Tag: time

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

adbLeave a comment

To Bless My Downtime

Selfless Savior,
Bless my downtime. I look forward to open time on my calendar when nothing is scheduled, but I can also mismanage it if I don’t have any ideas in mind about how I plan to use that time. Then, in contrast to the eager anticipation of looking forward to that time, I look back and regret it if I feel like it was wasted.  

Using your Word as my guide, help me to establish priorities and values that can help me feel as if my downtime is managed well. Let me be OK with simply doing nothing on occasion, and allowing my mind and body to recharge and reset. This is a blessing from you! At the same time, give me the discipline to manage affairs and responsibilities so that I don’t neglect them when I have extra time to take care of things. Activities and hobbies can bring fulfillment, too, as well as simply spending unscheduled time with friends and family members. Guard me from being too rigid when managing downtime, but let my use of it honor you, bless others, and be a blessing to me.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

adbLeave a comment

To Appreciate the Gift of Time

God of perfect timing,
I frequently feel as if there aren’t enough hours in the day. When I consider what is on my plate each day, what didn’t get finished yesterday, and what is still coming tomorrow and right around the corner, it can be overwhelming. I can get frustrated or anxious, feeling like I’ll never get it all done. 

Yet, both your timing and your gift of time are perfect, and in that perfect wisdom, you established seven 24-hour days to make up each week. Let me take to heart your reminder that I do not need to worry about yesterday or tomorrow, as each day has enough to worry about on its own. Grant me the resolve to trust your promise to daily provide all that I need, so that I can focus on doing what I can get done well each day – no more and no less. Lead me to a deeper appreciation of your gift of time, striving to enjoy it in pursuit of productivity and pleasure. Keep worry far from me, so that it does not rob me of the joy of the present. And, while I will never successfully get everything done, I rejoice that you did on my behalf – especially that which matters most: my salvation!  

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

adbLeave a comment

To Manage My Time So I Can Serve Others

Selfless Savior,
There is a much to be said for being productive and efficient, as we want to manage your gift of time well. However, if we seldom pause to reflect on why we are driven to get more done in less time, then we easily end up simply filling that extra time with more work. Grant me the blessing of setting aside margin and moments to reflect on how I might use time for more than just getting more done.

Time is one of the most valuable blessings we have, and it isn’t just about getting more done, but about what we get done in that time – and how we serve others with it. Sometimes just spending time with others who are lonely can be a tremendous gift. Serving others through acts of service that are difficult or impossible for them to carry out on their own can refresh their spirits. Taking care of mundane or menial tasks for those who are busy caring for others uplifts and encourages them. Help me then, to continue to strive for productivity and efficiency, but not for my own sake; rather, let it free up time for me to bless and serve others in meaningful ways that matter to them. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

adbLeave a comment

For Fathers to Prioritize Time with Their Children

Perfect Father,
Rarely can it be said that fathers and their children spend enough time together. Help fathers to prioritize spending quality time with their kids. When obligations, responsibilities, and deadlines are looming, free fathers from the stress of things left undone, and help them to realize that neglecting time with their children has potentially even greater consequences than incomplete to-do lists. 

Lead fathers to seek a balance between structured, scheduled activities and free time that is not marked for anything other than just being present together with their kids. Both uses of time are valuable and are a tremendous blessing to children as well as fathers. With this time together, let fathers have not only a positive influence on their children in general, but especially a godly influence. Use fathers to model what the Christian faith looks like, not in theory, but when put into practice in real life. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

adbLeave a comment

For Flexibility

Loving Father,
While structure and routine in our lives provide stability and security, there are times and seasons in our lives that also require flexibility. Help me identify these situations when they arise, and give me both the discernment and the willingness to be appropriately flexible. Keep me from avoiding each extreme: being either too rigid with routine or too flaky in my flexibility.

Direct me also to avoid forcing flexibility on others or changing just for the sake of change. As I assess what any given situation calls for, remind me to give consideration to the needs of others who might be affected. When adaptability is called for, let me proceed with patience and caution for the benefit of those who might struggle more with any changes. Allow flexibility and adaptability to remain blessings by always being implemented lovingly and appropriately. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

adbLeave a comment

For Structure and Routine

Loving Father,
Thank you for everything that provides structure and routine in my life. Times and seasons serve as signposts that guide me along the way. Years have months, months have weeks, weeks have days, and each day is broken down to hours and minutes – all of which work together to provide a steady and reliable framework for my life. There are so many decisions that need to be made and tasks that need to be carried out on a daily basis, that I would be overwhelmed if I had to process and decide each and every one, every single day. 

However, you designed our brains to put so many of those responsibilities on autopilot based on timing or circumstances, so that the next step or outcome throughout the course of the day is already determined. Daily routines also provide a sense of emotional security and stability, since they free us from the worry and concern that can come from not knowing what’s next. And, when I can anticipate how my day is scheduled, I can also better prepare for it. Although I know that my times are ultimately in your hands, you give me the freedom to design and lay out my days and life with meaning and purpose. In some small ways, this helps bring a measure of control out of chaos, allowing me the joy of serving you and others accordingly.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

adbLeave a comment

For Your Gift of Time and Managing It Well

Loving Lord,
Your gift of time is a tremendous blessing. Along with this blessing comes the great responsibility of managing it. It can be a challenge just to stay on top of the daily routine and schedule. Give me the discipline and discernment to prioritize and accomplish whatever needs to get done ahead of whatever I might prefer to do. 

When you allow unscheduled free time in my days, help me to manage my use of it, starting with how I view it. When I see it selfishly as my own, to be spent as I choose, then I tend to defend it against all else and resent others who “steal” it from me. But, when I see it as a gift from you that can also be a blessing to others, it broadens my perspective and frees me from selfishness.

Guide me to strike a balance between productivity and pleasure in my free time, and generate genuine excitement in me to consider the ways I might use those extra gifts of time to bless and impact others. Finally, as I strive to maximize my use of the time of grace you give me for as long as I have left, let my days, whatever their number may be, be filled with honoring you in my use of your gift of time. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

adbLeave a comment

To Give Others Time Together

Ever-present Savior,
Time is a gift from you to manage. The desire to spend time together with others is also how many people feel loved and filled up. Guide me to tune in to this need of others close to me, so that I plan to spend dedicated, undistracted quality time with them. When doing so is inconvenient or requires significant sacrifice, remind me that you gave me the gift of eternity together with you. Just as you came to serve me, so make me willing to serve others in this way. In a culture that is always busy, overbooked, overcommitted, and overstressed, giving others the gift of time together can be one of the most precious commodities. Help me give my time to others freely and generously. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

adbLeave a comment

For Your Gift of Time This Past Year

Eternal Father,
Although you created time, you have no beginning and no end. Our lives on earth, however, are governed by time, by beginnings and endings. Today, another year of my life comes to a close. This transition at the close of one year and the start of another provides me with the opportunity to reflect. I look back and consider how I used the 365 days you gave me as a gift this past year. I also look back and see how good you’ve been to me over that same span. 

I am sorry for the many times I treated your gift of time like an endless commodity, wasting it on what is worthless or selfish. I thank you for the times you used me in the past year to be an answer to the prayers of others, to serve those who needed help, and to bless and build up believers. Thank you also for the time many others have committed to helping and serving me over the past year. Look on them with your favor. As this year concludes, I thank you for never leaving me or forsaking me, for guiding me through all troubles, and for faithfully and vigilantly watching over me. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

adbLeave a comment

To Be Present

Omnipresent Lord,
Since you are not bound by physical limitations or boundaries, the promise of your presence by my side at all times is a promise that can be trusted. It provides me with comfort in any situation and confidence in carrying out what you have called me to do and to be.

I, on the other hand, can only be in one place at a time. Therefore, I pray that you make me more aware of my surroundings. Rather than becoming so easily distracted by one thing or another, help me to be present and in the moment. I don’t want others to perceive me to be too busy for them or disinterested in their story. Remind me to slow down and take time to embrace the rhythms of each day’s routine and the various seasons of my life. I want to give myself fully to you and to others, not withholding any gifts or characteristics unique to me that could be a blessing to others. Each one of us is gifted 24 hours every day to manage in a way that reflects our gratitude. Help me to make the most of that time by fully appreciating it over the course of each and every day.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.