Tag: Prayers

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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After the Election

Lord of All Nations,
As the citizens of the United States wake up this morning to see the election results, there are a mix of emotions being felt everywhere. Some are crushed by the outcome, while others are thrilled. I pray that you help us all be sensitive to that fact as we interact with each other. Guard us from expressions of haughty arrogance or spiteful bitterness. Turn us away from divisive judgments about opposing parties and those who voted for a different candidate. Instead, grant us a unified spirit that seeks to see the best in others and to be charitable and genuine in trying to understand their views. 

Help me to remember that my identity is not wrapped up in an election ballot. You are the Savior of all, regardless of political party. Your powerful gospel brings people together in a way that no political party, movement, or other cause ever could.

In the days, weeks, and months ahead, let others see the absolute best of me as I let my light shine as your child. As a result, may my words and actions challenge the negative narrative that is sometimes out there regarding Christianity. Lead others to question their own cynical perceptions they might have of Christians. Open up many to be willing to hear the good news of great joy that is true regardless of any election outcome ever: a Savior has been born to us, has lived for us, has died in our place, and has risen and ascended victoriously, to where he oversees all things for our good.  

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For the Wisdom to Apply Your Word

Holy Spirit,
You are the source of enlightenment and wisdom. You attach blessings to both worldly wisdom and wisdom from your Word. While both are valuable, today I ask you to grant me wisdom in applying your Word. It is one thing to be familiar with your Word and to know your Word, but I ask that you increase in me the wisdom to apply your Word. When I see room to grow in my own life spiritually, it is seldom because I lack the knowledge of what to do or say in any given situation, but rather the wisdom to apply it.

The Bible promises blessing not just to those who hear the word, but who also put it into practice. And, while it is often the large scale feats of faith that are on my radar, make me wise to see and act on the many small scale acts of faith all around me on a daily basis. These are every bit as important in your eyes and also serve your people in meaningful ways. Grant me, Spirit, a rich measure of your wisdom so that I may continue to grow and develop in my life of sanctification. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Be More Mindful

Lord God,
Make me more mindful. It is easy for me to jump from one thing to the next over the course of a day, as if taking orders from my calendar and everything that it has scheduled for me. I can get so caught up in productivity and performance that I miss out on life as it passes me by. Help me to pause and listen, to take note of my surroundings, and to be aware.

In doing so I can better appreciate the many details of how you have created and ordered everything around me. And, I pray that such mindfulness will also allow me to pick up on the needs of others. Perhaps my being present will embolden them to confide in me so I can provide a listening ear. Or, it may open any variety of other doors that lead to serving my neighbor. Whatever you have in store, Lord, reveal to me as I become more intentional about being mindfully aware. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For the Dechurched

Patient Father,
Sundays are sacred. As churches hold services and pastors preach sermons, you set the table to serve your people a rich spiritual feast. But for various reasons, many believers who used to attend church no longer view it as an essential part of their Christian walk. For some, those reasons are rooted in painful memories and experiences; for others, they are merely excuses. Often these individuals see no danger in their disconnect from regular worship. 

Since you know what is in their hearts, Father, put fellow believers around them who know their struggles, who are willing to listen, and who desire to help. Use them to provide encouragement where needed or admonition when necessary. Also, help congregations and pastors be willing to own up to their wrongs and seek reconciliation with members they may have pushed away.

Rekindle in the hearts of distant believers a longing to return to your house for worship, and when they do, see that they are well fed by your Word. Guide them in reestablishing a healthy worship life and build them up in their faith. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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Use Me to Save Others

Faithful Redeemer,
Today I pray for the salvation of those who are still stuck in unbelief. There are people in my own life who don’t yet trust in you as their Savior from sin and their hope for eternal life. Where I can be more intentional in building deeper connections with those individuals, help me do so, knowing that I have the gospel that they need. Let my Christian living create curiosity in them as they see how differently I stand out from others in their life. Make me aware of ideal opportunities to engage with them and even to invite them to engage and interact with my Christian friends and church family. I know the good news about you and the difference it makes in my life, so let me take advantage of natural openings in conversations to insert and share my personal story about you. Work through me and other believers as we work intentionally to make you known to others, and so bring many to faith in this way.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Guidance in the Months Ahead

Holy Spirit,
As I begin a new month and the holidays are around the corner, guide me along your paths as I navigate what is ahead. Schedules will get filled and family will gather. Responsibilities may increase and work pressures may rise as the end of the year looms in the not-too-distant future. Help me to keep the main thing the main thing so that I am not overwhelmed by stress. Grant me the wisdom and foresight to plan ahead as much as possible so that I am prepared. Help me anticipate any possible curveballs I may face in life, with the understanding that I am not attempting to control everything around me, but rather seeking to avoid being caught off guard. 

Looking ahead to Thanksgiving and Christmas, shield me from secular pressure to somehow make them “more special.” Allow me to find the simple joy of the treasured blessings you offer me through them and help me direct others to do the same.   

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Appreciate My Reformation Righteousness

Righteous Savior,
On this Reformation Day, I am grateful for both your gift of righteousness by faith, as well as the gift of your Word, by which you reveal this truth. What a blessing that so many today will never know the despair of men like Martin Luther and others, who were distraught over their inability to attain the perfect righteousness that you demand. 

Instead, through the sacrifices of many, the good news of the gospel continues to be clearly taught and preached. Therefore, we know and believe that the righteousness you demand of us is also the very righteousness you credit to us by faith! I so easily take for granted both this truth and the Word of God by which it is revealed. Continue to reform and renew my own heart, that I may regularly ponder these gifts and more fully appreciate them!

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Exercise My Christian Freedom Wisely

Precious Savior,
Guide me with your wisdom when living in my Christian freedom. Since you have made us saints by your grace through your blood, we are no longer slaves to the law. Since you kept the law perfectly in our place, it no longer terrifies or condemns us, but guides and directs us. We are free.

In my Christian freedom, however, I still need the Spirit’s wisdom when considering my words and actions. Help me to ask wise questions before exercising it. Is it beneficial, prudent, or profitable for my neighbor or me? Might the expression of my Christian freedom in a certain situation cause a fellow believer to stumble? Could the expression of my Christian freedom be a stumbling block hindering an unbeliever from giving attention to the gospel? Is it possible that the expression of my Christian freedom in one area of life could spill over into sin in another area? I am free, but help me use that freedom wisely in ways that serve and build up your church and honor and glorify you.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Overcome My Impatience

Patient Lord,
I ask you to forgive my impatience, which often translates into rash responses. Moreover, it reveals a double standard on my part, as I appreciate and even expect your patience with me, yet fail to demonstrate that same patience with others.

Remind me that I am not the one in control. I do not govern time or dictate how others perceive or manage it either. Instead, give me the grace to wait patiently. Open my eyes to see when it is my own lack of planning or preparation that is part of the problem, and help me to give more attention to such details initially so that they don’t pave the way for my impatience later on. As I wait on progress or growth from others, and I don’t perceive it to be happening as quickly as I would like, help me instead to appreciate the variety and uniqueness with which you have created every human being.

When I feel my impatience growing, slow my speedy expectations and replace them with the joyful appreciation of time to wait, reflect, and simply enjoy the blessings of being present in those moments. Thank you, Lord, for your patience with me.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Not Withhold Forgiveness

Forgiving Father,
Help me forgive others. While forgiveness is central to the Christian faith, there are times I struggle to forgive others. There are some sins, some hurts, some wrongs, that are just difficult to move past, whether directed at me or others. Other times the issue is that I manufacture my own ideas of behavior or words that I demand to see from others so that I can determine if they are remorseful enough to deserve my forgiveness. 

But that isn’t how forgiveness works when you extend it to me. Neither should I allow it to be my approach when forgiving others. Help me to let go of anything I might harbor in my heart that would hinder me from freely forgiving others. When my own self-righteousness, bitterness, or resentment interfere with my forgiving of others, sweep such sin out of my heart. Instead, let my forgiveness be full and swift, no matter the wrong committed or the individual who committed it. In that way let my forgiveness toward others imitate your forgiveness toward me.  

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.