November 27, 2011

O God, you are great!

The mountains and hills announce your majesty

As they rise from the earth

Showcasing the vastness

Of your beautiful creation.

Let us always remember that you created this magnificent planet,

Not only to give us life,

But to reveal yourself to us

By your marvelous creations.

Thank you, O God.

Amen.

November 26, 2011

O God, you are great!

The mountains and hills announce your majesty

As they rise from the earth

Showcasing the vastness

Of your beautiful creation.

Let us always remember that you created this magnificent planet,

Not only to give us life,

But to reveal yourself to us

By your marvelous creations.

Thank you, O God.

Amen.

November 25, 2011

Lord,

I am sorry for all the pain I have caused

To you

And to others.

There are many to whom I may never have the chance to apologize.

There are likely some who would not accept that apology even if I could give it.

Lord, you are all grace,

All mercy.

Please forgive me the sins I have committed against you,

And please allow others to know

In some way,

That I repent of the pains I have caused them.

And,

O Lord,

Allow me,

And all those I have hurt,

Whether intentionally or unintentionally,

To have peace from those pains.

Amen.

November 24, 2011

In our times of grief, O God,

Be our shelter.

In our times of joy, O God,

Celebrate with us.

In our times of distress, O God,

Be our comfort.

Remind us that all we need can be found in you,

And help us to turn our eyes to you

Whatever the circumstance.

Amen.

November 23, 2011

Every day we owe to you, O God.

Help us to live them to the fullest,

Giving you the glory,

And giving others the best we have to offer.

Show us how to love,

In truth,

So that we can make this world

A place in which we can enjoy living.

Amen.

November 22, 2011

Thank you, O God,

For the breath that we enjoy every day.

Thank you, O God,

For the gift of life and the grace you have given.

Thank you, O God,

For continuing to bless us even though we have sinned against you.

Please, Lord, forgive us,

And help us to do the right things in our lives,

So that we can please you.

Amen.

November 21, 2011

Lord God, I pray for the broken.

They are all around in this world,

Those I can see,

And those I cannot.

There are people all around me

Who are unable to share in the simple joys

That I experience every day.

There are hungry,

Thirsty,

Injured,

Sick,

Those with broken minds and spirits.

Often these people,

Your creation,

Are ignored.

So, I pray this day

That you would restore them,

And plan in us a desire

To serve and heal all people,

Whether we recognize their brokenness or not,

Throughout this world.

Amen.

November 20, 2011

Glory to you, O God.

You are above all things glorious.

Your creation sings of your glory,

And most of it sings much more loudly than us,

Your people.

Show us your great glory

In ways that no one can deny,

And turn our hearts to you.

Amen.

November 19, 2011

What a wonderful gift is life, O God.

It is often not even recognized by us

As a gift,

But as something more like our due.

But, O God, although you desire relationship with us,

We know of no reason that you need us.

Your gifts to us are overwhelming,

And we take time

This day,

This moment,

To truly thank you.

Amen.

November 18, 2011

Lord, help us to make all our times count.

We have no promise of any number of days,

All we know is what we have right now.

And what we have to give right now

To others

Are love and respect,

To you is devotion,

And to ourselves,

Is hope for a life well lived.

Help us to devote ourselves to those things,

And let the future be.

Amen.

November 17, 2011

Why do we turn from your ways?

What could be more important than who you have called us to be?

Who could be more important to please than you, God?

Yet we continue to look inwardly

Toward our own pleasures,

And disregard your commands.

Please forgive us,

O God,

And draw us into a relationship with you

That will fill us with love for you

And an unquenchable desire to serve you in truth.

Amen.

November 16, 2011

We turn to you,

Confessing our inadequacies

And our inabilities

To be the people you have called us to be,

O God.

We care more for ourselves than others,

And we lie to you and ourselves,

Claiming that we do not.

But our actions, time, and treasures

Reflect our own narcissism,

And when we realize it,

We mourn for ourselves.

Please forgive us

And help us to look to the needs of others

In ways that will honor you,

Others,

And ourselves.

Amen.

November 15, 2011

Contemplating your works in creation

Teaches us how awesome you are, O God.

The intricate structures of animals and plant,

The way even unloving things move and change to keep this world alive,

The movement of the planets,

The movements underneath the earth’s crust,

All testify not only to your power,

But your incredible care for what you have created.

Thank you, O God, for this blessing,

And please open our eyes to see more of these blessings from you.

Amen.

November 14, 2011

Looking around at the world,

It is easy to become hopeless

In our humanity.

People hate.

People kill.

People use others for selfish ends.

It is tempting to think of ourselves as

Evil at our core.

Yet, we come from you, O God.

And you are good.

You are the source of all goodness.

Remind us to look to you for who we should be,

So we can be better—never good like you,

But better

To each other,

To ourselves,

And to you.

Amen.

November 13, 2011

God, you have given me work to do in the world.

You have called me to a certain place,

To share your good news to others

And to bring hope to those who are hopeless.

What you never promised was that I would see the fruit of my work.

Yet, today you have blessed me by showing me great things that have happened

That I was a part of.

Changes in others’ lives,

Renewal of faith,

A return to happiness.

Thank you, O God, for these and all mercies.

Amen.

November 12, 2011

O Great Creator,

Give me the ability to love and enjoy this day.

It is a day you have created,

It is a day that you have promised you want me to live in abundance.

I know that yesterday had cares of its own,

And tomorrow will worry about itself,

So,

Please allow me to put down the worries of yesterday and tomorrow,

And simply be your beloved,

Blessed,

And humble child

This day.

Amen.

November 11, 2011

I cry to you, O Lord,

Why must there be such suffering?

Why must there be such pain?

Why must people feel so helpless?

Why?

Could any answer be sufficient?

Could any response settle our minds about the tragedies of the world?

We are unable to even respond to these terrible situations.

Lord, can you make it all better?

Lord God, can you make it right?

November 10, 2011

What can we do for you, O God?

Where will you send us?

We are willing to be your servants,

We are willing to go where you want us to go.

Like the prophet Isaiah, we boldly cry out to you,

“Here am I, Send Me!”

Lord, I pray that your people in the world would ask to be sent in your name,

And I pray that you might bless us by using us.

Amen.

November 9, 2011

Show yourself to us, O God.

Teach us who you are

And what your characteristics are.

We have a difficult time knowing you

Because we cannot see you,

We cannot touch you,

We cannot easily converse with you.

But we know that if we seek you,

We will find you.

And we know that you can teach us

What we need to know to live a life pleasing to you.

Please reveal yourself,

That we can do our best to emulate you.

Amen.

November 8, 2011

Help us, God, to offer ourselves to you in a meaningful way.

So often we go about our lives,

Only thinking about ourselves,

Only spending money on our own cares,

And only wanting more and more for ourselves.

But we are called to see you first.

Please draw us into relationship with you

In a way that we would actually look to what you need first,

And we would truly look to the needs of our community

And give ourselves as an offering to you alone.

Move in us that we would be this kind of true followers of you.

Amen.

November 7, 2011

Use me, O God.

Use even me.

I am flawed,

Sometimes I feel useless on my own,

But that is just the point…

I am useless without you,

But with you, I am all powerful.

So, use me to accomplish your will in this world.

Use even me.

Amen.

November 6, 2011

I pray

This day

That you would reach down into the world.

Gently use your power

To overthrow the evils

That seem so deeply entrenched

Here on the earth.

Let goodness rule,

Let evil melt into good,

Let greed and prejudice

Be burned away

As when metal is boiled

And purified.

Amen.

November 5, 2011

I want to be an effective leader, Lord,

Balancing as I teach,

Trying to keep my students on the same page,

While still allowing the looseness that will keep the lessons fun.

I want to enjoy time in class,

Helping others to learn about and from you

While trying to model your love for your people.

And at the end of the day,

I’d really like,

Not to feel as if I’ve been run over by a truck.

Amen.

November 4, 2011

Lord, forgive me for the ways that I have not followed your path for me.

I have strayed in purposeful

And accidental ways,

And I pray that you would extend grace to me.

Show me where you want me to be,

What steps you want me to take,

And allow me to have the ability to take those steps

Toward your glory.

Amen.

November 3, 2011

In the beginning, there was you, O God.

Whoever, whatever you are,

You started the universe in motion.

However that happened,

I acknowledge and thank you for your command of the cosmos.

In the end you will be there again,

And through all eternity, you will be there.

I pray that we, your creation, will all be there with you,

Sharing in love and true fellowship.

Amen.

November 2, 2011

Lord, please renew my mind.

Help me to recognize all of my blessings

Instead of dwelling on the ways I am in want

Or ways that others have more than me.

Help me to let go of all those issues,

And help me to focus not on what I don’t have,

But on what I have that I can give to help others.

Amen.

November 1, 2011

Thank you, God, for all those who went before me.

Those who paved the paths on which I walk,

Those who blazed the trail,

Those who prepared this place for the work I am to do.

It is incredible to think of all those servants of you

Who followed you for years,

Who followed you so many years ago,

And how those live have affected mine.

Thank you for your faithful servants of yesteryear and centuries ago.

Help me to honor them in my work, dear God.

Amen.

October 31, 2011

I feel so tired, Lord!

The things of life have gotten to me.

I feel down, low, I want to quit for a while and start fresh.

I want to just lie down.

But I know you have more for me to do,

And I know that no one can do what you have ordained for me.

Lord, give me strength. Renew my excitement about my role in the world.

Help me to push on ahead even when I don’t feel like it.

Thank you, God.

Amen.

October 30, 2011

Sometimes it seems like a long road home to you.

I have traveled away,

I have been the prodigal.

I have squandered things with which you entrusted me,

I have doubted.

Sometimes it seems the distance I have put between us is not able to be crossed.

Yet, you always welcome me,

Where I am,

With open arms.

Lord, please take me back again.

Amen.

October 29, 2011

Send us peace, Lord.

The differences in our cultures,

Our ways of relating to one another,

Our beliefs,

And especially our economics

Seem to make it impossible for us to have real peace in the world.

But, you, O God, hold all the powers of the world in your hand.

Please, move those with worldly power to have peace,

And please move all of us to enjoy and ensure the continuance of that peace.

I do not believe you created us to suffer.

Amen.

October 28, 2011

Thank you for it all, Lord.

Thank you for it all.

The way this planet is conceived,

The way it has been tended and loved,

The way it is a tiny speck in a great ocean of space,

The way you created life on it that we might exist

And that we might learn to love

And have pleasures given to us by you.

Thank you for the beauty that surrounds us

That we almost never notice,

But when we do, it moves us deeply.

Thank you for our opportunities to have loving relationships with one another,

And thank you for our opportunity to come into relationship with you.

Thank you.

Amen.

October 27, 2011

Turn me toward you, dear God.

Turn my eyes that I might see you better,

Turn my ears that I would listen for your voice,

Turn my tongue that I would sing and speak your praises,

Turn my heart that my love would go out to you

And to your people.

Amen.

October 26, 2011

Help us to overcome our callousness at the condition of the world, O God.

We look around and see strife,

We see need,

We see hunger,

We see bloodshed,

And sometimes it is so overwhelming that we feel it is just the way the world is.

That there is nothing we can do…

But, O God, with you all things are possible.

Help us to focus energy toward solving the problems others face in the world.

Help us to sow love

That it might bloom and help us come to a time of peace and justice

The world over.

Amen.

October 25, 2011

When I am feeling terrible,

When I think all things have gone wrong,

When I see others’ sorrow

And I am drawn deeply into it.

When I lose hope,

Or when I sense others have lost their hope

In you,

In themselves,

In me,

Please, God,

Restore me.

Fill me with your spirit when I do not have enough strength to get by.

Double your spirit within me when my spirit grows faint.

Thank you, God,

Amen.

October 24, 2011

Lord God,

Sometimes the silliest things get me tied up,

And I choose them over time with you.

I confess to you that sometimes I am so filled with conceit,

Or with frivolous pursuits,

That I cannot focus on spending time reading about,

Speaking to,

Or listening to you.

Help me to re-orient myself

That my highest priority

Would be getting to know you.

Amen.

October 23, 2011

We have our witnesses,

We have scripture,

We have guidance from you,

But it is still sometimes very hard to believe

All of the promises we hold so dear.

How can we know about the future?

How can we know what happens when we leave this world?

How can we know that our experiences of you are real?

Lord, help our unbelief.

Help us to know you

And to be certain that it is you we know.

Give us glimpses of the future,

Give us assurances of your love and care.

Even if we receive these and then doubt again,

Please do not tire of us.

We want to know you and to be a part of your wonderful future.

Amen.

October 22, 2011

What can I do to make you known, O God?

How can I spread your essence to the world?

I am only one person among many.

I only come into contact with such a small number of people every day.

I cannot do great things as I would like.

Yet, God, you have not commanded me to tell everyone by myself.

I am your servant, and you have asked me to show love.

You want me to show love to all those I meet

Whether it is twenty or twenty-thousand.

By doing this, I am spreading your message.

By doing this, I am living your message to the world,

And if I can help one other to love more,

I pray that message will spread to the ends of the earth.

With your help, I believe it can.

Amen.

October 21, 2011

Create in me a loving heart, O God,

Please give me the ability to greet all I meet in love.

I admit it is sometimes very hard for me.

Although I do believe that you have called me to such love,

I am often drawn to the sins of

Prejudice,

Fear,

Jealousy,

Sarcasm,

And anger.

I need your help.

I need your Spirit to heal me from these tendencies

So that I can be the person you want me to be.

I pray that you would cleanse me, O God.

Amen.

October 20, 2011

Today, Lord God, I pray for guidance.

Sometimes the path ahead seems so certain,

And it is often during those times that a major turn will change my steps entirely.

Sometimes I am afraid, and I need your guidance just to place one foot in front of the other.

Sometimes I am completely lost, wandering.

It is then I need you the most, because you know how to make my steps sure.

You know what way is best for me,

And I pray that in all times I may rely on your guidance,

So that my path would be one that would please you.

Amen.

October 19, 2011

Each of your creations points to your wonder,

Merciful God.

There are so many different creatures,

So many plants,

So many rocks and formations,

So many planets and stars,

So many people

All have so many wonders,

And all those wonders point us to you and who you are.

Teach us to see you in these things,

And teach us to show others your majesty in all things.

Amen.

October 18, 2011

Lord,

Inspire me to live a life worthy of the calling you have placed on me.

Help me to love others,

Help me to guide them toward you,

Help me to live each day for you,

In thanksgiving for the gifts I have received,

And in tribute to the ones I have yet to receive.

Help me to point to you so that whatever circumstance I am in,

People will know my strength is in you.

And, help me to live this way,

So that, when I near the end of my days,

I can look back and know I did all I could do for you,

The Creator of all things.

Amen.

October 17, 2011

Thank you God for this day,

And thank you for all the things that you have given to me.

I pray that you would bless me and use me.

I pray that you would teach me how to live and how to be more like you.

I pray that you would show me your path for my life and give me the tools

And the willingness to follow it.

I pray that my life would be conformed to your will,

And that through my life, actions and words

I would inspire others to follow you as well.

Thank you for all your gifts,

Please help me to use them well.

Amen.

October 16, 2011

Sometimes I just want to shout!

Why won’t you just fix it all?

Why won’t you take control and change it all around?

Why don’t you make it the way it’s supposed to be,

Why don’t the bad people get what they deserve

And good people get rewards?

When will it all come together?

When will your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven?

Help us to wait and trust.

Help us to return thanks to you for all we have,

Even when we do not understand why things are the way they are.

Help us to put our trust in you.

Amen.

October 15, 2011

A look at our fellow humans,

A glance,

Is all we need to judge.

We immediately jump to conclusions.

We think we know each other by the way we move,

Look,

Talk,

Act.

What we often fail to see is the image of God in others.

O God, give us vision to see you in others

So that we can truly love them

As you want us to love them.

Thank you, God.

Amen.

October 14, 2011

We speak words all the time,

Words about God,

Words to God.

We speak them as if they are nothing,

As if they mean little, or as if they are second nature.

Yet, we often fail to recognize that we are talking about

And to

The maker of the entire cosmos!

This should inspire awe,

This should cause us to weigh our words,

This should cause us to think of how those words will be received

By God and others.

Teach us the way to speak about and to you,

O God,

So that we can always revere you by what we say and do.

Amen.

October 13, 2011

It is said to be a proof that God exists,

The way the world works together.

It is said to be as if a person found a watch,

Perfectly made, and perfectly running,

But with no visible owner.

The person who found it concluded that since it was designed so well

And it had gears and springs and hands and numbers,

It must have been made by someone, and not be an accident of nature.

This is how we are to view the world—as a perfectly running machine that professes a great designer.

But, O Lord, often the world does not seem to work so well.

We see so many problems.

Our relationships are strained at best.

People feel pain and die.

Parts of the world are killed by natural and human made processes.

What, then, proves your existence?

There is no way to prove, at least to the masses, through reason or logic,

But I know you are real.

I know you guide me.

I know you are beside me.

And I believe that individually or as a community, when we learn of you,

We err to try to learn through logic or science.

Loving and knowing you comes through faith.

Amen.

October 12, 2011

How beautiful you are, Great God of all!

Your majesty is shown in the wildernesses,

In the entire creation.

All life sings of your glory.

Our song is the flowing of the blood in our veins,

The blowing of the winds,

The changing of sunlight into energy…

All the processes that make our lives possible

Show us how wonderful you are.

Remind us with every breath

That all comes from you.

Amen.

October 11, 2011

The warmth of the sun

Reminds us of the warmth of your love.

The only difference is that the brightness of your love

Never sets.

It warms us every moment

Of every day.

Lord, thank you for the way you give us love

In every season of our lives.

Help us to return love for love,

As much as we can,

And help us to enjoy your love for us

With gratitude,

All our days.

Amen.

October 10, 2011

Grace upon Grace.

This is what we need as humans to be like you.

No amount of our good intentions can help bridge the distance we have placed between us.

So, Lord, forgive us,

Take away our sin,

Give us grace to cover ourselves in,

Let us bathe in it,

Let us cloak ourselves in it,

Let us be as if we are like you,

Because without your gift of grace,

We can never approach salvation.

Amen.

October 9, 2011

I cannot be the person I am supposed to be.

Why not?

What holds me back?

Can it be anything but greed?

Can it be anything but me wanting more for me than others have?

Can it be anything other than my desire to horde all good things,

Even you,

For myself?

Lord, take away my vanity that tells me I deserve more than others,

Or that I want you to give me more,

And simply teach me to live,

Using a small enough amount of what I have,

So that I can help meet others’ needs.

Amen.

 

October 8, 2011

We think we know so much.

We think we know how the universe began,

How it moves,

How some things will end.

We think we know so much.

In reality, we cannot even explore our own planet.

New species are found all the time.

We can’t agree on the impact our existence has on the rest of our world.

Lord God, when we are wise, we trust these things to you.

Not that seeking knowledge is futile—it is a wonderful, holy pursuit,

Yet, our knowledge is now so incomplete,

That we must remember to trust you with all things,

Remembering your faithfulness to us.

Thank you,

O God,

Amen.

October 7, 2011

Faith the size of a mustard seed can move a mountain.

That is what we are told in your word,

And we are told by your very son.

How many have that kind of faith?

How many can move mountains?

Can any?

God, increase our faith…

A mustard seed really isn’t that big,

And I would be happy to simply move a pretty small rock.

Amen.

October 6, 2011

Deep within my heart,

I fear.

I doubt.

I wonder if all the things I have trusted

Are phantoms,

Siren songs that have led me astray.

I pray that you would strengthen my heart,

Help my unbelief, O God!

Amen.

October 5, 2011

God, I pray for the poor.

So much of your word is filled with mandates to help the poor,

To give clothing,

To visit those who are in need,

To visit those in prison,

To give and help.

I pray that you would move me to do more,

And that you would move others to join with me,

To relieve the stress of poverty,

To recover those who have lost hope,

To change the world.

With your help,

And your guidance,

I know we can do it.

Amen.

October 4, 2011

The dawning of each new day confirms your faithfulness to us.

We cannot begin to match your faith,

But help us to recognize it,

So that we can return thanks to you.

You are wonderful beyond human measure,

And we thank you for your grace to us.

Thank you, O God!

Amen.

October 3, 2011

Sometimes in the busy times of our lives,

O God,

We feel that we do not have time for you.

What folly you must think of us in those times!

We forget that everything has its being in you.

All things are from and of you.

So, whatever we do, we are participating in your creation,

And in what you are.

So, whether we know it or not, whatever we do is in you.

Help us to recognize you in all the things of this world,

Whether we think they are made by humans or not,

The raw materials are from you.

All is from you.

Help us to remember.

Amen.

October 2, 2011

I can’t understand why, O God?

Why do you regard us at all?

Why would there be such a willingness to bridge the gap between us,

When it was we who created the chasm?

Why is it that humanity, who did not keep your covenant,

Would be fortunate enough

That you would repair our mistakes?

All of this, for creatures that are seemingly so insignificant

In comparison to the cosmos.

There is only one answer,

And it defies human logic,

But, O God, that must teach us of the love you have for us.

The super, above-all love that we cannot comprehend

And to which nothing can compare.

Thank you, O God.

Amen.

October 1, 2011

When the walls are closing in all around,

I ask to know that you are with me.

Whatever the case, O God,

Help me to never doubt your presence.

Always let me know that your Spirit is with me,

Whether in trouble or in good fortune,

Whether in need or in plenty,

Whether in good or bad times,

Whatever the case, as long as you and I can face it together,

I know I will be standing at the end.

Amen.

September 30, 2011

I despair.

I realize this doesn’t make me different from others in this world,

But sometimes the despair seems overwhelming,

And I feel that I am suffering as much as anyone ever has.

It is ludicrous, really.

I realistically know that no matter how bad it has been for me,

I am extremely fortunate and have no ground to stand on in complaining

Or even feeling sorry for myself.

It is the state of humanity to sometimes feel blue, or despair.

But, O Lord, you have done so many things for all of us.

When I turn my mind to your gifts for me and your creation,

I am ashamed of my want and sadness.

Forgive me, O Lord,

And turn my mind to the awesome wonder of what you are and what you have created for us.

Amen.

September 29, 2011

We are piteous creatures,

Dear Lord.

We need your healing.

We need your guidance.

We turn to you,

And we know you are there.

All we can do,

Then,

Is thank you.

Amen.

September 28, 2011

When you look out over the universe,

The universe you have created,

What do you see, O God?

How can you see all at one time,

All of time together,

All the hurt,

Joy,

Lives,

Galaxies,

Atoms,

Relationships,

And everything else all at a glance?

Humans can only wonder at you,

O God,

And none can begin to understand.

How you are

Who you are.

You are amazing beyond our greatest imagination!

Amen.

September 27, 2011

We love you, O Lord,

And we were made to love you

Throughout infinity,

And through our lives and beyond,

Trusting in you

And living lives intent on your service.

Don’t let us lose focus,

But help us to keep our eyes on you,

On the example you are for us,

And on being who you want us to be,

In this life,

And with you in the next.

Amen.

September 26, 2011

Who are we?

What are we?

In your image, but how?

How can we stand before you?

How can we begin to know you?

What is the true path to knowledge?

Questions plague humanity,

Questions we cannot answer.

Give us faith to face the questions,

Knowing that answers may never come,

Yet living lives in search nonetheless.

Amen.

September 25, 2011

God,

Thank you for the simple pleasures of each day.

The sun on my face,

The wind that cools and soothes,

The fragrance of the grass,

The beautiful colors of the countryside,

The fellowship with humanity,

The relationship with you.

Amen.

September 24, 2011

Lord, save us from ourselves.

All around we see destruction,

Hatred,

Famine,

War,

Disease,

And all kinds of violences.

It is often hard for us to realize,

But we have chosen these things for ourselves

Through our own will

And through the will of those who came before us.

Help us, O God, to put aside those sins of the past

That seem to be leading us without choice to continued sins in the future,

And help us to choose your way starting here,

Starting now.

Amen.

September 23, 2011

Who am I to call upon you?

I am only one person.

My life is as grass that withers.

My moment on the earth is short,

And seemingly without much consequence.

Yet you still call me your beloved.

You still care for all the things that burden me.

You still love me.

That is who I am.

The beloved of the most high.

Amen.

September 22, 2011

How can I,

Broken as I am,

Be an effective teacher for you?

How can a person,

With so many imperfections,

Be called to your service?

Yet, I look to the scriptures,

And I see those you have called in the past,

Doubtful,

Fearful,

Sinful,

And I think…

I’m not all that bad…

Amen.

September 21, 2011

All the colors all around,

All the beautiful things in nature,

All the ways that creatures and plants and soil and creation work together…

All of them cry out in tribute to you,

And your awesome design of this world.

Teach us not to miss these signs of your presence,

But to see you in all things,

Because, since you created them,

You are present in all things.

Amen.

September 20, 2011

Lord God,

It seems that if all these things that we believe are true,

It seems that if you are there and you are listening,

It seems that if we are really called to bring others to faith in you,

That we should be better able to prove your existence.

Is that what it is all about?

Do you refrain from giving us proof

So that we have to believe only by faith?

Help us to walk by faith, as you have commanded.

Help us to see the truth in your word,

Even when we find it to be not historically true,

But true in the sense that it tells us about you.

And help us to verify your existence

Through our experience of your love.

Amen.

September 19, 2011

We are designed

To have relationship with you.

We are made

To worship.

We are intended

To love you and your creation.

Help us to recognize us,

And strengthen us to

Live our lives to those ends.

Amen.

September 18, 2011

In the midst of our grief,

Be our comfort, O God.

In the midst of our fear,

Be our courage.

In the midst of our sadness,

Be our relief.

In the midst of our deep, deep anxiety,

Be our ease.

When we are in need, O God,

Meet us where we are.

Amen.

September 17, 2011

Our faith is made up not only of scripture and teachings,

But of stories that remind us how you have been active in our lives.

This is just the way the ancients passed down their faith—

Through stories that showed your love for them.

Help us to be able to share those stories with others

So that we can bring others into relationship with you.

Amen.

September 16, 2011

Lord God,

When I signed up for this,

When I chose to be a disciple,

I didn’t expect everything would be easy.

I didn’t believe it would always be sunshine.

All I knew is that you would always be with me.

Lord, sometimes I feel so beaten down by the needs and expectations of the world.

Sometimes I feel lost and out of control.

Lord, please renew your spirit within me

So that I can be renewed and revived

To do what I know you have called me to do.

Amen.

September 15, 2011

I can’t ever do it all,

And I walk around carrying guilt for all the things I haven’t done,

Some things that are really important,

And some things that are mundane and of little importance at all.

Yet, I carry this guilt

Because I’m not motivated enough to do it all,

Or there’s not time enough to do it all,

Or I just plain forget.

Help me to release the guilt,

Because it doesn’t serve you,

And help me to feel as if I can accomplish more,

With less negativity.

Amen.

September 14, 2011

Sometimes I feel like I’m walking blind,

There seems to be nothing to guide be where I’m going.

Lost,

Without a firm path,

Without direction.

Lord, please fill me with your light,

Give me a purpose,

Beyond what the world wants from me,

Beyond what I expect from myself.

A purpose, that is all for you.

I pray for that, O God.

Amen.

September 13, 2011

Why is it so hard to do good?

Why is it so easy to slip into sin?

Why does it seem so impossible to follow Christ,

When all I am and all I do revolves around Christ

And his worship?

If it is hard for me,

A minister of word and sacrament,

Then I imagine it must also be hard

For all those with whom I come into contact.

God, please strengthen me as a pastor

So I can help others through their difficulties

And help them to find wholeness in you…

The same wholeness I continue to strive for myself.

Amen.

September 12, 2011

Grace is what I need, Lord,

Only grace.

I am broken,

And I cannot be repaired.

I cannot make up for the things I have done

And the things I have left undone.

The very nature of sin is that it cannot be redeemed.

So, I need grace.

Grace upon grace.

I cry out to you,

Believing in the atonement won for me

By the son, Christ Jesus,

And I throw myself on grace.

Amen.

September 11, 2011

In the midst of our despair,

In the middle of our mourning,

When we are at our lowest,

When we cry out to you,

Lord, be our comforter.

Hold us close

And remind us that you are in control of all things,

Even if we can’t understand why horrible things happen.

Help us to trust you,

Even though our experience tells us that you should never have

Allowed these terrible events to happen.

Help us to have faith in the things we do not see.

Amen.

September 10, 2011

God,

As Christians,

We are one faith among many in this world.

We believe we have the truth,

And so do all the other world religions.

What right do we have to say they all must be like us?

Is it possible to have more than one truth?

How can we share our faith without discounting other people’s faith?

Is salvation available to all people, through you?

Through your son?

Help us to know how to share what we are,

Without putting other people and other cultures aside.

Help us to love and serve you faithfully,

Living your vision for the world.

Amen.

September 9, 2011

Lord, how can we teach others to love

When we Christians are so full of hatred?

How can we teach about you

When we are so influenced by the world

And the negative things within it?

How can we learn to follow you

When we don’t even recognize you?

How can we be yours

When we don’t even know you?

Draw us into you,

O God.

Teach us your ways,

Teach us about you,

And show us how we are related to you

So that we can love you as much as possible

And experience life in relationship with you.

Amen.

September 8, 2011

Thank you for this day, O God.

Thank you for all the gifts you have given to me.

Please help me to use them to praise and worship you,

And please empower me to tell my story

Of how you have moved in and changed my life,

So that I can teach others

How to have relationship with you.

Amen.

September 7, 2011

Lord, you are Holy.

We are unaware of how wonderful you are, but

You are all Holiness.

Help us to participate in your holiness

By participating in what you are

And by enjoying your spark inside of all of us.

Amen.

September 6, 2011

Time, O Lord,

That is the one thing we seem not to have enough of.

We feel rushed for everything,

We feel like we cannot get it all done,

And one of the first things we leave out of our day

Is you.

Lord, help us to realize that our time is not the issue,

It is our priorities.

Help us to get them straight,

Beginning with serving the master of the universe.

Amen.

September 5, 2011

Lord, I believe it is true that the goodness in our lives is made of

Small moments when we can see the greatness in you and others

Strung together.

I pray that we can recognize you more often

So that we can live within those moments

More and more often.

Let us recognize you in all things,

So we can learn how to appreciate

All that you are.

Amen.

September 4, 2011

Music rings in our ears, and we hear you.

Wondrous scenes flash before our eyes, and we see you.

A cool breeze or a gentle touch brushes our skin, and we feel you.

We see, touch, hear, know, and experience you in so many ways, O Lord.

Those moments may seem fleeting, but we ask you to widen them,

Strengthen them,

Help us to not doubt them,

Until we know you as fully as we can this side of heaven.

Amen.

September 3, 2011

Lord, have mercy.

We are a broken and rebellious people.

Lord, have mercy.

We are greedy, needy, and narcissistic.

Lord, have mercy.

We refuse to focus on others, and only focus on ourselves and how others can serve us.

Lord, have mercy.

We are infinitely in need of you, yet we do not recognize that need.

Lord, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy on us because we have little to offer by ourselves, yet we are so filled with pride and arrogance, we accept all your gifts as if they are our rights and we congratulate ourselves for getting good things on our own. Remind us that we need you, and accept us when we finally come to you.

Amen.

September 2, 2011

Salt of the earth,

Light of the world,

Use your people to reach the world.

Use us, your people, to change the world.

You have the power to make all things new,

Let us be partners in your mission to redeem creation.

We long to be with you, and we long to teach others how to know you.

Let us be salt,

Let us be light,

Let us change the world.

Amen.

September 1, 2011

Give us hope, God.

We see these disasters all around us,

We feel lost.

We do not know what we can rely on.

We do not know who or how to trust.

Give us hope, God,

Hope in our future,

Hope in our relationship with you,

Hope in our ability to reach you

And commune with you.

Hope in your love for us

And hope in your desire to spend eternity with us.

Give us hope, God.

Amen.

August 31, 2011

Lord, there is much I do not understand.

At the top of the list is suffering.

Why is there so much needless pain?

Why is there cancer?

Why is there hatred and disease?

Why would you create a place where these exist?

I am not one to simply say that you cause suffering for your reasons.

I am not one to say, when a young person is killed, “God knows best.”

Yet, within this mystery, I still trust these things to you,

Knowing you must be so infinitely more wise

That I can only hope,

Through study and prayer,

To come to know you better.

Then maybe I can understand your world better.

Lord, please help,

Because sometimes it seems to be more than I can bear.

Amen.

August 30, 2011

O God, you are like the sun.

You shine on each of us,

Regardless of our merit.

You bring warmth,

You give light,

You are like the sun, yet much more infinitely

Chase away the darkness.

May you inspire us to shine your light

That others may see you in us.

Amen.

August 29, 2011

Speak again to us.

Use silences,

Use signs,

Use booming voices,

Use burning bushes,

Use rainbows,

Use lightning,

Use brightness,

Use the dark,

All things are within your capacity, O God.

Please use them all,

That your creation,

Who so often forgets that we are your creation,

Will know you intimately,

And will trust you completely.

Amen.

August 28, 2011

Please use me, O God.

Send me where you want me to go.

I am ready for new things,

I am ready for new experiences,

I am ready to touch new lives.

I pray, O God, that even if I stay right here where I am,

No moving,

No grandiose changes in my location or

My day to day activities…

I pray that even then I can find new ways to reach people,

That I can help others know about you,

And I can help others to see the goodness present in other humans…

Something that can be lost too easily.

So, please use me, O God!

August 27, 2011

God, I pray for forgiveness this day.

I know that I have failed to be the best person I could be.

I have failed in ways that are huge,

And I have failed in ways that are small.

I have lost sight of you,

And I have lost faith in others.

Lord, please forgive me.

Help me to forgive myself,

And help me to do better tomorrow.

Amen.

August 26, 2011

How can we understand how you love us?

Will we ever be able to accept and not doubt that love?

What does it take for us to know we are loved, by you, or by each other?

Lord, grant us the ability to trust in love.

There are very few other things worth trusting in,

But grant that we may trust in the goodness of love,

And help us to give love so freely

That others may trust in its goodness, too.

Amen.

August 25, 2011

God of all things,

We praise you for your creative powers.

We praise you for the way that you have loved this world,

And we praise you for the vast worlds you have created.

Thank you for making us a part of your creation,

And for loving us.

You are beyond all measure.

Amen.

August 24, 2011

Lord, God, help us to know how to teach others about you.

We cannot change the hearts of others,

Only you can,

But, God, please help us to learn how to

Create the conditions in which you can make those changes

In others.

And never let us forget that we need to continue to let you change us

Continually.

Amen.

August 23, 2011

Be the ground of our being, O God.

Be the ground of all our decisions,

All our steps,

All our waking and our sleeping,

And all our activity.

Help us to follow you

Wherever you lead,

And know that our steps will always be steady

Because you are the ground on which we walk.

Amen.

August 22, 2011

Open our hearts, O God,

Break them if you must,

So that we can feel the pain of others,

So that we can recognize their needs,

And so we can help to heal their wounds.

Help us to know how best to give hope to others,

And be our strength when we are afraid to try.

Amen.

August 21, 2011

Lord, help me to feel the right longings,

Help me to ask the right questions,

Help me to look in the right places for the answers,

Help me to judge myself well, but not too harshly,

Help me to find the things that you have in store for me,

Help me to receive your gifts, good or otherwise, with open arms,

And help me through all this to be more like you.

Amen.

August 20, 2011

What will it take, God, for us to regard each other with love?

Will it take punishment from you?

Will it take discipline?

Will it take edicts?

Laws?

Strife?

Violence?

There is only one thing that can turn our hearts to love for one another,

And it is more powerful than all these combined.

Please, Lord God, send your Holy Spirit into the hearts of your people

That we may learn to love with your love.

Amen.