Tag: guys

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

adbLeave a comment

For Renewed Commitment to Be Your Witness

Loving Redeemer,
Your Word uses a so many different pictures to illustrate the condition of those without faith in you. Let those images serve as vivid reminders of how lost those without you truly are, so that they regularly remain in my thoughts and on my heart. 

But it is not enough merely to think about them, for that will bring them no closer to you, Lord. No, let my words and actions serve to continue carrying out the work the Holy Spirit anointed you to do. This week, as I reflect on the prophet Isaiah’s poetic descriptions of the lost, may they generate in me a deeper concern for the lost, a more urgent desire to actively engage them with the powerful gospel, and a renewed level of commitment and determination to follow through with those desires and carry out my calling to be your witness. Use me in your work of evangelism to reach the lost. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

adbLeave a comment

To Be Attentive to the Preaching of Your Word

Heavenly Father,
Sundays are sacred. They provide me with the opportunity to hear the preaching of your Word when I gather with believers in worship. And, when the under shepherds of the Good Shepherd know the sheep of their congregation, the sermon often speaks specifically to the flock in that congregation. Open my ears to listen for your law, that it might uncover or expose any sin in me of which I am unaware. And in any areas where I have become too nonchalant or even comfortable with sin, let that same law accuse and convict me, for that is its work.

But that is not its greatest work of your Word by any stretch. That work belongs to the sweet and soothing certainty of your gospel, which points me to Jesus and his complete pardon from my sin. Let my ears perk up when the preacher pours out your gracious forgiveness to wash over me. May the good news be proclaimed with color and variety, so that the gospel doesn’t become washed out by the grays of monotonous and mundane preaching. Let your preachers and their sermons be a breath of fresh air and new life as they direct our eyes and our hearts to our Savior.  

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

adbLeave a comment

To Help Me Comfort the Grieving

God of All Comfort,
Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, and the promise of eternal life for all who believe, you hold the key to comfort for all who are grieving the loss of a loved one. While death may turn our lives upside down when it happens, whether expected or not, you overcame it and offer hope to all who face it. I pray that any experiencing that heavy burden of the death of someone close to them may find comfort in you as they mourn. 

It can be difficult to know how to comfort and console the grieving in those situations. It can make me feel uncomfortable. I struggle to find the right words. I worry about saying the wrong things. At those times, give me a rich measure of your Spirit so that my words and actions deliver the help and healing that I desire to offer. Guide me in pointing others to your powerful promises of salvation, eternal life, and our heavenly home for all who fall asleep in Jesus. When those who died were not believers, provide me with words of encouragement that still hold true for their living loved ones, so that they may know and believe before their own time of grace on earth concludes. Let my confidence in comforting the grieving be based not on my own merit or ability, but on the rock-solid certainty of your Word.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

adbLeave a comment

For the Grace to Forgive Others

Forgiving Father,
Right now there are people in my life that I am struggling to forgive. Some have hurt me. Others have hurt those I care about. Certain people are also extremely difficult just to like or even tolerate. Often I respond in anger, either wanting to treat them the same way, or shutting them out and avoiding all contact. I justify waiting for them to come to their senses and apologize for their wrongs. I find my own bitterness and resentment toward them leading me to wish wrong on them until they take the first step to make things right. But all of this is wrong. I know this. I struggle with this. I imagine my withholding forgiveness is somehow doing a great deal of damage to them. Meanwhile, it all leaves me with a toxic spirit. 

Forgive me. Cleanse me. Purify my stubborn, vindictive heart. Show me the ugly irony of how deeply I need your grace every bit as much as anyone else – even the very individuals I struggle to forgive! Help me realize that although you have every right to feel toward me the way I feel about others who have wronged me, you don’t and you will not. Instead, you choose mercy. You do not treat me as I deserve. Let that reality sink into my stubborn heart and soften it, opening me up to forgive others.

Just as you have forgiven me.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

adbLeave a comment

For Believers to Help Heal Our Nation

Dear Lord,
As our nation adjusts to a new administration governing our country, there is a great deal of both hurt and happiness at the same time. Send an extra measure of your Spirit into the hearts of believers to powerfully equip us to be peacemakers. Help Christians to look beyond party affiliation and see neighbors to love and care for, regardless of how they cast their vote.  Forgive believers when we are judgmental, brash, or abrasive with others regarding their political stance. Give us instead a gentle and patient spirit.

Let us take the lead in helping heal in every way possible. Grant us sensitivity and understanding regarding the views of others, and accept any differences with civility. Let us pray for all politicians and government officials across the board, so that they can be unified in their goal of seeking what is best for our country. Bless us with a genuine desire to seek not our own self-interests, but the interests of the greater good. As we let our light shine by loving our neighbors, let it attract many souls to you and the light of your salvation, thereby unifying us in the best way possible – as loved and forgiven saints.  

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

adbLeave a comment

To Keep My Lust in Check

Might God,
While the world neither holds to nor respects the sacred union between your gifts of marriage and sex, I want to uphold that union. Although promiscuity, immorality, and adultery are normalized and portrayed as harmless, the physical, emotional, and spiritual damage that results from them is undeniable. Everywhere I look, sex sells, and everywhere I look, Satan is selling sex as nothing more than the gratification and fulfillment of a basic need. 

Turn my eyes away from extended stares and second looks. Give me the discipline to scroll past what catches my eyes for the wrong reason. Help me honor your gifts of sex and marriage by skipping through the inappropriate scenes in movies and shows, or avoiding them in the first place. Keep me away from course joking that degrades women and diminishes your precious gift of sex. Guard my heart and keep lust from it. When it does spark to life, quickly extinguish any and all flames of lust, so that my thoughts and desires do not prompt immoral behavior. Surround me with like-minded men who don’t shy away from accountability in this area, who are also quick to support and defend each other through sexual struggles. Hold me close to you, so that I honor you in how I respectfully handle your gift of sex properly.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

adbLeave a comment

To Be Aware of the Needs of Others

Compassionate Savior,
During your time on earth, as both God and man, you were aware of the needs of others. Sometimes your omniscience revealed these needs; other times you were simply socially aware enough to pick up on when others were hurting or experiencing some degree of loss. You then responded accordingly, never too busy for others or too self-absorbed that you overlooked or ignored the needs of others.

While I want to be focused and faithful to my callings in life, never allow my concentration in one area of life to result in my inattentiveness to the needs of others. My calling to be a neighbor to others in need often opens the door to opportunities for you to be made known and glorified. Therefore, grant me the emotional intelligence to sense when others are hurting or need help. Whether the cues are subtle or plain as day, let me pick up on them, so that in whatever way possible, I may love and serve my neighbor according to his needs.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

adbLeave a comment

To Build Up My Prayer Life

Holy Spirit,
Your intercession always ensures that my prayers are music to the ears of the Father. Thank you for the privilege of prayer and for the opportunity it affords me to bring anything to you in prayer. When I consider how I might grow in my prayer life, certainly the frequency of my prayers can always increase. Prompt me to speak to you both during the same set times each day and to offer prayers at any given moment – impromptu prayers whenever the circumstances call for it. 

Shape the content of my prayers, so that not only my daily bread and physical wants and needs make up most of my prayers, but also the spiritual asks which align with your will for me. When the substance of my prayers is primarily spiritual, I am focused more on your kingdom work and the soul of my neighbor and his needs. When you provide me with spiritual growth, I am better equipped for your work and ministry. 

So set my heart and mind on heavenly things. Increase my faith. Deepen my understanding of your love. Strengthen my confidence in your salvation and as a result, fill me daily with the joy of simply being yours.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

adbLeave a comment

For the Blessing of Churches

Heavenly Father,
Sundays are sacred. It is truly a blessing to be able to gather together for worship with other believers at any time and in any place, which is not something that Christians everywhere are able to do. Having a church, a building designated and designed especially for that purpose, amplifies the blessing of worship even more.

Thank you for not just building up the Church – believers everywhere – but also for building up physical churches where believers can gather. There we receive grace, forgiveness, and guidance for our lives. In these sacred spaces, you use architecture and the arts to help connect the spiritual and eternal with the temporal and tangible. Let Jesus and his Means of Grace be the central focus in church buildings in every way possible, for without those we gather in vain. Lead believers everywhere to care for and maintain their churches well, so that their appearance displays to the world a positive reflection of your worth to us. Use these special places – churches – through the believers who gather there and the Word sung and proclaimed there, to continue building up your Church, the body of Christ. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

adbLeave a comment

For Daughters

Loving Father,
Thank you for the gift of daughters. All children are a blessing from your hand, but sons and daughters are each unique in their own ways. Daughters often display natural relational abilities and an empathy for others that you develop into a blessing to serve both families and society in general. They can exhibit both determination and a genuine sweetness in their demeanor that provides unique perspectives and approaches to responsibilities and tasks. 

I pray that you provide daughters with strong fathers who love and protect them, and who welcome their hugs and affection so they know how to express their feelings and emotions appropriately. Lead fathers to raise them to be prudent and careful, and to be able to know how to defend themselves. Use fathers to model what a godly man looks like, so they have high standards and expectations in their relationships. 

Bless daughters with mothers who foster a strong mother/daughter bond, establishing a beautiful relationship that will bring joy to the lives of both. Let mothers show them what godly confidence and drive look like. Use mothers to help their daughters discern healthy avenues along which to direct their determination. Teach them also what a blessing meekness and a submissive spirit can be through mothers who model it.

Through both parents, ensure that above all else, Christ is central in the home and in life, so that daughters may learn to know what unconditional love is, and love Christ and others deeply in return because of it. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.