept at the beginning of the year, your Word does encourage us both to make plans and to follow through with our commitments. So today I ask your blessing in both of those areas.

Help me to see the value of planning in my life and in the work of your church. When we don’t make plans, we easily remain stagnant and stuck. We don’t move forward or grow. Uncover any growth opportunities in my life that may not be clear to me and provide me with your direction in establishing goals and plans to achieve them. Do the same as I observe the ministry of my local congregation and my role in it. 

Then, Lord, grant me the drive and discipline to follow through with those plans. Help me avoid the pitfalls of procrastination and establish traction and built the necessary momentum to keep after my goals. When distractions or unforeseen challenges arise, give me focus and flexibility to adapt as needed and stay on track. Give me the encouragement of noticeable progress and provide whatever push I may need along the way until I finish what I started and achieve my goals. Finally, I submit all that I am asking to your will and blessing.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

For Prudence in Managing My Finances

Dear God,
Any good gift I have comes from your loving hand. All that I have from you is a trust to be managed. Help me to be prudent in my handling of it. 

I especially seek your guidance in managing my finances. Others may welcome debt as a normal part of life, but I want to avoid it as much as possible and live within my means. While it is a simple recipe to avoid spending more than I make, it is also simple to thoughtlessly and effortlessly purchase unnecessary items and services with the click of a button from my phone or laptop. Keep me free from slavery to stuff while also avoiding the reputation of being a stingy miser. Let me be known for a generosity that willingly meets the needs of others and eagerly supports gospel ministry. Richly bless my faithful efforts at managing what you entrust to me, so that I may continue to honor you by richly blessing others with it.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

To Live in My Baptismal Grace

Heavenly Father,
Sundays are sacred. On this Sunday, many services and sermons will be focused on Jesus’ baptism. It was there that you both anointed and affirmed him, setting him apart as our Substitute and your Son, who was perfectly qualified to secure our salvation. 

Just as you revealed his identity at his baptism, so also did you reveal my identity at my baptism: by faith you call me your son. As your son, I am also heir to your kingdom. Surely the inheritance awaiting me in heaven far surpasses anything I could ever inherit on earth! Therefore, let me embrace the treasure that is my baptism, by which you clothed me in Christ adopted me into your family. Let my baptism be for me all that I need to live securely every day in my identity and status before you.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

To Bring Good Even Out of Disaster

God of All Goodness,
Even though natural disasters are able to bring about devastation and destruction, they also provide a setting for you to demonstrate how you keep your promise to work good in all situations. When people are threatened or in danger, we see the best in mankind as others are willing to sacrifice and put their own lives at risk to rescue or help them. Prayers are multiplied in the midst of tragedy and turmoil, which is not only a blessing for those in harm’s way, but also for those directing their focus and attention to you.

When we learn from mistakes in how certain things were handled, we are better-equipped the next time disaster strikes. Catastrophes also provide channels for charity to be exercised to meet the needs of those experiencing loss. And of course, those unaffected or untouched by the disaster are more appreciative, grateful that they were spared. Continue to bring good from all situations, and grant many the gift of faith to see it and to be edified by it – even when disaster strikes.  

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

For Those Experiencing Devastating Loss

Providential Lord,
Recent and ongoing wildfires have taken so much from so many. The homes and possessions lost are so much more than just their appraised value; they are ties to family histories and portals to precious memories. Our belongings don’t just belong to us, but in some ways are extensions of us. And as men, for better or worse, our successes and achievements are often connected to our possessions. 

We feel for those who have experienced devastating loss. While it is difficult for us to imagine the magnitude of their situation, give us empathetic hearts and genuine concern for their welfare. Whether a person had much or had little, when it is suddenly all stripped away, they are on equal footing. 

Provide for their needs. Cause avenues of generosity to pour out on their behalf. Guard them from being taken advantage of as they seek to put their lives back together. Band together communities of care and concern to take up their cause and be their advocates. Replace what can be replaced, while also letting faded or forgotten memories ease the sense of loss. 

Through all of this, open many eyes to the realization that Job had: you give and you take away; blessed is your name. May what has so suddenly been lost also serve as a reminder of how richly and generously you provided in the first place. Above all else, I pray that the loss of worldly belongings heightens appreciation for heavenly blessings and the spiritual riches that flow from them, which cannot perish, spoil, or fade away. Truly, those who have you have everything they need. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

To Extinguish the Wildfires

Almighty God,
Wildfires continue to burn around Southern California, leaving little more than embers and ash where homes and buildings used to stand. As the Lord who brought all of creation into existence with your mighty word, you also govern and direct all of nature. I boldly pray that you use whatever means necessary to bring the burning under control and extinguish the fires as swiftly as possible. Allow all who are still in the wildfires’ paths to safely evacuate and spare the loss of any more lives. 

Guard and protect all who are battling the flames, and provide them with access to every resource needed to carry out their work effectively. Still the winds and grant firefighters favorable conditions as they put their lives on the line. Give wisdom, discernment, and clear communication skills to those overseeing all firefighting and rescue efforts. 

While it appears to many that devastation and chaos are in control, through your clear intervention in this disaster, make it known that you are and always will be the one with all power and authority, reigning over all things and directing them for both your temporal and eternal purposes. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

To Keep My Evangelism Efforts Simple

Lord God,
When I am stuck or don’t know where to start in my witnessing efforts, keep me from overthinking it. Help me to keep it simple by always being curious. Every conversation is an open door to ask questions. Give me a genuine desire to be more interested in others than being interesting to others. Open my ears to listen for openings to ask thoughtful questions, then keep my ears open to stay focused on listening to the answers. In doing so, lay out clear paths to bring you into the conversation in ways that speak to the hearts of others. May these approaches lead to ongoing conversations in the future, providing your Spirit with as much time as necessary for my words and your Word to accomplish their saving purposes. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

To Be Proactive in My Evangelism Efforts

Zealous Savior,
You call me to always be prepared to give an answer to anyone who asks me to give the reason for the hope that I have (1 Peter 3:15). Indeed, I do want to be ready when such situations arise. But I also pray that you push me to be very deliberate in my witnessing efforts. As much as I want to be well-equipped and qualified to offer thoughtful responses about you and my faith in you when others have questions, stretch me to be more proactive. Help me identify openings in conversations that provide opportune times to bring you into the story. Let my faith flatten my fears and prompt me to be your bold ambassador. Protect me from my own passivity and generate in me a burning desire to evangelize and carry on the mantle of mission work that so many believers have faithfully fulfilled before me. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

For the Joy of My Salvation to Prompt My Witnessing

Light of the World,
Today is known in the Church as the Festival of the Epiphany, sometimes referred to less formally as “Gentile Christmas.” Whatever label we attach to it, what we are celebrating is the revelation that you are the Savior of the whole world. During the season of Epiphany, as we follow your ministry from the beginning, we see highlights that clearly make known for us who you are and why you came.

If I am going to bear witness to your work of salvation for all people, it starts with firmly embracing this most profound truth: you are my Savior. Keep this joyful truth always before me, so that it serves as the lens through which I view everything else in life. That joy, that you are mine and I am yours because of your saving work, stirs my soul and spirit, filling me with the desire and drive to make you known to others. I want to be your witness, so spur me on in that work with ongoing reminders of the joy I live in because you are my Savior.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

To Raise Up Future Pastors

Holy Father,
Sundays are sacred. You richly bless your church by providing men to preach and teach the Word of God. Thank you for their commitment to ministry and their faithful sermon work and preparation for worship each week. Since pastors play such an integral role in making disciples, I pray that you continue to raise up young men to pursue the pastoral ministry. 

Use me to be a part of that. Help me to identify young men with the qualifications and gifts that would be suitable for future pastors. Fill me with words of encouragement to pass along to them, and use those words to plant seeds of interest in their minds. Provide meaningful experiences for them in our congregations to give them a taste of how rewarding ministry can be. Keep their names on my heart so that they may remain in my prayers and I remember to engage and interact with them regularly. The harvest is plenty, but the workers are few, so raise up many future pastors to help gather the harvest, and use my influence and encouragement in any way possible to nurture them along. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.