Tag: patience

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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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. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Practice Patience More

Patient Lord,
You praise patience in your Word. Jesus modeled it perfectly during his life and ministry. You also deal with me patiently, not treating me as my sins deserve, but mercifully forgiving all my sins – including my impatience. I ask you not only to continue to deal with me patiently, but also to grant me more patience in my life. Keep me from rash responses and immediately overreacting with my family members when what is really called for is simply patience. Enable me to remain patient when others make mistakes or disregard directions, so that I am in a proper frame of mind to offer constructive correction. Help me practice patience not just in the presence of others, but also when no one else is around. Lead me to be as patient with others as you are with me. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Greater Patience This Year

Patient Lord,
As I continue to settle into this new year, I ask you to grant me a greater measure of patience. In this fast-paced world that views having to wait for anything for any amount of time as if it were some horrific tragedy, help me get better at simply slowing down. I don’t need everything right away. I don’t need immediate results. I don’t have to respond ASAP 24/7. Let me be OK with uncomfortable silences. Show me the wisdom of thoughtfully thinking through things rather than providing a hasty answer or solution. Increase my patience, especially with others I know who enjoy testing it. Finally, equip me with this Fruit of the Spirit to patiently wait on your promises, confident that as I do, I am waiting while covered in your grace. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Keep My Stress in Check

Prince of Peace,
With Christmas two weeks away, stress levels can quickly rise as each passing day means deadlines and duties become increasingly more pressing. Help me to keep my composure when others are impatient or irritated, and keep me from displaying such behavior, too. Remind me that the peace announced by the angels at Jesus’ birth is mine here and now, and in the days ahead. While it seems counterintuitive with so much that needs to get done, make time reading from and reflecting on your Word and promises a priority as much now as in any other time of the year. This ensures that I am staying prepared in the right way during Advent and Christmas. Finally, whenever possible, use me also to help others keep their stress and anxiety levels in check by pointing them to you.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Have and See the Blessings of Patience

Dear God,
While your timing is perfect, my patience is not. Virtually every area of life has sped up over time, meaning we are used to getting what we want almost immediately. We don’t have to wait until a certain night of the week for our favorite show – we can stream it right now. Same-day delivery means days or weeks of waiting for our purchase is most often a thing of the past. Our meals can be heated up in minutes and our phones give us instant answers and feedback on anything we want to know.

As a result, we aren’t accustomed to waiting. Having to do so can make us anxious and irritable. We struggle to wait in line or at the stop light. And we also struggle with the timing of your promises. We want you to keep them on our time, not yours. We want you to act now, not months or years from now. So I ask you to be patient with me in the midst of my impatience. Forgive me. Grant me a spirit that can slow down and wait. Let me use my windows of waiting for prayer and spiritual reflection, and allow me to see the many blessings of patience in my life and in my interactions with others. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Dealing with Difficult Church Members

Lord of the Church,
You call us to gather together and unite with fellow believers to carry out our mission and ministry together. When this happens at the local congregational level, you use us both to be a blessing to others and to be blessed by others as the body of Christ. Thank you for the many influential believers you have brought into my life through my church family.

Yet, just as in all other areas of life, church is not without difficult people. While this doesn’t surprise us, knowing your church is made up of sinner saints, it can be a unique challenge because believers are called to hold each other to a higher standard. Forgive me first of all for the many times and ways I’ve personally fallen short of those standards and been difficult for others. Let me extend to others the same grace and patience that have so often been extended to me.

At the same time, don’t allow others to mistake that patience for permission when they are in the wrong or need to repent. Help me distinguish between spiritual immaturity and obstinance, and to separate ignorance or eccentricities from deliberate disobedience. Lead me to assume the best of all of my fellow church members, especially the particularly difficult ones. Guard any differences from becoming divisiveness, and continue to build up your church through the unique members of the body of Christ.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Dealing with Difficult Coworkers

Dear Savior,
Ever since the Fall, sin has tainted your blessing of work. Even when we are fortunate enough to be able to do what we love and are skilled at, still there are frustrations in even the most ideal situations. Sometimes those challenges stem from the responsibilities of work itself; other times our struggles have more to do with people. 

When faced with the issue of difficult coworkers, help me to navigate the tension that can exist between my own morality and ethics, which are established and guided by your Word, and a different moral compass by which the world and secular workplace often operate. Let me speak up when I see conduct that is not condoned or endorsed by my place of employment, since I have a responsibility to uphold the name and reputation of my workplace. When lazy coworkers take advantage of the strong work ethic of others by unfairly assigning them heavier workloads, bless the solid coworkers and rebuke and correct the lazy ones. When coworkers refuse to honor appropriate boundaries with others, let it be known and addressed. When/if I come under fire for my faith, let me stand firm and let my light shine as I am able to in keeping with the established policies. When I am feeling overwhelmed by the burden of difficult coworkers, give me the peace of mind and heart in remembering that I am working first and foremost for you above all else. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Dealing with Difficult Family Members

Loving Father,
Family relationships have the potential to be among the most treasured connections we have, as well as some of the most challenging. Since we generally tend to be as close to our family as we are to anyone else, that tight bond can amplify both the best and the worst of any relationships. Give me the awareness to recognize family members who manipulate the shared bond and twist it to induce guilt or shame on other family members. Grant me patience with difficult family members, as well as the courage to lovingly call them out whenever necessary. Let me be unafraid to call believing family members to repentance when they have sinned, and also unashamed to evangelize unbelieving family members. While I cannot change or control the behavior of my biological family, I am responsible for how I respond to them and handle them. Let me do so with a balance of firmness and grace, seeking always to do what is in the best interest of their eternal good.  

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Dealing with Difficult Friends

Friend of Sinners,
Friends are a special gift through which you provide many unique blessings. They can protect us from isolation and loneliness, we can enjoy events and experiences with them, engage in rich conversation, and share a variety of passions and interests together. Thank you for all that they bring into our lives.

Friends, though, like so many others in our lives, can also be difficult. Some struggle with confidentiality, passing along to others details of conversations that were shared in confidence. At times they can be unreliable, struggling to follow through or keep their word. There are also some friendships that are challenging because they tend to be very one-sided; we invest far more into them than we get out of them. When friends maintain destructive habits, reject our advice to their detriment, put us in bad situations, or tarnish our reputation, sustaining the relationship can be difficult. Give us patience and discernment when dealing with difficult friends, to know when we can make a sacrifice on their behalf, but also to avoid enabling them. Give us also the wisdom to be aware when it might be best for us to reconsider the friendship for our own good, and maybe theirs, too. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Dealing with Difficult Neighbors

Dear Lord,
When dealing with difficult neighbors, help me to keep in mind the importance of positive and productive interactions, since we regularly come into contact with our neighbors. If they are being inconsiderate or obnoxious, don’t allow that to justify an inconsiderate or obnoxious response from me. Instead, let me bring my concerns to them in humility and with a gentle spirit. When I feel they are being overbearing, nitpicking, or looking for reasons to complain about property upkeep or community guidelines, give me discernment in trying to alleviate their concerns with a level head. Lead us to strive to maintain peaceful relations for the greater good of the whole neighborhood, and let me be especially mindful of my treatment of them when seeking to build bridges to you. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.