DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

For Those Preparing for Ministry

Lord of the Church,
Thank you for all who are willing to pursue the path of public ministry. Those decisions aren’t made in a vacuum, but often come in connection with much support and encouragement from others. To serve others with your Word full-time is a noble calling. It is also one that you don’t take lightly, for you hold those in ministry to a higher standard as they handle your Word of truth and apply it as your representatives. Make future pastors, teachers, and staff ministers mindful of these realities as they give themselves fully to their studies. Grant them also the confidence that you always provide what is needed to those you call so that they can carry out their work faithfully. Bless their preparation and training, providing them with meaningful experience along the way that will reinforce their desire and commitment to serve you and your people in ministry. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

To Put – and Keep – You First Daily

Greatest Treasure,
Although we so easily and regularly convince ourselves otherwise, there is never anything on our daily to-do list as valuable as our time with you. There is simply no replacement for daily time spent in your Word. No matter how packed our day may be, no matter how much we need to get done, no matter how many pressing issues we’re facing, do not allow us to deceive ourselves into believing that we don’t have time for you or that such time somehow limits what else we can accomplish. You call on us to seek your kingdom and your righteousness, with the assurance that you will take care of the rest. Help us show you that we believe your promise by giving you the first fruits of each day, every day, and not the leftovers. Then, show us how graciously and reliably you keep your promise. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

For Jesus’ Ascension

Ascended Savior,
On this day of Ascension, forty days after we celebrated your resurrection from the dead on Easter Sunday, we remember and rejoice that you returned to your heavenly throne. You did not abandon your Church, but rather returned to rule over all things on her behalf. You oversee world events so that disaster and catastrophe must bend to your will to serve the good of your people. You utilize even the persecution of your people to build your Church into a magnificent temple of living stones, with you yourself as the Living Cornerstone. From your seat in heaven, you direct and govern the affairs of your Church, using her to bless and save many in this fallen and lost world. Keep the body of the Church faithful to you, its Head, by standing with steadfast hearts and ironclad wills on your Word that endures forever.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

To Expose Error and Restore Truth

Heavenly Father,
Sundays are sacred. We rejoice that there are so many places of worship for believers to gather and be fed by your Word. However, we also know that not all of them stand faithfully on the Bible. Whether a church deviates from Scripture a lot or a little, no amount of false teaching is insignificant and always causes damage to souls. Bring rebuke and correction wherever they are needed, so that your people are not led astray, and the message of the gospel is not compromised. Equip your people with the discernment to identify false teaching and empower them to speak up when they become aware of it. Expose error and restore the truth so that your church continues to stand on the solid foundation of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, revealed in Scripture alone. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

To Enrich Prayer Lives Within Marriages

Gracious Father,
When a man and a woman are joined together in marriage, the two become one. This unity, this oneness, is expressed in many different ways between a husband and his wife. One area in which any marriage can grow in expressing that unity is prayer. Strengthen the prayer lives of husbands and wives, not just individually, but together as well. When husbands and wives pray together, and their prayers are directed by your Word, they are brought closer to each other and to you. When they share the concerns that weigh on them and reveal requests from their hearts, they open a window into each other that fosters intimacy and connection. Draw spouses together frequently in prayer, hear their prayers, and enrich their marriages as you bless their prayers with your loving responses.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

To Keep Christ at the Center of My Faith

Holy Spirit,
The work that you do in bringing people to faith, growing them in their faith, and keeping them in their faith is all carried out in the same way: through Jesus. While all Christians will agree, not all Christians are discerning enough to be aware of how much “Christian” content lacks Christ. The Scriptures have so much to teach us about doctrine and Christian living, but never apart from Jesus. Since the Bible is a testimony about Christ, whatever media and content we consume ought to also point us to Christ. Make us aware of his absence in anything that passes itself off as Christian, and equip us to either correct it or avoid it altogether. Feed and nurture our faith by keeping our faith focused on our faithful Substitute and Savior.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

For the Blessings Received by Faith

Spirit of Life,
Thank you for the gift of faith, by which we have the sure confidence of our salvation, completed in full for us by Jesus. Faith that is healthy and growing is faith that is blessed. When we listen to your Word and put it into practice, we see and experience the blessings you promise. While this should not surprise us, we often react as if these blessings came out of nowhere and could never have been anticipated – even though you so plainly promise them! How much room our faith still has to grow! Increase our faith so that we boldly expect you to deliver on your promises when we listen and act accordingly. And, fill us with humble gratitude for how richly you still bless us even when we don’t.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

For a Faith That Acts

Spirit of Life,
Thank you for the gift of faith, by which we have the sure confidence of our salvation, completed in full for us by Jesus. Faith that is healthy and growing is faith that acts. When faith listens, its natural response is to act. However, since the Old Adam in me is bent on self-service, it opposes any activity of faith that is directed toward others. Therefore, take me back to my baptism, where that part of me needs to be drowned again and again, and raise me up in newness of life, eager to put my faith into practice. Whenever I hear your Word, allow my heart and mind to collaborate with my ears so that I am contemplating how I might put your Word into practice. Compel me to be not just a hearer of your Word, but also a doer of it. Moved by the power of your grace and grounded in the certainty of your gift of eternal life, grant me a hard-working faith.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

For a Faith That Listens

Spirit of Life,
Thank you for the gift of faith, by which we have the sure confidence of our salvation, completed in full for us by Jesus. Faith that is healthy and growing is faith that listens to you. And, since you speak to us through your Word, drive us to it daily. Protect our ears and our hearts from any voices that aren’t yours, since rather than strengthening our faith, they only starve it. Help us become better at recognizing false teachers by growing more familiar with your true and trustworthy teaching. Shut out all the endless noise in our lives so that we can hear your voice clearly and feed our faith.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

To Rekindle Our Love of Worship

Heavenly Father,
Sundays are sacred. Nevertheless, it’s easy for us to approach worship with ho-hum hearts. We see the same people, sing the same songs, pray the same prayers, and hear the same Scriptures. We see it all as so monotonous and mundane.

Forgive us! How shallow we are for ever giving your Word such shabby treatment. Have mercy on us! How wrong we are to shortchange your sacraments by viewing them as nothing more than a lengthy add-on to the service. 

Rekindle in us the love of worship. Draw us to delight in being in your presence. Let our ears and our hearts perk up when your Word is read, and move our mouths to joyfully sing songs of praise. May we glorify you in a worthy manner with our worship, even as you edify and feed us through it. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.