7 Prayers That Work

Oh, Lord,  I'm scared. I have anxiety and dread all the time, and I think it's from not obeying your call on my life-- not doing the things you've told me to do or loving the people you've told me to love. I'm afraid to follow you  because I don't know what will happen to me when I do and because I've been hurt by people so many times when I did. I have reasonable  excuses  for hesitating: I'm not good enough, not talented enough, not lucky enough, not spiritual enough. I'm too busy, too stressed too unprepared. I need to heal, to find myself, to get into a safe space. Yet the longing and the frustration in my spirit persists. That tells me I'm not living in harmony with your calling and with the Spirit of God living inside of me. You say I am enough-- in you I am always enough. You can do anything, through anyone, and you just want me to trust you with my life. I confess my pride and self-reliance to you. Steady my heart and clear my mind. H...

  A WORD: Don't ever be afraid of the truth. Not the truth about yourself, your heart, your emotions, or your spiritual strongholds. Not the truth about those you love. Not the truth about God's commands or will. Please don't walk away from truth, even when it's hard. It will literally save you. Again and again. "There is no fear in  love . But  perfect   love  drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made  perfect  in  love ." ( 1 John 4:18 ) If finding out the truth about yourself or something terrifies you, then you have a clear sign that the devil is working against you. Whenever we love, we welcome the truth. We won't re-shape it, twist it, or wield it. We will protect it and cherish it. Truthful lives point towards God, not toward ourselves or our own abilities. "A  truth ful witness saves lives, but a false witness is deceitful." ( Proverbs 14:25 ) But what if we can't tell the difference? ...

  Dear Lord, I praise you for your faithfulness to me. You are faithful when I falter. You are faithful when I doubt . You are faithful when I fail. You are faithful when I question . You are faithful when I run from you. You are always faithful, true, and holy. Your love is everlasting. Lord, teach me your faithfulness. I want to trust you in difficult circumstances, in grief , pain, discouragement , fear , and uncertainty . I want to be as faithful to your name as you are to me. Always. Whether I understand what you're doing or not. I ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Your love,  Lord , reaches to the heavens, your  faithfulness  to the skies. ( Psalm 36:5 ) For I have always been mindful of your unfailing love and have lived in reliance on your  faithfulness . ( Psalm 23:6 ) I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of your  faithfulness  and your saving help. I do not conceal your love and your  faithfulness  from the great ass...

Lord God, I want to lose myself in you. May there no longer be a me, who struggles for a place in this world. Let me only be a representation of you, a mirror of you, an ambassador for you. You are my God, and I worship you. You are my God, and I serve you. You are my God, and I hear you. You are my God, and I trust you. You are my God, and I follow you. And you will make me into your image. I praise you and ask for these things. In Jesus' wonderful name, Amen. "Whoever finds his life will lose it. And whoever loses his life for my sake will find. it." ( Matthew 10:39 )

Hello, Jesus. I'm a bit scattered and rushed . Stressed and overwhelmed. But you already know that. I'm turning to you because you're the only place to turn. You have the words of life. You know my future and my past. Steady me, Lord. Speak to me. Re-orient me. Calm me. Help me see what you're doing in and around me. I trust you, and yet, I don't . You know that about me-- it's so hard to believe that what I'm doing is right when I don't see results. But you are faithful . You are always faithful. Steady my heart. Clear my mind of the confusion and anxiety that the enemy plants in me. Breathe in me and through me. I want to be a whisper of your presence, an image of your Son, the breath from your lips. Use me however you want  and build a faith in me to endure what I don't understand. In Jesus' name, Amen. "He stilled the storm   to a whisper;   the waves   of the sea   were hushed.  They were glad when it grew calm,  and he guided them...

Lord God,  Defender of our souls and our Conquerer, I shout praises to you because you are holy , righteous, just, merciful, and fierce . How awesome are you wonderful works on my behalf! Your enemies cringe before your power. Why am I afraid ? Why do I think you haven't got things well in hand? You have raised the dead ,  held back waters, brought dead bones to life, healed the sick, given sight to the blind, defeated the devil. Nothing is too hard for you in my life or anywhere. Pour out your power on me. Hold back my stormy seas. Work a miracle in me and through me. I pray Jesus' name over the destruction that's coming against my life . In Jesus' name, Amen. "Come and see what God has done, how awesome his works in man's behalf." (Psalm 66)

Oh, Lord, I don't now what's going to happen next, but there are some scary options sitting in front of me, taunting my thoughts and terrifying my heart. I feel like I'm wilting on the inside: My spirit grows faint within me and my heart feels dismayed ( Psalm 143:4 ). I know that you are good and that you only do good to your people. I remember your faithfulness-- you do not bring judgment down on us like you should;  no one stands before you righteous ( Psalm 143:2 ). I trust you because you have always protected me. I remember all the times you have rescued me and comforted me. I reach out for you like a thirsty soul in the desert ( Psalm 143:5-6 ). Lord, come to me and satisfy my longing. Quench my fear. Renew my spirit. Do not hide your face from me. Every morning, remind me of your unfailing love ( Psalm 143:7-8 ). Show me the way I should go. I only trust you. Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. Holy Spirit, level the ground before me and lead me into ...

  Psalm 66 tells us 8 things God wants us to know when life is hard. When my world is melting, sliding out of my control, sometimes I wonder what he's doing. So I usually go to Psalms. God always reminds me that he is busy, and he is triumphant already.  So stop panicking. Here's my paraphrase and prayer of  Psalm 66 , bullet-pointed for clarity: 1. Praise God first, regardless of what's happening Shout for joy, everyone! Give  God credit for his miraculous works! 2. God is in control because he is the Creator Oh, Lord, You fill me with awe. Your enemies cringe at your name. They rebel and slander and revolt, yet the earth itself follows your commands and bows itself in reverent obedience. The orbits rotate, the earth shakes and spews, the animal kingdom continues its circle of life, the wind and waves take their predictable paths. 3. God directs and uses the world for his glory You can alter the world's state at any moment. You can send fire, part waters, stop upr...

  Here I am again, trying to trust You, God. In the last year alone, I've posted 9 prayers specifically addressing the issue of trusting God. Given the year we've had, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. And here I am, about to post another prayer about trust. This week, during my prayer time (which I usually have while I walk my neighborhood), Lauren Daigle's song " Trust in you " played on Spotify through my Airpods. It struck me that I'm still struggling over this same issue of faith. I still doubt and worry about what God is doing in my life. Where are you taking me, God? What am I supposed to be doing? Why do I feel so afraid? So unsettled? I'm discouraged that trusting God remains difficult, no matter how much or how long I've worked on it. I'm choosing to trust God again today. Moment by moment. This year. (Read a whole blog about this struggle here .) So here's a song to inspire you and a prayer to transport you into God's presen...

Dear Lord, Please forgive me. I'm having control issues. (You already know this.) They come from trust issues. (You know that, too.) I believe that I trust you. But then I find myself stressing and worrying and wondering how you're going to make everything work, as if that's in question. You know how I secretly pray for trust-- I pray for trust, and I wait to praise you after you make everything all right. That's not faith. It's not trust. Oh, Lord, I need your strength. I am too weak, too self-absorbed, too afraid. I want to trust you completely. I confess my faithlessness to you. You are the answer. I know that. You know my past, present, and future. You aren't upset with me, disappointed with me, or frustrated with me. You're not worried about what I will do or not do, what I believe or don't believe. You know that I am dust , and yet I'm also a masterpiece , according to you. I don't understand...

I read this passage this morning. It's startling and challenging, and it compelled me to pray. Isaiah 26:3-4 --"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast , because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal." Lord God of Heaven, I want peace from stress and anxiety. I want direction for my energy, creativity in my calling, success in my life. You call me to steadfastness : to lean fast, support myself, stand firm, uphold my conception, imagination, purpose, mindfulness. I cannot trust your will without becoming steadfast in what you've already imparted to me. That's how I learn to trust you. Not by getting you to rubber-stamp what I'm doing or what I want to do. Trust comes from watching you be God in my life, not by being god of my own life. Trust is confidence, boldness, security. It's a decision I make, not a promise You make. I want peace in my soul,...

Lord God, Why do I panic about the future ? Why am I afraid even though you are present in my life, guiding and directing me, loving me? I will purpose to trust in you. Please help me in my weakness. You know how weak I am, how fear is so powerful, how self-doubt seems to prevail. All the time. You are enough. You are more than enough. You are everything. I love you, and I trust you. I trust you. I trust you. I trust you. I trust you. In Jesus' name, Amen. "He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he  delight ed in me."-- Psalm 18:19 (Read a blog about change that scares you  here .)

This morning I had one of those mothering moments when you ask your child to trust your "no" because you are building character into him so he can become the man God wants him to be. Then I say that someday, he'll realize how much it mattered to have a mom who cared about these things. Then I think about my mom and how I never realized the extent of her wisdom and love until I became a mother. And how much I wish I could tell her that again right now. How I wish I could tell her anything at all, and how completely devastating it is to know I won't speak to her again in my lifetime. The realization returns , almost like the first time it hit me. And I have cried off and on all day ever since. Grief sucks like that. How can there still be so many unseen empty spaces that hold grief? God, Would you just fill them, please? Would you just pour yourself into the holes of longing and loss and smother the grief with joy and contentment. Will you hear this ...