Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when He finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John also taught his disciples.” He said to them, Whenever you pray, say: Father,…” Luke 11:1-2
A prayer of praise for my Father…
Lord, You know that since I have begun to write my prayers, I have taken the time to wrestle with ideas, simple and complex, relating to who You are and who I am in Your sight. I mull over words and meanings. I meditate on passages. But sometimes I miss the importance of something my eyes have passed over hundreds of times. When You answered Your apostles’ request with a sample prayer, You knew these words would be memorized and repeated over and over (and over and over) by untold thousands through the end of time. But it’s the first word of this prayer that gets slighted as I add phrase after phrase to the end. Father. Until I grasp the intent behind that salutation, nothing following matters.
Jesus, when I claim Your Father as my Father, I am, as C. S. Lewis writes, “dressing up as Christ.” I am standing in the same place You stand. You – the perfect example of how to speak wisely, forgive compassionately, act lovingly, die submissively. You belong with the Father. But me? I speak foolishly, forgive grudgingly, act resentfully, and approach death dismissively. I don’t belong with the Father. I taint the sweet smell of heaven.
Then…the Spirit breathes, and I see You, Jesus, gazing into the faces of Your disciples as You share this prayer. They all had their own set of weaknesses and shortcomings, yet You invited them to call Your Father their Father. You invited them to stand where You stand. Then You look at me and offer that same invitation. I needn’t worry about my sullied presence. You made the introduction, after all. I only have to be the child, patterning my life after You, my Brother. And then, miraculously, I belong.
Be silent before the Lord and wait expectantly for Him; do not be agitated by one who prospers in his way, by the man who carries out evil plans. Refrain from anger and give up your rage; do not be agitated – it can only bring harm. For evildoers will be destroyed, but those who put their hope in the Lord will inherit the land. Psalm 37:7-9
My words…
Praise
I am surrounded by hate. I live in a society where hate-filled words and actions stain the pages and airwaves of mass media. Malicious speech enters every ear like a sharpened spike while violent scenes scorch the eyes. Respect for one another has been tossed aside and replaced with scorn. Kindness and respect huddle alone on the garbage heap of my country. Yes, I am agitated. While citizens of the same nation draw lines across the concrete and shout insults at each other, Satan chuckles. As people of one race deride those of another, the Devil’s angels congratulate each other. I wonder: Where is the good? Then I am reminded that I see only one small glimpse of what You see and have seen. Up until the time of this Psalm, You had watched the weak and innocent suffer and haughty evil-doers claim victories. You are witness to every offense, taunt, abuse, incivility, and indignity. You have set apart those who delight in evil, and You have determined their future. And today, I praise You as the God of justice, the God who will not allow evil to overpower good. By Your right arm, the wicked will be called to answer the questions of the holy One who has seen everything. Satan won’t be chuckling then.
Prayer for me
I was prompted by a friend to watch a praise video, one of a man and his guitar singing words of adoration to You and encouragement to me. In the corner of the screen, I noticed that over 2 million people had watched this same video – two million who chose to listen to praise over derision. These two million had figured out how to assuage agitation! As I watched and listened, silent before You, my hope was strengthened, and my turmoil relieved. Help me turn to You when my agitation is accelerated by the actions of the worldly. Remind me where true peace is found.
Forgive me
Forgive me when I lose hope, when I see evil as an uncontrollable fire, burning up society around me. And forgive my lack of faith. You control the fire. And You see the fire-starters.
Prayer for others
Lord, I pray for those who feel called to spread disrespectful, hate-filled messages in open forums – messages that tear down, not build up. I know there is a way for them to learn how destructive they can be. I leave it in Your loving hands to teach them.
More praise
Your powerful promises of justice are stone walls without cracks, protecting me from despair, hopelessness, and anger. Weapons of hate will not penetrate or weaken Your promises. The day will come when the searing burn of hateful rhetoric will be soothed by the balm of Your righteousness. Those inside the wall wait silently and expectantly for that day. I am humbled to be among them.
Solomon began to build the temple for the Lord in the four hundred eightieth year after the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of his reign over Israel, in the second month, in the month of Ziv. The temple that King Solomon built for the Lord was 90 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 45 feet high. The temple’s construction used finished stones cut at the quarry so that no hammer, chisel, or any iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built. 1 Kings 6:1, 2, 7
But the Lord is in His holy temple; let everyone on earth be silent in His presence. Habakkuk 2:20
My words…
Praise
It amazes me to think that a coo of a dove could be heard throughout the construction site of the temple. A mother, walking by with her children, could whisper to them her anticipation of worshiping in such grandeur. The chiseling, hammering and yelling happened in the quarry. The fitting together of perfect stones happened in stillness. I believe Solomon ordered such a process out of reverence for You. He would not allow the common, noisy prefabrication work to interfere with the formation of Your holy dwelling.
We humans are a noisy bunch. We’re living in the quarry. We like the sound of our own voices. If we aren’t talking about something, we’re listening to someone else’s rhetoric. Talking, debating, preaching, arguing. Have You grown weary of it after all of these centuries? What if every human sat in silence at the same time and offered a thought of praise to You? What a comfort to Your ears. What a comfort for nature. It’s a very unrealistic idea…for now. But it will happen one day.
Adoration of You doesn’t have to involve speaking. It doesn’t have to involve music. Perhaps the most appropriate form of worship happens in complete silence. It makes perfect sense, for how could I, a sinful, selfish child, have anything worthy to say to the One who assigned the dawn its place, who knows the source of the east wind, who can loosen the belt of Orion, who has the wisdom to number the clouds, and who can tilt the water jars of heaven? So I offer You a gift of silence wrapped in awe and tied with my love.
For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time for my departure is close. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. There is reserved for me in the future the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me, but to all those who have loved His appearing. 2 Timothy 4:6-8
My words…
All Praise to the Crown-Giver
After Paul’s blinding encounter with You as he traveled to Damascus, he spent three years preparing for his new mission. I imagine You and he shared a lot of time together during those three years. Was it during this time that he learned about the crown You have reserved for him? Either way, Paul would have fought the fight and finished the race even if there were no crown at the finish line. It’s so like You – the Divine Giver – to have a gift prepared for thatday. And a crown, no less! But here’s the exciting part for me – I get one, too! I’ve never worn a crown before. I hear they are heavy and cause headaches. But I don’t have to worry about that when I receive the crown You have reserved for me. It is not a crown of laurel, roses, gold, silver, or gems. It will not fade, wilt, or die. It cannot be burned, crushed, or melted down. It is incorruptible. For, I believe, this crown is made of a heavenly substance called righteousness. It is light. It is expensive. It was paid for by the One who wore a different crown – a crown of thorns.
It’s hard to rid my mind of an image of an earthly crown. So I try to imagine one sculpted from the precious metal mined in heaven sprinkled with stardust. But deep in my spirit, I know it’s so much better than that. Perhaps my crown is comprised of words – Your righteous words of love for me which I will wear for eternity. Or maybe my crown is Your gentle hand forever touching my head. It may be a crown of righteous knowledge, so there will be no need for questions. Even better, a crown of praise sung in perfect harmony! May I request that one, please?
Although I praise You for reserving a crown for me, It is not the gift that will bring me to my knees, but the perfect Crown-Giver.
So God created man in His own image; He created him in the image of God; He created them male and female. Genesis 1:27
My words…
Praise
God, in Your wisdom, You created humans with bodies. You could have created me as a gas or a liquid, but You chose to give me a bodily form – a form to touch, see, hear, feel, and smell. A form to grow, and a form to die. I never really thought about the reason You created me with a body until I read something Dallas Willard wrote: “The human body is the primary field of independent power and freedom given by God to the people. Put simply – no body, no power. People have a body for one reason – that we might have at our disposal the resources that would allow us to be persons in fellowship and cooperation with a personal God.” You have blessed me with so much freedom and independence by creating me with a body. It is a vessel used to carry joy, sorrow, pain, and knowledge. And it is a temple where I offer You my worship and adoration.
Prayer for me
I fear that I spend too much time considering my body: the integrity of my bones, the soundness of my heart, the sharpness of my brain, the length of my fingernails, the measurement of my waist. It saddens me to think of how much more wise I would be if I spent as much time tending to my spirit as I have to my body.
Forgive me
Lord, forgive me for the many times I did not use my body in a way that would draw me closer in fellowship with you. Forgive my unequal attention to my physical body compared to my spirit.
Prayer for others
So much suicide. I praise You that I have never contemplated taking my own life. I pray for those who choose to stop their hearts from beating, their lungs from breathing, their eyes from seeing. They don’t want to live in their bodies anymore. Such grief, I can’t imagine. I pray they will see, with the eyes of their spirits, a reason to keep living, and breathing, and seeing. Send Your Spirit to guide them toward You – the real Hope.
Thank You
Thank You for the body You have given me. But even more – thank You for preparing a place where I won’t have to be confined in my skin. As much as I love my imperfect, blemished, slightly overweight body, I am ready to trade it in for a new one someday!
More praise
Lord, I am not completely sure what it means to be created in Your image. I have my own ideas from what Your Spirit has taught me over the years, but I don’t have the full picture. It’s enough for me to know that I am made in the image of the One who created me – made in the image of my God. My body is somehow a reflection of You in the way it works, in the way it regenerates, in the way it shows love, in the way it dies and lives again. And therein lies the greatest lesson my body teaches me about You. When it wears out, it’s just the beginning!
Help, Lord, for no faithful one remains; the loyal have disappeared from the human race. They lie to one another; they speak with flattering lips and deceptive hearts. May the Lord cut off all flattering lips and the tongue that speaks boastfully. They say, “Through our tongues we have power; our lips are our own – who can be our master?”
“Because of the oppression of the afflicted and the groaning of the poor, I will now rise up,” says the Lord. “I will put the one who longs for it in a safe place.” The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in an earthen furnace, purified seven times. You, Lord, will guard us; You will protect us from this generation forever. The wicked wander everywhere, and what is worthless is exalted by the human race. Psalm 12
My words…
Prayer for me
Lord, I need Your help. Will You lighten my heart? Satan is laughing, and I am crying. The Father of Lies controls so many tongues. King David struggled with the same problem 3000 years ago. Not much has changed. Living in a land of freedom emboldens anyone to say anything at any time. Some use their tongues to build up, but more wear it out with worthless talk – talk exalted by the human race. The dam of discernment has crumbled, and toxins spew forth, eating away at the respect which should exist between members of a civil society. But what I hear (and read) isn’t civil. It’s belittling, demeaning, and crude. And even though it isn’t directed at me, I am cut by it, bleeding on behalf of the one who must either bear up under it, or dive into the toxic flow and sling it back. Bind my wounded spirit by Your Spirit and send a ray of hope my way.
Prayer for others
Today is one of those days when I don’t feel like praying for those who blatantly burn others with their caustic tongues. But their souls are just as precious to You as the most innocent of Your children. So, I pray that they weigh each of their words before releasing them. I pray they will recognize worthless words and choose to keep them behind closed lips. And most of all, I pray they meet You who will empower them to do that and much more.
Praise
What a comfort I am afforded! After enduring the crush of worthless words which delight Satan, I know where to turn my ear and hear words of pure silver – Your words. They are truth. They are hope. They are healing.
For what credit is there if you sin and are punished, and you endure it? But when you do what is good and suffer, if you endure it, this brings favor with God. For you were called to this, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in His steps. 1 Peter 2:20-21
My words…
Praise
Jesus, You are the Perfect Example – in all situations, across the ages. Your actions are lessons in how to comfort the sick, how to communicate peace to the violent, how to confront prejudice, how to teach, how to pray, how to glorify the Father – so many examples. But the example that clutches my heart and doesn’t let go is the example of how to be humiliated. You could have side-stepped the opportunities when they arose, but You chose to wear the yoke of humiliation. It was the only way to get from the manger to the cross.
Prayer for me
Since I am called to follow in Your steps, I am called to be humiliated. Teach me how to accept humiliation with dignity and honor. Being humiliated – it doesn’t feel good. But neither does crucifixion.
Forgive me
Forgive me for being rarely humiliated. It’s my own doing. If I share what I believe, then I open myself up to a spiritual black eye. If I keep my mouth shut and my hands in my pockets, I remain unharmed. Forgive me for taking the safe route.
Prayer for others
Lord, I pray for those men and women who valiantly walk into the path of humiliation every day. They open Your word to strangers and open their spirits to ridicule and their bodies to harm. Yet they get up and do it the very next day. There’s a need, and they fill it, no matter the cost. I pray that you will strengthen their armor.
Thank You
Thank You for enduring the humiliation caused by the very people You created and loved. In doing so, You cleared a path that I may walk to find favor with God.
When some from the crowd heard Jesus’ words, they said, “This really is the Prophet!” Other said, “This is the Messiah!” But some said, “Surely the Messiah doesn’t come from Galilee, does He? Doesn’t the Scripture say that the Messiah comes from David’s offspring and from the town of Bethlehem, where David once lived?” So a division occurred among the crowd because of Him. Some of them wanted to seize Him, but no one laid hands on Him. Then the temple police came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, “Why haven’t you brought Him?” The police answered, “No man ever spoke like this!” Then the Pharisees responded to them: “Are you fooled, too? Have any of the rulers or Pharisees believed in Him? But this crowd, which doesn’t know the law, is accursed!” Nicodemus – the one who came to Him previously, being one of them – said to them, “Our law doesn’t judge a man before it hears from him and knows what he’s doing, does it?” “You aren’t from Galilee too, are you?” they replied. “Investigate and you will see that no prophet arises from Galilee.” John 7:40-52
My words…
Praise
Dear Jesus, I often wonder how you were able to tread water for so long in the pool of ignorance. The Pharisees sputtered and choked on their own nescience all the while believing themselves to be the lifeguards. You listened while mortal men debated Your divinity. They belittled You for Your Galilean upbringing not knowing it was You who created that land from nothing at all. The crowd was moved by Your words but proclaimed You as a false Messiah since You did not come from the lineage of David, born in Bethlehem. Glub, glub, glub. But You continued to tread and teach. And we both know why.
Prayer for me
Lord, I want to be like the temple police. They were sent to do the bidding of the Pharisees, but then they heard You speak. Your words (the right words in the right order) and Your voice (a combination of tenderness and authority) drew a group of temple guards to disobey a direct order and return empty-handed. When I am on a path leading away from Your will, I pray for an ear to hear Your perfect words in Your tender voice guiding me back where I belong.
Forgive me
The Pharisees thought they had this whole Messiah thing figured out. I have thought that, too. What an ignorant fool I am. Forgive me when I listen to the conjectures of men and do not rely on the Holy Spirit to guide me toward the real truth.
Prayer for others
Lord, there are so many in the world who are ignorant of You. Either they have not yet heard about You, or they have been surrounded by those who speak falsely of You. My heart hurts for them. Send a bright light of knowledge to them, Lord! Save them from the pool of ignorance.
More praise
Thank You, Jesus, for You are all love, compassion, and mercy. You climbed out of the pool and threw all of us ignorant, prideful sinners a cross-shaped life preserver.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths. Proverbs 3:5-6
My words…
Praise
There is so much I don’t know. If I could somehow weigh everything there is to know (in other words, what You know) and compare it to the weight of everything I actually know, it would be like comparing the weight of the earth’s oceans (times infinity) to the weight of a starling’s feather. I am incredibly humbled by my lack of understanding and immeasurably awed by what You know. You completely understand, to the last detail, each event that has transpired on earth, from the beginning of time until now: why it happened, who did it, why he or she did it, and how that event affected (or will affect) future events. I can’t remember what I got for Christmas. So when the writer of Proverbs reminds me not to rely on my own thinking but trust in You for my knowledge and understanding, that makes sense to me. Who wouldn’t go to the clear, crystal fountain when dying of thirst?
Prayer for me
So, here’s the rub. Because there is so much stuff I don’t know, I go in search of answers in other places besides Your throne. I like listening to biblical scholars. There are so many of them – alive and dead! And they all sound so smart when they describe who You are, and explain how the bible came to be and why Genesis chapter one is so different from Genesis chapter two. And then there are those who don’t believe that what happened in the book of Genesis really happened, anyway. And don’t even get me started about what they say about the Judges. (You know!) And on and on it goes. After a while, I shake my head and stumble back to Your throne. Maybe that’s the best part about listening to them in the first place.
Forgive me
So many times, I rely on my own understanding more often than trusting in You to lead me to the truth. Perhaps it’s because I do not trust You with all my heart – only part. Forgive me for this sin of pride.
More praise
You are the fountain of ageless wisdom and understanding. Thank you for allowing me to drink from it any time I please. Just one benefit of being the daughter of the One who knows all.
Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Your heart must not be troubled or fearful. John 14:27
My words…
Praise
Oh, Jesus, You are the Perfect Giver. When the sick and diseased pressed against You, You gave healing. When the evil-possessed screamed at and pleaded with You, You gave freedom. When it came time to sanctify the world, You gave Your life. You know just what to give and when to give it. Just before You were to ascend and be reunited with Your Father, You gave one last gift to Your disciples: peace. You knew the trepidation, confusion, panic, and pain they would endure in the coming years, so You gave them something to use to see them through. It wasn’t in a box with a pretty bow. It was something placed inside them, a gift they would never lose, a gift that would never wear out. The perfect gift at the perfect time from the Perfect Gift-Giver.
Prayer for me
Just as You gave peace to Your disciples, so You give it to me. It is a well-used gift. I wrap myself in it when I see and hear the triumphs of Satan and begin to fear for my children and their children. I tighten it against me when I feel the effects of aging and am reminded of how temporary I really am. My spirit grows calm, and I am strengthened in the knowledge of whose loving hand holds my world.
Forgive me
Forgive me for the times when I neglect to use Your gift. Your peace is what steadies me, and I am a fool when I think I can get through my earthly walk without it.
Prayer for others
Lord, I know so many who are battling despair. Some are suffering from physical disease, some from spiritual attacks. Give them an extra measure of Your soothing balm of peace, so they may close their eyes and feel Your arms around them.
Thank You
While You walked the dusty roads of earth, You received gifts as well: the “thank you” from those You healed, the expensive perfume poured over your head by a grateful woman, the praise of those who recognized You for who You truly were. Someone must have given You the seamless garment taken from You at Your crucifixion. I would love to give You a gift worthy of what You have given to me, but that would be impossible, for You are the Perfect Giver and I the sinful receiver. But today, I offer You the perfect purple iris growing in my yard. It is my favorite flower, and I give it to You with love. I realize the backwardness of this gift – I am giving You something You Yourself made, but I know You will receive it in the way it is intended. It’s the most perfect thing I can lay my hands on. I won’t call it mine anymore.
More praise
My heart is at peace right now because I am talking to You, Lord. I praise You as the perfect Prince of Peace.
