“God our provider, You have not fed us with bread alone, but with words of grace and life” (ELW p. 64). Lord, stop our confusion because we seem to always be running to or from something. Always going in circles. Remind us that You are always right beside us.
We come here because we want more. We want a deeper relationship with You and with each other. We want to learn how to live a more fulfilling life. We want to know that we belong. We want so many things but the only thing standing in our way is doubt and fear. And the only thing stronger than our doubts and fears is You, the God who loves us so much that You sent Your only Son to die so that we could see just how much we are worth to the One who created us.
There is a time when we have to lead others but it is always time to be led by the Holy Spirit so that we can know that life is worth living. Give us the knowledge that illuminates the world and the courage to believe in the impossible again. Let us be Your witnesses, Your advocates, and the ones who tell Your story. And when the world throws our mistakes back at us, we have the Word of God that tells us that “God has removed our sins as far as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12) and that “this world is not our home” (1 Peter 2:11).
Tags: 1 Peter 2:11, bible, Christ, Christian, Church, ELCA, Jesus, lutheran, Prayer, Psalm 103:12
God of today, tomorrow and yesterday we thank You for the time that You gift us in this life. Help us to see that You are our shield from an unforgiving world. Create clarity in this moment so that we can let go of things that don’t matter. Reveal to us the things that we need to strip away so that we can clearly see our purpose in Your story.
Everything starts with an idea…a vision. Be the vision that is the foundation of each thought we have. So that every word we say and every step we take is rooted in the truth of the Word of God.
“For not our righteousness but the righteousness of Christ, reconciled us to God and redeemed us from sin” (Martin Luther). Because of Christ, we can be the voice for those too afraid to speak. Because of Christ, we can be the change needed to impact this world. Because of Christ, we know God’s love. And we “encounter God every time we encounter love” (Rev. Jeff Hood). So let us experience love now and forever.
Tags: Christ, Christian, Church, ELCA, God, Jesus, lutheran, Martin Luther, Prayer, Reverend Jeff Hood
Creator God, thank You for Your presence that never leaves us. Teach us how to start this week with You as the focus. It’s so easy to focus on ourselves, but doing so will not reveal our life’s purpose. Help us to be open to the possibilities of God. Rearrange our priorities so that we are not holding onto things because “a life devoted to things is a dead life, (but) a God-shaped life is a flourishing one” (Proverbs 11:28). Brings us back to basics. Bring us back to You.
In this place, we see many people but know only a few. Change that. And when life tries to confuse us or change our direction, remind us that everything starts with God. And God is the strength that we need to endure the storms of life. God is how and why we can persevere beyond the imperfections of this life. God is everything that we need.
Tags: Christian, Church, ELCA, God, lutheran, Prayer, Proverbs
LV Rescue Mission
Almighty God, be our vision so that we can see past the lies that surround us. You are the only truth that withstands the wreckage of time. We come to You because we don’t have all the answers. We come to You because we need words of comfort and hope. We come to You because we need You. We need Your strength and support so that we can stop chasing the past or the future because all we have is now. Unfreeze the moments that hold us back from living. Transform us even when we think we can’t change. Give us the courage to not be afraid to live or grow so that we can step into our purpose and unleash the gifts that You have given us.
In our darkest hour, remind us that Your Holy Spirit dwells within us and within every flaw of our being that is made perfect and new because of the sacrifice of the only Son of God who takes away the sins of the world. Yes, we stand with You now, but You, oh God, have always and will always stand with us now and forever.
Tags: Christian, Church, ELCA, Jesus, lutheran, Prayer
Almighty One, thank You for continually working thousands of miracles in and around us even if we are only aware of a few. Mature our faith in You so that we can function on a more spiritual level instead of a worldly one.
Write into the margins of our minds so that we can trust in Your timing, rely on Your truth and experience Your presence. Remind us, that because of Your Son, we are not defined by our past, but are redefined by Your grace, love and forgiveness.
Lord, give us the strength to rise up from complacency and let us be extensions of You, of “justice, truth and love…because whatever we put into life is what we will get out of it” (Rev. Ed Bacon).
Tags: Christian, Church, ELCA, Jesus, lutheran, Prayer, Rev. Ed Bacon
Almighty God, shine Your light into the darkness of the unknown. Help us to embrace Your plans and lay down ours. We may not understand how everything will turn out, but we pray for the wisdom to trust You. Forgive us for our unawareness of the constant presence of Your Holy Spirit. Forgive us for living a life that shuts You out. Show us, that no matter where we are or what we’ve done, that You are always for us and You are always with us.
“We may have weaknesses, but God has strength. We may have sin, but God has Grace. We may fail but God remains ever faithful” (God’s not Dead), and “the pain that we’ve been feeling, can’t compare to the joy that’s coming” (Romans 8:18).
Tags: Christian, Church, ELCA, Jesus, lutheran, Prayer, Romans
Lord, thank You for the gift of another year gone by. Lead us into the next chapter of life that leads us to discover the truth of God’s love. Reveal to us our part in Your story. Forgive our mistakes. Give us the wisdom to forgive others and the strength to forgive ourselves. Interrupt the chaos of negativity and allow us to be, “mirrors whose brightness is (entirely) derived from the sun that shines upon us” (C.S. Lewis).
Be our strength. Be our shelter. Be our Friend. Be the truth that we see in each and every person that we meet because, “what draws people to be friends is that they see the same truth” (C.S. Lewis) that we are all beloved children of God.
Tags: C.S. Lewis, Christian, Church, ELCA, Jesus, Prayer
Help us to see the big picture, beyond ourselves, so that we can learn from both our joys and our sorrows. Look, it doesn’t matter where we are in this life because we’re all on the same journey towards grace and redemption. Give us the strength to “never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” (Corrie Ten Boom)
This life isn’t meant to be routine, so Lord, “revive whatever peace and love has died in us” (Christian Today) because the only one who can mend a broken heart is the One who made it. And as long as we still have breath, we can still shine the light of God out onto the darkness of this world
“Our soul is not contained within the limits of our body. Our body is contained within the limitlessness of our soul…Every possession or accomplishment will rot but what remains is our heart” (Jim Carrey) and how we affected others. It is through our faith in God, God’s word and God’s grace that we know that “in Christ, there are no goodbyes and in Christ, there is no end” (MercyMe) so let’s hold on to the only truth that we have; that God so loved us all that God redefined what love is because in the end love always wins.
Tags: Christian, Christian Today, Church, Corrie Ten Boom, ELCA, Jesus, Jim Carrey, lutheran, Prayer
You came to us so that we could have hope, so that we could know love and so that we could have You, the light of the world, throughout every moment of time. You came to share the truth that this world is not our home and that sin and death can’t keep us from experiencing a love that surpasses all understanding. The birth of the Living God, who stepped into our world and walked this earth as one of us, was just the beginning of a love story that has no ending and no good byes.
Today, You are still right beside us. You hear each joyful laugh and see each tear. Throughout the wreckage of time, You are the constant that connects each generation and nation because You are the God that stand with us and shields us against the storms of life. You are the God that showers mercy and grace over a world of condemnation and judgment. You are the God that shares in our story one scarred hand to the other. May we know You as You know us.
Tags: Christian, Church, ELCA, Jesus, lutheran, Prayer
Lord God, “You are near to all who call on You” (Psalm 145:18). And we will sing of Your love from one generation to the next. (Psalm 89:1). So many memories flood our minds as another year closes and a new one begins. We pray that You would continue to bless us beyond imagination.
Don’t let us stare too long at doors that have been closed, but instead prepare us for the doors that will be opened to us because “we will not find peace by rearranging the circumstances of our lives…” (Eckhart Tolle) We have peace because Love found us right where we are, and God was born as one of us.
Faith tells us that no matter what lies ahead, God is already there. “Love has a name; Jesus. Love has a place; our hearts. Love has a story and it’s not finished yet.” (DAYSTAR)
Tags: Christian, Church, Eckhart Tolle, ELCA, Jesus, Prayer, Psalm
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