Tag: thanks

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Those Struggling After Christmas

Joy of the World,
The day after Christmas can be a sad one for many. It can feel like it serves as the official mark of the holidays coming to a close. With Christmas in the rearview mirror, joy and anticipation quickly fade. No matter the cause, I pray for you to be with all who are down or struggling. The highs of the holidays can usher in difficult lows. Uplift those whose hearts are hurting or spirits are saddened. Turn their gloom to glee with good news and words of encouragement. Brighten their demeanor by fostering a grateful attitude in them, so they become aware of the many reasons they have to give thanks. Ultimately, whenever possible, I pray that you are not only enough for all people, struggling or not, but also that you become the source of their greatest joy.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Find Joy in Giving to the Needs of Others

Generous Father,
Although Thanksgiving is in our rearview mirror, giving thanks is nevertheless a routine part of our lives. Thank you for the additional opportunities this time of year provides for us to help others in need. Grant us a giving spirit, and one that is genuinely more interested in giving what is needed than in treating it as just another excuse to shop and spend. Fill up our hearts with contentment to guard us from getting caught up in consumerism. Move us instead to be generous as we are able, and let us find real fulfillment and joy in being able to help others as you have blessed us. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Joy to Replace Anxiety

Loving Father,
When we rejoice in you with prayers of praise and thanks, diminish and remove the anxiety from our hearts. When we do not focus our minds or direct our thoughts toward reasons to rejoice, worry and concern love to take up residence within us. Until they are replaced with rejoicing, they will find more and more reasons to be anxious. Let your Spirit equip us with the self-discipline to prioritize counting our blessings. As we do, fill our hearts with gratitude and joy, leaving no room for anxiety to dwell. Give us the faith of Paul, who, as you enabled him, could find reasons to rejoice even in the most dire circumstances.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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Thank You for the Blessings of Hardship

Giving Father,
Thank you for allowing bad things to happen in my life. As much as I may pray for you to take them away or hedge me from them, you often turn them into a blessing that enriches me in some way or another. With this understanding, reshape my prayer life while I am in the thick of difficulty. Open my eyes to see the potential for good that you might bring out of any given challenge, and let that inform my prayers. Grow me through adversity and mature me through the refining fires of hardship. Always draw me closer to you when struggles arise, reinforcing my trust in you and firming up my faith in your promises. Thank you.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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Thank You for Your Dedication to Our Salvation

Giving Father,
Thank you for all that you graciously provide for our lives, none of which is deserved or earned by our efforts. While this is true of all gifts we receive from your hand, the gift of salvation and the guarantee of eternal life that come with it are unrivaled. These exceptional gifts stand out all the more when we remember what we deserve and ought to expect as a result of our own rebellious hearts and sinful disobedience. But your grace is always greater than whatever our worst could ever be. Your determination and dedication to seek and save are relentless, and we are so very grateful for that. Let your desire to forgive and to save us always prompt our desire to thank and to praise you. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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Thank You for Allowing Us to Give Thanks

Giving Father,
Thank you for creating us so uniquely that we are able to express thanks to you. While the biological diversity and sheer quantity of all of creation is already beyond our comprehension, mankind stands alone in the ways by which we’re able to give you thanks. For not only enabling us to give thanks, but also for the awareness of all of the reasons for which we can give it, thank you.

Moreover, when our hearts and lives are marked by gratitude, we also reap the benefits! Thankfulness contributes to so many different positive benefits for us, spiritually, emotionally, and even physically. So not only do we have the privilege of being able to thank you, but you also bless us when we do! The degree of your goodness and generosity is truly staggering, leaving us in awe and compelling us to thank you in every way possible with our whole lives. Thank you!

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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Thank You for Family

Giving Father,
Thank you for the blessing of family. While no family is perfect, your design for the nuclear family remains the ideal model for a healthy society. When a husband and wife are committed to each other with a devotion only overshadowed by their devotion to you, children have something to aspire to. When they put forgiving each other into practice, children see what grace in action looks like. When parents present a united front in lovingly raising their children with consistency, discipline, and an abundance of grace, little ones will be well-equipped as adults. The unique bond shared between siblings can allow them to serve as strong pillars of support throughout all of life, and provide a level of closeness that can surpass that of best friends. Continue to raise up and strengthen nuclear families, Lord, and bless not only those within the family, but also whole communities as well.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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Thank You for Meeting Our Physical Needs

Giving Father,
Thank you for the way you go above and beyond to generously provide for our material needs. For everything we perceive to be lacking or going without, our storage and closets are overflowing with other belongings that surpass what we can even keep track of. Work in us feelings of gratitude so that we do not take for granted how richly you provide for us. Make us aware of how much we have and make us willing to share it with others in need. Grant us contentment with our daily bread, so that greed does not drive us to pursue more or that a lack of appreciation for what we have does not drive us to despair. Guard our hearts to keep our possessions from possessing us, help us to care for what you have entrusted to us, and lead us to help preserve and protect our neighbors’ belongings as well. Thank you.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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Thank You for Government

Giving Father,
Thank you for the blessings we enjoy through our government. While we will never be short on matters to complain about when it comes to government (both because of shortcomings on their end and because of our propensity for grumbling and complaining), we too often take for granted the positives you work in our lives through those you have placed in positions of governmental authority. Thank you for using our government to maintain structure and order, allowing citizens to reliably depend on so many different services and operations as they conduct their day-to-day lives. Guard those who govern from being driven by personal ambitions and self-serving agendas. Grant them wisdom in decision making, patience in dealing with difficult people, and a genuine desire to accomplish what is noble and right for the people they govern. Make their work a joy for them and a blessing for those they serve. Thank you.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Acknowledge Your Generosity (Part 4)

Generous Father,
Your lavish generosity generates my gratitude. When we are on the receiving end of so much goodness and grace, knowing both who you are and who we are, feelings of thankfulness swell up inside us. And that kind of gratitude isn’t content merely to be felt; it must be expressed. Let me seek to match your generous giving by expressing my gratitude generously.

One of the most challenging ways for us put that into practice is through our management of your financial gifts. Move me to grow in the grace of giving through my offerings, to be willing to treat others by covering the bill, and to be eager to give gifts of money to others as a show of appreciation and thanks. 

The giving of our time to others is another meaningful expression of gratitude. Free me from the mindset that the twenty-four hours of each day are mine to use as I selfishly determine, and instead help me see the giving of time as a thank you to others. Our culture is accustomed to everyone being so busy that we don’t have time for one another, so let me use time as a generous thank you to others to show them my appreciation – while doubling as an act of generous gratitude to you, too. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.