Tag: grace

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

adbLeave a comment

For Gospel-Centered Marriages

God of Marriage,
Your gift of marriage is not only a sacred institution, but also a high and holy calling. It is also one of the most unique and special blessings mankind can experience. Thank you for this special bond that is also intended to guide husbands and wives into a deeper appreciation for the gospel and the sacrificial love of Christ for his church. When your grace and forgiveness are the foundation of marriage, couples have what they need to flourish and thrive in marriage. Through a regular diet of law and gospel, strip spouses of selfishness and replace it with the genuine joy of putting each other first. Bring about this godly desire in marriage partners by clearly making known to them your sacrificial and unconditional love for them. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

adbLeave a comment

For Christ to Be Exalted Through Places of Worship

Heavenly Father,
Sundays are sacred. When believers gather in church for worship, they experience so much that points to Jesus. The means of grace – the gospel in Word and the sacraments of Holy Communion and Baptism – will always remain front and center. But do not let the richness of liturgical worship or the design and details of the worship space be lost on worshippers, either. Bible stories stained in glass help us fix our thoughts on Jesus. The placement of the baptismal font reassures us that we belong to your family through baptism. The cross and the altar lead us to recall your precious sacrifice for our sins. Christian symbols on display help cement Christian doctrine and teaching. May churches always give thought to the rich variety of ways Christ is proclaimed, and may worshippers always be edified and drawn closer to their Savior through them.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

adbLeave a comment

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

adbLeave a comment

To Be More Patient With Myself

Patient Lord,
The life of a believer is a life of patience. Ever since the Fall in Eden, your people have waited on the perfect timing of your promises. Yet our patience runs so thin, not just with others, but also with ourselves. Even when we struggle with patience for others, we will know how necessary it is, but we don’t always allow ourselves the same latitude. We get frustrated with ourselves when we repeat the same mistakes, when we forget things we should have remembered, and when we don’t make progress in an area of our lives as quickly as we’d like. Help us, Lord, not just to be patient with others, but also with ourselves. Let us not be so hasty to beat ourselves up over shortcomings. Lead us to give ourselves grace – since you already have! We aren’t perfect, but we have a Savior who is. If you are patient with us (and have every right not to be!), then enable us to be more patient with ourselves as you grow us. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

adbLeave a comment

To Take the First Step

God of Reconciliation,
Only you know how many friendships and relationships are on life support right now. While both parties in some of those situations may actually be better off by going their separate ways, many other relationships can not only be salvaged, but even prosper through reconciliation. I pray for the individuals in those situations to be open to the possibility of restoring their relationship. Free them from any bitterness or anger between them that has only hardened them even more. Burst their pride and overwhelm them with a clear sense of the magnitude of your forgiveness for them, so that they are spurred on to forgive each other. Make each party willing to make the first move, whether that includes a confession or a call to repentance. Give them a sensitivity to the hurt or pain they may have caused, and allow your gospel to take center stage as they work toward reconciliation. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

adbLeave a comment

To Satisfy Me with Your Salvation

Living Water,
You alone provide the living water we need to satisfy our souls. I know it. I believe it. Yet, so frequently I still find myself looking to the wrong things for that satisfaction. When I do, they either fail to deliver or even leave me worse off than I was before. But the fault is entirely mine for passing up what I have in you in favor of anything else that will only disappoint. Train me to turn to you at all times, for you alone can satisfy what my heart truly longs for with your living water: the grace and peace that flow from your completed work of salvation for me. May this alone satisfy me daily as nothing else can.  

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

adbLeave a comment

For Relief From Sin’s Burdens

Heavenly Father,
Sundays are sacred. When we walk through the doors of your house of worship, we bring with us the spiritual and emotional baggage we have accumulated over the course of the past week. Through confession, lead us to own up to our self-imposed burdens, the ones brought on by our own sins. Remove also the hurt from sins committed against us. By the remembrance of our baptism, lighten our load. Where your Supper is served, feed hungry souls longing for the taste of grace and your assurance of forgiveness. While we may enter your presence bearing these burdens and heavy loads, ensure that we depart empty-handed, with lighter hearts and refreshed spirits, renewed and eager to love and serve you and our neighbor. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

adbLeave a comment

For Your Love to Shape Mine

Lord of Love,
You love me with an everlasting love, which is mind-blowing in its own right, but even more so when I realize how unloving I can be! Thank you for never withdrawing your love from me, even when I am lacking love for others. My love is too frequently the antithesis of a 1 Corinthians 13 love. Yes, help me love my enemies, of course, but also to love everyone else well. Replace my cold indifference with warm intention, seeking to speak and show love to others whenever opportunities arise. Heighten my awareness of the depths of your love for me, so that I might better replicate such radical love toward others. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

adbLeave a comment

For Contentment

Loving Father,
Fill me with contentment today. Let it be based on an awareness of my identity – that I am doubly yours! Not only did you lovingly and wonderfully bring me into existence to be yours with this gift of life, but you also paid the ultimate price to secure me back from Satan. I am yours twice over! Since I belong to you, every grand and gracious promise in your Word is mine, too. You will never leave me or neglect me. You will provide everything I will ever need. You will bring triumph out of any trouble. You will make right all wrongs against me in your own way and time. You will never lose patience with me. You will always love me. What else could I need when I have everything in you? Let my heart sing today with the beautiful harmony of gratitude and contentment. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

adbLeave a comment

To Heal Broken Marriages

God of Marriage,
You instituted the blessed gift of marriage. Through it, you provide husbands and wives with an opportunity to experience from each other small samples of the unconditional grace and unwavering commitment that you show to believers. Sadly, when infidelity or adultery shatters a marriage, it turns one of your greatest gifts into one of the most painful hurts. Where husbands have caused this hurt, lead them to true repentance and work in them both a genuine desire to reconcile, and also a willingness to show it by their fruit. Where husbands have been on the receiving end of this hurt, heal their hearts, provide them with an abundant measure of grace and patience, and lead them on a path that arrives at forgiveness. Wherever possible, provide those involved with the strength and courage to make every effort to repair and restore the broken marriage bond, so that by your grace, it might be stronger than ever, and Satan’s plans fail miserably.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.