Tag: patience

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

adbLeave a comment

To Salvage Struggling Marriages

Gracious Savior,
Marriage is filled with wonderful blessings for husbands and wives, but it isn’t without its challenges. While every marriage needs your guidance and grace, be present especially in those marriages most at risk. Give spouses in those seasons an extra measure of patience and grace for each other, driven by a renewed determination to devote themselves to doing whatever it takes to save their marriage. Grant healing and recovery to the hurting spouse, and a humble, repentant heart to the spouse responsible for the hurt. Whether the issue at the center of their struggle is a series of smaller ongoing concerns or one or two more substantial matters, help them see a path forward that fills them with hope. Turn Satan’s efforts to destroy marriage against him and revive marriages on life support so that they thrive once again. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

adbLeave a comment

To Welcome Waiting

Prince of Peace,
We are blessed to live at a time when we can have just about anything we want, just about anytime we want it. We hardly have to wait for anything, and rest assured, anything we currently still have to wait for is being addressed right now behind the scenes somewhere by someone to eliminate our need to wait. There are many wonderful blessings that come from all of this!

But it has come at a price. Because we hardly have to wait anymore, many struggle with how to wait. We get impatient, irritable, and downright rude much faster when we have to wait. We struggle with managing downtime as we wait, relying on our phones to fill the gaps that used to allow for contemplation and reflection. We lack the ability to think critically about things while waiting. As believers, this all creates significant tension when so much of Scripture calls on us to wait! So Lord, help me learn to wait. Tone down my hasty impatience. Lead me to lean into the peaceful rhythms of your presence, calm my anxious soul, and still me with the Spirit’s serenity.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

adbLeave a comment

To Be More Patient With Myself

Patient Lord,
The life of a believer is a life of patience. Ever since the Fall in Eden, your people have waited on the perfect timing of your promises. Yet our patience runs so thin, not just with others, but also with ourselves. Even when we struggle with patience for others, we will know how necessary it is, but we don’t always allow ourselves the same latitude. We get frustrated with ourselves when we repeat the same mistakes, when we forget things we should have remembered, and when we don’t make progress in an area of our lives as quickly as we’d like. Help us, Lord, not just to be patient with others, but also with ourselves. Let us not be so hasty to beat ourselves up over shortcomings. Lead us to give ourselves grace – since you already have! We aren’t perfect, but we have a Savior who is. If you are patient with us (and have every right not to be!), then enable us to be more patient with ourselves as you grow us. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

adbLeave a comment

To Take the First Step

God of Reconciliation,
Only you know how many friendships and relationships are on life support right now. While both parties in some of those situations may actually be better off by going their separate ways, many other relationships can not only be salvaged, but even prosper through reconciliation. I pray for the individuals in those situations to be open to the possibility of restoring their relationship. Free them from any bitterness or anger between them that has only hardened them even more. Burst their pride and overwhelm them with a clear sense of the magnitude of your forgiveness for them, so that they are spurred on to forgive each other. Make each party willing to make the first move, whether that includes a confession or a call to repentance. Give them a sensitivity to the hurt or pain they may have caused, and allow your gospel to take center stage as they work toward reconciliation. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

adbLeave a comment

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

adbLeave a comment

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

adbLeave a comment

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

adbLeave a comment

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

adbLeave a comment

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

adbLeave a comment

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.