Tag: fear

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Free Us From Worry

Gracious God,
We are so prone to worry. Making matters worse, we know full well that you repeatedly tell us in your Word not to worry. We know that you are in control. We know that you promise to work all things out for our good. We know that you promise never to leave or forsake us. Yet, we still worry.

So in addition to needing your forgiveness, we also ask you to work in us to wean us away from worry. Reframe our worst-case-scenario thinking to instead ponder the positives and potential blessings you can bring out of future unknowns. Deepen our trust in your many promises that so beautifully lay out for us all the reasons we have not to worry. Place people around us who speak godliness and goodness into our lives. Shape us into disciples who stand in awe and wonder before you, and rid us of our worry. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Those Feeling the Weight of Worry

Powerful Lord God,
We are often overwhelmed by worry. Some have difficulty imagining anything other than worst-case scenarios playing out in their lives. At that level, virtually anything all day long can be cause for concern. Such worry is not only harmful physically, but it also fertilizes the seeds of doubt that seek validation when worries play out as the worrier feared. That kind of worry turns us from, not to you, Lord.  

Remind those weighed down by worry that you are always in control, and that you promise to bring good out of all things. You will always deliver us from harm, either around it altogether, through it to the other side, or home to heaven as a result of it. With that confidence, we have nothing to fear. Suffocate our worry with a deeper trust in your Word, where we learn to lean on your promises and where our troubled hearts find peace in you. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Easter’s Work to Continue

Risen Savior,
How our hearts burned within us yesterday at our Easter celebration! Though all human effort falls short, we pray that you were glorified and exalted in a most worthy manner by believers everywhere. Through the preaching, hymns, and songs highlighting the certainty of the Resurrection, your people were edified as well. We boldly ask the Spirit to continue nurturing all seeds of faith that were planted yesterday, and that a great number of wandering sheep were brought back in closer to the fold and to you, their Good Shepherd. May this wonderful truth, that the Resurrection is not as much a one-time celebration as it is a daily reality, sustain and uplift our spirits even as the day of Easter itself has passed.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Resurrection Joy

Heavenly Father,
Sundays are sacred, and none more sacred than this festival morning, as we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. The long Lenten journey culminated at the cross, where death appeared to swallow up the Savior. But this morning we see a different story: the tables have turned, and it is death that has been swallowed up by the victorious Resurrection! Bless all who gather today to celebrate your gifts of forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life. Let the empty tomb ease minds troubled by thoughts of dying and calm hearts afraid of death. Fill countless souls with joy on this day, for today and always, life rules because He lives!

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For the Confidence to Have the Difficult Conversation

Dear Jesus,
Today I pray for the courage to finally have a difficult conversation I’ve been avoiding for too long. I’ve played out how the conversation could go so many times in my mind, and I’ve allowed my fear of the possible outcome to paralyze and prevent me from actually initiating it. I know avoiding it is not the solution; it only prolongs the burdensome weight of unnecessarily carrying the extra emotional baggage around. Give me a spirit of self-discipline to lay out the steps necessary to finally have this conversation, and the humble confidence to patiently, lovingly carry it out. Guide me to trust you to provide the words I need, give me grace in speaking them, and grant that what I say is heard and received in a healthy way and with understanding. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Live in the Joy and Peace of Freedom in Christ

Precious Redeemer,
You have set me free! Because my sins have been forgiven and I am yours, I am free from the guilt of all my own wrongdoings. I am free from the terror of your wrath or retribution. I am free from being helplessly enslaved by Satan and his hold over me. I am free from the fear of dying and death. I am free from the futility of endlessly pursuing my own perfection or any other impossible standard that I’ve established in my mind. I am free! Grant me, I pray, the daily joy of believing it and the peace of mind that accompanies a life lived in freedom. And, as I embrace this freedom that is mine in and through Jesus Christ alone, use that to propel my whole life as a constant expression of gratitude and thankfulness in every way.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Those Living in Fear

Faithful Father,
So many people live in fear. Some may deny it or try to hide it, while others are more open about it. The sources of their fear vary widely. Financial fear of being let go at work and/or falling behind on bills and piling up debt. Physical fear of sickness, injury, or death. Fear of being found out as a fraud or a fake in some area of life. The fear of not being good enough. Fear of letting others who are depending on you down. Fear of the government. We face so many fears that we have specific names for them all!

Yet repeatedly throughout your Word, you implore us not to be afraid – and with good reason! You promise us your peace in the place of any trouble we could possibly ever face. Our hearts need not be troubled, for you have overcome the world. Whatever fear we face – it will pass. Even a worst-case scenario as long as you are by our side is manageable. For those who do not know you, lead them to you so that they can experience a life free from fear. For those who know and believe in you, yet are still crippled by fear, draw them closer to you and to your promises so that you can fill them with the faith needed to deflate their fears.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Anxious Preachers

Heavenly Father,
Sundays are sacred. Thank you for the many preachers who bring us your Word each week. Because each of us is wonderfully and uniquely made, it is natural that you dispense a variety of gifts and interests to pastors. Some are eager and excited to preach, and doing so energizes them. Other pastors, however, are nervous and even nauseous at times, and preaching drains them. 

Be with those pastors whose anxiety levels rise as the responsibility of preaching nears, no matter how many years they’ve been serving. Calm their fears with the reminder that it is the Message – and not the messenger – which is powerful and effective in preaching. The Holy Spirit does not rely on preachers to make his Word palatable or pleasing; he simply requires proclaimers so that he can work law and gospel into the hearts of his hearers. Steer preachers away from the temptation of trying to be someone or something they’re not when preaching, and fill them instead with a simple confidence in your work through your Word. Take their timidity and transform it into a fearless faith that stirs their heart and their preaching, and bless all those listening to them. Build up your church through bold preachers. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Keep on Learning

God of all Wisdom,
Give me the humility to keep on learning. When I feel overconfident in my own knowledge and am arrogant regarding my intellect, humble me. Show me how little I truly know and how much I have to learn. 

In our world today, we are surrounded by unlimited information, virtually all of which is accessible in one way or another via the technology we carry around in our pockets. Give me discernment about what to learn, for there is no shortage of useless information, and not all learning edifies and builds up. 

Fill me with childlike wonder over the pursuit of knowledge. And, as I learn, let there be for me no greater joy in the pursuit of knowledge than that which is truly the beginning of wisdom: the fear of the Lord. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Courage to Face Fear

Almighty God,
I do not want my fears to debilitate me or limit how you can use me in your service. Whatever, fears I am facing right now, I bring them before you to ask for your help in overcoming them. Grant me the courage to stand up to my fears and face them with your confidence. The pages of Scripture are filled with your calming reminders and your chastising rebukes to your people not to be afraid. I need those reminders, too!

Give me a healthy perspective of fear, so that it serves me instead of suffocating me. It can make me aware of the need to be more careful and cautious in certain situations. Use fear positively to drive me back to you and your strength, so that I am addressing fears the right way – with confidence not in myself, but always in you. Through Jesus’ resurrection, victory is guaranteed. Fill me with the faith to believe it and to show it by boldly taking on my fears, no matter what they are. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.