A Prayer for Peace

To have come to this point in my life and suddenly be concerned about money again, Lord. I cannot do it. I know You have a plan. I cannot see it. I know You have a way for us to get out of this. I cannot conceive of it. Help me stay strong, Lord. Help me have peace.

If I should take a second job, provide one. If I should make a career move, show me. I am so scared and angry and worried – though I know none of those come from You.

Help my unbelief, Lord.

My husband has worked for 50 years before this happened. How can it take so long to receive an answer from SSA? I know you will provide a way. Help me stay in the peace of knowing this – because I forget every single time I remember about another bill that is due.

I am terrified.

Help my unbelief, Lord.

I have no reason to doubt You. You have always provided for our needs. Help me stay busy with work and with doing Your will, so that I do not look to the bank balance anymore.

In Your name I pray, Jesus, AMEN.

Prayer of Gratitude

Thank You, Lord for all the blessings from this year.

Thank you for both of Danica’s graduations – one from high school last week and the other from college the previous week. Thank you for each of my children. Continue to bless and protect them all the days of their lives. Thank you for my parents, our siblings, nieces and nephews, and extended families. We are beyond blessed to have all these wonderful people in our family.

Thank You for this year at work – for the Teacher of the Year award that I never saw coming, for the TIA designation that will mean a bonus in August. I am beyond appreciative for all the opportunities to move higher in my career.

Thank You for the 50 years that You allowed Danny to work. I pray his work ethic for his career translates over into his home life now.

Thank You for the unexpected financial assistance when I have nothing more that I can think to sell or trade for extra cash until SSA gives Danny a decision. I pray You grant me the patience to wait without worry. I pray You continue to bless my father for helping me without my asking. I know that You are his model. You bless without finding fault. You grant wisdom and understanding. Grant these to me in abundance, Lord, so that I will see the way I know You have provided somewhere. Help me find it.

I want to be able to help my mother fix her truck. I want to buy Julyssa an icemaker. I want to give Danica a nice graduation party, buy Dan a new welding shirt, get Jordan in summer basketball, and buy something for Jared and Amanda’s home.

Grant me the path to do this, Lord. Show me the way.

Thank You for all the blessings – for every single time You rescue me. Help me to rescue others.

In Your name I pray, Lord, AMEN.

A Prayer of Expectance

Good Morning, Jesus!

Thank you for a beautiful day to end a beautiful week!

I want to express my sincere gratitude for ALL You have done, and ALL You will continue to do in our lives! I am expecting ALL our children to be saved and become part of Your kingdom. I know that it will happen, Lord, and that their children will likewise be blessed.

I am expecting an answer from SSA. They have had over 100 days to make a decision. I know You will cause them to move forward with the process and deliver news we have been waiting to hear.

I am expecting favor at work. Help me be a blessing to others, as You always place people in my path that our blessings to me.

Thank you for my children, our parents, our siblings, our nieces and nephews and extended families.

Thank you for BEAUTY! And coffee…and music…and the desire to work. AMEN

Prayer of Confusion

I feel guilty about not knowing how to pray anymore. Shouldn’t I be getting better about all of this? I am not practicing avoidance.

My whole life has been about avoiding

Avoiding the endings

I do not know what to do, Lord.

I cry out and feel so alone.

In my mind, I know You are there. Here.

In my fear, I tremble. I worry. I dread.

Help me to be different, Lord. To have the faith of a child. That is what I aspire.

You are doing a new thing, yes?

But will the new thing and the old me ever get along?

There is a quote out there – if the only prayer you ever say is “thank you,” that is enough.

I am going to end with enough, Lord.

Thank You.

A Prayer for Resilience

I honestly thought I was stronger than this, Lord. I feel like I have to keep apologizing for not being positive enough, for not having enough faith, for not being a better model of Christianity.

I only feel at peace when I am in Your house.

Am I supposed to live in a church?

Perhaps it’s not so much in Your house as in Your presence, right?

Maybe my time would be better served finding alone time for the two of us to just hang out every morning, right? But You know I am not a morning person. Will You please give me the strength and desire to wake up earlier every morning to spend time in Your presence, Lord?

I have no peace as a parent, wife, employee, student, daughter or friend. NONE.

I am constantly feeling guilty about not being good enough. Not being worthy. Not working hard enough. Not modeling perfection.

It is spiritually exhausting, Lord.

Crushed in spirit this summer.

I do not want to be this person anymore.

I do not want to be this person.

Tell me what You would have me do, Lord.

I know You want me to write. I will do this. I will do this every single day for the next two weeks to start. This will be my first goal. I will need direction beyond this, Lord – but I know You want me to complete this first next step for all the days I have committed – 14.

A Writer’s Prayer

Two weeks.

Why did I find that such a challenging concept when I have been a writer my entire life, Lord? You made me a writer. I am not good at anything else – and that’s not even to say that I’m great at writing – but I AM A WRITER. It is the most natural fiber of my being. It is who You have called me to be.

Right?

I know that there is something coming for me related to writing.

A second job?

A new career?

A creative outlet?

I am not certain about the logistics. And You seem to not want me to focus too intently on the details.

Write.

Write every single day.

Do the work.

Be consistent.

Come back to it day after day.

There is something just beyond the page, Lord. I know it. Something elusive, but it’s there. Just beyond the page…

I pray for Your blessings over my writing. Infiltrate my words. Infuse them with meaning, with connections, with a calling out to others. Stretch them and pull them and send them on their way, Lord.

Roots

Prayer for a Scholarship or…

Lord, I know that You perform / create / provide miracles when we most need them. I am in serious need of a miracle right now. And whether that comes from a scholarship to pay off some of my student debt, or from someone expressing interest in buying our property, or from someone offering me a second job, I will leave the details up to You.

I know that You are the God of abundantly more than I can ever ask, think, or even imagine, Lord. I have no imagination for what You will possibly make happen or how, but I have faith that You will. You always come through for us. You always make a way where we do not see a way.

Do so soon, Lord.

I know that You are never late – but You also know that lately I have been anything but patient. It’s not that I want You to just hurry up and help – it’s the sin I carry with me all the time – the constant worry – the spiraling out of control imagining every worst possible scenario. Help me overcome this mental dis – ease as well, Lord.

I have seen You make the impossible possible time and time again.

Do it again, Lord.

I will gladly take a second job if that’s what Your plan for getting us out of this debt is. Whatever way You provide for fixing or selling our home, provide it soon, Lord.

I pray for all of this in the name of Jesus, Lord.

Amen.