7 Prayers That Work

Lord Jesus, I want to be a better encourager. Use me to build up the spiritual gifts in someone else. Mold me into a servant, an encourager , a prophet, a prayer warrior, a friend of the friendless. Lord, please forgive me for not choosing compassion and grace, for not reaching out, for not loving others because I didn't feel loved. Lord, I want to see the world like you see it, to include everyone and love everyone like you did. I want to become an intercessor. I want to build others up instead of hoping they will build me up. I want your blessing on me-- not to make my life easier or better-- but to be an avenue for your blessing on everyone around me. May people see you whenever they see me and because your blessing is rich and deep and powerful, I pray that the people I touch find new relationship and belonging in you. Help me belong in you. Only you satisfy my soul. Speak truth and grace into my life so I remember that. In Jesus' name, Amen. "I long to see you so t...

  Oh, Lord, I bless you name and your promises. You are great, and you act justly in my life. You don't withhold good things from me, and you lead me in the path that you want me to take. You bless me abundantly. I don't deserve your grace ,  but you give it freely. I will praise you to everyone. When I go to sleep praising you, I wake up praising you. May you always be on my heart and mind-- when I'm working, struggling, relaxing, worrying. When I praise you, I am aware of how much you give me! How enormous is the sum of your blessings on my life! They are more vast than the stars in the sky. I cannot count them all. Give me the perspective and grace to bless my family , my church, my government, and even my enemies . Fill me with your magnitude of your presence, and may I always sit in awe of you and the astonishing actions you perform on my behalf! In Jesus' name, Amen. "I will bless the  Lord  who guides me;  even at night my heart instructs me." ( Psalm...

Dear Father, Thank you for the privilege of raising this child who is now an adult, graduating onto new and bigger things. I ask your blessing and protection over my graduate . I ask for your Spirit to hover over him and around him, to speak truth into his mind and courage into heart. Please give him divine appointments with professors, employers, roommates, friends, and a future spouse. Help him to meet the right people at the right time with a heart that's right and ready to obey your will. Give him a life of impact and purpose. Happiness and joy. Lord, help him to see the positive and fight the negative and to be an accurate reflection of your love and grace to everyone he meets. He will make mistakes. He will fail. He will grieve and have heartache. But I pray for him to cling to you-- to always lean on you and look to you for guidance, comfort, and direction. Remind him to be courageous and try again. To get back up. To confess, forgive, beli...

Sometimes, we have an opportunity to present God as the author and finisher of all things to a varied group of religious, non-religious, Christian, and atheist audience. This is always a beautiful opportunity to show love and grace. We may not be alike in theology, but we are all equally pursued by God with relentless love. We all bear His image and are designed to reflect His glory. I think our prayers and our conversations should celebrate that calling and that likeness. Through our compassion, people come to know who God really is. Judging them actually never works. Perhaps someday, when these lost souls are in crisis, they will remember the Christians who spoke with love and blessing--perhaps they will ask questions about who we serve and how our God cares for us. That is our hope and our calling. Here's my husband's prayer which he spoke over the Virginia State Assembly today: Almighty God and Creator, We come before you today to praise your name and to ask yo...

Dear Lord Jesus Christ-- You are full of mercy and love, and you amaze me because we are a desperate and sinful people, and yet you don't annihilate us. At least, not yet. And so I pray to you. Grant us mercy--give us time to repent. On behalf of those who serve you, if we have pleased you with our rare and paltry obedience, please go with us into the earth. Convict us. Transform us. Forgive the arrogance and selfishness of us, your name-bearers. We misrepresent who you are to your world. We are stubborn and rebellious. We elevate our own agendas. We hate the lost, and we compete with our brothers, and we call it Christianity. Please forgive our wickedness. Our sin is grievous to you, and it confuses your message of forgiveness to the world. Under the canopy of spiritual election, we have confused freedom with grace, conservatism with purity, and protection with compassion. Your heart must be breaking at the sight of us. We bear your name, and we...