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Prayer for change

/ Vincent Chough / Leave a comment

Are you facing a complicated situation in your life right now? It might be a family issue or problems at work. Or maybe your church community is going through a crisis.

During these moments, you typically experience a wide range of emotions. You might feel anger, sadness, frustration, or even the desire to run away from it all. But what you want most of all is for things to change. You want things to get better.

How the situation will be resolved is anyone’s guess. It might take a long time for healing and reconciliation to occur — if ever. So what can you do? For starters, you can pray for everyone involved — even for those who frustrate you.

And you can change too.

It might not be your fault. It might not be anyone’s fault. Or maybe many are to blame. But when facing a complicated situation — if you feel confused and anguished — then the best thing to do is go to God.

Instead of getting tangled up in your feelings, lay it all at his feet. If needed, ask for forgiveness. Ask God to change you so you can see clearly. Then you can act if needed — and wait patiently if not. This doesn’t mean you don’t care. Instead, you seek and trust God to show you how to navigate the stormy waters.

Don’t let your feelings get the best of you. This only leads to actions you’ll regret later or feelings of depression and despair. Instead, find the healthiest perspective possible. Let the Lord show you how.

And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness in realizing the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Hebrews 6:11-12

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Prayer for change

O blessed Lord,

 Contradiction and confusion surround me. Conflicts and petty rivalries rise up.

My heart aches to see all the hurt around me.

Won’t you send your help, O Lord?

Even though it doesn’t all depend on me, even though I can only do so much, I ask you, O Lord, change me first.

Open my mind and my heart. May your Spirit do his good work.

Let me let go of my selfish desires. Let me give up my preferences.

May I accept things as they are, and remain steadfast in the Lord.

I may not understand. I may not like it, but you can change me.

Clear away my confusion.

Covert my doubt into confidence.

Replace my anguish with your peace.

Reveal to me the clarity of Christ.

From there I will rest, as the Lord is my refuge.

From there I will act when you call me to serve.

From there I will go forward as the Lord prepares the way.

In Jesus name,

Amen.

Prayer for a new beginning

/ Vincent Chough / 4 Comments

Do you feel stuck in life? Does everything seem stale? Or maybe you’re dealing with a difficult situation that’s been going on for a long time. Either way, maybe you feel like you need a fresh start.

Of course, there’s no way to erase the past. The things that hurt you and the mistakes you made cannot be undone. But that’s the past. Meanwhile, the future is wide open. Do you have any courage left to hope?

What if you decided to begin again? But this time, you’re a bit wiser, more humble — and the scars you carry show why.

What if you decided to seek God with all your heart to move forward? But this time, you leave behind the things that don’t let you grow as a person.

What if you summoned all the strength you have left — and then completely trusted God to do the rest?

Do you dare to hope again? Do you dare to let his Spirit change you on the inside? Do you dare to live your faith as if your life depended on it?

If you have real-world experience, you’re not looking for a quick, magical change. You’re not interested in living in a fantasy world. Instead, you’re vision has matured. You understand life is full of limits and difficulties. But this will not hold you back from moving ahead. Your faith remains intact.

So step forward. Begin again. And again and again if you have to. Upon the love of God you can re-build as many times as it takes. Do your part with confidence — and leave the rest in God’s hands.

Therefore, if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come.

2 Corinthians 5:17

. . . . . . .

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Prayer for a new beginning

O merciful Lord,

Here I am before you. I’ve been though so much.

Still, your love shows me, my life is not over.

My story is not finished yet.

Only you can make all things new. In you, I hope against hope.

Fill me with your Spirit, O Lord. Lift me up to you.

Give me clarity. Open my mind.

Let me begin again, no matter what it takes.

Let the lessons from my past teach me. In my struggles may I find strength. And may my mistakes keep me humble.

Cleanse me with your mercy, O Lord. By the blood of Christ, I am free.

I do not seek a perfect life. I know more trials await me.

So make my spirit strong, O Lord. Give me a kind and steady heart.

May I walk in grace with your Spirit. Prepare the way for me, O Lord.

Lead me to new, wide-open spaces. Let me rise with you and start again.

In Jesus name I pray,

Amen.

Prayer for things you can’t control

/ Prayer for Anxiety / Leave a comment

Maybe there are a lot of things challenging you all at once. Or maybe you’re facing one big problem that occupies your thoughts all the time. So you worry. You might feel scared or angry… or both. Either way, things feel like they are out of control.

You might be worried about a loved one making bad life choices. Or maybe someone is sick. Or perhaps you’re stuck economically, or you have to wait for something that seems like it’s taking forever. And you’re worried it might not ever happen at all. So you wait for an answer you need from someone or someplace… or even from God.

And it’s true. There are so many things you can’t control. But you can pray for them. In prayer, you will find there are no limits.

Remember this — a life of faith is not about control. Instead it’s about connecting with God and letting him show you the way forward. In all things, it’s about loving and giving. Let the Spirit of God show you what you can do.

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Wait for the Lord;
    be strong, and let your heart take courage;
    yea, wait for the Lord!

Psalm 27:14

PRAYER FOR THINGS YOU CAN’T CONTROL

O merciful Lord,

I feel stressed and weary. Worry overwhelms me.

What should I do now? What can I do?

I know I can’t change things. I know I must wait. So my heart aches deeply, and my soul cries out at night.

I don’t have to like it. I don’t have to agree.

But I can stay steady and strong as my faith leads me forward.

Show me, O Lord, how to rest in your loving grace.

May your Spirit show me that even though I can’t control things,

I can trust. I can believe.

And even if I wobble, I will not fall. For you are my fortress and my stronghold.

In you, O Lord, I find good shelter.

If there will be a change, let it begin with me, let it begin in my heart.

For your Word is the final word, and patience will be my guide.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.